Cairo metro line 3 Phase 3C opens
EGYPT: Phase 3C of Cairo metro Line 3 opened for passenger services on May 15.
Edinburgh Trams infrastructure maintenance contract extended
UK: A consortium of Siemens Mobility and Bilfinger UK has been awarded a £44·7m extension of its contract to maintain Edinburgh’s tramway infrastructure.
Control centre opening marks latest stage in Paris RER modernisation
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP and national railway SNCF have transferred the management of RER Line A to a new control centre.
Docklands Light Railway travel assistance trial
UK: Transport for London and Docklands Light Railway operator KeolisAmey Docklands are trialling an Access DLR scheme which aims to make travel on the automated light metro more accessible.
Toscana trams and buses go contactless
ITALY: Kuba has rolled out an open-loop fare payment system covering the Firenze tramway and bus services in Toscana, saying it is the largest deployment of its kind in Europe covering 273 cities and towns.
Southeastern announces shortlist to supply ‘modern trains for a modern network’
UK: Southeastern has shortlisted five bidders for a contract to supply a fleet of 750 V DC third rail electric multiple-units for use on its ‘Metro’ network of suburban services in southeast London and Kent.
Prasa reports completion of resignalling schemes
SOUTH AFRICA: Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has resignalled six suburban rail lines across the country, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga reported on April 24.
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
Virtual reality to help people use public transport
BRAZIL: The Alstom Foundation and Instituto Jô Clemente have launched a Virtual Reality for Inclusion initiative which aims to help people with disabilities overcome accessibility obstacles and use urban public transport safely.
Transport for London plans new model for rail capital works
UK: Transport for London is seeking market feedback on the possible replacement of its current multiple frameworks for the delivery of rail capital projects with a single pan-TfL framework.
Alberta to develop passenger rail master plan
CANADA: The government of Alberta has allocated C$9m for the development of a Passenger Rail Master Plan as a foundation for the development of commuter and regional services to meet the needs of the growing population.
Train windows become information screens
SOUTH KOREA: An eight-car trainset operating on Seoul Great Train Express Line A has been equipped with 55 inch Transparent OLED displays which act as both windows and information screens.
Asian tourists expected to benefit as Roma expands contactless fare payment options
ITALY: Contactless cards issued by Japan’s JCB and China’s UnionPay and linked mobile devices can now be used to pay for travel on Roma’s transport network, building on the open loop payment system which was already available to holders of Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards.
București metro extension bids invited
ROMANIA: Tenders have been called for the design and construction of a 15 km extension of București metro Line M4 from Gara de Nord to Gara Progresul with 14 stations.
London Underground train evacuation report makes three recommendations
UK: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch makes three recommendations to London Underground in its report into the uncontrolled evacuation of a train at Clapham Common station.
Ivolga 4·0 EMU enters service
RUSSIA: Transmashholding’s Ivolga 4·0 electric multiple-units were put into service on Moskva Central Diameter Line D4 with a ceremony on May 2.
Oslo orders CAF metro trains
NORWAY: Oslo transport operator Sporveien has awarded CAF a €150m contract to supply 20 three-car metro trainsets to accommodate growing ridership and support expansion of the T-banen network.
Paris RER Line E reaches Nanterre
FRANCE: An 8 km largely underground extension of Paris RER Line E from Magenta-Gare du Nord to Nanterre-La Folie (Hauts de Seine) has opened.
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
First battery-electric train for Dublin’s DART+ network unveiled
IRELAND: The first battery-electric multiple-unit for the DART+ programme to enhance commuter train services around Dublin has been unveiled at Alstom’s Katowice factory in Poland.