North America – Page 76
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Metro Report InternationalWSP to design Portland Division Transit
USA: Portland transport authority TriMet has appointed WSP USA as prime engineering consultant to design the Division Transit Project, a proposed 22 km bus rapid transit route which is intended to improve links between central Portland and the city of Gresham via Division Street. The route would serve Portland State ...
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Metro Report InternationalEdmonton to introduce contactless ticketing
CANADA: Vix Technology has been selected to supply integrated account-based contactless ticketing to three public transport agencies in the Edmonton region. The 15-year contract would see Vix implement and operate back-office equipment and validators that would be used for payment with contactless EMV cards as well as prepaid smart ...
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Metro Report InternationalAtlanta mobile ticketing contract awarded
USA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has awarded Kapsch a €10m contract to develop, implement and maintain an account-based mobile ticketing system for use on the city’s metro and buses. Kapsch’s TrafficCom, CarrierCom and Public TransportCom divisions will work on the project, along with Bytemark and TransTrack Systems. Implementation ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The Port of Tilbury has set out plans to ‘reinvigorate‘ its rail connections including the introduction of regular intermodal services to the Midlands and Scotland, the creation of a dedicated bulk terminal, and establishing a rail connection into the planned Tilbury2 terminal. ‘Tilbury is making the most of its assets ...
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Metro Report InternationalKansas City Streetcar fleet to increase by 50%
USA: Kansas City council approved the purchase of two additional CAF Urbos trams on June 29 to meet increasing demand on the KC Streetcar. Deliveries are due in 24 months. The vehicles will cost $11·9m, which includes including $2·1m for spare parts and inspection support. The purchase will be ...
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NewsVTG expands US and Russian wagon fleets
VTG: Leasing company VTG has strengthened its position in the US market and completed a ‘major strategic step’ in Russia through a series of wagon acquisitions. VTG Rail Inc has expanded its US fleet to around 5 200 vehicles with the acquisition of Redwood Rail’s 1 135 grain, cement, sand, ...
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NewsAirline veteran Richard Anderson to head Amtrak
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak named Richard Anderson as its next President & Chief Executive on June 26. The former CEO of Delta and Northwest Airlines will take up the post on July 12, acting as co-CEO with incumbent Wick Moorman until December 31. Moorman had joined Amtrak in September ...
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Metro Report InternationalFinch West funding announced
CANADA: The federal and Ontario governments announced funding for the Finch West light rail project in Toronto on June 23. Ontario is to provide C$1·2bn, with the federal government supplying up to C$333m. The 11 km light rail line along Finch Avenue would link from Finch West metro station ...
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Metro Report InternationalPhoenix light rail extension contractor chosen
USA: Valley Metro has approved the appointment of Kiewit as the construction manager for the South Central extension of the light rail network serving Phoenix. Construction on the extension from central Phoenix to Baseline Road is due to start in 2019, for opening in 2023. Aecom is acting as ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom wins second Ottawa light rail vehicle order
CANADA: Ottawa light rail project developer Rideau Transit Group has awarded Alstom a €200m contract to supply 38 Citadis Spirit light rail vehicles for Stage 2 of the O-Train network. The consortium of SNC-Lavalin, ACS Infrastructure, EllisDon, Dragados Canada and Veolia Transportation Services is building the 12·5 km Confederation ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York state proposes taking control of MTA
USA: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on June 20 a proposal to give the state control of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. Asserting that ‘the MTA is in a state of crisis’ and that ‘there is no quick or small fix’, Cuomo says that giving the state a ...
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NewsCRRC to supply commuter coaches to Montréal
CANADA: CRRC Tangshan has been awarded a contract to supply 24 double-deck hauled coaches to operate on commuter services serving Montréal. The coaches are to be deployed on the Deux-Montagnes line, ahead of the opening of the Réseau Électrique Métropolitain light metro. The coaches are also expected to replace ...
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NewsFuel cells to be studied as alternative to Toronto electrification
CANADA: Ontario is to study the feasibility of using of hydrogen fuel cells ‘as an alternative to conventional overhead wires’ for the planned electrification of GO Rail and UP Express routes in the Toronto region. According to the province’s Ministry of Transportation, recent advances in the use of hydrogen fuel ...
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Metro Report InternationalFederal funding for REM agreed
CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on June 15 that the federal government is to provide C$1·28bn towards the construction of the Réseau Électrique Métropolitain automated metro project in Montréal. All the funding for the project is now in place. Public pension and insurance investor Caisse de dépôt et ...
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Metro Report InternationalBART makes crime data publicly available
USA: The police department of San Francisco’s BART has made data for serious crimes at and around its stations publicly available. Fed by data from the police department’s computer-aided dispatch, CrimeMapping.com shows information about reported Part I crimes at BART stations. Details of crimes in the surrounding area are ...
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NewsComplex interoperability requirements in Chicago PTC contract
USA: Wabtec Corp has signed a $22m contract to design, supply and commission Positive Train Control for the Belt Railway Company of Chicago, which owns and operates about 470 km of track, including 43 km of main line track. Under the contract announced on June 7 Wabtec is to provide ...
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NewsHudson Bay Railway services to Churchill suspended after washouts
CANADA: Hudson Bay Railway services between Amery, 47 km northeast of Gillam, and Churchill have been suspended indefinitely owing to ‘unprecedented and catastrophic’ flood damage and are not expected to resume before the winter season, parent company OmniTRAX announced on June 9. HBR has been unable to operate to Churchill ...
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NewsTier 4 genset locomotive enters service
USA: Railserve’s first Tier 4 compliant Dual Leaf Gen-Set Locomotive has entered service in Freeport, Texas. The latest addition to Railserve’s family of locomotives has two Cummins QSX15 engines, and can use only one when hauling lighter loads. The Dual Leaf is intended for shippers, industrial users and short line ...
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Metro Report InternationalSacramento approves smart city partnership
USA: Sacramento City Council voted unanimously on June 6 to approve a public-private partnership with Verizon to develop smart city infrastructure. Verizon expects to invest more than $100m as part of the project. ‘This partnership will serve as a critical step in upgrading our city’s infrastructure to support the ...
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NewsSMBC Rail acquires American Railcar Leasing
USA: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp’s wagon leasing and fleet management business SMBC Rail Services completed the $2·78bn acquisition of American Railcar Leasing from investment group Icahn Enterprises on June 1. Chicago-based SMBC Rail said the transaction would produce a ‘premier’ full service lessor of ‘long-lived’ rolling stock for the North ...