Urban transport news – Page 229
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom trainsets enter service on the Santiago metro
CHILE: The first NS16 trainset entered revenue service on Santiago metro lines 2 and 5 on September 13. In March 2011 Metro de Santiago awarded Alstom a €220m contract to refurbish the 35 seven-car NS74 trainsets, but this proved too difficult owing to large quantities of asbestos. The replacement ...
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NewsFrankfurt to test trams for parcel delivery
GERMANY: Frankfurt am Main transport operator VGF announced on September 17 the start of a pilot project to deliver parcels using dedicated trams. The parcel trams, some with cargo trailers, would run without passengers at quiet times on the network. The parcels will be delivered to ‘microdepots’ that are ...
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NewsFive on Tyne & Wear Metro fleet replacement shortlist
UK: Tyne & Wear Metro owner and operator Nexus has issued an Invitation to Negotiate with five bidders that it has shortlisted for a contract to build and maintain a new train fleet. The shortlist announced on September 17 consists of: Bombardier Transportation UK;CAF;a joint venture of Downer EDI Rail ...
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NewsPleven takes delivery of battery trolleybuses
BULGARIA: The city of Pleven has taken delivery of 14 low-floor trolleybuses from Škoda Electric, ordered earlier this year. The vehicles are equipped with batteries for off-wire operation and have a kneeling function for easier boarding. The northern Bulgarian city already has 40 Škoda Electric trolleybuses which have been in ...
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Metro Report InternationalHarsco wins Singapore metro grinder contract
SINGAPORE: Land Transit Authority has awarded Harsco Rail a contract to supply a 16 stone grinder custom designed for Singapore’s metro network. Modifications include electric motors and a small profile to operate in metro tunnels. ‘We have developed a strong partnership and open communication with LTA over the last ...
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NewsOrbital CityRail service expands
RUSSIA: Nizhny Novgorod suburban passenger operator JSC Volga-Vyatskaya announced on September 10 that its CityRail Priokskaya Line service linking the two halves of the city will become a year-round service with effect from October 15. The 50 km orbital route was launched in 2013, but unlike the CityRail Sormovskaya Line ...
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NewsMilano tram network reaches Rozzano
ITALY: A southern extension of Milano tram Route 15 was inaugurated on September 8. The 1·7 km extension with five stops links Viale Romagna with Rozzano Via Guido Rossa. The municipalities of Milano and Rozzano agreed to build the extension in 2003. The €14·8m cost was met by the ...
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Metro Report InternationalSan Francisco fare collection to be modernised
USA: San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission has selected Cubic Transportation Systems as preferred bidder to modernise its Clipper fare collection system. Cubic currently operates the regional fare collection system, which covers 22 transport agencies. The modernisation includes the introduction of mobile ticketing as part of an app that will ...
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NewsBusan metro train contract awarded
SOUTH KOREA: Busan Transportation Corp has awarded Hyundai Rotem a 55·6bn won contract for the supply of 48 trainsets for Busan metro Line 1, the manufacturer announced on September 11. Deliveries from Rotem’s Changwon plant are due to be completed by 2020. The air-conditioned 80 km/h trains will be ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom wins further Shanghai metro contract
CHINA: Shanghai Shentong Metro Group has awarded Shanghai Alstom Transport Electrical Equipment Co and its Xi’an Alstom Yongji Electric Equipment Co a €58m contract to supply electrical and traction equipment for the Shanghai metro Line 15 fleet. The group will supply Alstom’s Optonix traction system for the 324 metro ...
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NewsLine 10 South opens in Barcelona
SPAIN: Barcelona metro operator TMB inaugurated the driverless metro Line 10 South on September 8, with a day of free travel. The 2·4 km branch off Line 9 South runs from Can Tries Gornal to Foc, with services continuing north from Can Tries Gornal to Collbanc along 2 km of ...
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NewsAlstom to supply more trams to Lyon
FRANCE: Alstom has signed a framework contract with Lyon transport authority Sytral for the supply of Citadis trams. The initial €40m firm order covers 11 trams to operate on Route T4. The first vehicle is due to be delivered at the end of 2019. Final assembly will take place ...
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NewsŠkoda selected for Ostrava tram contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: Tram operator DP Ostrava announced on September 7 that it had selected Škoda Transportation to supply 40 low-floor trams for KC1·9bn. Stadler, CAF and Inekon also bid, but did not comply with the terms of the tender. Deliveries of the ForCity Smart vehicles are due between September ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro line linking Suzhou with Shanghai approved
CHINA: The National Development & Reform Commission approved a metro line linking the Suzhou and Shanghai networks on September 6. The city approved the Line S1 project on August 28 as part of the Suzhou Urban Rail Transit Phase III Construction Plan. The 41·3 km underground route would serve ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst CAF trainset arrives in Quito
ECUADOR: On September 6 the first of 18 metro trainsets being produced by CAF arrived to Quito. The six-car trains are being supplied to operate the city’s first metro line. CAF was awarded a contract on July 15 2016 under a US$183m agreement financed through a credit agreement between ...
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NewsCatenary-free tram delivered to Kaohsiung
TAIWAN: The first test runs on the second phase of the Kaohsiung tramway are scheduled to get underway later this month, after the first tram arrived the port of Keelung from Alstom’s La Rochelle site in France on September 2. Revenue services are planned for 2019. In January 2017 China ...
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Metro Report InternationalUsing technology to empower passengers with disabilities
WAYFINDING: Cubic Transportation Systems is developing augmented reality technology for mobile devices with the aim of enhancing the public transport user experience for passengers with disabilities. While transport operators are meeting the letter of accessibility laws, ‘we believe we can take it ...
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Metro Report InternationalFTA announces zero-emission bus funding
USA: The Federal Transit Administration announced on August 24 that it is providing grants totalling $84·5m to cities and transport authorities for the purchase of electric and low-emission buses as well as related infrastructure such as charging stations. The funding covers a total of 52 projects in 41 states. ...
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NewsCAF completes Solaris acquisition
CAF: Spanish group CAF completed its acquisition of 100% of the shares of Polish company Solaris Bus & Coach on September 4. CAF has also entered into an agreement for Poland’s PFR investment fund to acquire a 35% stake in Solaris on the same terms and conditions. 'CAF’s investment in ...
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Metro Report InternationalWashington Metro starts next fleet renewal
USA: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has unveiled plans to replace its oldest remaining trainsets, which are now approaching life-expiry. The agency issued a request for proposals on September 4 for the design and manufacture of up to 800 new vehicles, designated Series 8000, along with a driver training simulator ...