Urban transport news
-
News
Service increase in new Köln S-Bahn operating contract
GERMANY: Following a European tender, transport authorities go.Rheinland and VRR have selected incumbent DB Regio for a contract to operate Köln S-Bahn services until December 2032. The contract is backdated to December 10 2023 and will see operations increase from 12·3 million to 14·2 million train-km/year. ...
-
Metro Report International
Orléans open payment system goes live
FRANCE: Orléans Métropole has launched an open payment ticketing system on its tram and bus services, deployed by its long-standing ticketing technology partner Kuba in partnership with La Banque Postale. Passengers can pay by physical or virtual bank card, smartphone or connected watch, with payment services ...
-
Metro Report International
Seoul Metro to operate GTX-A when it opens on March 30
SOUTH KOREA: Seoul Metro has been selected as operator for Line A of the capital’s Great Train Express commuter rail network, ahead of the opening of the first section on March 30. When complete, the 82 km line with 11 stations will link Unjeong in the ...
-
Metro Report International
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
-
Metro Report International
Izmit plans first metro line as tram network grows
TURKEY: Plans to build a 26·8 km metro line in Kocaeli were announced by Turkey’s Minister of Transport & Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu on March 20, ahead of local elections scheduled for March 31. Speaking at the inauguration of a 3·1 km tram line in Izmit, the ...
-
News
Passenger services to be restored on Porto orbital line
PORTUGAL: Agreement has been reached to restore passenger services on an orbital line in the northern suburbs of Porto. The first trains are expected to begin running this year, following a 13-year hiatus. A protocol to restore passenger services was signed at São Mamede de Infesta ...
-
Metro Report International
Funding agreed for Milano metro extension and interurban tram refurbishment
ITALY: The national government has allocated €145m to help fund a 3·3 km western extension of Milano metro Line M1 from Bisceglie to Valsesia, Olmi and Baggio at an estimated cost of €543m. It has also allocated €88m towards the anticipated refurbishment ...
-
News
Swedish national ticketing product distribution system goes live
SWEDEN: The Samtrafiken collaboration of transport operators has a launched a neutral ticketing communications platform based on the Open Sales & Distribution Model-Online standard with the aim of streamlining ticket sales and enhancing cross-selling opportunities.
-
Metro Report International
Chicago Transit Authority launches first Innovation Studio challenges
USA: Chicago Transit Authority has launched its Innovation Studio project to partner with the private sector to explore new ideas. In the first round, CTA is seeking proposals by April 15 which address: the automatic detection of people or large objects on railway tracks to ...
-
Metro Report International
Modi inaugurates three sections of metro in Kolkata
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated one new metro line and two extensions in Kolkata on March 6, totalling 11·5 km. The initial 5·4 km, five-station southern section of Line 6 (Orange) has opened between Kavi Subhash and Hemanta Mukhopadhay; it was built at a cost ...
-
Metro Report International
Light rail safety guidance updated
UK: Following a comprehensive review the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board has updated the Tramway Principles & Guidance document. More than 200 amendments take into account changes to legislation, working practices and technology since the document was first published more than a decade ago, as ...
-
News
Communication training to improve suburban train accessibility
AUSTRALIA: Adelaide suburban train operator Keolis Downer Adelaide has been accredited under the Communication Access Symbol initiative to help passengers with communication difficulties. Accreditation involved 234 front line staff completing nine months of specialised training. Tools include communication cards and vision boards showing stations and key ...
-
Metro Report International
New fleet and expansion proposed as Sheffield’s Supertram comes under public control
Lou Haigh, shadow secretary of state for transport, South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard and then leader of Sheffield City Council Tom Hunt. UK: Fleet renewal and network expansion are included in the ambitions South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority set out when it took over management of ...
-
Metro Report International
Moskva Mayor plans driverless trams
RUSSIA: Moskva Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has announced ambitions to deploy smart technologies by 2030 to make the public transport network more reliable and the preferred option for mobility within the city. This could included driverless trams in 2024-26, driverless metro trains by around 2030, a smart ...
-
Metro Report International
Parcels by tram project ends
GERMANY: The transport of parcels on trams in Schwerin is not viable, operator NVS and DHL Group have concluded following a pilot project. The pilot scheme was launched in October 2022, with a tram carrying roll containers running once a day from a DHL distribution centre. ...
-
Metro Report International
Dogs and bikes added to ticketing app
TICKETING: Fairtiq has added the ability to buy tickets for dogs and bicycles to its swipe-in, swipe out rail and bus ticketing app covering Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Travellers can check in up to five dogs, five bikes or a combination of both, in addition to the ...
-
News
Basque region to take over RENFE suburban routes
SPAIN: On March 11 the Spanish government announced that management of all suburban services in the Basque region would be transferred from national operator RENFE to the Euzkadi autonomous community. The national government will set up a €400m fund to launch the project, some of which ...
-
Metro Report International
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
-
Metro Report International
Fare collection software for off-the-shelf device
TICKETING: Cubic Transportation Systems has launched the Umo Handheld Reader, which pairs the company’s software with a commercial off-the-shelf Samsung rugged XCover6 Pro mobile device to provide an affordable fare collection platform. ‘This device offers transit agencies an affordable and convenient solution to accept payments, eliminating ...
-
Metro Report International
Luxembourg: Luxtram eyes an expanding network
As Luxembourg City’s first modern light rail line nears completion, work is getting underway on two branches to form a second route. Two more routes are being planned, along with an interurban link to the country’s second city.