This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
Renée Amilcar is to step down early as UITP President to focus on her new role as President & CEO of Mobilité Infra Québec. Amilcar was elected as UITP’s first female President in 2023, and re-elected in June 2025. ‘To say that serving as UITP President has been my greatest professional privilege would be an understatement’, she said on November 5. ’However, I will take all that I have learnt from my role, and put it into delivering the best mobility options for the people of Québec. UITP has been a huge part of my life, and although I will be sad to step down, I will ensure that the transition towards new leadership is smooth.’
During October Bremen transport operator BSAG took delivery of the last of 84 Siemens Mobility Avenio GT8N-2 Nordlicht trams ordered in batches from 2017 and supplied from March 2020. Some are suitable for future tram-train operation to support a planned extension of Route 8 to Leeste.
Métropole Européenne de Lille has selected the Foch/Obert area of Wambrechies as the northern terminus of the planned Extramobile tram network.
Irish planning agency An Coimisiún Pleanála has approved the MetroLink Railway Order authorising works for the planned 19 km north-south automated metro line through Dublin. The government has committed to funding the project from the Infrastructure, Climate & Nature Fund, and MetroLink is to be as a statutory delivery body responsible for the construction, reflecting its scale as the largest single investment project in the National Development Plan.
The first seven Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams entered service in Praha on November 3; 20 are to be delivered by the end of the year.
Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have released a request for qualifications for the stations, rail and systems contract package for the Yonge North Subway Extension project to extend Toronto’s metro Line 1 by 8 km from Finch to Richmond Hill with five stations.
Converted e-bikes have been banned from Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and metro services because of the fire hazards linked to unsafe lithium-ion battery installations. Other e-bikes, shared e-bikes and mobility devices will not be impacted, but Transport for NSW said it will continue to monitor all e-micromobility incidents closely.
By the end of 2031 Moskva Metro is to deploy more than 4 500 locally-designed and manufactured ticket gates with integrated to biometric payment and face recognition cameras. Coloured lighting will show whether the fare payment was successful, with vibration feedback for visually impaired passengers.
Test running is underway on the Metro Green Line light rail extension connecting Target Field in central Minneapolis to Eden Prairie. Passenger services are expected to begin in early 2027. ‘Light rail projects like the Green Line Extension are essential to our region and state’s economic growth and environmental resiliency’, said Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene. ‘The burden of car ownership is becoming more costly for residents and our environment. Light rail is a reliable, affordable and environmentally sound transportation option that provides an undeniable return on investment. Generational investments like the Green Line Extension will pay dividends for decades to come.’
Sportivnaya has opened as the first new metro station in Novosibirsk for 13 years. It is said to be the first metro station in Russia built with two climate zones; in winter the temperature on the tracks will be below zero, while the platforms and the concourse will be at +18°C.
Barcelona city council has approved the long-planned connection between the city’s two currently separate tram networks. Subject to funding being confirmed, completion is expected around 2028.
The Chicago Transit Authority has welcomed the Illinois state legislature’s passing of a bill providing a ‘transformational’ level of funding, avoiding job losses and service cuts. ‘With these funds, we will expand our bus and rail service, invest in new technologies and implement new strategies to support our riders and employees’, CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said on October 31.
At the end of October Montréal commuter operator Exo commissioned the first of 10 Charger diesel locomotives ordered from Siemens Mobility to gradually replace F59PH locomotives which have been in use for more than 35 years. They offer lower emissions and will allow train lengths to be increased from eight to 10 coaches.
MTR Corp has appointed Wilson Kwong Wing-tsuen as Hong Kong Transport Services Director and a member of the executive directorate with effect from January 28 2026, succeeding Jeny Yeung who will assume the role of CEO on January 1. Kwong is currently the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd.
Sacramento Regional Transit District has launched the Transit Connect light rail and bus fare payment system supplied by Masabi. Passengers can purchase and activate tickets anywhere using a smart device, eliminating the need for cash and paper tickets. The first phase covers full-fare ticketing, with an in-app stored value wallet, group ticketing and multi-agency support. Future capabilities will include account-based ticketing, smartcard support and fare capping, eventually extending to all agencies and modes of transport across the region.