Villejuif-Gustave Roussy station on Paris metro Line 14 opened on January 18. Designed by architect Dominique Perrault and overseen by Société des Grands Projets, the station has a circular structure 62 m in diameter and 51 m deep, with nine underground levels including Line 14 at level -7 (36·7 m deep) and the future Line 15 South at level -9 (48·8 m below the surface). The station is managed by the ORA Consortium of RATP Dev, Alstom and ComfortDelGro which will operate the future Line 15 South when it opens in 2026.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has visited construction sites for Guadalajara’s 21·1 km light metro Line 4 which is being developed using the alignment of the Guadalajara – Manzanillo freight line. CRRC Zhuzhou is supplying 16 twin-section trainsets, and opening is planned for later this year.
A 2·6 km three-stop connection between Otogar and Opera on the Eskişehir tram network opened on January 6, served by a new Route 36 which only operates three journeys in each direction in the weekday morning peak and another three each way in the afternoon.
Free travel was introduced from January 1 on all public transport in the Beograd conurbation. Mayor Aleksandar Šapić said the city is working to secure funds to replace 120 of its oldest trams over the next three years.
Local media reports that tenders are to be called in March for a feasibility study for the proposed Ulaanbaatar metro project, with a view to construction starting in September. A tender for a tram project will be called in June with opening envisaged by 2028.
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has announced the alignment and station locations for the 4 km Downtown Line 2 extension from Bukit Panjang to a new interchange on the North-South Line. Construction is expected to commence in Q4 2025 for opening by 2035.
The passenger information system on BART cars is being updated to show line colours and connections as part of a larger effort to make it easier to navigate the San Francisco Bay Area’s transport systems.
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is seeking market feedback on a strategy to procure replacement bus services when the Sheffield Supertram network is disrupted. So far it has awarded short term contracts, but it believes that establishing a framework for services could be more efficient and be easier to manage.
Sound Transit and the US Federal Transit Administration are undertaking public consultation on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tacoma Dome Link Extension project. This evaluates the options for the light rail alignment and four stops in South Federal Way and Fife and in the city of Tacoma at Portland Avenue and at the Tacoma Dome. A preferred option is to be selected in mid-2025.
Guangzhou metro has announced that 10 sections of metro suburban line totalling 173 km are going to be opened during 2025.
Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval R Carter Jr is to retire on January 31. He began his CTA career in September 1984 as a staff attorney and has worked at the agency for a combined 26 years. He also spent 15 years in senior leadership roles at the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.