Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation has awarded Stantec a $119m extension until 2026 of its contract to provide construction engineering and inspection services for the eastern section of the automated light metro project. There is also a possibility of a five-year extension to the expected project completion date of 2031.
The South Australia budget for 2022-23 includes A$1m to fund a commission of inquiry to advise the government on the return of the train and tram operations to public management. Keolis Downer was awarded an A$2·1bn contract to operate the 122 km Adelaide Metro suburban rail network for eight years from January 2021, with an optional four-year extension. The Torrens Connect joint venture of bus operator Transit Systems, UGL and John Holland has a contract to operate the Adelaide tram network and buses for eight years from July 2020, with a possible two-year extension.
The UK Department for Transport has confirmed a £3·3m package of funding for the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board over the next three years. LRSSB Chief Executive Carl Williams said this would support ‘further development of sector-wide approaches to risk management and accident reporting, enhancing stakeholder engagement, updating safety guidance and leading on research into new technologies.’ The funding forms part of a £4·5m package for light rail from the DfT that also includes support for industry body UKTram.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has partnered with MYBYK to offer public bicycle sharing services for last mile connectivity from metro lines 2A and 7. MYBYK is to deploy at least 10 bicycles at each station and increase the fleet according to demand. ‘MMRDA is working for the first and last mile connectivity in order to make Mumbai a public transport friendly city’, said Metropolitan Commissioner SVR Srinivas. ‘MYBYK services will encourage the adoption of shared mobility systems, reduce air pollution and provide affordable commute to Metro stations to the users’.
Indonesia’s state railway PT KAI has signed a memorandum of understanding with national search and rescue agency Basarnas covering data sharing and planning for any future emergencies on Jakarta’s LRT Jabodebek elevated metro, which is scheduled to open on August 17.
Self-service bicycle hire points are being installed at Montréal commuter rail and bus operator Exo’s De la Concorde, Saint-Michel-Montréal-Nord and Lachine stations. ‘We are pleased to offer our customers another alternative to solo driving to take advantage of our commuter train services’, said Marie Hélène Cloutier , Executive Director of Customer Engagement, Partners and Mobility Innovation. ‘Our objective is to facilitate, but also to encourage access to our facilities by means of sustainable modes of transport.’
MTR Corp has named Carl Devlin as Capital Works Director and a member of the executive directorate from August 1, when Roger Bayliss retires. Before joining MTR Corp in 2021, Devlin was General Manager, Rail & Mass Transit of Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency. In 2015-18 he was Executive Director of Construction for Horizon Nuclear Power in the UK, and Programme Director for Transport for London in 2013-15.
Disability rights champion Michele Lee has joined the board of the Chicago Transit Authority, which is aiming to make all stations accessible by 2040. She succeeds Kevin Irvine, who has served as disability rights advocate for the board and its committees since 2012.
