Urban rail – Page 407
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NewsLight rail preferred for LA’s Crenshaw corridor
USA: The Los Angeles MTA board of directors on December 10 selected light rail as the locally preferred alternative for the 13·7 km Crenshaw - Los Angeles International Airport corridor. The $1·3bn project will connect the Expo LRT line’s Crenshaw station with Aviation station on the Green Line from ...
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NewsFirst trans-Hudson tunnel contract awarded
USA: A $583m contract for the 1·6 km Manhattan tunnel section of the trans-Hudson rail link between northern New Jersey and New York has been awarded to a joint venture led by Barnard and Judlau Contracting. This is one of three design-build tunnel sections on the $8·7bn project, which also ...
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NewsTren Eléctrico contracts awarded in Lima
PERU: Transport Minister Enrique Cornejo announced the selection of the Tren Eléctrico Lima consortium, comprising Graña y Montero SA and Norberto Odebrecht SA, to carry out the civil works and E&M scope on the 12·3 km extension of Lima's metro Line 1 at a cost of US$410·2m on December 2. ...
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NewsBarcelona’s first driverless metro line enters service
SPAIN: On December 13 José Montilla, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, inaugurated the first five stations of metro Line 9 between Can Zam and Can Peixauet.He was accompanied by the Minister of Land Planning & Public Works, Joaquím Nadal, the Mayor of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Núria Parlón, Vice-President ...
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NewsFirst Franciliens enter service in Paris
FRANCE: ‘This is the most important development in public transport since the launch of the TGV’, claimed Jean-Paul Huchon, President of the Ile-de-France transport authority STIF, welcoming the first Francilien EMU at Paris Nord on December 12. Accompanied by SNCF President Guillaume Pepy, Bombardier Transportation President André Navarri and local ...
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NewsMedoc tram-train project manager appointed
FRANCE: A consortium led by Systra has been appointed as project manager for the Medoc tram-train scheme, which will use the existing Bordeaux - Pointe de Grave railway to provide a tram service to Bruges and Blanquefort. Opening is planned for December 2013, with the 7 km route to ...
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NewsHerzog replaces Veolia at Austin MetroRail
USA: Capital Metro announced on December 9 that it was terminating the six-year contract under which Veolia was to have operated the Capital MetroRail passenger service which will link Leander with Austin from early 2010. A replacement five-year operations and maintenance contract worth up to $61m has been awarded ...
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NewsLuas opens extension to Dublin Docklands
IRELAND: Transport Minister Noel Dempsey officially opened a 1·5 km extension of the Luas tram Red Line from Busáras to The Point on December 8, the first addition since the line opened in 2004. Free travel was offered in the Docklands zone for the rest of the day.That evening Luas ...
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NewsBcnRail 2009 highlights urban rail technology
SPAIN: The BcnRail trade fair held in Barcelona between November 30 and December 3 focused attention on the city’s automatic metro lines 9 and 10, including one of the Alstom Series 9000 Metropolis cars. CAF also used the event to unveil its tram for Edinburgh.Organised by Fira de Barcelona, BcnRail ...
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NewsFirst Variobahn tram arrives in Bergen
NORWAY: The first of 12 low-floor Variobahn trams for the Bybanen light rail line was delivered to Bergen on December 8.Stadler was awarded a supply and eight-year maintenance contract on January 5 2008. The five-module bi-directional tram is 32·2 m long and 2 650 mm wide with a floor height ...
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NewsLaHood launches transit safety committee
USA: Following a series of high-profile accidents, federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has established a new advisory committee on urban rail safety, with effect from December 8. With up to 25 voting members, the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety will provide recommendations to the Secretary through the Federal Transit ...
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NewsUS releases tram cash
USA: New funding totalling $280m is being made available for tram and bus urban circulator projects, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced during a visit to New Orleans on December 1. It is the first tranche of money from the Livability Initiative, a joint venture of Department of Transportation, the ...
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NewsThai Prime Minister rides new airport link
THAILAND: On December 4 Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva presided over the launch of trial running on the Suvarnabhumi Airport rail link. The Prime Minister and other cabinet members, including Transport Minister Sophon Zarum, travelled from Makkasan to the airport. Following the special run, free rides were offered to the public ...
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NewsShanghai Metro Line 7 opens
CHINA: Passenger services on the first section of Shanghai Metro Line 7 were launched at 09.00 on December 5. The line is also known as the Expo Line, as five stations will serve the 2010 World Expo north and south sites and the Expo Centre at Huamu Road. The initial ...
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NewsSBB approves Zürich S-Bahn expansion
SWITZERLAND: Meeting on December 2, the SBB board of directors approved a fourth phase of expansion for the Zürich S-Bahn network over the next decade. Developed by SBB in co-operation with Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, and representatives from the surrounding cantons, the latest programme includes both the launch of new routes and ...
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NewsMedellín orders CAF metro trains
COLOMBIA: Spanish train builder CAF has been awarded a contract to supply 12 three-car trains for the Medellín metro. The 211bn peso order announced on December 2 is being funded by the metro together with loans from the Bogotá, Occidente and AV Villas banks. A further 57bn pesos will ...
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NewsBasel goes firm with Tango tram order
SWITZERLAND: Baselland Transport has placed a SFr74m firm order for 15 Tango trams for delivery in 2011-12, Stadler Rail announced on December 4. A SFr276m framework contract for up to 60 trams was agreed by Basel city transport company BVB (20 vehicles) and regional operator BLT (40) in May ...
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NewsCrossrail announces tunnelling shortlist
UK: On December 4 Crossrail Ltd named the five bidders shortlisted to tender for two of the three contracts to bore tunnels for the cross-London Rail link. The bidders are: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Ltd, Morgan Est plc, Vinci Construction Grand Projects and Beton -und Monierbau Gesellschaft; BAM ...
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NewsDB Regio preferred bidder for Tyne & Wear Metro operating contract
UK: Tyne & Wear transport authority Nexus named Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio (Tyne and Wear) Ltd as preferred bidder for a contract to operate the Tyne & Wear Metro on December 3. Nexus will now finalise details of the operating concession, which will run for seven years from April ...
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NewsGöteborg exercises tram option
SWEDEN: The city of Göteborg has ordered a further 25 AnsaldoBreda Sirio trams at a cost of €61m. Designated Type M32 by operator Göteborgs Spårvägar, they have been ordered under the terms of a 2001 contract for 40 trams which included options for up to 80 more vehicles. The ...
