News – Page 196
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Metro Report InternationalConnectivity in a complex underground station
USA: Telecoms-provider neutral 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity supplied by Boingo Wireless is now live at New York MTA’s Grand Central Madison station and through Long Island Rail Road tunnels to and from Queens. As well as being available to public mobile phone operators, this is ...
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NewsBosnian railway reopened
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: The 24 km branch line from Podlugovi to Vareš, north of Sarajevo, reopened after 31 years on December 14. The reopening was initiated by Adriatic Metals, a UK-based company which holds a silver mining concession in Vareš. Adriatic Metals cleared the route, ...
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Metro Report InternationalChicago transport chatbot under development
USA: Chicago Transit Authority is working with Google Public Sector to develop a virtual assistant to go live on the transport agency’s website in early 2024. Chat with CTA is intended to provide simple, one-step-away support which can resolve many questions and concerns within minutes. CTA ...
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NewsBattery-electric multiple-units included in largest Mireo order
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has been awarded orders totalling €500m to supply 75 Mireo electric and battery-electric multiple-units for use from December 2026 on Mitteldeutschen S-Bahn 2025plus services centred on Leipzig. Diesels are not permitted in the Leipzig City Tunnel, and the use of BEMUs will enable ...
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NewsSinara obtains certification for domestic EMUs
RUSSIA: Sinara Transport Machines has obtained Customs Union certification enabling series production of its ES104 electric multiple-unit developed with domestic content to replace the Lastochka (Desiro RUS) design, and has delivered the first four units. The ES104 was designed and manufactured in one year after Siemens ...
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NewsSystra acquires Rail Systems Australia
AUSTRALIA: Systra has signed an agreement to acquire Rail Systems Australia, an engineering, signalling and telecommunications specialist founded in 2017 which now employs 130 people and has offices in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. RSA founder Mike Stegena said the company had ‘experienced remarkable growth, prompting ...
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Metro Report InternationalCanberra tramway extension contract signed
AUSTRALIA: The major works contract for Canberra Light Rail Stage 2A has been signed with tramway PPP concessionaire Canberra Metro, the Australian Capital Territory announced on December 7. Stage 2A will extend the line 1·7 km from Alinga Street along London Circuit West, adding three new ...
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Metro Report InternationalGera orders TINA trams
GERMANY: Gera transport operator GVB has awarded Stadler a contract to supply six TINA trams in 2026, with options for a further three. The contract signed on December 11 is worth €38m, with the city of Gera providing €7·2m, the Land of Thüringen €17·1m and co-financing ...
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NewsLubuskie to be bi-mode trainset launch customer
POLAND: Poznań-based supplier FPS H Cegielski has told Railway Gazette International that it has been named sole bidder to supply two regional trains to Lubuskie voivodship. The company is to offer its newly developed bi-mode multiple-units, branded Plus. One would be a two-car electro-diesel trainset 54 ...
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Rail Business UKEast West Rail project should be aligned with wider economic strategy, says National Audit Office
UK: The government needs to align the East West Rail project and housing development plans to maximise the economic benefits of the future railway, according to a report from the National Audit Office.
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NewsUnion Pacific rebuilds Plasser tamper
USA: Union Pacific’s Denver workshop has completed work on the first of 32 Plasser American 09-16 Dynacat continuous action tampers which are to be rebuilt to be more user-friendly, enhance safety and simplify repairs. Casey Prewitt, Senior Manager, Maintenance of Way Shop, said this was the ...
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NewsHybrid train comes with ethical certification of its supply chain
ITALY: Hitachi Rail says it is the first rolling stock manufacturer to be able to track not just the environmental impact of its products, but also their social impact via a Social Product Declaration. The SPD for Hitachi Rail’s Masaccio electric-battery-diesel hybrid multiple-units, known as Blues ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
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Rail Business UKTrain ticket retailers told to make booking fees clearer
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has written to seven online ticket retailers expressing concerns about ‘drip pricing’, when customers are shown an initial price with additional fees revealed later in the sales process. There are more than 40 retailers selling rail tickets online, split ...
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Metro Report InternationalGlasgow Subway’s Stadler trains enter passenger service
UK: The first two of 17 trainsets that Stadler is supplying to replace the Glasgow Subway fleet entered passenger service with a soft launch on the afternoon on December 11. The trains have been custom-made to the unique specifications of the 10·5 km circular underground line, ...
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NewsÖBB introduces Siemens Nightjet fleet as Paris – Berlin sleeper train revived
EUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways launched its next-generation fleet of Nightjet overnight trains into service on December 10 when the first trains formed of new Siemens Mobility rolling stock ran on the Wien/Innsbruck – Hamburg route. The two portions, each comprising a single push-pull trainset, were joined ...
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NewsOmniTRAX to operate West Virginia’s South Branch Valley Railroad
USA: On December 1 OmniTRAX took over operational management of the South Branch Valley Railroad under an agreement with West Virginia Department of Transportation. The 85 km SBVR between Petersburg and Green Spring is a former branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co serving the ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom invests in Brazil amid strong outlook for South American metro sector
BRAZIL: Alstom is about to start producing metro trainsets for São Paulo Line 6 at its Taubaté factory as the company invests to support growing rail markets in South America.
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Metro Report InternationalSantiago metro extension enhances local amenities
CHILE: President Gabriel Boric has inaugurated a 5·2 km extension of Santiago metro Line 2. The four-station section at the south end of the route takes Line 2 from La Cisterna to Hospital El Pino, and it has been built at a cost of US$409·2m. Opened ...
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In depthJapan: Attracting traffic to rural lines
Imaginative initiatives are helping to ensure the survival of lightly used railways in rural Japan. Mike Bent reports.