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.
Consultants to support West Yorkshire Mass Transit programme
UK: West Yorkshire Combined Authority has appointed a consortium of Jacobs and Mott MacDonald as its Design Development Partner for the next phase of the West Yorkshire Mass Transit programme, which includes two light rail lines integrated with cycling, walking and rail travel.
Voters reject Salzburg S-Link rail project
AUSTRIA: Voters in the Salzburg area have rejected a proposal to build a 15 km partly underground light rail line, which will not now go ahead.
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.
Low key opening for Barcelona tramway extension
SPAIN: An extension of Barcelona’s Trambesòs light rail network along Avenida Diagonal between the Plaça de les Glòres and Verdaguer opened without ceremony on November 10. The planned celebrations have been postponed as a mark of solidarity with people affected by the severe flooding in València.
Hamilton light rail civil works procurement begins
CANADA: The province of Ontario has issued a request for qualifications for the civil works & utility relocation contract for the Hamilton Light Rail Transit project.
Karlsruhe light rail extension plan dropped
GERMANY: The Karlsruhe district authority has dropped plans to extend Stadtbahn Line S2 from Stutensee-Spöck via Bruchsal and Hambrücken to Waghäusel.
Warszawa opens its longest tramway extension since the 1950s
POLAND: A 6·5 km extension of the Warszawa tram network from Spacerowa to Miasteczko Wilanów opened on October 29, with the city saying it is longest new section of tramway added in the capital since the 1950s.
Galway light rail line could be feasible, study finds
IRELAND: The National Transport Authority has published a study into the feasibility of developing a light rail line in Galway.
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.
King Abdullah Financial District monorail contract signed
SAUDI ARABIA: Contracts have been awarded for the construction of a monorail within Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District mixed-use development. This is intended to reduce the need for private vehicles as part of the vision for a walkable ‘10 min city’.
Zagreb tramway extension project launched
CROATIA: Mayor Tomislav Tomašević ceremonially launched work on Zagreb’s first tramway extension for 24 years on October 25, when a construction contract was awarded to Strabag.