Urban transport news – Page 119
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Metro Report InternationalStudy to assess moving freight on trams and buses
GERMANY: The Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure has awarded a €2·7m grant for the CargoSurfer project, which aims to explore use of spare capacity on buses and trams to carry freight such as parcels and fresh produce. The initiative will use artificial intelligence to ...
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Metro Report InternationalBremen tram extensions cleared to proceed
GERMANY: With funding and planning permission already in place, the Administrative Appeals Court of Lüneburg has removed any remaining obstacles and objections to the extension of Line 8 of the Bremen tram network. A late challenge to the ruling was dismissed. Construction will take place in ...
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Metro Report InternationalMTR Corp increases Octopus stake
CHINA: MTR Corp has increased its stake in Octopus Holdings Ltd, the company jointly owned by a number of Hong Kong transport operators which provides the Octopus contactless smart card payment system and associated services. MTR Corp has acquired 2·78 million shares from Bravo Transport to ...
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Metro Report InternationalHamburg to study second S-Bahn tunnel
GERMANY: After years of discussions, Deutsche Bahn, the federal government and the Hamburg municipality signed an agreement on January 21 to conduct a €1·5m feasibility study into building a second cross-city S-Bahn tunnel linking Hamburg Hbf, Dammtor and Altona. The stations are currently linked by the ...
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In depthTicketing: Expanding the use of Japan's IC cards
Originally developed as a form of smart travel ticket, IC cards are now in widespread use across Japan. They can be used for many types of transaction, and further applications are being added as rail operators strive to make travel more convenient.
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NewsCAF to supply more EMUs to Auckland
NEW ZEALAND: CAF has been awarded a firm order to supply a further 23 electric multiple-units to Auckland. The contract announced on January 25 is worth in excess of €130m including maintenance until the end of 2025. There is an option for up to five more ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector
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Metro Report InternationalLate-stage design changes increase cost of London Underground fleet renewal
UK: Late design changes have brought a £34m increase in the cost of the trains which Siemens Mobility is to supply for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line, after the operator discovered that it would not be able to accept the fleet into service as originally specified. ...
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NewsBuenos Aires suburban railway modernisation MoUs signed
ARGENTINA: Three memoranda of understanding for co-operation to modernise the Belgrano Norte, Sarmiento and Urquiza suburban railways in Buenos Aires have been signed by the Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure and representatives of Chinese companies CRRC Qingdao Sifang and China Railway International Group. It is envisaged ...
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Metro Report InternationalChongqing metro passes 400 km as Line 9 opens
CHINA: The first phase of Chongqing metro Line 9 opened on January 25. The route runs 32·3 km northeast from Gaotanyan to Xingkedadao serving 23 stations, of which nine provide interchange to other metro lines. Two infill stations are under construction, along ...
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NewsBusan – Ulsan suburban services launched
SOUTH KOREA: Commuter services on the Donghae Line between Bujeon station in Busan and Taehwagang station in Ulsan were inaugurated on December 28, providing a 76 min journey time to create what the Busan city government called a ‘1 h megalopolis’ in the region. Construction of ...
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Metro Report InternationalHitachi and RATP extend Paris metro and tram maintenance partnership
FRANCE: RATP has awarded Hitachi Rail a further maintenance contract covering signalling and train control systems on nine Paris metro lines and seven tram routes. The four-year, renewable €33m contract builds on ‘more than a century of partnership between Hitachi Rail’s French entity and the Paris ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro Flow work begins to eliminate South Tyneside bottlenecks
UK: Preliminary work on the £103m Metro Flow double-tracking project in South Tyneside has begun. Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, which last year won a £55m contract for the construction stage of the scheme, will now begin upgrading and electrifying at 1∙5 kV DC an infrequently used ...
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Metro Report InternationalSão Paulo orders 19 monorail trainsets
BRAZIL: São Paulo’s Metrô has approved an order for 19 Innovia 300 monorail trains to be supplied by CRRC Puzhen Alstom Transportation Systems. This will expand the Line 15 fleet to 46 sets to enable a reduction in headways and handle the increase in ridership which ...
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Metro Report InternationalTfL executive management team slimmed down
UK: London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Byford has announced a restructuring and reduction in size of Transport for London’s executive team with effect from February 1. TfL said this would be ‘ensure that TfL is in the best possible shape to become an even more efficient organisation ...
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Metro Report InternationalBilbao tramway extension agreement
SPAIN: Bilbao municipality and the Basque region’s transport department have signed an agreement to extend the city’s tram network by 2.4 km and five stops through Olabeaga to Zorrozaurre, northwest of the centre. The estimated cost of construction, not including new trams, is €40m, and the ...
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Metro Report InternationalWomen’s university awards Hitachi Rail new operating contract
SAUDI ARABIA: Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University has awarded Hitachi Rail a €72·5m contract to continue to operate and maintain the driverless light metro on its Riyadh campus for a further three years. The four-line network serving the women’s university campus totals 11·5 km with 14 ...
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NewsTMH to supply 70 EMUs to Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: The Ministry of Transport has awarded Transmashholding a US$864m contract to supply and maintain 70 eight-car electric multiple-units for use in Buenos Aires. The stainless steel bodied EMUs will be a 1 676 mm gauge variant of the 1 520 mm gauge Ivolga family which ...
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands transport investment priorities agreed
UK: The West Midlands Combined Authority board agreed a ‘wide-ranging’ list of more than 50 preferred schemes to improve rail, tram, bus, road, cycling and walking routes on January 14. The list includes the proposed Very Light Rail line in Coventry city centre, Aldridge station, developing ...
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In depthBrazil: Private participation keeps metro momentum building
Led by São Paulo, Brazilian cities are making use of private sector funding and operating models to accelerate urban rail development across the country. Benjámin Zelki reports.