A 2 km extension of München metro line U3 between Olympia-Einkaufs-zentrum and Moosach opened on December 11, providing a connection to S-Bahn services. The U-Bahn network is now 103·1 km long with 100 stations. No further extensions are envisaged for the time being.
Following the completion of two short extensions to the Strasbourg tram network, services were reconfigured on November 27. The branch from Observatoire on Line E to Place d’Islande in Vauban is served by a new Line F running through from Elsau, whilst Line C from Neuhof Rudolphe Reuss which used to run to Elsau has been diverted via new tracks through the Faubourg-de-Saverne district to a surface-level terminus at Gare Centrale.
On December 12 Transports Publics Genevois opened tram Line 18 linking Coutance to Avanchet in northeastern Genève. The line will be extended to CERN on May 2 2011.
A 3·8 km three-station southern extension of Kyiv metro Blue Line 2 between Lybids’ka and Vasyl’kivs’ka entered service on December 15. The network, which celebrated 50 years of operation on November 6, is now 63·7 km long with 49 stations.
The board of Portland’s TriMet voted on December 8 to authorise $724m in revenue anticipation bonds to part fund a $1·5bn, 11·7 km light rail extension to suburban Milwaukie. The board also approved a $127m contract to erect a bridge over the Willamette River, with work due to begin next summer.
Trams now serve the western suburbs of Bern, replacing two bus routes, since public transport operator Bernmobil inaugurated a Y-shaped 6·8 km light rail extension from Kaufmännischer Verband to Bümpliz and Brünnen on December 12. The branch to Bümpliz becomes part of Line 7 while the Brünnen route is operated as Line 8 using Siemens Combino cars.
Glattfest celebrations in Zürich on December 12 marked the opening of the Auzelg – Stettbach stretch of Line 12 and completion of the Glattalbahn light rail project. Passengers transferring from tram Line 7, S-Bahn and regional services at Stettbach now have a direct link to Zürich airport. Line 12 operates daily at 15 min intervals between 05.00 and midnight; journey time is 26 min and capacity is 960 passengers/h per direction. The route is worked by Bombardier Cobra trams.
