Changchun metro Line 6 opened on March 28, after four years and seven months of construction. The 29·6 km line serves 22 stations linking Shuangfeng in the northwest with Changchun Movie Wonderland in the southeast. The fully underground line is operated by a fleet of six-car, 90 km/h Type B2 type trainsets manufactured by CRRC Changchun.
The first 12·9 km southern section of Nanjing metro Line 5 opened on March 31 between Jiyindadao and Wenjinglu. The entirely underground line serves nine stations and has a top speed of 80 km/h. The remaining 24·5 km north to Fangjiaying is under construction.
URC Construction held a ceremony on March 24 to mark the start of excavation using a trench cutter for a diaphragm wall at Chennai Metro’s Thousand Lights station where the underground section of the future north-south Line 3 will cross the existing Blue Line 1. It is being built under Phase 2 contract UG-03.
Skanska is trialling the use of a pre-production Wirtgen Group HAMM HD 12e VV battery powered compaction roller at the Fairfax station site on the Los Angeles Purple (D Line) Extension project. Provided by Sunbelt Rentals, it is designed to have the same capabilities as a conventional diesel compaction roller but with zero emissions at point of use.
On March 28 New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced plans for a pilot deployment of ‘emerging technologies’ to detect firearms being carried at Subway stations. There will also be funding to expand Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams which help people suffering from severe mental illness who seek refuge on the network.
The government of Ontario has issued the request for qualifications for the stations, rail and systems contract for Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown West Extension. This is the final major contract for the project, and includes detailed design and construction of seven stations, fitting out the tunnels and 1·5 km elevated guideway with track and signals, and installing and commissioning communications, ventilation and other support systems.
New York MTA’s Metropolitan Av and Lorimer St stations have been made accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This included the installation of three lifts at each station, new sets of stairs, tactile strips on platform edges, ADA boarding areas, accessible fare control equipment and new station signage and public address systems.
Vancouver’s TransLink is undertaking consultation on a one-year investment plan that aims to address ‘critical service gaps’ and ‘unprecedented’ population growth while it works with local and provincial authorities to develop a long-term strategy. This would ’secure a new funding model that will support regional transportation and keep up with growth for years to come’.