Metro news – Page 217
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NewsSevilla metro inaugurated
SPAIN: The first phase of Sevilla metro Line 1 was officially inaugurated on April 2 by the President of Andalucía, Manuel Chaves González. He was joined at the event by Minister of Development Magdalena Álvarez Arza and the region’s head of public works Luis García Garrido, together ...
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NewsRestructured Brussels metro network launched
BELGIUM: The final section of Brussels Metro's inner ring between Delacroix and Gare de l'Ouest was officially opened on April 2 by Pascal Smet, Brussels Minister for Mobility. The event was held in the presence of King Albert II and Laurette Onkelinx, Deputy Prime Minister and President of Beliris ...
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NewsCrossrail selects Bechtel as Project Delivery Partner
UK: Crossrail Ltd announced on April 1 that it intends to appoint a team of Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra as project delivery partner for the construction of the central section of the east-west route across London. Under the terms of the £400m contract they will be responsible for overseeing ...
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Kolkata projects launched
INDIA: The Kolkata Mass Rapid Transit SPV, a consortium of Srei Infrastructure, West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corp and Czech-based Amex International, was launched by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on February 18 to implement a Rs60bn light rail project in Kolkata. The 40 km north-south route from ...
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Grant concluded
USA: A US$900m full funding grant agreement for Washington’s Dulles Metrorail extension was signed by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on March 9, clearing the way for work to start. The FFGA covers Phase 1 of the $5·2bn, 37 km project from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue ...
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Warszawa Line 2 bids under review
POLAND: Five offers have been submitted by international consortia competing to build the 6 km central section of Warszawa Metro Line 2. The committee evaluating the tenders is expected to make a decision by the end of March. This must then be ratified by the City of Warszawa. The ...
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Boon Lay extension open
SINGAPORE: The S$436m extension of the East–West Line by 3·8 km from Boon Lay to Pioneer and Joo Koon opened on February 28. A date has now been set for the inauguration of the Circle Line. Phase 1 will commence operations on May 30, when five stations at Bartley, Serangoon, ...
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Budget slashed
ARGENTINA: Jorge Irigoin, President of Buenos Aires metro construction authority Sbase, has resigned two weeks after the city’s Minister of Urban Development Daniel Chain announced a 75% reduction in the budget for metro development. The figure of 447m pesos approved by the city government last December has now been cut ...
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CAF trams on test in Antalya
TURKEY: Test running has started with 14 CAF light rail vehicles for the 11 km Antalya tramway being built by Alarko, which is due for completion on June 14. The line will have 16 stops, including two cut-and-cover stations, and a depot at the northern terminus of Fatih. From ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - April 2009
St Petersburg metro Line 4 was diverted to a newly-opened terminus at Spasskaya on March 7, with the Sadovaya – Komendantskiy Prospekt section of Line 4 transferred to Line 5. A consortium comprising Alstom, Gea21, Inabensa, Mipelsa and Pavimentaciones Morales has been awarded a €74·8m turnkey contract to build Jaén’s ...
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NewsRecife South Line completed
BRAZIL: The final stretch of Recife Metro's South Line between Tancredo Neves and Cajueiro Seco was opened by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 23 March. The 6·7 km extension has five stations and links the city centre with Recife's international airport and mainline rail services at Cajueiro ...
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NewsTram arrives in Alger
ALGERIA: Minister of Transport Amar Tou was present on March 18 to welcome the arrival of the first of 41 Citadis trams being supplied by Alstom for the light rail line now under construction in Alger. Built at Alstom's La Rochelle plant in France, the tram was shipped via ...
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NewsWabtec to supply subway car components
USA: Wabtec Corp announced on March 24 that it is to supply components worth $75m for a further 382 R160 metro cars being built for New York. The vehicles were ordered from Alstom and Kawasaki last November in a $784m second option exercised by New York Metropolitan Transit Authority. ...
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NewsShenzhen Metro Line 4 concession agreement signed
CHINA: On March 18 Shenzhen's municipal government and MTR Corp (Shenzhen) Ltd signed a BOT concession agreement for the Phase II extension of metro Line 4. The existing line from the Hong Kong frontier at Futian to Shao Nian Gong will be extended by 16 km to Qinghu, with ...
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NewsPESA preferred bidder for Warszawa tram contract
POLAND: After Tramwaje Warszawskie opened bids for 186 low-floor articulated trams on March 19, PESA emerged as preferred bidder with a price of 1·5bn z?oty. Offers were also submitted by Stadler (3·7bn z?oty), Alstom (2·8bn z?oty) and a consortium of Newag and AnsaldoBreda (€417m), but all three exceeded the ...
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NewsSidetrack - March 2009
USA: A plan by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to use the new Metro light rail line to transport prisoners between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the city jail was abandoned after just two inmates had taken the trip. Arpaio claimed the airport refused to provide free parking for ...
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NewsTaipei Circular Line kicks off
TAIWAN: Taipei’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems has awarded an integrated turnkey contract worth €334m for the first phase of the city's Circular Line automated metro. Services on the 15·5 km route, which will have 13 elevated stations, one underground station and a depot, are expected to begin by the ...
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NewsTranscend selected as Crossrail Programme Partner
UK: Crossrail Ltd is expected to sign a contract worth £100m shortly appointing the Transcend joint venture to the critical role of Programme Partner. The members of Transcend are AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group. The choice of Transcend as preferred bidder was announced on March 11, when Crossrail’s Land ...
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NewsCanarsie CBTC goes live
USA: New York City Transit reached a milestone in its programme to introduce automatic train operation on February 24, when it activated the final stage of the communications-based train control system on the L-Canarsie subway line. This route was selected as the pilot for CBTC when NYCT decided in ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - March 2009
A Request for Proposals has been issued inviting contractors to build the first 10·5 km section of the Honolulu Rapid Transit line between West Oahu and Farrington Highway. Future contracts will be awarded for seven stations, track, vehicles, traction power and train control systems as well as a depot and ...