Urban rail – Page 351
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NewsNew tram presented in Plauen
GERMANY: The first new tram for Plauen in 37 years has been displayed to the public at an open day. The initial two Bombardier Flexity Classic vehicles were delivered to the city in August, and another four will follow in mid-2014. The 21 m long, 2 300 mm ...
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NewsTiranë tram plans
ALBANIA: Provision for the construction of the first of two proposed tram lines is to be made during the construction of the Tiranë Public Transport Terminal, a rail, bus, minibus and taxi interchange to be developed in the northwest of the capital. TPTT is to replace the current city centre ...
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NewsXi’an metro Line 1 opens
CHINA: Line 1 of the Xi’an metro opened for trial operation on September 16 after almost five years of construction. The 25·4 km east–west line links Fangzhicheng in the east with Houweizhai in the west via Tonghuamen, Chaoyangmen, Wulukou, Beidajie and Hancheng Road. There are 19 stations ...
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NewsGold Coast tram delivered
AUSTRALIA: The first tram for the Gold Coast was presented to project stakeholders by Bombardier Transportation on September 20. The event was also used to launch the branding for the route. The first two Flexity 2 trams arrived in Brisbane from Bombardier’s Bautzen factory in Germany on September 10 ...
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NewsFeature articles in the September 2013 issue of Metro Report International
Articles in the September 2013 issue of Metro Report International. Comment Chua Chong Kheng of Land Transport Authority talks about lessons that Singapore can teach the world of public transport ahead of the LTA-UITP SITCE event News Review Round-up of world metro, light rail and tram news. Hong Kong A ...
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NewsGovernment extends rail investment programme
MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced plans to spend a further 160bn ringgit on main line and urban railways by 2020, a three-fold increase on capital expenditure levels seen over the past 20 years. Noting that ‘we are seeing a massive expansion of the rail network in Asia’, Razak ...
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NewsSerco to run Dubai's Al Sufouh tram route
UAE: Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority signed a contract with Serco on September 16 for the commissioning and operation of the emirate’s first light rail line. Valued at 105m dinar, the 75-month contract provides 15 months for preparation, including staff recruitment and training, plus five years of operations. ...
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NewsCalgary orders next-generation LRVs
CANADA: Calgary Transit announced on September 11 that it had ordered 60 light rail vehicles from Siemens for its expanding CTrain network, at a total cost of C$200m. The first of the S200 series cars is expected to arrive from the company’s Sacramento plant in August 2015, with deliveries to ...
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NewsGrand Paris Express contracts awarded
FRANCE: Having approved a budget of €5·3bn in July for the first phase of its ambitious programme to develop a network of automated metro lines around the capital, Société du Grand Paris has now awarded a tranche of design and project management contracts. Forming part of a sustainable development strategy ...
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NewsSiemens and Russian Machines unveil metro car design
RUSSIA: Siemens and local partner Russian Machines confirmed their intention to tender jointly to supply metro cars for Moscow by unveiling a mock-up of their proposed design at the Expo 1520 event being held at Shcherbinka on September 11. Moscow Metro is expected to call tenders for the supply of ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2013
An Aeromovel air-propelled peoplemover was inaugurated in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on August 10. The train is powered by remotely-controlled fans that propel it along an elevated guideway running 900 m between the airport terminal and a nearby railway station. Marubeni is to conduct a pre-feasibility study ...
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NewsBaku Green Line extension tunnelling begins
AZERBAIJAN: Work has begun to complete and fit out long-abandoned tunnels between Khatai and Hazi Aslanov 2 as an extension of Baku metro’s Green Line. The work is being supervised by local firm Azartunelmetrotikinti with Akkord Company, Bouygues and Ukrainian firm Interbudmontazh acting as subcontractors. The Azeri capital had seen ...
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NewsWest Island Line tracklaying complete
CHINA: A ceremony was held at Hong Kong University station on September 8 to mark the completion of tracklaying on MTR Corp’s 3 km West Island Line between the existing Sheung Wan station and the over-run tunnel beneath Kai Wai Man Road in Kennedy Town. With the new extension now ...
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NewsSmartphone ticketing targets special events
USA: Mobile ticketing specialist Masabi has launched a smartphone app to enable San Diego Trolley passengers to buy day passes for special events in the city. Branded MTS mTicket, the Cloud-based mobile ticketing and fare collection application can be downloaded from either the Apple iTunes store or Google Play for ...
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NewsKraków plans three-line metro network
POLAND: The city of Kraków’s spatial planning team has published a study for a three-line metro, which has been endorsed by Mayor Jacek Majchrowski. The report targets construction to start in 2018 if the city authorities approve financing estimated at 3bn złoty. A significant part of this ...
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NewsLondon Underground depot upgraded to maintain new trains
UK: London Underground has completed a £180m modernisation of its Neasden depot to provide facilities for the routine maintenance of Bombardier Transportation S Stock trainsets used on the Metropolitan Line. BAM Nutall undertook the civil, mechanical and electrical works for the depot modernisation, Thales was responsible for signalling including ...
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NewsHong Kong awards SCL Phase 1 signalling contract
CHINA: MTR Corp has awarded Thales a HK$642·5m contract to install communications-based train control on the first phase of the Shatin – Central Link. ‘Extending and upgrading a heavily-used network without impacting on our customer service is a challenging task. We look forward to having Thales’s team with their ...
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NewsLine 2 opens in Alacant
SPAIN: Line 2 of the Alacant tramway opened on September 4, connecting Sant Vicent del Raspeig with the rest of the network. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President of Valencia Generalitat Alberto Fabra said that the new route ‘makes the city much more sustainable, ecological and comfortable for its citizens’. ...
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NewsRed Line funded in Maryland’s $1·5bn transport package
USA: Construction of Baltimore’s east-west Red Line light rail route is expected to get underway in 2015, following the announcement of a $1·5bn transport investment programme by Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley on September 4. This is intended to support schemes totalling $4·4bn included in Maryland Department of Transportation’s draft six-year ...
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NewsAlstom to refurbish Baltimore light rail vehicles
USA: Maryland Transit Administration has selected Alstom to overhaul the fleet of light rail vehicles operated in Baltimore. The signature of the $150m contract was announced on September 3. Alstom is to renew propulsion systems, automatic train control, CCTV, air-conditioning units, doors, seating and carpets to each of the ...
