Tramwaje Szczecińskie has awarded Modertrans Poznań a 63·7m złoty contract for the supply of four three-section, 100% low-floor, bidirectional trams to Szczeciń. The order covers maintenance equipment and a support vehicle. There is an option for eight more trams which the operator plans to exercise by the end of February subject to receiving financing from the European Union’s Recovery & Resilience Fund for Poland.
On December 4, Metro de Bogotá reported the completion of 1 km of elevated guideway and a 44·45% overall completion for the city’s starter line. This is being built from Carrera 94 to Calle 72 for opening in 2028.
Škoda Group has signed a €70m contract to supply a further seven 37 m long trams to Tampere by mid-2027, along with eight modules to extend existing trams from 37 to 47 m by July 2028. The order announced on December 13 has been placed using an option on the original order, and includes also a 10-year full-service package.
The canton of Genève has unveiled plans for a cross-border metro serving the conurbation on both the French and Swiss sides of the border. Initially branded Léman Express 2, the 20 km metro line put forward on December 11 would follow a route passing under Lac Leman, serving a population of 500 000 people and half of the canton’s job market. The metro has an indicative budget of SFr4bn, and could open by 2045. The cantonal government says it is willing to cover up to 50% of the costs.
On December 14, transport authority Casa Transports and operator RATP Dev Casablanca completed a new operational control centre for tram lines 1 to 4 and Busway bus rapid transit routes 1 and 2. It is located at the city’s Tramway Maintenance Centre, which also serves as the depot for tram lines 3 and 4, both of which opened in September.
Nicola Small and Steve Mabey have been elected as non-executive directors of industry association UKTram. Small is Very Light Rail Regional Programme Director at Transport for West Midlands and Coventry VLR Programme Director at Coventry City Council, while Mabey is Head of Operational Planning & Delivery at KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited in Manchester. Martin Fleetwood and Ian Middlemiss have stood down as non-executive directors.