Technology news – Page 94
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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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Metro Report InternationalDriverless shuttles on test in La Défense
FRANCE: A six-month pilot of autonomous electric shuttles started in the La Défense district of Paris on July 3. Keolis is operating three shuttles supplied by Navya, which are running at an average speed of 7 km/h on a public street shared with pedestrians but no other vehicles. ...
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NewsXPT train and track monitoring contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: New South Wales TrainLink has awarded remote conditioning monitoring specialist Perpetuum a five-year contract to collect and monitor rolling stock and track information using sensors which will be fitted to the fleet of XPT power cars used on inter-city passenger services. This is the UK-based company’s first multi-year contract ...
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NewsNetwork Rail orders Harsco Stoneblowers
UK: Harsco Rail has won a contract to supply infrastructure manager Network Rail with seven Stoneblower track maintenance machines. The deal announced on June 29 includes a long-term spare parts and software support agreement. The Stoneblowers are scheduled to be delivered over two years from late 2019, and will replace ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon transport strategy targets zero emissions by 2050
UK: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan published his first draft transport strategy on June 21. It is open for public consultation until October 2. Noting that the city’s population is set to expand from 8·7 million to 10·5 million over the next 25 years, the document sets a target ...
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NewsPerpetuum enters Chinese rail market
CHINA: Remote conditioning monitoring specialist Perpetuum has signed a memorandum of understanding for China High Speed Railway Technology Co subsidiary Beijing Sheenline Group Co to support its entry into the Chinese market. The agreement announced on June 21 includes wheelset, bogie and track monitoring, along with design and commissioning advice. ...
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Metro Report InternationalSix start-ups to work with Transport for London on open-data innovation
UK: Six start-ups have been chosen to work with Transport for London under the Nitrous innovation accelerator that aims to reduce congestion, encourage public transport use and promote walking and cycling. Nitrous has been developed by the Tech City Ventures network. It aims to help start-ups better support public-sector ...
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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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NewsSüdostbahn plans automatic train operation
SWITZERLAND: A pilot project to develop automatic train operation was unveiled by Südostbahn AG on June 15. The ultimate intention is to achieve Grade of Automation 3, full automatic train operation with no driver but retaining staff on board for customer service and to take control when necessary. SOB has ...
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NewsBombardier Transportation starts work on digitised assembly hall
GERMANY: The foundation stone for an €8m final assembly hall was laid at Bombardier Transportation’s Bautzen rolling stock plant on June 15, in the presence of federal Minister for Economic Affairs & Energy Brigitte Zypries, Sachsen’s Minister of Economics Martin Dulig and Mayor Alexander Ahrens. Bombardier is investing €20m ...
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NewsSNCB seeks to develop BeNeRail distribution partnership
EUROPE: Speaking on the sidelines of the Amadeus Rail Innovation Forum in Praha on June 13, SNCB’s Manager for International Sales Paul Geyssens indicated that the Belgian national operator is planning to expand its collaboration with travel software specialist Amadeus through the BeNeRail distribution joint venture of SNCB and Dutch ...
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NewsShift2Rail project grants awarded
EUROPE: Another 17 research projects with a combined value of €110·9m have been selected for financing under the 2017 Call for Proposals, the Shift2Rail joint undertaking announced on June 14. These will share up to €60·1m of EU co-financing under the multi-year research programme. The call for proposals had been ...
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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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Metro Report InternationalTrapeze to open public transport research lab
SWITZERLAND: Trapeze has established a subsidiary called AMoTech, which is to open a centre of competence for research into autonomous mobility. The Public Transport Lab in Neuhausen would be used to conduct tests of autonomous vehicles, including a self-driving shuttle supplied by Navya. The aim of these tests would ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London launches Facebook Messenger chatbot
UK: Transport for London has launched an artificial intelligence driven Facebook Messenger chatbot. TfL said it deals with a huge number of queries every day through its Facebook pages, and it hopes that the TfL TravelBot will make it easier for users to get information in a ...
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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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NewsAlstom and Teleste sign framework agreement
FINLAND: Teleste Corp has signed a framework agreement to supply Alstom with on-train passenger information and public address systems, CCTV, communication technology and TFT and LED displays. Teleste’s products are ‘designed to let passengers enjoy clear, visible and up-to-date information during every phase of their journey’, said Pekka Vänni, Director ...
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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 InternationalVariable headways based on real-time passenger numbers to be tested
DENMARK: København metro authority Metroselskabet has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ansaldo STS to develop a proof-of-concept dynamic headway technology for the city’s metro. Sensors at stations would detect passenger numbers and use this to adjust the frequency of trains in real-time. Ansaldo STS sees this as particularly ...
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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 ...