Austria: Innsbruck transport operator IVB has exercised an option under a 2005 contract with Bombardier and ELIN for a further 10 Flexity Outlook trams worth €23m. The first of 32 trams now on order will enter service next month, with the last due in late 2009 (RG 11.07 p680).
Bulgaria: In December Sofia Metro placed an order with Metrovagonmash for three additional three-car trainsets to be delivered from May to July 2009. They will have Hitachi asynchronous drives. Following construction delays, a 2·3 km extension taking the single metro line to Junak Stadium is now expected to be completed at the end of this year.
China: Alstom and Casco Signal have signed a €43m contract to supply Urbalis CBTC for the 36 km Shanghai metro Line 10. The fully-automatic line serving 31 stations is due to open in December 2010.
On January 14 MTR began a six-month trial of wireless CCTV on board a train running on Hong Kong’s Island Line. ‘There is little room available to install even more wiring’, said Head of Operations Wilfred Lau.
On January 25 a consortium of Nanjing CSR Puzhen Rail Transit, Alstom and the Satee joint venture of Alstom and Shanghai Electric Group announced a €85·5m contract to supply 21 six-car Metropolis trainsets for the 18 km southern extension of Nanjing Metro Line 1 to Chengdong Road which is due to open in March 2010.
Germany: On January 16 Hamburger Hochbahn commissioned an operations control centre integrating the management of U-Bahn and bus services. Six remaining control centres for different U-Bahn routes will be incorporated into the centre by 2014.
India: Delhi Metro Rail Corp has awarded a joint venture of Kalindee Rail Nirman and Samsung a Rs870m contract to provide automatic fare collection equipment at 19 stations on Phase 2 of the capital’s metro.
Japan: A 2·4 km extension of the Kyoto metro’s Tozai Line from Nijo to Uzumasa-Tenjingawa opened on January 16.
Kazakhstan: Hyundai Rotem is to supply 28 EMU cars for the Almaty Metro, which is now scheduled to open in 2009.
Malaysia: Having received six bids, transport holding company Prasaran has awarded a letter of intent to a consortium of Malaysian Resources Corp, Penang Port Commission and Scomi Engineering to begin negotiations for the construction of a monorail in Penang.
Mexico: In December CAF announced a €100m contract to supply nine trainsets for Mexico City’s steel-wheel metro Line A.
Norway: The city of Bergen has awarded NCC Construction two contracts worth a total of SKr525m as part of the Bybanen light rail project. Work began last month on the 3·2 km Fantoft - Nestum section.
Singapore: Land Transport Authority has awarded Sembawang Engineers a S$463m contract to build Bayfront station on the 4·3 km Downtown MRT line.
Spain: With September 30 set as the official opening date, trials on Line 1 of the Sevilla metro are expected to begin this summer.
Switzerland: On January 23 Bombardier announced a SFr85m contract to supply a further 18 Flexity Outlook trams to Genève in 2009-10. The option on a 2002 contract brings TPG’s total order to 39 cars.
Ukraine: Transmash Holding subsidiary Metrovagonmash will shortly complete deliveries of 25 Type 81-714 and 81-717 metro cars ordered by Kyiv in October 2007.
UK: On December 19 Bombardier announced a €32m contract to replace the 1·2 km peoplemover between the terminals at London Gatwick airport by spring 2010. The guideway will be retained, but all other equipment will be replaced and six rubber-tyred CX-100 vehicles supplied.
USA: Bombardier has been awarded a $63m contract for a 550 m extension of the peoplemover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by 2011, together with 10 CX-100 cars.
Another section of the St Charles Avenue line in New Orleans resumed service on December 23, with trams operating between Canal Street and Napoleon Avenue for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The final section to South Claiborne Avenue is expected to re-open shortly.
Hampton Roads Transit has awarded Siemens a $31m contract to supply nine S70 LRVs for The Tide light rail line in 2009.
On December 22 MBTA re-opened the 4 km Mattapan tram line in Boston after an 18-month closure to permit the rebuilding of a viaduct at Ashmont.
- CAPTION: In December Crotram partners Koncar and TZV Gredelj shipped a Zagreb TMK 2200 tram to Finland for six months of trials in Helsinki at the manufacturers’ expense. It entered service on January 21 on routes 6 and 8, where passenger responses will be assessed. The metre-gauge Helsinki network features tight curves similar to Zagreb, but steeper gradients. HKL plans to call tenders in 2009 for around 40 trams to be delivered 2011-16 Photo: John Pagni
- CAPTION: The first of 94 metro cars being built by Siemens for Boston’s Blue Line under a $173m contract agreed in 2001 was expected to enter service by the end of January. They are being built in New York State at a plant leased from CAF. A platform extension programme will allow Blue Line trains to be lengthened from four to six car later this year Photo: Siemens
