Urban transport news from the Americas – Page 3
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Metro Report InternationalColombia: Bogotá finally chooses rail
In the 2000s the capital of Colombia was famous for its TransMilenio bus rapid transit network, but as that became overcrowded, authorities made a decision to develop metro and tram-train routes, reports Marcelo Benoit.
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Metro Report InternationalBrazil: Salvador turns to the tram
Having dismantled a suburban railway and aborted a monorail scheme, the Brazilian city of Salvador is now developing a tram network using second-hand trams and track assets from Cuiabá. Ana Cláudia Nascimento, CEO of state transport operator CTB, explains the plans to Benjámin Zelki.
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Metro Report InternationalOttawa’s O-Train starts phased reopening
CANADA: Ottawa’s O-Train reopened its extended north-south Trillium Line on January 6, with services to be ramped up over the next month.
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Metro Report InternationalCampina Grande light rail plan agreed
BRAZIL: The Ministry of Transport has signed an agreement for the transfer of 15·5 km of moribund railway to the municipality of Campina Grande for the development of a light rail service. The R$170m project covers the reconstruction of a cross-city section of the 1 000 ...
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Metro Report InternationalGatineau – Ottawa tramway studies to begin
CANADA: Technical and environmental studies are to begin this spring for the TramGO project to develop a 24 km tramway connecting western and central Gatineau in Québec with Ottawa in neighbouring Ontario. The federal and Québec governments have allocated C$163·5m to plan the Québec section of ...
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Metro Report InternationalProgramme manager selected to oversee Austin’s starter light rail line
USA: Austin Transit Partnership has appointed consultancy Aecom to support Phase 1 of the Texas state capital’s light rail network. Responsibilities will include programme management oversight and initiation, environmental services, design management, railway systems commissioning and operational readiness. The 15·7 km Phase 1 of the light ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York Subway battery-diesel maintenance locos approved for use
USA: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved the operation of battery-diesel hybrid locomotives ordered from Wabtec to haul maintenance trains on the Subway network. The R255 locos will be able to use power from the 500 kWh battery in the tunnels and at worksites when ...
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Metro Report InternationalNorth America: Bringing more rail to Mexico’s metropolis
Two major suburban rail projects are well into the phase of delivery in the state of Mexico, which borders Mexico City. But plans to extend metro and light rail beyond the capital’s boundaries are yet to be finalised as policymakers continue to flirt with non-rail modes, which are often perceived as cheaper to deliver.
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Metro Report InternationalWashington metro reinstates automatic train operation after 15 year hiatus
USA: Automatic train operation has resumed on the Washington DC metro after a 15 year gap. ATO was installed when the metro opened in 1976, but it was turned off following a fatal collision in June 2009. This was caused by a track circuit failure that ...
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Metro Report InternationalMore walk-through Subway cars in latest New York MTA procurement
USA: New York MTA has approved a $1·27bn firm order for a further 435 Kawasaki Rail Car R211 Subway cars, including 80 R211T cars with open gangways. This takes the total number of R211 cars ordered under the 2018 framework agreement to 1 610, of which ...
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Metro Report InternationalTramCité de Québec development agreement signed
CANADA: An agreement defining stakeholders’ responsibilities for the development of the Québec City tram project has been signed. The signatories were the city council, public infrastructure developer CDPQ Infra and the province’s Ministry of Transport & Sustainable Mobility, which said each partner now has a clear ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrains ordered to increase Medellín metro capacity
COLOMBIA: Metro de Medellín has awarded CAF a contract to supply 13 three-car trainsets, with final assembly and testing to be undertaken at the operator’s own facilities. The additional stock is needed to handle growing ridership on the two-line network, which carries over 1 million passengers/day. ...
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Metro Report InternationalSantiago orders driverless metro trains
CHILE: CAF has been awarded a contract to supply and maintain six five-car trainsets as part of the project to extend Metro de Santiago’s Line 6 at both ends. CAF has previously supplied nearly 80 trainsets for lines 1, 3 and 6. The latest units from ...
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Metro Report InternationalStadler awarded ‘breakthrough’ Atlanta CBTC contract
USA: Stadler has announced an ‘international breakthrough’ in the signalling sector with the award of a $500m eight-year contract to supply its NOVA Pro communication-based train control to replace Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s current metro signalling equipment. Stadler said the MARTA order announced on December ...
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Metro Report InternationalHitachi Rail invests C$100m in next-generation CBTC
CANADA: Hitachi Rail is investing C$100m to develop the next generation of SelTrac Communication-Based Train Control signalling technology at its facility in Toronto.
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Metro Report InternationalContract let to build Newark airport peoplemover as successor to monorail
USA: The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has selected a joint venture of Tutor Perini and O&G for a $1·2bn contract to design and build a 4 km peoplemover with three stations to replace the existing AirTrain Newark monorail serving the New Jersey ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Seattle Link light rail route approved
USA: Sound Transit’s board has approved the route and location of stations on the 6·6 km West Seattle Link Extension. The three-station light rail branch is planned to open in 2032. The project now enters the design phase, covering detailed work to finalise the route ...
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Metro Report InternationalDrones and social media partnerships tackle deadly ‘Subway surfing’
USA: The Operation Lifesaver safety campaign has expressed concern over an increase in illegal ‘Subway surfing’, where people ride on the outside of metro trains, and New York City Transit has deployed drones to back up a publicity campaign developed with teenagers to tackle the problem ...
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Metro Report InternationalLima to launch commuter rail service with withdrawn Caltrain fleet
PERU: Lima municipality is to launch a commuter train service on the railway between Callao on the Pacific coast and Chosica in the capital’s eastern suburbs in 2025, using a fleet of diesel locos and double-deck coaches withdrawn from service by California’s Caltrain. The 19 EMD ...
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Metro Report InternationalHudson-Bergen Light Rail operating contract awarded
USA: NJ Transit has awarded a joint venture of ACI and Herzog a contract to operate and maintain the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail network after the current design-build-operate-maintain contract expires. The new contract runs for 15 years from September 15 2025, with two five-year extension options. The ...