Systra, Rina Consulting and Architecna are working on project and detailed design management and works supervision for the 750 m Brin – Canepari and 700 m Brignole – Martinez metro extensions in Genova. With SOT they are also supervising detailed design of 40·5 km of new and 7·5 km of upgraded trolleybus route.
Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand has extended the deadline for completing construction of the first phase of the Pink Line monorail route by 290 days, after concessionaire Northern Bangkok Monorail Co faced problems accessing construction sites because of other projects. The 21 km first phase is now expected to open in June 2022, with a 9 km second stage in August and the full 34·5 km route by July 2023.
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy is to invest 42·4bn won in the development of hydrogen-powered trams by 2023. This will include modifying hydrogen fuel cells used in Hyundai’s Nexo cars to produce 380 kW units for light rail use. Mass production is envisaged for 2024.
The Chicago Transit Board has approved a new Mid-Level Construction contract designed to increase opportunities for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises to work as prime contractors. The MidCon contract traditionally allows pre-qualified contractors to bid for projects less than $15m, and the new contract maintains this, while providing a two-tiered approach for qualifying Tier I firms to bid on larger projects that are more than $3m and qualifying Tier II firms to bid on projects that are under $3m. This can include infrastructure works, tracks, signalling and power systems.
Transport for London introduced weekly fare capping for adult pay-as-you-go travel using its Oyster smart card on September 27. The system will give the best fare for all journeys made between Monday and Sunday. Weekly capping was already available for passengers using contactless bank cards, or for those only using Oyster on bus and tram services. Weekly capping for travellers with child and other discount cards is expected to be launched during 2022 following further technical development.
New York MTA has appointed Siu Ling Ko as Vice-President & Chief Mechanical Officer of Subway Car Equipment, the division of New York City Transit responsible for maintaining and overhauling the fleet of 7 092 metro cars and associated depots. Ko started her career at NYC Transit as an Associate Engineering Technician, and has held multiple positions including Assistant Chief Mechanical Officer, Quality Assurance & New Car Warranty.
Delhi Metro Rail Corp has earned a total of Rs195m from the sale of 3·55 million carbon credits which it collected through regenerative braking, modal shift, solar and other projects in 2012-18.
Moscow is to use money from green bonds to help fund 18 new stations and more than 43 km of the ‘Big Circle’ metro Line 11, as well as reconstructing three more stations and 4 km of metro line. The placement of the first issue of Moscow’s green bonds worth 70bn roubles began on the Moscow Exchange in May, and orders exceeded supply by 1·2 times.
INIT platform validators have been installed on the Nottingham Express Transit tram network to enable contactless card payment. The system automatically calculates the best fare, with capping. INIT is also adding contactless payments with capped fares to Link buses, following on from Nottingham City Transport buses. The final stage of the scheme will cover both trams and buses.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has joined the UK’s Urban Transport Group as an associate member, meaning UTG now has 14 members including all 10 Combined Authority areas.