Urban transport news from the Americas – Page 19
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Metro Report International
Oklahoma City: Setting a streetcar example
Despite several setbacks, the Oklahoma City Streetcar opened on time and on budget. Its success could have lessons for other projects.
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Metro Report International
Private sector drives Brazilian urban rail revival
The private sector is expected to play a crucial role in meeting Brazil’s urban rail needs.
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Metro Report International
Atlanta consults on draft Regional Transit Plan
USA: Commuter rail, metro and light rail projects form the centrepiece of proposals to improve public transport in the 13-county greater Atlanta metropolitan region. Established last year, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority has been mandated to develop a ‘seamless’ regional transport network, bringing together and augmenting the ...
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Metro Report International
Ceremonies mark start of Dallas Silver Line construction
Dallas Silver Line USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit held a series of ground-breaking ceremonies along the route of the future Silver Line on September 19 to officially launch construction of the $1·1bn commuter railway in the northern suburbs of Dallas. Previously known as the Cotton Belt ...
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Metro Report International
Minneapolis Southwest LRT systems contract awarded
USA: Railway systems for the Southwest LRT extension of the Green Line light rail route in Minneapolis are to be supplied by a joint venture of Aldridge and Parsons under a $194·4m contract awarded by the Metropolitan Council on September 18. The deal covers the supply and ...
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Metro Report International
New York MTA proposes ‘largest ever’ capital plan
Photo: Gregory Grice USA: New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced its 2020-24 Capital Plan on September 16. The proposed $51·5bn investment is 70% more than the current five-year plan, making it the largest capital plan in MTA history, according to the authority. The investment is to be ...
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Metro Report International
Confederation Line opens in Ottawa
CANADA: The Confederation Line was inaugurated in Ottawa on September 14. Also known as O-Train Line 1, the 12·5 km light rail line links Tunney’s Pasture in the west with Blair in the east. Three of the 13 stops are in a 2·5 km tunnel under the ...
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Metro Report International
Preferred bidder selected for Hurontario LRT project
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have selected the Mobilinx consortium as preferred bidder for the contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Hurontario Light Rail Transit project to the west of Toronto. The contract is expected to the be awarded later this year. Mobilinx is ...
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Metro Report International
Phoenix voters reject plan to block light rail funding
USA: Residents of the city of Phoenix have voted overwhelmingly to reject a local legislative measure that would have halted funding for expansion of the city’s Valley Metro light rail network. Mayor Kate Gallego confirmed on August 28 that voters had rejected the Proposition 105 and 106 ...
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Metro Report International
Five shortlisted for Bogotá metro concession
COLOMBIA: Metro de Bogotá has shortlisted five bidders for the design-finance-build-operate-maintain-transfer concession covering the initial phase of the city’s first metro line. It expects to award the concession on October 21. The shortlisted consortia are: APCA Transmimetro: China Harbor Engineering Co, Xi’an Metro Co, CRRC Changchun, Bombardier ...
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Metro Report International
Québec City transport funding announced
CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Québec’s Minister of Transport François Bonnardel announced joint funding to establish tram and bus rapid transit routes in Québec City on August 19. The Québec provincial government will provide C$1·8bn, with a further C$1·2bn coming from the federal government’s Investing in Canada ...
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Metro Report International
Mitsui and JR West take over Rio suburban network
BRAZIL: A consortium of Mitsui and West Japan Railway has purchased a majority stake in Rio de Janeiro suburban railway operator SuperVia, at a reported cost of around ¥20bn. The Japanese trading group had previously held a 24% stake in the concessionaire, through its stake in SuperVia parent Odebrecht ...
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Metro Report International
Kiewit and Parsons awarded Los Angeles Gold Line extension contract
USA: The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority awarded the main design-build contract for the Foothill Gold Line light rail extension to a joint venture of Kiewit and Parsons, the authority announced on August 14. The $805·6m contact covers the first phase of the eastern extension from APU/Citrus College ...
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Metro Report International
CRRC metro train enters service in Boston
USA: The first trainset that CRRC is supplying for the Boston Orange Line entered passenger service on August 14. In 2014, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority awarded CRRC MA a contract to supply 152 cars for the Orange Line and 132 cars the Red Line. This was followed by ...
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Metro Report International
New York’s 42 St Shuttle to be refurbished
USA: New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on August 2 that the 42 St Shuttle metro line in Manhattan is to be modernised. Work is due to begin on August 16 and end in 2022, with no interruptions to service. Opened in 1904, the 42 St Shuttle connects ...
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Metro Report International
Electric buses arrive in Chile
CHILE: The first 100 of 183 K9FE battery buses that BYD is supplying to operate in Santiago arrived at the port of San Antonio on July 31. The vehicles left the port of Shanghai on July 1 and will travel by road to the capital. The other 83 ...
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Metro Report International
Maryland Purple Line depot topped out
USA: The Maryland Transit Administration held a ceremony on July 30 to mark the topping out of the Glenridge Operations & Maintenance Facility being built for the future Purple Line light rail route. Planned to accommodate 200 staff when fully operational, the 15 800 m2 site will contain ...
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Metro Report International
San Diego selects Siemens S700 light rail vehicles
USA: San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 25 light rail vehicles. Siemens will supply its low-floor S700 LRV. Deliveries from its Sacramento plant are expected to be complete by the end of 2021, and the LRVs would replace the high-floor SD100 ...
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Metro Report International
Siemens to supply S700 light rail vehicles to Portland
USA: Portland transport agency TriMet has selected Siemens Mobility to supply up to 86 light rail vehicles, the manufacturer announced on July 29. Deliveries from Siemens’ Sacramento plant are expected to begin in 2021. The base order of 26 LRVs would replace TriMet’s 26 Type 1 vehicles supplied ...
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Metro Report International
‘Historic’ restructuring of New York MTA approved
USA: A landmark restructuring of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority was approved at a board meeting on July 24. The ‘historic reorganisation’ is the first such effort since MTA was established in 1968. Developed internally with input from consultancy firm Alix Partners, the plans focus on centralising support ...