This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
Opening of the second phase of Nanjing Line 5 on August 6 brought the total length of metro line opened across China since April to 200 route-km. June 30 alone saw three openings: Ningbo added a new Line 8 running northwest-southeast for 23·3 km with 18 stations, Shenyang Line 1 was extended east by 16·5 km adding 10 stations, and Shaoxing opened its 3·2 km north extension of Line 1 with two stations.
Seoul – Incheon Airport shuttle operator A’REX has deployed a 5G network at its headquarters and depots to support maintenance activities. This is to be used to collect data on faults, component status and videos recorded during train operations. All onboard equipment that transmits and receives real-time operating data is to be converted to use the 5G network by the end of the year.
The Libyan government has given Libyan Railways the go-ahead to commission studies and designs for a proposed Tripoli metro.
Rotem SRS has signed a contract to provide manufacturer Hyundai Rotem with maintenance services for the trams supplied to Warszawa. Rotem SRS said this would help it build expertise as a basis for expanding tram operations and maintenance activities in the EU market.
CRRC Dalian has delivered three four-car electric multiple-units to boost capacity on the Lagos Blue Line, which started limited revenue services with diesel locos in September 2023.
The Fairtiq app is being tested by 100 tram and bus passengers in Grenoble transport authority SMMAG’s operating area.
New York MTA has renewed its contract with retirement services provider Empower for a further five years. Empower will continue to administer MTA’s 401(k) and 457 defined contribution plans for 124 000 participants with assets of $10·3bn. ‘The MTA Deferred Compensation Program Committee is pleased to extend its relationship with Empower due to their in-depth experience with public sector and government defined contribution plan administration’, said Nicole LaMorte, director of Tax Favored Programs at MTA. ‘This will allow us to maximise participant engagement and offer best in class communications while providing our employees with the support they’re familiar with.’
A contract to provide 12 trams to the Russian city of Barnaul has been awarded to Karyernye Mashiny, which supplies vehicles from Belarusian company Belkommunmash. Deliveries are planned in two batches by July 15 2026.
Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has upgraded New York MTA’s Transportation Revenue Bonds rating from A- to A with a stable rating outlook. ‘S&P’s upgrade demonstrates continued growth in confidence in the MTA’s financial stability while recognising the early success of the Congestion Relief tolling programme, ongoing ridership recovery and dedicated state support to maintain a strong financial position’, said MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel on August 12. ‘To further support the MTA’s financial profile, we’ll continue to focus on operating budget savings while delivering reliable service.’
At the IV International Transport Summit a further 17 cities joined the UrbanTransportData initiative led by the city of Moskva to provide insights into transport metrics and showcases industry best practice. Co-operation agreements for membership were signed by Addis Ababa, Almaty, Astana, Banjul, Freetown, Habana, Harare, Ho Chi Minh City, Kampala, Lilongwe, Lima, Lusaka, Maputo, Mexico City, Nairobi, Windhoek and Yerevan.