Urban rail – Page 327
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NewsGuangzhou tram line opens
CHINA: The fifth modern tram line in China opened on December 31 in Guangzhou. The 7·7 km east-west Haizhu Line with 11 stops is first phase of a planned circular route in Haizhu district. The standard gauge line runs along the south bank of the Pearl River, connecting Canton ...
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NewsWest Island Line opens to passengers
CHINA: Hong Kong’s West Island Line extension was opened for revenue service on December 28, when passengers joined MTR Corp Acting Chief Executive Officer Lincoln Leong a for ribbon-cutting ceremony on the station platform at Kennedy Town station. To mark the start of services, a formal inauguration ceremony was ...
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NewsBuenos Aires metro to be driverless
ARGENTINA: Preliminary engineering work has started on Buenos Aires metro Line F, with construction of the first phase expected to begin in 2017. The initial section would connect Constitución with Callao/Santa Fe, with a planned extension to Facultad de Derecho. Ridership is forecast at 500 000 passengers/day. Services would ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - January 2015
Colombia’s National Infrastructure Agency has invited expressions of interest in a 44 km light rail line in Bogotá. This is envisaged to be built under a PPP contract by 2018. The Inter-American Development Bank is to provide US$750m and CAF US$150m for the construction of Lima metro ...
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NewsChinese cities open 10 more metro lines
CHINA: No fewer than eight new metro lines or extensions were opened for revenue service in four cities on December 28, followed by two more on December 30, as the various administrations continue to expand their urban rail networks in a bid to alleviate growing traffic congestion. Four lines began ...
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NewsChicago to introduce mobile ticketing
USA: Cubic Transportation Systems and GlobeSherpa are to supply mobile ticketing to the Chicago Transit Authority and commuter rail operator Metra, as well as bus operator Pace. A mobile app would allow purchase, top-up and contactless payment using NFC technology. The app will also feature a journey planner and ...
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NewsWarszawa trams extended to Tarchomin
POLAND: The next stage of Tramwaje Warszawskie’s extension to serve the capital's rapidly-expanding Tarchomin district was opened for revenue service on December 24. The first stage of the new line was completed as far as Marii Curie Skłodowski bridge in January 2013, and the latest extension to Kościelny adds a ...
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NewsSound Transit approves 2015 budget
USA: The Sound Transit Board approved a $1·2bn 2015 budget for public transport projects in the Seattle area on December 18, including several light rail developments. The budget includes $121m to complete station construction, fit-out and testing for the University Link extension, due to open in early 2016. A ...
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News€450m for urban transport projects
FRANCE: The government announced on December 18 that it would be providing €450m to fund 99 urban transport projects with an estimated total cost of €5∙2bn. Including 15 light rail schemes totalling 81 km as well four metro lines with a combined length of 27 km, the projects are expected ...
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NewsWrocław orders Pesa Twist supercapacitor trams
POLAND: MPK Wrocław signed a contract with sole bidder Pesa on December 15 for the supply of six Twist trams with an option for 19 more. The order is part of the Integrated Rail Transport System in Greater Wroclaw Stage II programme. The city transport authority hopes that part ...
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NewsParis opens tram Route T8
FRANCE: Paris tram Route T8 entered service on December 16, following four weeks of trial running without passengers. The 8·5 km route runs north from Saint-Denis Porte de Paris to Delaunay-Belleville, where it splits into two branches, terminating at Villetaneuse-Université and Epinay-Orgemont. There are 17 stops, and interchange is ...
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NewsMetrolink tram wi-fi rollout confirmed
UK: Following positive passenger feedback from trials on a single Metrolink tram, on December 16 Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed a £1·7m deal for the roll-out of free wi-fi on all 94 trams, 20 city centre shuttle buses and all new trams entering service within the next two years. The ...
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NewsHannover opens light rail extension
GERMANY: Hannover opened an extension of light rail Route 7 from Schierholzstraße to Misburg on December 14. The opening was marked with a day of free travel between Kröpcke in the city centre and the new terminus. The 1·5 km extension adds three stops to the network. The journey ...
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NewsSeoul metro operators to merge
SOUTH KOREA: The Seoul metropolitan government announced on December 10 that it plans to merge the two city-owned metro operators by 2016. The original operator, Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corp, operates metro lines 1, 2, 3 and 4. In 1994 Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp was established with the aim ...
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NewsNaberezhnye Chelny opens tram link
RUSSIA: The city of Naberezhnye Chelny in Tatarstan inaugurated a 6·1 km extension of its 1 524 mm gauge tram network on December 12. The new section runs along Naberezhnochelninskiy Prospekt, Prospekt Mira and Prospekt Syuyumbike with 11 stops. It provides a new link between Pedinstitut in the southwest ...
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NewsPATH airport extension study funded
USA: New York-New Jersey Port Authority has awarded a $6·4m contract to HNTB to study the proposed PATH metro extension to Newark Liberty International Airport. The three-year contract aims to determine a more precise cost estimate for the project, currently put at $1·5bn. A Port Authority study first recommended ...
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NewsBasel opens cross-border tram route
SWITZERLAND: A cross-border extension of Route 8 of the Basel tram network into Germany was officially inaugurated on December 12. Passenger services started on December 14 with a day of celebrations and free travel, including on heritage trams. The 2·5 km extension of BVB’s Route 8 runs north from ...
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NewsFrankfurt inaugurates tram link
GERMANY: A 1·1 km tram link along Stresemannallee in Frankfurt am Main opened on December 13 with celebrations and a weekend of free trips on heritage trams. The connection from Gartenstraße to Mörfelder Landstraße enables services on Route 17 to run from Hauptbahnhof to the suburb of Neu-Isenberg at ...
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NewsBerlin Hauptbahnhof tram extension opens
GERMANY: The first tram route serving Berlin Hauptbahnhof opened on December 14. The 1·8 km of new alignment has six stops, including an interim stop at Hauptbahnhof which is to be replaced by a larger facility in mid-2015. Beyond the Hauptbahnhof there is a one-way loop with stops at Lesser-Ury-Weg, ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - December 2014
Keolis has renewed its contract to operate trams and buses in Bordeaux for a further eight years from January 1 2015. Odebrecht TransPort is to form a 60:40 joint venture with Mitsui to compete for urban rail concessions in Brazil. If approved by the Brazilian competition authority, Mitsui ...
