San Francisco’s BART has hired a herd of 700 Spanish-Boer cross goats from Living Systems Land Management to graze dry brush and cut firebreaks, reducing reliance on fossil fuel powered equipment, decreasing the risk of starting fires and increasing worker safety. ‘Mowers can spark fires on this kind of brush that we see in a drought’, explained Josh Soltero of BART’s grounds maintenance department. ‘The goats can get into places we can’t.’
National Capital Region Transport Corp and Solar Energy Corp of India have signed a MoU for the use of renewable energy on the Delhi – Meerut RRTS line and future commuter rail corridors. NCRTC said 40% of the total energy requirements for the Delhi – Meerut RRTS corridor was to be met from renewable sources, adding that it would also explore opportunities for electric mobility, a hydrogen-based economy and other alternative sources of energy.
Mauritius Metro Express Phase 2A was opened for revenue service on June 20. Like the rest of the island’s light rail line, the 3·4 km extension from Rose Hill to Quatre Bornes was built by India’s L&T Construction.
New York’s NYC311 system which enables people to request homeless and mental health outreach assistance has been expanded to include the Subway. Prior to the upgrade, anyone calling 311 about someone in the Subway was transferred to the police. ‘Not every incident requires a police response’, said Patrick Warren, MTA Chief Safety Officer. ‘Now we can more easily connect vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness or mental health crises with the support and services they need.’
Land acquisition for Ho Chi Minh City metro Line 2 is expected to be completed by the end of July enabling construction to begin at an estimated cost of 49·9tr dong. Scheduled to open in 2026, Line 2 will run 11·3 km from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Tham Luong Depot in District 12, serving one elevated and 10 underground stations.
Southern California passenger operator Metrolink has partnered with small business lender Lendistry and training provider The Center by Lendistry to launch a small business partnership programme designed to address to opportunity, capital and capacity issues which have hindered local companies in bidding for the agency’s contracts.
ATRON Electronic has upgraded more than 2 100 AFR4 onboard computers and installed EMV readers on Berlin buses to accept contactless payment. The work was done at a rate of more than 120 vehicles per week.
David Scorey, CEO & General Manager of Boston commuter rail operator Keolis Commuter Services, was confirmed as President & CEO of Keolis North America with effect from July 8. Having earlier acted as interim CEO, he succeeds Clément Michel, who was named Group Director of Human Resources & Transformation on May 3.
Trial operations have started on the 3 km extension of London Underground’s Northern Line from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. The extension is expected to later this year, with an initial service of six peak and five off-peak trains per hour, increasing to 12 and 10 by mid-2022.
Pei Tel Communications is supplying DD113 and TM110 microphones with unidirectional noise cancelling for public address systems on the Class 483/484 EMUs which Stadler and Siemens Mobility are building for the Berlin S-Bahn.
Valley Metro, the city of Phoenix and Vix Technology have launched the new Valley Metro: Plan & Track app that features real time light rail and bus tracking and trip planning. ‘More than 90% of our riders own a smartphone, and with this major upgrade in technology our vital transit system becomes more accessible and easier to use’, said Mayor Kate Gallego. The app is the first step in a multi-year fare collection modernisation programme which will include mobile ticketing from 2022, and reloadable smart cards.