Urban rail – Page 369
-
NewsTesting underway on Bangkok suburban line
THAILAND: Test running has commenced over the first section of the Red Line suburban railway in Bangkok, ahead of a planned launch of revenue services by the end of the year. The 15·3 km starter section links Taling Chan with Bang Sue on a new alignment that largely follows existing ...
-
NewsBigger depot for longer trains
NETHERLANDS: The first pile for the expansion of Amsterdam's Diemen metro depot was driven on September 3, watched by Bart Schmeink, General Director of city transport operator GVB, and Gert Jan Vos, Director of construction contractor Strukton. The depot is being enlarged to accommodate the Series M5 trainsets which Alstom ...
-
NewsSan Diego Trolley modernisation reaches half way
USA: The half-way point in a $720m modernisation of the San Diego Trolley light rail network was marked by the introduction of a revised network on September 2. Green Line services have been extended along existing tracks through the city centre, passing the Convention Center and Petco Park ...
-
NewsTrains ordered for Nanjing airport rail link
CHINA: Nanjing Metro has awarded a 588m yuan contract for the supply of 15 six-car trainsets for the Nanjing-Gaochun Intercity Rail project. The 35·6 km airport rail link between Nanjing South station and the city's Lukou International Airport will have five stations on an 18·3 km underground section and three ...
-
NewsThales to supply Ampang Line CBTC
MALAYSIA: Contractor George Kent (Malaysia) has awarded Thales a contract to provide SelTrac communications-based train control for the Ampang metro line in Kuala Lumpur. The contract covers the 27 km existing route and 17·7 km extension which is under construction between Sri Petaling and Putra Heights. The signalling work ...
-
NewsLTA announces Thomson Line alignment
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority announced the alignment and station locations for the future Thomson Line on August 29. The 30 km underground metro line is scheduled to be built in three phases for completion in 2021. The route runs north to south from Woodlands to Marina Bay, linking a corridor ...
-
NewsTwo tram lines to serve Avignon
FRANCE: Avignon council has finalised its preferred alignment for a planned two-line tramway which could open in 2016. The 9·2 km Line A with 16 stops would run from Ile Piot via Gare Centrale to Le Pontet Gare, with a branch at the eastern end serving Realpanier. The 5·2 ...
-
NewsDijon tram network opens six months early
FRANCE: The first line of a two-route tram network opened in Dijon on September 1 with a weekend of celebrations and inaugural rides, before full commercial services started on September 3. The 8·5 km starter line runs on an east-west alignment from the city’s main line railway station to the ...
-
NewsTrackside art on Calgary light rail extension
CANADA: Public art is a feature of the 2·9 km northeast extension of Calgary Transit's light rail Blue Line from McKnight-Westwinds to Martindale and Saddletowne which opened on August 27. Construction has taken three years at a cost of C$124m. The two new stations are located within walking or cycling ...
-
NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2012
An Octopus-Lingnan Pass smart card has been launched which can be used for transport payments in Hong Kong and 16 cities in Guangdong province. The cards contain two e-purses which can be topped up in yuan or Hong Kong dollars, with payment deducted in the appropriate currency. Public wi-fi is ...
-
NewsFree rides celebrate opening of Sofia metro Line 2
BULGARIA: The first phase of Sofia metro Line 2 opened on August 31, with President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso attending the celebrations. Musical entertainment was laid on at the National Palace of Culture, with the public able to ...
-
NewsWork starts on Ho Chi Minh City metro Line 1
VIETNAM: Transport Minister Dinh La Thang and representatives from the Japanese embassy attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the future Ho Chi Minh City metro Line 1 on August 28. Completion is planned for late 2017, with six months of testing and commissioning to be followed by regular services in ...
-
NewsMoscow metro extended to Novokosino
RUSSIA: A 3·2 km eastern extension of Moscow metro's Kalininskaya Line 8 from Novogireyevo to Novokosino opened on August 30. Novokosino is the 186th station on the metro network. It has single vaulted underground hall, with black, grey and white marble and granite cladding combined with coloured ceramic tiles. ...
-
NewsHelsinki tram extension opens
FINLAND: Helsinki tram Route 9 services began running to the Länsisatama ferry terminal on August 13, completing a €7·5m extension project. Trams run every 10 min during the day, with late-night services co-ordinated with ferry times. The 4·1 km double-track extension has 11 stops. Construction was undertaken by city transport ...
-
NewsCAF wins Sydney tram order
AUSTRALIA: Spanish manufacturer CAF has been awarded a A$20m contract to supply six new and four leased trams to Sydney, New South Wales Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian announced on August 16. The new light rail vehicles will be delivered from next year. They are needed for the 5·6 km ...
-
NewsSupercapacitor light metro train unveiled
CHINA: CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive has unveiled a prototype light metro trainset which uses supercapacitor energy storage to operate without an external power supply. Developed in conjunction with Chinese Academy of Engineering, the trainset has underfloor power pick-ups which are used to charge the roof-mounted supercapacitor unit from a fixed ...
-
NewsArriva takes over Stockholm light rail operations
SWEDEN: Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Arriva took over from Veolia as the operator of Stockholm's Nockebybanan, Tvärbanan and Lidingöbanan light rail lines on August 20. In November 2011 Storstockholms Lokaltrafik selected Arriva for two parallel operating contracts covering local bus and light services. The overall package runs for 12 years and ...
-
Metro Report InternationalPrincess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University driverless metro opens
Metro Report International takes an exclusive preview ride on the driverless metro serving a women’s university campus in Riyadh.
-
NewsSound Transit launches Northgate Link construction
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony on August 17 marked the start of work on the Northgate Link light rail extension in Seattle, a 6·88 km route running mostly in tunnel from University of Washington station to U District, Roosevelt and Northgate. The project is expected to cost $2·1bn, with ...
-
NewsDoha metro contracts awarded
QATAR: Qatar Rail has signed the first round of engineering and consultancy contracts for the planned US$36bn national network of railway and metro routes. Construction of the 75·4 km Phase 1a of the network is scheduled to begin in early 2013 for completion by October 2019 and opening in 2020. ...
