All Light Rail articles – Page 3
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Metro Report InternationalBrazil: Urban rail projects battle local politics
Examples in Cuiabá and Canoas show how vulnerable Brazilian urban rail projects are to changes in local politics, as well as the temptation of alternative modes which are seen as less complex, even if the benefits are lower. Marcelo Benoit examines the two cases.
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Metro Report InternationalTram on test as Praha network grows ‘like mushrooms after rain’
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first ForCity Plus 52T tram for Praha is now on test at Škoda Group’s Plzeň factory, 13 months after the signing of the order and eight months after the start of production. ‘After almost 20 years, Praha is getting a completely new type ...
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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 InternationalLonger trams increase capacity in Göteborg
SWEDEN: Göteborgs Spårvägar began putting its longer and higher capacity Alstom trams into passenger service on Route 11 on January 19, following a preview trip for invited guests two days before. Regional transport authority Västtrafik ordered 60 Type M34 trams in two batches in 2021-22. They ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrams return to Reșița after 13 years
ROMANIA: Tram services restarted in Reșița on December 20 after a hiatus of more than 13-years. The city’s sole route links Kaufland in the north to Reșița-Montana in the southeast, a distance of 9 km. The tramway in Reșița was inaugurated in 1988, but services ceased ...
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Metro Report InternationalHelsinki takes light rail northeast
FINLAND: Sweco has won a framework contract to provide design and engineering services for expansion of Helsinki’s light rail network. Projects cover up to 30 route-km, including the Malmin-Jakomaen network serving northeast districts of the city. Helsinki’s Urban Environment Committee discussed the plans on November 26, ...
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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 InternationalTurquoise tram route added to Lusail network
QATAR: Revenue-earning Turquoise Line tram services in Lusail north of Doha began on January 6. The Turquoise Line is the third element of the Lusail tram network to open, and services make extensive use of alignments that are already open. Trams run ...
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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 InternationalMinsk trams delivered
BELARUS: Belkommunmash has delivered 20 Type T811 low-floor four-axle trams to Minsk transport operator Minsktrans.
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Metro Report InternationalParramatta light rail line opens in western Sydney
AUSTRALIA: The L4 light rail line serving Parramatta in western Sydney opened on December 20, with simultaneous first departures from the Westmead and Carlingford termini at 05.00. The 12 km line serves destinations including the Westmead Health Precinct, CommBank Stadium — home of the National Rugby ...
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Metro Report InternationalAccessibility changes in latest Vitoria-Gasteiz tram order
SPAIN: Euskotren has awarded CAF a €20m contract to supply three more trams to Vitoria-Gasteiz in the second half of 2027. Announcing the contract on December 11, CAF said the additional vehicles would be same length as the seven-section Urbos trams it previously supplied to the ...
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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 InternationalComplex custom tram junction produced for Bremen
GERMANY: Czech turnout manufacturer DTVS in Prostějov has completed a €2m six-month project to manufacture a custom-design complex junction 82 m long and weighing 162 tonnes for the Bremen tramway. ‘This particular project involves an enormous and complex structure with various combinations ...
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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 InternationalIstanbul tramway approval hints at political détente over transport investment
TURKEY: Istanbul municipality has been given the go-ahead by the city’s governor to develop the planned 21 km Üsküdar – Kadıköy – Maltepe tram line, following a ruling that no environmental impact assessment would be required for the project. Construction is expected to start before the ...
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Metro Report InternationalPenang Island LRT railway systems procurement launched
MALAYSIA: Tenders have been invited for a turnkey contract to supply and maintain the railway systems for the Mutiara (Pearl) light rail project on Penang Island. The planned 29 km ‘medium capacity’ line with 21 stations would run from Silicon Island in the south of Penang ...
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Metro Report InternationalTest running foreshadows revival of closed Jaén tramway
SPAIN: The first test runs have been undertaken for the planned reopening of the 4·7 km tramway in Jaén, which closed in 2011 after just 17 days of operation. Andalucía’s public works department began test running at the end of November to verify that the five ...
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn’s trams cruise onto second city crossing
ESTONIA: Commercial operation of Tallinn’s 2·5 km Vanasadam tram route began on the morning of December 1.