Urban rail – Page 415
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NewsBaku metro expansion study
AZERBAIJAN: A consortium headed by Systra and including Mott MacDonald's Praha office and Saman of Korea has been selected to draw up plans for the expansion of the Baku metro by a further 60 km with 50 stations. A study will be undertaken to identify the needs of public ...
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NewsBlackpool tram funding confirmed
UK: Transport Minister Sadiq Khan confirmed the award of £68·3m of government and £33·4m of local council funding for an upgrade of the Blackpool tramway on June 10. Work to provide a modern commuter service on the traditional tramway will include replacing 8 km of track, accessibility improvements, tram priority ...
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NewsMacau LRT project launched
CHINA: Detailed planning is getting underway for the first phase of an automated light metro in the Macau. The Special Administrative Region’s Transport Infrastructure Office (GIT) hopes to invite tenders for civil works and rolling stock later this year. Officially known as Macau LRT, the fully-automated line ...
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NewsAlexandria tram renovation
EGYPT: This month Czech supplier AZD Praha will begin work on a €10m contract to provide modern signalling and interlocking equipment for a tram route in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. AZD will be responsible for installing new traffic signals, CCTV and specially modified level-crossing equipment on the city’s double-track ...
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NewsCasablanca tram project manager appointed
MOROCCO: Casablanca tram development company Casa Transports has appointed a consortium of Systra and Moroccan firm CID Engineering & Development Consultants as project manager for the city's light rail scheme. Systra drew up preliminary designs in 2008. As consortium leader it will now be responsible for management of the ...
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NewsGold rush
AUSTRALIA: Expressions of interest are due to be called later this year for the Gold Coast light rail project. Promised A$365m in federal funding, Queensland state and the local government must now identify sources of finance for the remainder. The federal funding is targeted at Stages II and III of ...
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NewsBombardier unveils Indian-built metro car
INDIA: The Chief Minister of Gujarat and the Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corp were among the 250 guests who celebrated the roll out of the first Movia metro car to be built in India on June 5. Bombardier Transportation has invested €33m constructing a factory at Savli ...
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NewsBuilding on foundations of foam
USA: Utah Transit Authority is using Geofoam foundations at four bridges on the West Valley City light rail project in Salt Lake City. The lightweight fill and ground stabiliser was developed by Utah-based ACH Foam Technologies. ‘Using Geofoam instead of other types of fill, such as soil, could save ...
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NewsLight rail returns to the agenda in England
UK: Light rail is returning to the agenda in England, following a period when national policy has favoured bus-based projects. Contracts are expected to be signed this month for a major revitalisation of Britain’s only traditional tramway, agreement has been reached to revive Manchester’s ‘Big Bang’, and new vehicles are ...
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NewsPesa signs its tram 'contract of the century'
POLAND: Preferred bidder Pesa Bydgoszcz signed the contract to supply the city of Warszawa with 186 type 120N low-floor trams on May 29. The 1·5bn zloty contract was signed at Tramwaje Warszawskie's Zoliborz depot after the public procurement office approved the tendering process which had selected Pesa as the winner. ...
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NewsSustainable urban transport funded
FRANCE: On April 30 Jean-Louis Borloo, the minister responsible for transport, announced 50 projects selected to receive a share of the €800m allocated under the Grenelle de l’Environnement initiative to finance sustainable urban transport projects between 2009 and 2011. The list includes metro extensions in Marseille and Lyon, and tram ...
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NewsGO Transit electrification study announced
CANADA: Greater Toronto transport authority Metrolinx announced a study into electrifying the entire GO Transit rail network on May 26. As the first stage, an external advisory committee of independent technical experts community representatives and passengers will be established to advise on the terms of reference. 'This committee's advice ...
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NewsPastries, parties and stamps celebrate first segment of Circle Line
SINGAPORE: Passengers began using the first five Circle Line stations on May 28, after Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean ceremonially opened the first 5·7 km segment of the line the previous day. The S$6·7bn CCL is being built in five phases, which will form a 33·3 km horseshoe ...
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NewsCalgary to fund C-Train expansion
CANADA: Mayor of Calgary Dave Bronconnier has announced a two-year investment programme to develop the city’s public transport network. He was joined by federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Alberta’s Minister Justice Alison, as the three levels of government will each be providing one-third of the C$270m funding package. According ...
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NewsBART plans replacement of entire fleet
USA: On May 6 Bay Area Rapid Transit District announced an ambitious $3·4bn plan to purchase 700 metro cars to replace its entire 669-car fleet, some of which is now nearly 40 years old, and increase capacity to handle 500 000 weekday passengers in the San Francisco area. There ...
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NewsCrossrail construction launched
UK: After years of planning and uncertainty, construction of Crossrail became a reality on May 15 when the first of nearly 400 steel piles, each 18.5 m high, was launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The piles will form the basis of the new ...
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NewsShenyang metro concession signed
CHINA: MTR Corp, Shenyang Metro Group and the Shenyang municipal government signed a 30-year operations and maintenance concession for the future metro lines 1 and 2 on May 7. The contract signing follows from an agreement in principle which was signed last November. The metro will be operated by ...
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NewsMontpellier selects Citadis for Line 3
FRANCE: The greater Montpellier authority announced its selection of Alstom Citadis trams for the future Line 3 on May 12. A €65m contract for 23 trams plus a full-size mock-up will be signed in the next few weeks. Options covering maintenance for 10 years and a further 12 trams ...
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NewsManchester’s ‘big bang’ back on
UK: Plans to complete the expansion of Manchester’s Metrolink light rail network are set to be submitted to government after an alternative funding package worth £1·4bn was agreed by the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester. A referendum was held in December 2008 to decide whether a £3bn package of ...
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NewsSofia metro Line 1 extension opens
BULGARIA: President Georgi Parvanov and mayor of Sofia Boyko Borisov opened an extension of the metro from Vasil Levski Stadium to Mladost on May 8. The extension of Line 1 is 5·6 km long and has three intermediate stations. Line 1 is being operated in two separate sections following ...
