This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
The 5·4 km Sachivalaya to Mahatma Mandir northern section of Ahmedabad Metro Line 2 was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 11, completing the network’s 28 km Phase II expansion programme.
The 65 km Northstar commuter rail service from Big Lake, Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley into central Minneapolis ceased operation following a special event service for the final Minnesota Vikings’ regular season home game on January 4. Ridership never reached expectations and passengers failed to return following the pandemic, and so the trains have been replaced by bus services which local operator Metro Transit said would better match current travel patterns and offer more flexibility at a lower operating cost.
Transport for London has awarded Otis a £430m+VAT contract covering for escalator replacement and refurbishment, including the design and manufacture of 172 escalators and 16 years of maintenance. There is an option to extend by up to three years.
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority tram services are to resume on February 3, having been suspended since September 8 to enable Georgia Power to undertake underground utility repairs. MARTA has taken advantage of the closure to complete catenary inspection and repairs, track maintenance, tree trimming, stop refurbishment, signage updates and deep cleaning.
On December 30, the Mayor of Firenze and the city council gave the go-ahead for the 6·1 km Libertà – Campo di Marte – Rovezzano tram line project, known as the T3 Rovezzano branch, approving the final design and an amendment to the operating agreement. The aim is to begun construction on the €360m route in July 2026, for completion in 34 months. This is down from the initial estimate of 41 months, and it is hoped than an incentive scheme could reduce the timescale further to 31 months.
London Trams’ Therapia Lane depot has become Transport for London’s first depot to cease fossil gas usage by replacing the boilers in its heating system with a range of low-carbon electric heat pumps and infrared panel heaters targeted at areas where staff work most. The additional electricity consumption will be offset by using 1 800 m2 of solar panels on the roof which will generate 187 kWp. Energy savings will come from improved insulation and LED lighting. The measures are expected to cut carbon emissions by around 183 tCO2e/year. The project was part funded by the UK government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme as well as the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System has promoted Daniel Brislin to Director of Transit Security & Passenger Safety, overseeing 81 Code Compliance Inspectors and 232 contracted Transit Security Officers.
Industry association UKTram has appointed Tim Bilby as Stakeholder & Innovation Manager, aiming to strengthen its capacity to support collaboration and innovation across the UK and Ireland’s light rail sector. He has previously served as Managing Director of Sheffield Supertram, and has held roles in safety and finance with Network Rail. Commening on his appointment, he said ‘as a sector that has shown it can be agile and flexible to implement change, I believe we can deliver some fantastic innovation to help provide even better service and outcomes’.
