Argentina: Revised plans for the redevelopment of the Retiro complex in Buenos Aires unveiled by the city government include a metro station on the proposed Line H and a relocated terminus for Trainmet’s San Martín commuter services. A light rail line from Retiro to the Puerto Madero waterfront development area has also been suggested.
Brazil: CBTU has estimated that the two underground routes in Belo Horizonte totalling 10 km will cost US$800m to complete. Civil works in hand since 1998 including Amazonas station have been funded by the federal government, and the World Bank is willing to provide R$1·2m to fund further studies on the final cost.
Egypt: Systra has been awarded a contract to prepare technical designs for Line 3 of the Cairo metro. The French government has provided a grant to finance the consultancy work. It is expected that tender documents for the first section of the line will be issued in early 2002.
France: A study by Semaly and AABD has estimated at Fr840m the cost of a light rail line in Lyon on the former Est Lyonnais alignment between Part-Dieu and Meyzieu. An extension to Saint-Exupéry Airport would cost a further Fr250m.
French National Railways is planning to bring forward to 2004 the conversion of its Bondy - Aulnay suburban branch in eastern Paris into a light rail line. The 8 km orbital route would be worked by the first 15 of 79 dual-system LRVs for which SNCF called bids in January. The rest would be options to be taken up as projects in Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Lyon and other cities take shape.
Hungary: Budapest City Council has voted to buy 68 refurbished trams from Hannover, rather than order new trams from Ganz. The first arrived in April.
Spain: Work is due to begin this year on a 2·2 km branch from FGV’s existing station to a new terminus in the centre of Torrent. Due to open in 2003, it is hoped that the new station will triple traffic from Torrent to around 2million passengers a year.
The Catalunya regional government has awarded Gisa a contract worth Pts930m to undertake engineering design of Barcelona metro Line 9, a 35 km orbital route that is expected to cost Pts210bn. It is hoped to let contracts for construction of the initial Badalona - Sagrera section in 2003, at an estimated cost of Pts60bn.
Thailand: Skytrain operator BTSC is planning a 30bn baht debt restructuring and an IPO later this year. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has approved the 20bn baht On Nut - Samrong and Saphan Taksin - Wong Wien Yai extensions of Skytrain for construction within two years. The operating concession for the extension will be open to outside bidders, and financing details are still to be finalised.
Turkey: Istanbul Municipal Municipality has invited tenders by May 15 for the supply and installation of electrical and mechanical equipment for the Yenikapi - Taksim underground line.
USA: Sound Transit’s Central Link has been dropped from the 2002 federal transportation budget, and this year’s funding suspended, following a critical report from the Department of Transportation. Before the funding can be reinstated an accurate cost estimate must be produced.
Uzbekistan: The government is to buy 20 carriages for the Toshkent metro’s Yunusabad line from Metrovagonmash of Russia. Delivery will be completed by July, with opening planned for the end of August.
