Los Angeles Metro has taken delivery of the first of the HR4000 metro cars ordered from CRRC Changchun in 2017. The car bodies are being manufactured at Changchun in China, with final assembly in Springfield, Massachusetts, to meet federal Buy America requirements. Entry into service on lines B (Red) and D (Purple) is planned for next year.
On August 3 Japan International Co-operation Agency and the government of the Philippines signed a record of discussions for a potential project to produce a 30-year Railway Master Plan for the Greater Capital Region. JICA supported the development of a previous plan for the Manila region in 2014, but said the growing population means that a new master plan including more of the surrounding provinces is now required.
On August 1 the Yongin Everline Operation consortium of Dawonsys, Daejeon Transportation Corp and Sulwha Engineering took over from NeoTrans as operator of the 18·5 km Yongin Light Rail Transit light metro under a 322·3bn won 10-year contract awarded by the municipality.
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul region’s Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County have agreed to share the funding deficit for the Green Line Extension light rail project. Minneapolis will be responsible for start-up costs prior to opening and will contribute 45% of the funding needed to complete construction; its share will primarily come from federal funds in the next three years. Hennepin County will provide 55% of the capital costs from its transit sales tax.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has awarded a consortium of Siemens and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd a contract to supply electrification and SCADA for Mumbai Metro Line 2B which is under construction from DN Nagar to Mandala. Siemens’ share is worth Rs2·3bn, and RVNL’s is Rs1·5bn.
Following a meeting with Hyundai Rotem, on August 8 the Mayor of the Brazilian city of Piracicaba announced that a feasibility study would be commissioned for the development of a 2 km hydrogen-powered tramway.
After commissioning a study from tunnel research organisation STUVA, Hamburg’s Hochbahn has banned e-scooters from its network with effect from August 24 because of the fire risk.
On August 7 PGE Energetyka Kolejowa announced that it had been awarded a 7m złoty contract for electrification equipment renewals to improve reliability on the Gdańsk Politechnika – Gdańsk Przymorze Uniwersytet and Gdynia Główna – Gdynia Grabówek sections of the SKM commuter railway in Poland’s Tricity area.
Construction of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s 12th Street station in Plano is to begin on August 26. It will provide transfers between the Red and Orange lines and the future DART Silver Line, with 313 parking spaces, five bus bays and access to the future Cotton Belt Regional Trail.
Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced a $2·5m modernisation of Ashland station of the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line. This will include footbridge repairs, platform resurfacing, repainting, lighting improvements and the installation of a digital passenger information system.