On March 18 Germany’s Federal Railway Authority approved CAF’s 12 three-car Nexio LRVs for operation, with entry into service on the 17 km Schönbuchbahn in Baden-Württemberg now planned for this summer. ‘The last major milestone has been achieved; a weight has been lifted from my shoulders’, said Schönbuchbahn Chairman Roland Bernhard.
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has awarded Alstom a $518m seven-year extension of its contract to operate and maintain JFK International Airport’s AirTrain. There is an option for a further three years.
On March 25 Brno transport operator DPMB began taking delivery of a further 15 Škoda ForCity Smart 45T trams ordered in November 2023 under a February 2021 framework agreement which covered an initial five trams with options for up to 40 more. The 15 trams have cost KC1·13bn, with a KC420m contribution from the EU’s Integrated Regional Operational Programme. The three-section vehicles are bidirectional, helping the operator run serves during engineering works including line closures associated with the reconstruction of the viaduct at the city’s main station.
The Kyiv metro has called tenders for the supply of 10 five-car trainsets with walk-though gangways, to be financed by an EBRD loan. The metro currently operates more than 830 cars, however around 100 are approaching the end of their services lives.
Metrolinx has appointed the Rail Connect Partners 50:50 joint venture of AtkinsRéalis and Bird Construction to build the East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto. This will provide an interchange between GO trains and the future Ontario Line metro. Hatch is to provide design, engineering and architectural services.
BKM has been selected to supply three T811 four-axle trams to the Kazakh city of Öskemen this year.
Hyundai Rotem has ordered 91 Hübner USA pressure-stable and pressure-tight double corrugated bellows gangway systems for two-car HR5000 metro trains it is to supply to Los Angeles County MTA. Announcing the order on March 27, Hübner noted that ‘unlike in other parts of the world, gangways between individual cars are not yet so common in the USA.’
Transport for London has banned all non-folded e-bikes from most of London’s transport network from March 31, after undertaking a review of the battery fire risk with the London Fire Brigade. TfL said it would keep the ban under review, pending any future government measures to improve product safety.