Manila opening gives commuters ‘the gift of more moments spent with their loved ones’
PHILIPPINES: Passenger services on the Manila LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Phase 1 began on November 16, following an official inauguration by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr the previous day.
Bangkok Blue Line to be upgraded and Orange Line extension civils contract awarded
THAILAND: Plans to upgrade Bangkok’s Blue Line were approved by an extraordinary ceneral meeting of Bangkok Expressway & Metro shareholders on October 31. CH Karnchang plc has been contracted to oversee procurement of trains and infrastructure enhancements valued at 6·8 bn baht.
Amsterdam metro train order increased
SPAIN: Amsterdam transport operator GVB has awarded CAF a firm order to supply an additional 13 three-car M7 metro trainsets.
First trainset delivered for Taipei’s Wanda Line
TAIWAN: Alstom has delivered the first medium-capacity automated metro trainset for the 22·8 km Wanda Line, also known as the Light Green Line and Line 7, which will provide a 30 min journey time between Taipei and New Taipei City.
Agreement to complete Rio de Janeiro’s unfinished Gávea metro interchange
BRAZIL: A ‘conduct adjustment’ agreement was signed in early October that resolves long-lasting disputes between state transport agency Agetransp, operating concessionaire MetrôRio, and Line 4 project concessionaire Rio Barra over the suspended works for the Gávea metro interchange in Rio de Janeiro.
Madrid metro Line 1 train order approved
SPAIN: On November 6 the Comunidad de Madrid authorised Metro de Madrid to award CAF a €498·2m contract to supply 40 trainsets for Line 1 and provide 10 years of maintenance.
Seac Pai Van opening marks a new stage for Macau’s light metro network
CHINA: Macau’s Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng presided over the opening of the Light Rapid Transit network’s Seac Pai Van Line on November 1.
Solar farms could power London Underground trains
UK: Transport for London has called tenders for the development of purpose-built solar photovoltaic farms to generate zero-carbon electricity for the London Underground network.
Monaco seeks cross-border underground metro proposals
MONACO: The Ministry of Public Works, Environment & Urban Development has invited proposals to develop a large park-and-ride site in France linked to the principality by a underground express metro.
Lisboa metro orders more trains
PORTUGAL: Metropolitano de Lisboa has awarded Stadler a €134m contract to supply 24 three-car metro trainsets, with an option for up to 12 more.
KRRI to extend research on autonomous train operation
SOUTH KOREA: Korea Railroad Research Institute is preparing to extend its R&D programme which aims to introduce direct train-to-train communication and position reporting to replace centralised traffic control.
Pakistan: Lahore’s pioneering metro approaches maturity
This month, Lahore’s Orange metro line completes four years of operation serving Pakistan’s second largest city. Its growing ridership and positive socio-economic impact have spurred the local authorities to plan three more urban rail lines, although funding remains an issue.
Tokyo Metro shares jump after stock exchange listing
JAPAN: Tokyo Metro was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on October 23 in Japan’s largest IPO since the listing of SoftBank’s mobile telecoms business in 2018.
Vietnam: Hanoi ahead in sluggish metro expansion
With Hanoi’s second metro line having opened this summer and a starter route in Ho Chi Minh City due to be inaugurated soon, Vietnam is likely to have 41 km of metro operational by the year end. Yet this is far below the government’s goal, with bureaucratic delays partly to blame. Peter Janssen reports.
Funding gap looms over New York rail and Subway investment plans
USA: Further roll-out of CBTC on the New York Subway and renewal of the rolling stock fleet are core rail elements of New York MTA’s next Capital Plan, covering the transport authority’s investment priorities for 2025-29.
Custom machine to renew Paris metro tracks
FRANCE: Scheuzer is to design a build a custom battery-electric track renewals train for use by contractor TSO on the Paris metro network’s steel wheel and rubber-tyred lines from 2027.
MTR launches scholarship programme for students interested in rail careers
CHINA: To celebrate 45 years of metro services in Hong Kong, MTR Corp is offering 45 scholarships for local students who are interested in pursuing a career in the railway sector.
Temporary metro operating contract aims to avoid Stockholm ‘chaos’
SWEDEN: Local authority Region Stockholm has signed a temporary agreement for the Connecting Stockholm joint venture of The Go-Ahead Group (55%) and ComfortDelGro (45%) to operate and maintain the capital’s metro for two years from November 2 2025, with the possibility of an extension.
Paris: Learning lessons from Line 14
Paris metro operator RATP believes it can use the experience it has gained in managing the migration of train control equipment used on Line 14 from one GoA4 platform to another to help upgrade other automated metros. Jérémie Anne reports.
København metro M5 design study
DENMARK: København metro operating authority Metroselskabet has awarded a design studies contract for the future Line M5 to a consortium of Systra Denmark and Rambøll, with Gottlieb Paludan Architects.