Urban transport news from Europe – Page 68
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Metro Report InternationalTunnelling poised to start on Paris RER Line E extension
FRANCE: Construction of the main tunnel of the RER Line E extension between Courbevoie and Haussmann-Saint Lazare to the west of Paris will commence during the first quarter of 2019. This follows a traditional ceremony held at Courbevoie on November 28 to name the tunnel boring machine Virginie. Present at ...
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Metro Report InternationalPalermo approves four tram projects
ITALY: Palermo city council has approved changes to its public works plan to include the construction of four tramway extensions. A: an extension of the existing Line 1 from the Palermo Centrale station to the stadium; B: an extension from the Notarbartolo terminus of lines 2, 3 and 4 to ...
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Metro Report InternationalDarmstadt tram extension funding
GERMANY: The Land of Hessen has agreed to provide Darmstadt transport operator HEAG Mobilo with €12·3m towards the €19·6m cost of extending the tramway to Technischen Universität Darmstadt's Lichtwiese campus, Economics, Energy & Transport Minister Tarek Al-Wazir confirmed on November 28 The 1·1 km double track extension would run from ...
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Metro Report InternationalAutonomous bus trial planned for Edinburgh
UK: Passenger-carrying trials of full-sized autonomous buses is due to take place in Edinburgh from 2020. Government research funding body Innovate UK is contributing £4·4m towards the project, with additional funding coming from operator Stagecoach East Scotland, Transport Scotland, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, technology company Fusion Processing and mobility ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon bus depot goes electric
UK: RATP Dev announced on November 15 that it had completed the upgrade of its Shepherd’s Bush depot in west London to operate electric buses. Last year RATP Dev London ordered 36 10·8 m Enviro200 EV battery buses from a BYD-Alexander Dennis consortium. To be stabled at Shepherd’s Bush, ...
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Metro Report InternationalMobile ITSO-compatible ticketing on test in Birmingham
UK: Transport for West Midlands is trialling mobile ticketing using the UK’s ITSO interoperable specification on the West Midlands Metro tram network. The pilot project is funded by the Midlands Connect regional partnership as part of its smart ticketing programme. It is initially available for up to 500 users, ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless shuttle trial in Rennes
FRANCE: A driverless shuttle trial started on the Beaulieu campus of Université de Rennes 1 on November 15 and will run until June. Two autonomous shuttles supplied by Navya are running on a 1·3 km route, which is shared with road vehicles and pedestrians. Services operate on weekdays and ...
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Metro Report InternationalSecond München S-Bahn crossing contract awarded
GERMANY: DB Netz has awarded the first contract for main construction works for the second S-Bahn city crossing in München, the infrastructure manager announced on November 15. The €189m Overground West package, covering the section from Laim to Donnersberger Brücke, has been awarded to a consortium of Ed Züblin, ...
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Metro Report InternationalMobile ticketing is coming to Madrid
SPAIN: Bus operator EMT Madrid plans to launch a 12-month mobile ticketing pilot on its Airport Express bus route from the first quarter of 2019. The ticketing app will be based on Masabi’s Justride software platform and will use Mastercard payment technology. Santander will act as the acquiring bank ...
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Metro Report InternationalPowerful LED lights to illuminate Elizabeth Line stations
UK: Office lighting specialist Future Designs has designed and supplied three types of bespoke lighting units to illuminate the passenger areas of stations on the underground section of London’s future Elizabeth Line. The lighting concept for the station concourse, escalator and platform areas aims to emphasise the spatial envelope rather ...
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Metro Report InternationalLionet tram on test in Perm
RUSSIA: A PK Transportnye Systemy Lionet tram has started a period of passenger-carrying tests on a part of Route 11 in Perm. The single-section Lionet was displayed at the InnoTrans 2018 trade fair in Berlin during September. The municipality plans to renew its fleet by 2023, and the ...
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Metro Report InternationalGraz selects ZF condition monitoring system
AUSTRIA: Following a successful pilot project, municipal transport operator Graz Linien has decided to equip its tram network with track and wheel condition monitoring and digital fleet management technology from ZF. Sensors on the trams will provide early warning of potential track defects, while the ZF Smart Typeplate will enable ...
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Metro Report InternationalPalermo suburban line reopens following modernisation
ITALY: The Passante suburban railway in Palermo has reopened after a three-year closure for modernisation. The project includes double-tracking the line between Palermo Centrale and Punta Raisi, adding 12 stations, eliminating 22 level crossings, and building a new underground section between Palermo and Capaci. So far only the ...
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Metro Report InternationalThe right information to the right people at the right time
FINLAND: Helsinki transport operator HKL is to deploy Teleste’s S-Aware situational awareness platform to support decision making when to complex or critical incidents occur on the capital’s metro network. The contract is worth more than €2m, with phased installation scheduled to start in 2019 for completion at the end of ...
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Metro Report InternationalGovernment confirms £350m loan for Crossrail
UK: The Department for Transport is to provide £350m of short-term repayable financing to the Mayor of London for the year 2018/19 to cover additional work required for the Crossrail project, Rail Minister Jo Johnson announced on October 26. The funding is intended as an interim measure as discussions ...
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Metro Report InternationalLisboa metro modernisation moves ahead
PORTUGAL: Metropolitano de Lisboa has called tenders for the supply of 14 three-car trainsets and CBTC to replace the signalling, which dates from the 1970s. A total investment of €127m is planned. The new rolling stock is expected to arrive in 2022, with entry into service of ...
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Metro Report International3D printed tram front end presented
SPAIN: CAF subsidiary RL Components presented a tram front-end produced using additive manufacturing on October 24. The front-end fitted to an Urbos tram at Tranvía de Zaragoza’s depot was developed in partnership with CAF Digital & Design Solutions. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, enables the design ...
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Metro Report InternationalAstra Vagoane to supply trams to two Romanian cities
ROMANIA: A financing agreement for the purchase of 10 trams for Oradea was signed on October 19. Sole bidder Astra Vagoane Călători Arad is to supply 10 trams under an 88·8m lei contract that includes options for 10 more. Four trams are to be delivered by October ...
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Metro Report InternationalSagrada Família to fund Barcelona transport improvements
SPAIN: Barcelona city council and the Sagrada Família have signed an agreement which will see a package of transport improvements funded by the organisation building the famous church designed by Antoni Gaudí. Part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the church attracts 20 million visitors a year, with 4·5 million ...
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Metro Report InternationalDepot management system expanded for electric bus fleet
GERMANY: To support Hamburg transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn’s plans to replace 1 000 diesel buses with vehicles offering no emissions at the point of use, software company PSI Transcom is to expand the PSItraffic depot management system which is used to plan operations at six bus depots. The technology which ...