Urban transport modes – Page 304
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NewsNew Orleans streetcar extension opens
USA: The Loyola Avenue extension of the New Orleans tram network opened on January 28, ahead of Super Bowl XLVII which is to be held at the nearby Superdome stadium on February 3. Starting at the Union Passenger Terminal inter-city rail and bus station, the new double-track line runs 1·3 ...
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NewsChongqing metro expands
CHINA: A 20 km western extension of Chongqing metro Line 1 from Shapingba to Daxuecheng opened on December 21, with eight intermediate stations. One week later Line 3 opened from Ertang to Yudong. Of the nine intermediate stations, three are still to open. Elsewhere on the line, Gongmao and ...
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NewsSingapore to double size of metro network
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has announced plans to expand the island’s metro network from the current 178 km to about 360 km by 2030, putting 80% of households within a 10 min walk of a station. The Land Transport Masterplan 2013 includes the construction of two new lines and extension ...
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NewsSydney's Light Rail Future
AUSTRALIA: Sydney’s Light Rail Future plan announced by New South Wales Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian on December 13 includes a 12 km line connecting Circular Quay to Moore Park, with branches serving Randwick and Kingsford via the University of NSW. Construction is due to start in 2014, and the A$1·6bn ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem cars ordered for Cairo Line 1
EGYPT: The National Authority for Tunnels signed an E£2·16bn contract on December 19 for Hyundai Rotem to supply 20 nine-car air-conditioned trainsets for Cairo metro Line 1. The national government will fund the purchase of the trains. Four trainsets will be manufactured in South Korea, with the rest assembled in ...
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NewsMetro cars blown up to test bomb resilience
EUROPE: Controlled explosions have been carried out on a decommissioned Madrid Metro car and a prototype redesigned vehicle as part of a research project which aims to develop blast-resilient metro cars better able withstand a terrorist attack. The three-year EU-funded SecureMetro project is being led by the NewRail research centre ...
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NewsAlstom to test onboard flywheel energy storage
ENERGY: Alstom Transport and Williams Hybrid Power signed an agreement on January 17 to test Williams’ energy storage technology on a Citadis tram. Under the exclusive relationship, the two companies will adapt Williams’ composite MLC flywheel energy storage. Trials will start in 2014, with a view to installing a ...
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NewsBudapest updates fleet management system
HUNGARY: Budapest’s integrated public transport authority BKK is to install IVU Traffic Technologies’ fleet management and passenger information systems on its tram network in the next few months. Around 600 trams are being fitted with the IVU.fleet operational control system. This will send data to the control centre using ...
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NewsBelkommunmash to supply trams to Daugavpils
LATVIA: Belkommunmash has been selected to supply 12 trams to the city of Daugavpils. The Belarusian company, bidding with the local Agmen Consulting Bureau, was chosen over the Daugavpils Locomotive Repair Factory on January 8. The value of the bid is around 4·6m lats, and the trams are to be ...
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NewsPiraeus tram extension contract signed
GREECE: After a delay of almost four years, the contract for the construction of a tram extension in Piraeus was signed on January 14 by Attiko Metro and contractor Themeli. The project is valued at €61·5m and is to be funded with EU structural funds. The 5·4 km single-track ...
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NewsState support for French railway supply industry
FRANCE: Chaired by Arnaud Montebourg, the minister charged with reviving France’s manufacturing sector, a strategic committee for the railway supply industry met for the first time in Valenciennes on January 11. The meeting was also attended by Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier and Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq. Comprising several large ...
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NewsTamsui light rail approved
TAIWAN: The Council for Economic Planning and Development approved the first phase of a light rail system in the Tamsui district of Taipei on January 7. Construction is expected to start later this year. Due for completion in 2018, the 9·6 km first phase comprises the Green Mountain Line, ...
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NewsSecond Phoenix light rail extension breaks ground
USA: Phoenix city officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony on January 12 for the Northwest Extension of the Valley Metro light rail line. The first phase of the Northwest Extension will take the line from Montebello to Dunlap Avenue, adding 5·1 km and three stations. It is expected to open ...
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NewsCSR to renew Buenos Aires EMU fleet
ARGENTINA: Complete renewal of the EMU fleet operating suburban services on the 1 676 mm gauge Sarmiento and Mitre routes in Buenos Aires was announced by President Cristina Fernández on January 10. Under a contract valued at US$506m, Chinese manufacturer CSR is to supply 55 trainsets totalling 409 vehicles, which ...
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NewsParis tram T4 branch enquiry underway
FRANCE: A public inquiry considering plans to build a 6·5 km branch of Paris tram route T4 from Gargan to Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil closes on January 24. The branch would have 11 stops, and is expected to carry 37 000 passengers a day. The €214m scheme is being managed by ...
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NewsLow-floor trams ordered for Suzhou Industrial Development Zone
CHINA: CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock has won an order to supply 18 low-floor trams for a light rail line which is under construction in the Suzhou National New & Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. The rolling stock order announced on January 10 is the first won by CSR Puzhen under ...
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NewsMinneapolis awards Southwest LRT contracts
USA: Two contracts each valued at $16·8m have been awarded by the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities for preliminary engineering work on the 25·4 km Southwest light rail line in Minneapolis. AECOM will be responsible for the western section of the route, while the eastern section is to be ...
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NewsCNR Tangshan signs Turkish tram contract
TURKEY: Samsun Metropolitan Municipality has awarded CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicles a contract to supply five 100% low-floor trams to increase passenger capacity on the city's light rail network. The €7·5m contract signed on December 17 requires the first tram to be delivered by December 2013 and the last by February ...
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NewsDLR operating contract extended to 2014
UK: On January 7 Transport for London announced that Serco Docklands will have its contract to operate the Docklands Light Railway extended by 18 months. The contract extension is worth around £100m and will cover the period from April 2013 to September 2014. The terms are the same as in ...
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NewsKaohsiung picks CAF to build catenary-free trams
TAIWAN: Kaohsiung City Government’s Mass Rapid Transit Bureau announced on January 4 that it had selected a consortium of CAF and Evergreen Construction to build the first stage of the city’s catenary-free circular light rail line. Now expected to cost NT$15·6bn, the 22·1 km route with 36 stops will link ...