Urban transport news from Europe – Page 66
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins on Karlsruhe tram extension
GERMANY: A groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Egon-Eiermann-Allee stop marked the start of work on a tram extension in Karlsruhe on April 29. The 1·5 km extension of Route 2 running north from the current Lassallestraße terminus would serve the Knielingen 2.0 residential district. It would ...
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Metro Report InternationalAarhus Letbane Phase 1 completed
DENMARK: The first phase of the Aarhus Letbane light rail network was completed with the entry into service of the last sections on April 30. The 69 km single-track railway between Aarhus H and Grenna to the northeast has reopened as a light rail line having been closed since ...
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Metro Report InternationalKing unveils Brussels tram mock-up
BELGIUM: On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of trams in Brussels, King Philippe unveiled a mock-up of the next-generation Flexity tram on April 30. City transport operator STIB signed a €480m framework contract with Bombardier Transportation in April 2018, covering the supply of up to 175 trams. The base ...
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Metro Report InternationalVR Group to operate Tampere tramway
FINLAND: Tampere’s Municipal Public Transport Committee has selected national railway VR Group to operate the tramway being developed in the city. Six parties prequalified for the contract: VR Group, Stockholms Spårvägar, Länsilinjat, Väinö Paunu, Go-Ahead Finland, and a consortium of Transtech and Keolis; Go-Ahead Finland subsequently withdrew ...
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Metro Report InternationalGdańsk tram purchase to be funded from late delivery fines
POLAND: Gdańsk tram operator GAiT is purchasing 15 more Jazz Duo trams from Pesa, the city authorities announced on April 25. The order forms an option on a contract signed in February 2018. Due to arrive by the end of 2020, the trams from the option will be partly ...
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Metro Report InternationalElizabeth Line launch planned for 2020-21
UK: A ‘robust and realistic’ plan for the launch of Elizabeth Line services through central London during a ‘six-month delivery window with a midpoint at the end of 2020’ was announced by project promoter Crossrail Ltd on April 25. The opening was originally planned for December 2018, but in August ...
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Metro Report InternationalSiemens Mobility submits plans for Goole rolling stock plant
UK: Siemens Mobility has submitted an outline planning application for a £200m rolling stock plant at Goole in East Yorkshire which would manufacture and commission vehicles for the UK market. This follows the signing last of November of a £1·5bn contract to supply 94 Inspiro London trainsets for London Underground’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalCrossrail Ltd culture criticised in London Assembly report
UK: Factors which contributed to the delay to the opening of the Crossrail line through London are set out in a report released by the London Assembly Transport Committee on April 23, along with recommendations intended to ensure that other large infrastructure schemes can be completed successfully. The project to ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul plans third heritage-style tramway
TURKEY: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced plans to build a new heritage-style tram line. The 2·2 km route planned for the Esenler district would connect Menderes station on metro Line M1B with Yıldız Technical University Davutpaşa Campus, running along Atışalanı Caddesi and Davutpaşa Caddesi. It would serve five stops ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul plans cross-Bosporus metro line
TURKEY: The Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure is planning to build a metro line connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, using a three-level road and rail tunnel to cross the Bosporus. The 30·2 km route would link Incirli on the Thracian side with Söğütlüçeşme in Anatolia. There ...
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Metro Report InternationalUKVZ to supply more trams to Krasnodar
RUSSIA: Krasnodar transport operator KTTU is due to sign a contract for the supply of 27 trams with sole bidder UKVZ on April 29. Deliveries of the single-section 40% low-floor trams are due by November 11. The 672·3m rouble contract includes a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. UKVZ would supply ...
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Metro Report InternationalPorto light rail extensions progress
PORTUGAL: Prime Minister António Costa attended a ceremony on April 5 at which Metro do Porto called tenders for contracts to build a light rail line and extend an existing route. The projects were approved by the Council of Ministers in December. Work is expected to begin in early ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis to trial all-night metro operation
FRANCE: All-night service on selected metro and tram lines in Paris is to be trialled later this year, Ile-de-France President Valérie Pécresse announced on April 13. ‘To relaunch going out in Paris, I have decided to break a taboo and run transport 24 h a day’, she tweeted the ...
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Metro Report InternationalLéman Express cross-border EMU unveiled
EUROPE: The first completed Alstom electric multiple-unit for the Léman Express cross-border regional passenger service between Genève in Switzerland and destinations in France was unveiled at the manufacturer's Reichshoffen factory on April 10. SNCF has ordered 17 EMUs from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent family, known as Régiolis by the operator. The ...
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Metro Report InternationalMercedes-Benz electric buses ordered for Wiesbaden
GERMANY: Wiesbaden transport operator ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft has ordered 56 Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro battery electric buses. The contract announced on April 10 includes the supply of chargers and other depot infrastructure. The first 10 buses are due to arrive this year, with the remainder following in 2020. The first 15 will ...
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Metro Report InternationalNaming ceremony for Grand Paris Express TBM
FRANCE: The first tunnel boring machine to excavate metro Line 14 South of the Grand Paris Express network was named at a ceremony at Thiais on April 3. Next month, TBM Claire will start boring the initial 4·5 km section of tunnel between the future Pont de Rungis station ...
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Metro Report InternationalMessina tramway saved from closure
ITALY: The Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport has allocated €100m for an extension and upgrade of the Messina tram line. The funding would be put towards construction of a northern extension of the route from Annunziata to serve the university. Other planned improvements to be funded by the government ...
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Metro Report InternationalCubic awarded Irish mobile ticketing contract
IRELAND: The National Transport Authority has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a contract worth more than US$4m to supply and maintain a mobile ticketing system. This will included a mobile app enabling users to purchase and present tickets for multiple operators. It is to be piloted on a number of Bus ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London seeks suicide prevention technology
UK: Transport for London has started looking into the adoption of technology that would help to prevent suicides on its rail networks. The Technology Preventing Suicide project has been launched in line with the Mayor of London’s Vision Zero strategy, which aims to eliminate road deaths by 2041. TfL ...
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Metro Report InternationalSalzburger Lokalbahn extension agreement signed
AUSTRIA: The federal government and the Land and city of Salzburg signed a letter of intent on March 25 to extend and upgrade the Salzburger Lokalbahn railway. The agreement was signed by federal Transport Ministger Norbert Hofer, Salzburg Land Governor Wilfried Haslauer, Land Transport Minister Stefan Schnöll and Mayor Harald ...