Urban transport news – Page 8
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Urban newsBirmingham’s Eastside tram extension approved
UK: The Secretary of State for Transport has approved a Transport Works Act Order granting the West Midlands Combined Authority powers to build and operate the the Eastside extension of the West Midlands Metro tramway. This line would run for 1·7 km from Bull ...
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Urban news
Bus Open Data Service to be launched
UK: The government has announced plans to launch a Bus Open Data Service with the aim of making it easier for passengers to access information on bus routes, timetables, location and fares in England. The project will standardise and publish information which bus operators will be ...
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Urban news
Shijiazhuang metro extended
CHINA: A 5·4 km extension of Shijiazhuang metro Line 3 north from Shierzhong to Xisanzhuang opened on January 20, taking the line to 11·8 km with 10 stations. Construction had begun in August 2016. The city’s two-line metro network is now 46·1 km long. Work is ...
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Urban news
Tunis suburban railway modernisation backed by EBRD
TUNISA: The acquisition of 18 light rail vehicles to replace ageing rolling stock on the 18 km Tunis – La Goulette – La Marsa 750 V DC overhead electric suburban railway is to be financed using a €45m loan agreed last month by the European Bank for ...
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Urban news
Istanbul airport metro tracklaying begins
TURKEY: The start of tracklaying on metro line M11 to Istanbul’s main airport was officially marked when President Erdoğan attended the welding of a ceremonial first rail at the future Gayrettepe terminus on January 18. The 37·5 km line is being built by a consortium of ...
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Urban news
New York MTA awards 8th Avenue corridor CBTC contract
Source: Joseph Calisi USA: New York MTA has awarded LK Comstock Co a $245·8m contract to install Siemens Mobility Communications-Based Train Control, and undertake other equipment enhancements on the 8th Avenue subway corridor. The contract announced on January 13 covers the local ...
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Urban news
Free wi-fi goes live on Delhi airport metro line
INDIA: Delhi Metro Rail Corp has launched passenger wi-fi on the Airport Express Line, providing ‘seamless and free internet connectivity’. The operator said it was now one of a small number worldwide to offer free wi-fi connectivity on underground metro trains. The technology was provided ...
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Urban news
Line 10 work resumes in Valencia
SPAIN: Municipal operator FGV has resumed work to complete light rail Line 10 in Valencia. Originally known as tram line T2, work started in 2006 and was halted in 2011 on financial grounds, with around €200m having already been spent. Line 10 will eventually run from ...
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Urban news
Tram driving National Occupational Standards to be reviewed
UK: Industry group UKTram is leading a project to review the existing Tram Driver National Occupational Standards. The tram driver standards were last updated in 2005, and the review is scheduled to be completed by June. NOS set out the skills, knowledge and understanding required to ...
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Urban news
Tai Wai – Kai Tak extension to open on February 14
CHINA: The first section of Hong Kong MTR’s long-awaited Shatin – Central Link project will open for revenue service on February 14, the operator announced on January 17. The extension from Tai Wai to Kai Tak forms part of the east-west link which will eventually connect ...
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Urban news
250 km/h ‘high speed metro’ in Guangzhou urban rail plan
CHINA: The Guangzhou municipal government has approved a 15-year plan to increase public transport’s market share to 80% through the development of a comprehensive urban rail network based on three metro, ‘express metro’ and ‘high speed metro’ networks. The journey time between the major cities ...
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Rail Business UK
London Overground Aventra maintenance contract to run to 2035
UK: Bombardier Transportation is to continue to maintain the London Overground Class 710 Aventra electric multiple-unit fleet until July 2035, under an agreement with Transport for London which has moved the break point in the manufacturer’s servicing contract from July 2025 to July 2035. Bombardier said ...
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Urban news
EBRD finances Izmir metro civil works
TURKEY: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with a loan to finance the €754·5m construction of civil works for the planned Üçyol – Buca driverless metro line serving the southeast of the city.
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Urban news
Boston revises fare collection modernisation plan
USA: Following ‘critical feedback from riders, advocates and policymakers’, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced a revised Fare Transformation programme which it said would combine ‘meaningful improvements’ to existing payment systems with a phased approach to the deployment of a new system ‘that better represents the needs ...
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Urban news
Cubic and Moovit announce Mobility-as-a-Service co-operation
TECHNOLOGY: Fare collection technology company Cubic Transportation Systems and travel software developer Moovit have signed a strategic agreement for further collaboration in the Mobility-as-a-Service market, including integration of Moovit’s multimodal trip planning with Cubic’s mobile payment and ticketing capabilities. This will provide a platform offering service alerts, ...
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Urban news
Convertible trams enter service as Msheireb Downtown Doha tramway opens
QATAR: A 2·12 km circular tramway in the Msheireb Downtown Doha district of the capital opened at the end of December. Travel is free. Trams run every 6 min, serving nine stops and a 400 m hop-on/hop-off zone in the Wadi Msheireb area. Interchange to ...
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Urban news
Bogotá Regiotram de Occidente contract awarded
COLOMBIA: A contract to design, build and operate the 39·6 km Regiotram de Occidente inter-urban commuter line linking Bogotá with its western suburbs was signed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corp on Janaury 7. The subsidiary of China Railway Construction Corp was sole bidder for ...
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Urban news
EBRD urban transport programme finances Poltava trolleybus order
UKRAINE: Poltava transport operator Poltavaelectroavtotrans has awarded Bogdan Motors an €8m contract to supply 40 trolleybuses by the end of 2020, financed using the first loan to be finalised under the European Bank for Reconstruction Development’s €250m Ukraine Public Transport Framework II programme. The ...
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Urban news
Elizabeth Line through central London now expected to open in summer 2021
UK: The London Paddington to Abbey Wood central section of the Elizabeth Line is now expected to open in ‘summer 2021’. The full service from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east is now expected to commence by mid-2022, ...
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Urban news
BART board approves CBTC, connectivity and security programmes
USA: The award of a $798m contract for Hitachi Rail STS USA to roll out communications-based train control on the San Francisco Bay Area’s BART metro network was approved by the operator’s board on January 9, along with projects to improve passenger connectivity and deploy security staff. ...
