North America
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom to modernise Las Vegas airport peoplemover
USA: Clark County Department of Aviation has awarded Alstom a $84m contract to upgrade the Green and Blue lines of the automated peoplemover at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, including the supply of new vehicles.
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NewsAmerican Pioneer 220 high speed trains to offer a comfortable ride past traffic on the freeway
USA: Brightline West and Siemens Mobility have unveiled a scale model and renderings of the American Pioneer 220 high speed trainsets designed to operate at up to 355 km/h on the planned high speed line linking Las Vegas with Rancho Cucamonga east of Los Angeles. Siemens ...
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Metro Report InternationalChicago Transit Authority pilots gun detection technology
USA: Chicago Transit Authority has combined its existing CCTV with computer vision and machine learning technology from ZeroEyes in a pilot project which aims to alert security officials if someone is brandishing a gun. If a potential brandished firearm is detected, an image is automatically sent ...
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NewsIncoming Mexican President commits to passenger rail revival
MEXICO: President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has unveiled her ‘100 Steps for Transformation’ programme which contains the revitalisation of passenger rail services on three major corridors, totalling 3 000 km in length. The three services announced earlier this summer are among the seven routes totalling 8 000 km ...
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NewsSiemens Mobility confirms location for $60m US high speed train factory
USA: Siemens Mobility has selected a site at Horseheads in upstate New York to produce American Pioneer 220 high speed trainsets for the Brightline West project to link Las Vegas with southern California. Brightline West said these would be ‘the first true high speed train sets ...
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NewsEl Insurgente passenger trains reach Mexico City
MEXICO: The El Insurgente suburban rail service has reached the western edge of Mexico City.
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NewsApp trial to help blind and low vision passengers navigate Boston stations
USA: The NaviLens smart phone navigation app for visually impaired people is being tested on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Boston commuter rail network. Users scan brightly coloured QR-style codes posted in the stations, and the app will then help them find the correct platform, provide real-time ...
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Metro Report InternationalLocally built low-floor light rail vehicles enter service in Sacramento
USA: ‘This is a historic moment’ for the operator and the region, General Manager & CEO Henry Li said when the first of Sacramento Regional Transit District’s Siemens Mobility S700 low-floor light rail vehicles entered passenger service. ’The launch of our new S700 light rail vehicles ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse sees international signalling opportunities after $690m acquisition
NORTH AMERICA: Knorr-Bremse has completed its $690m acquisition of the conventional rail signalling business of Alstom Signaling North America, with 800 employees in six locations becoming employees of KB Signaling, a standalone business. The completion announced on September 2 follows a binding agreement signed on April ...
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Metro Report InternationalSeattle light rail extension is ‘the biggest thing to happen in Snohomish County since the first 747’
USA: A ribbon cutting, food trucks, face painting, live music and prizes for people who visited all four new stations were among the celebrations marking the opening on August 30 of a 13·7 km extension of Seattle’s light rail 1 Line north from Northgate to Lynnwood ...
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NewsGenessee & Wyoming to ‘revolutionise’ clearance assessment
USA: Genessee & Wyoming is to use scanning and data capture hardware from Cordel Group and Rift software from TÜV Rheinland Group company D/Gauge for clearance assessment in its Upper Midwest and Great Lake divisions. ‘This cutting-edge clearance software will revolutionise the analysis and investigation of ...
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NewsPinsly Railroad to buy Texas short line
USA: Pinsly Railroad Co has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Hondo Railway in Texas, subject to regulatory approval. Hondo Railway was founded by Don Lee and Mark Holland in 2006. Located west of San Antonio, traffic on the 8 km line includes flour, ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York MTA appoints criminal justice advocate to support staff and customers
USA: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has appointed Kathryn Falasca as its first Criminal Justice Advocate. An experienced criminal attorney, she will work with law enforcement agencies, prosecuting authorities and community organisations to support MTA employees and customers during the investigation and prosecution of people accused ...
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Metro Report InternationalVancouver SkyTrain extension contracts awarded
CANADA: Major construction works for the 16 km extension of Vancouver’s SkyTrain light metro Expo Line from King George in Surrey to 203 Street in Langley are set to begin this year, following the award of the guideway, stations and systems & trackwork contracts. The SkyLink ...
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NewsCaltrain Downtown Rail Extension contract awarded
USA: The Transbay Joint Powers Authority has selected the AECOM-led Portal Connectors team to provide programme management and construction management services for the long-planned extension of Caltrain commuter rail services into central San Francisco. Downtown Rail Extension Branded as The Portal, the Downtown Rail Extension project ...
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Metro Report InternationalHonolulu awards downtown metro contract
USA: Civil engineering company Tutor Perini has won a $1·66bn design and build contract covering the extension of Honolulu’s Skyline metro into the city centre. The contract was awarded on August 15, with construction to start next year for completion in 2030. The City Center Guideway ...
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NewsMBTA orders double-deck coaches
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has ordered a further 41 Hyundai Rotem double-deck coaches for use on Boston commuter services. The firm order signed on August 14 has been placed using an option on a 2019 order for 83 cars, of which 76 have been now ...
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NewsVirtual reality added to short line training
USA: The Short Line Training Center has added three modules to its Learning Management System which make use of virtual reality for enhanced engagement, greater safety than live training and increased accessibility for railway operators. The courses cover Freight Car Familiarization, Locomotive Daily Inspection and Class ...
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NewsMore Northeast Corridor upgrading works launched
USA: Amtrak is undertaking $260m of track improvements and other infrastructure works on the Northeast Corridor this summer. ‘In addition to our ongoing catenary inspection and repair programme, we are renewing our tracks, signals and other railroad infrastructure across the Northeast Corridor and the Harrisburg Line, ...
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Metro Report InternationalContractor selected to build Chicago’s Red Line Extension
USA: The Chicago Transit Authority has approved a $2·9bn contract for Walsh-Vinci Transit Community Partners to design and build the 9 km metro Red Line Extension. The consortium comprises Walsh Construction, Vinci Construction, EXP, Systra and subcontractors. Kiewit Infrastructure and a joint venture of FH Paschen, ...