The first three of a total of 25 Siemens Mobility S700 LRVs ordered by Phoenix’s Valley Metro entered revenue service on January 10. They feature bicycle racks, CCTV, a wheel flange lubrication system to reduce wheel-noise, and high-capacity air conditioning designed for desert temperatures of up to 48°C.
Bangladesh’s Minister of Planning MA Mannan has announced plans to develop a metro in Chattogram (previously known as Chittagong).
The Singapore Institute of Technology and Land Transport Authority are to establish a Centre for Infrastructure & Tunnel Engineering to facilitate R&D, education and training programmes to support for transport and utility projects including the Cross Island Line, North-South Corridor and Deep Tunnel Sewerage Systems. ‘Our rail lines and road projects are going deeper underground to allow for better use of above ground spaces and to preserve our natural environment’, said LTA Chief Executive Ng Lang. ’This requires specialised domain knowledge, and the CITE can help build a steady pool of tunnel engineers with a mix of civil engineering and geotechnical knowledge.’
The German city of Bielefeld has directly awarded municipal operator Mobiel a contract to continue providing tram and bus services for 270 months from January 1 2024.
The supervisory board of RATP Dev appointed Hiba Fares as CEO & Chair of the executive board from January 1. She has been a member of the RATP Group executive committee since 2018 as Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience, Marketing & Services. Mehdi Sinaceur has been appointed COO and Deputy CEO of RATP Dev.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has awarded a joint venture of Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and LT Sambo a S$780m contract for design and construction of the Cross Island Line Phase 1 tunnels running 6 km between Aviation Park station and Changi East Depot. Opening is planned for 2030.