This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
The first of 10 six-car Inneo metro trainsets that CAF is supplying for the 10·5 km Arcobaleno line between Piscinola Scampia and Aversa Centro in Napoli entered service on September 25. The remaining are due to follow by 2026.
A 1·5 km five-stop extension of Milano tram Route 7 from Precotto to Quartiere Adriano which was built at a cost of €37·6m opened on October 16. It is served by the new Stadler Tramlink trams running every 7 to 8 min.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has announced an initial ¥160bn plan to extend the Oedo Line by 4 km northwest from Hikarigaoka to three planned stations provisionally called Doshida, Oizumimachi and Oizumigakuencho. This is predicted to increase ridership by 60 000 passengers/day, including new demand generated from surrounding developments, enabling the city to recovering the cost of the metro project over a period of about 40 years.
A total of 87 level crossings have now been eliminated on the Sunbury, Lilydal, Werribee, Frankston and Cranbourne/Pakenham suburban rail lines in Melbourne, the Metro Tunnel Project Office arm of the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority reported on October 20. Another 110 are to be abolished by 2030 under the regional grade separation programme, making the six lines entirely level-crossing free.
On October 1 a consortium of Mapna, Boland Payeh and Chinese company CMC signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the 11 km eastern section of Tehran metro Line 4. The main contract is expected to be finalised within nine months, with design, construction and commissioning of the section including 10 stations and a depot to take a further 48 months. The estimated cost is €450m, with 15% to be provided by the city authority and Mapna committing to raising 85% of from external sources.
Singapore’s Rail Reliability Taskforce is assessing metro equipment that is approaching end-of-life and will require replacement, upgrading or increased maintenance, and is also looking into bringing forward the renewal programme for the North East Line power system and ways to strengthen the NEL and Circle Line signalling in the short term before renewal is due. The taskforce will submit its final recommendations by the end of the year.
NGE has been awarded a contract to build the 4·5 route-km southern section of Le Havre tram Line C.
Hitachi Rail provided onboard CBTC equipment for the CAF light metro trainsets which have begun entering service on London’s Docklands Light Railway.
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has appointed Dr Jacob Kam Chak-pui as Chairman of the MTR Corp board for a three-year term starting on January 1 2026, succeeding Dr Rex Auyeung. Dr Kam joined the then Mass Transit Railway Corp in 1995 and was appointed CEO of MTR Corp in April 2019.
DB ESG is providing Transport for London with independent quality assurance services during the design, build and testing of the replacement Piccadilly Line fleet being supplied by Siemens Mobility. DB ESG’s in-house team of rolling stock experts is supported by DB Systemtechnik which regularly undertakes inspections of this type for several customers at both the Wien factory and Wildenwrath test centre. ‘Having local teams available in both the UK and the EU offers significant benefits in terms of availability, local language skills and in-depth knowledge of facilities and processes’, said DB ESG Managing Director Nick Goodhand.
Novosibirsk’s first new generation metro train has entered service on the Leninskaya Line. Four more of the five-car Metrowagonmash 81-725.3, 726.3, 727.3 Yermak trainsets are to follow by April 2026.
NJ Transit is piloting two apps for passengers with disabilities in collaboration with the Transit Tech Lab programme administered by the Partnership Fund for New York City. GoodMaps provides indoor navigation assistance at Hoboken Terminal, and Convo provides on-demand American Sign Language interpreting with customer service and ticket office staff at Newark Penn. ‘These technologies give people more control over their journey and reflect our ongoing commitment to creating a more welcoming transit system’, said NJ Transit President & CEO Kris Kolluri.
Don McClurg, Head of Safety & Standards at Edinburgh Trams, has been appointed Chair of the UK Light Rail Safety & Standard Board’s Heads of Safety Group. Paul Cooper, Head of Health, Safety & Operational Standards at Manchester tram operator Keolis Amey Metrolink, is Vice-Chair.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System board has re-elected San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn as Chairperson and El Cajon City Councilmember Steve Goble as Vice-Chairperson. Both will serve two-year terms running through December 2027. ‘MTS has achieved the second-highest ridership recovery among major US transit agencies’, said Goble. ‘I’m proud to work alongside such a dedicated team that continues to earn national recognition for innovation, safety, and for building a transit system that benefits everyone across our region.’