A 1·8 km three-stop tram Route 16 has been inaugurated in Mannheim, linking Bensheimer Straße to the Sullivan development area. Construction took two years at a cost of €33m, with the project forming part of the Konversionsnetz Mannheim programme to connect the tram network to various urban development zones.
Madrid tramway concessionaire Metro Ligero Oeste is to install more than 1 600 photovoltaic panels on the roofs of its properties. These are expected to generate around 1·2 GWh/year to meet 13% of the company’s requirements.
On December 29 tunnelling was completed on the underground section of Agra metro Line 1 (Yellow). The first 6 km section of the Yellow Line between Taj East Gate and Jama Masjid is expected to open in February, serving three underground and three elevated stations. When completed, the Yellow Line will be 14 km long with six elevated and seven underground stations.
The Philippines’ Light Rail Transit Authority has commissioned Systra and TÜV Rheinland to undertake a six-month feasibility study for increasing the capacity of Manilla LRT2. The 17·6 km heavy metro line carried a record 49·4 million passengers in 2023 and is predicted to carry 50·7 million this year.
Knorr-Bremse is to supply and maintain for 32 years the braking and climate control systems for 246 Citylink tram-trains which Stadler is building under a framework agreement with six transport bodies in Germany and Austria; the package includes options for up to 258 more vehicles.
Birmingham light rail operator West Midlands Metro and parking company Accelogress have introduced a Save-a-Space parking bay reservation system enabling commuters to pre-book spaces at three park-and-ride stops.
Test running has started on the initial 5·4 km section of Kolkata metro Line 6 (Orange) between Kavi Subhash and Hemanta Mukhopadhay.
Paris transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités, and operators RATP and Transilien SNCF Voyageurs have decided to roll out Wabtec’s Green Friction braking products to help improve air quality on the network.
A 4·4 km long double-track tram line to serve the Akademichesky residential area of Yekaterinburg was opened on December 23, following two years of construction. Route 1 services run every 13 to 15 min on weekdays and every 15 to 20 min at weekends; further capacity is to be added later this year, once new vehicles have been delivered.
Novium has been selected to supply around 40 modules for transporting staff, tools and equipment on works trains for the construction of Grand Paris Express lines 15, 16 and 17.