On August 18 the Delhi – Meerut RRTS (RapidX) commuter rail line was extended by 8 km and one-station from Modinagar North to Meerut South.
On August 23 Škoda Group delivered the first 60 m long ForCity Smart tram ordered by Rhein-Neckar transport authority for the metre-gauge network serving the three cities of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg. Škoda is supplying 31 three-section trams of 30 m, 37 four-section trams of approximately 40 m and 12 six-section trams almost 60 m long. A prototype was unveiled at InnoTrans 2022.
Manufacturer PK TS has delivered the last of 44 Lionet trams ordered as part of the modernisation of the Perm tram network which being undertaken by concessionaire Movista Regions. The 16·1bn rouble programme, supported by a 4·4bn rouble Russian government grant, includes modernisation of 35 km of track and reconstruction of Balatovo depot.
The first of 23 three-section trams that Pesa Bydgoszcz is supplying for Tallinn operator TLT entered service on August 23.
Amsterdam operator GVB is to replace the life expired concrete panels on the 12 000 m2 roof of Lekstraat tram depot with plastic ones made of sugar cane resin and recycled PET bottles. These retain the heritage appearance, but are lighter to meet current building regulations, and offer better insulation which is expected to reduce energy costs by 30%. Solar panels are also to be installed across the roof.
The city of Regensburg has sent surveys to 4 000 randomly chosen residents in an effort to understand the reasons why plans for a tram network were rejected in a local referendum in June.
Conduent has implemented an open payments system in Saint-Étienne, installing more than 300 validators on trams and buses. Next year it will implement its ATLAS Ops back-office system and associated equipment, completing the renewal of the network’s ticketing system and enabling interoperability with the Oùra regional contactless card. A third phase in early 2026 will enable the use of regional 2D barcode tickets via a mobile app.
General contractor Metrostroy Severnoy Stolitsy has awarded sole bidder Bamtonnelstroy-Most a 20bn rouble contract to design and build the Krasnoselskoye depot for St Petersburg metro Line 6. The line is under construction with the first two-station section planned for opening later this year.
Indonesia’s state railway company PT KAI plans to use CCTV with facial recognition to tackle anti-social behaviour at stations. ‘We’re developing an analytics system similar to the one used by KAI Commuter to address issues like sexual harassment and pickpocketing‘, a spokesperson told local media. ‘With this CCTV system, we can quickly spot individuals who have committed crimes at stations and take immediate action. We’ll be able to pinpoint their exact location as a precaution.’ PT KAI already uses face recognition services at several stations, including Gambir in central Jakarta where a facial recognition boarding service was launched in September 2023.
Thüringer Waldbahn & Straßenbahn Gotha has called tenders for the supply and maintenance of four trams from 2025, with options for up to six more. These would replace its Tatra KT4D cars on the inter-urban line.
The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is to undertake a pre-tender market consultation to gain feedback to help inform a proposed contract for the life extension of 22 to 24 trams as part of a ‘wide ranging renewal programme’ for the Sheffield Supertram network.