The Honolulu Skyline automated light metro Segment 2 extending the line 8·5 km from Aloha Stadium to Makalapa Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Lelepaua Daniel K Inouye International Airport, Ahua Lagoon Drive and Kahauiki Kalihi Transit Center opened on October 16, with free travel offered on October 18-19. Mayor Rick Blangiardi said ‘each additional Skyline segment unlocks incredible opportunities to address O’ahu’s housing shortage. The city’s transit oriented development plan will pay exponential dividends by creating housing for our residents at strategic locations along the rail line. Skyline is an investment in the future of the City & County of Honolulu and will prove itself to be a game changer for this island over the long term.’ Segment 3 is expected to be completed by 2031, adding six more stations.
A 10·5 km extension of Mumbai metro Line 3 (Aqua) from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade opened on October 8. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the underground metro as a living symbol of a developing India and noted that ‘in a bustling city like Mumbai, this remarkable metro has been constructed underground while preserving historic buildings’. He said Mumbai is a city ‘where every minute counts’, and ‘a journey of two to two-and-a-half hours will now take only 30 to 40 min’.
Bahia state transport operator CTB has awarded the Expresso 2 de Julho consortium of Álya Construtora, OECI (Odebtecht), Metrô Engenharia, and MPE Engenharia a R$1·1bn contract to build a 1·1 km, one-station extension of Salvador metro Line 1 from Lapa to Campo Grande in the city centre. The extension is expected to serve 11 500 passengers per day.
A 1·3 km extension of Montpellier tram Route 1 from Odysséum to Sud de France railway station on the outskirts of the city opened on October 18.
Seattle’s Sound Transit has begun test running of Link light rail vehicles on a converted road lane of the I-90 Homer M Hadley pontoon bridge to prepare for the opening of the full 2 Line in early 2026.
Škoda Group, SAATZ and operator MPK Wrocław are to equip 31 Škoda 19T trams with an anti-collision system combining LiDAR, cameras, maps and odometry to detect obstacles up to 100 m ahead. ‘The anti-collision system is a key step on the path to transport using elements of autonomous driving, and Wrocław will now be among the cities that increase the safety of tram traffic thanks to the most modern technologies’, said Jan Hušák, Technical Director Digital at Škoda Group.
Washington DC metro operator WMATA has issued a request for information to gather feedback from vendors with experience in the design, installation, integration and maintenance of communications-based train control. WMATA is seeking to understand market capabilities, technical approaches and potential cost drivers to inform its future procurement strategies.
All day through services started on October 25 on a 1·8 km, single-station extension of São Paulo suburban Line 9. The section between Mendes-Vila Natal and Varginha had initially opened in March as a shuttle with limited hours.
UKVZ has delivered the first seven of 15 three-section 71-639 low-floor Castor trams ordered for use on Yekaterinburg‘s busy Route 18.
New York MTA has begun the environmental review process for forthcoming Interborough Express light rail project under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. This will run alongside the ongoing preliminary design and engineering phase, which a joint venture of Jacobs and HDR began in August.
West Midlands Metro is installing validator poles from The Hub at tram stops across the Birmingham-based network to support a contactless ticketing system which will enable passengers to tap-in and tap-out to pay for their journey using a contactless bank card, travel pass or smart device. Plans are ‘in place’ to make the system compatible with other modes of transport in the West Midlands.