Urban transport modes – Page 323
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NewsThree consortia shortlisted for Ottawa light rail project
CANADA: The City of Ottawa and Infrastructure Ontario announced the three bidders shortlisted for the C$2·1bn Ottawa Light Rail Transit project on October 21. Ottawa Transit Partners: Vinci, Acciona, Bombardier Transportation, Aecon Construction; Rideau Transit Group: ACS Infrastructure Canada, SNC-Lavalin, Dragados Canada, EllisDon, Veolia Transportation Services; Rideau Transit Partners: ...
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NewsMetro Los Teques Line 2 contract signed
VENEZUELA: The Consorcio Linea 2 consortium of civil engineering firms Odebrecht and Vinccler has awarded the Grupo de Empresas consortium of Alstom (61%), Colas Rail (22%) and Thales Transportation Systems (17%) a €530m contract to supply railway systems and rolling stock for the second phase of Metro Los Teques. Built ...
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NewsBasel chooses Bombardier to supply 60 trams
SWITZERLAND: Basel transport operator BVB named Bombardier Transportation as preferred bidder to supply 60 trams on October 25. Following the regulatory standstill period, the contract for the fleet of Flexity Basel trams is expected to be signed in early November. The first two are scheduled to arrive in 2013 ready ...
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NewsCompleting the Circle
SINGAPORE: The 33·3 km Circle Line was completed with the opening of stages four and five between Marymount and HarbourFront on October 8, adding 17 km and 12 stations to the driverless metro line. The line is operated using 'medium capacity' three-car trains, with SMRT Corp expecting to be ...
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NewsNamma Metro inaugurated in Bangalore
INDIA: The first section of the Bangalore metro, now branded Namma Metro ('our metro'), was opened by Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath on October 20. The 6·7 km elevated 'Reach 1' from Byappanahalli to Mahatma Gandhi Road forms the eastern section of the 18·1 km east-west line, serving six stations. ...
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NewsIstanbul awards Asian metro contract
TURKEY: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has awarded lowest bidder Dogus Insaat ve Ticaret a €564m contract covering civil and electrical works for a second metro line on the Asian side of the city. Rapid construction is envisaged for completion by the end of 2014. Starting at the Üsküdar ferry terminal, the ...
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NewsHelsinki metro automation delayed
FINLAND: On October 21 the European Investment Bank signed an agreement to lend up to €250m to Helsinki public transport operator HKL to support a five-year programme to modernise the metro and bus networks to increase capacity and improve environmental standards. This includes upgrading of the depots, track and ...
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NewsCSR invests in stainless steel welding
CHINA: A new design of stainless steel metro car bodyshell was unveiled by CSR Zhuzhou last month. The company has been investing in resistance spot and laser welding techniques to improve the production of stainless steel vehicles, which it assembles from 5 000 stainless steel plates with more than ...
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NewsHydrogen fuel cell tram unveiled
SPAIN: Metre-gauge operator FEVE has unveiled a tram powered by two hydrogen fuel cells that can carry between 20 and 30 passengers at up to 20 km/h. The prototype was built at the company's Pravia workshops by Fenit Rail (in which FEVE holds a 37·5% stake), and it is ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - October 2011
Following surveys by a Russian firm, the government of Myanmar has dropped plans for a 50 km metro in the greenfield capital Naypyitaw, saying the population density is too low. Delhi Metro Rail Corp opened a 3·3 km branch of the Green Line from Ashok Park Main to Satguru ...
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NewsNorthrail restructured under investment programme
PHILIPPINES: Completion of the protracted Northrail project is at the heart of a five-year infrastructure investment package worth 565bn pesos unveiled by Transportation & Communications Secretary Mar Roxas on October 6. Plans to build an 80 km standard gauge line from Caloocan, on the northern edge of the capital, to ...
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NewsAubagne orders Citadis Compact
FRANCE: On October 5 Alstom Transport received the first order for its 22 m long Citadis Compact tram, a fleet of eight vehicles to be supplied for a new network serving the town of Aubagne to the east of Marseille. Under a contract worth €14m containing options for five to ...
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NewsBangalore metro ready to open
INDIA: The first section of the Bangalore Metro Rail network will officially open on October 20, according to D V Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He said the 6·7 km ‘Reach 1’ from Byappanahalli to Mahatma Gandhi Road would be inaugurated by the national government’s Urban Development ...
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NewsAuckland EMU contract signed
NEW ZEALAND: Transport Minister Steven Joyce confirmed on October 6 that Auckland Transport had signed contracts with Spanish manufacturer CAF for the supply and maintenance of 57 three-car electric multiple-units to operate the Auckland suburban network. Speaking at Britomart station in the city centre, Joyce said ‘this ...
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NewsToshkent trams
UZBEKISTAN: Celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of independence on September 1 included the launch of the first two of 20 VarioLF low-floor trams supplied by the Alliance TW Team consortium of Czech manufacturers Pragoimex, KOS Krnov and VKV Praha. The rest are scheduled to arrive next year. 'These trams meet ...
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NewsLine H opens to Parque Patricios
ARGENTINA: On October 4 the southern extension of Line H from Caseros to Parque Patricios was formally opened by Mauricio Macri, head of the Buenos Aires city government, joined by Juan Pablo Piccardo, President of metro construction authority SBASE. Public services were due to begin at 18.00. The new southern ...
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NewsCAF preferred for Auckland EMU order
NEW ZEALAND: A consortium of Spanish manufacturer CAF and Mitsubishi of Japan has reportedly been selected as preferred bidder to supply and maintain 57 three-car electric multiple-units to operate the Auckland suburban network now being electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz. The deal had been expected to be announced on ...
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NewsChongqing opens monorail and metro lines
CHINA: Chongqing Rail Transit has begun trial operations on its first conventional metro and second straddle monorail lines, expanding the city's urban rail network. The first route to be completed was Line 2, which opened in 2005 using straddle monorail technology from Hitachi. Monorail Line 3 services began running at ...
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NewsFreedom takes Flexity to the North American tram market
NORTH AMERICA: Bombardier Transportation President & CEO André Navarri launched the ‘Flexity Freedom’ as the company's tram platform for North America at APTA Expo 2011 in New Orleans on October 4. The 100% low-floor car is a parallel development to the Flexity 2, launched in Blackpool last month and targeted ...
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NewsBrookville to produce modern tram
USA: An expansion of tram manufacturing was announced by Brookville Equipment Corp on September 14. The company said it is developing an articulated tram with a low-floor section and the capability to run for short distances without overhead supply. Founded in 1918, Brookville's core business is the production of rail ...