Auckland: Pre-implementation works for the Auckland Light Rail (ALR) project are underway with the start of ground investigation to test soil and water conditions. Work has begun on a bore hole being drilled 40m into a section of Gribblehirst Park, Sandringham. Core samples will be analysed to help decide the most technically viable route for light rail line. During the next six months, ALR will sink 30 bores between 10m and 80m deep along sections of the line’s indicative 24km route, half of which will be in tunnel.
Copenhagen: Danish infrastructure manager Banedanmark has recorded the lowest number of delays on the S-Bahn since 2013, when it switched to the current method of measuring punctuality, after installing CBTC on the final three lines of the network in 2022. Banedanmark says 3.1% of trains were delayed, with 0.6% of this caused by Banedanmark. Of this, 0.25% were caused by signalling.
Berne: municipal transport operator Bernmobil has received the first of 27 Tramlink LRVs from Stadler. The three-section LRV was delivered by road from Valencia, Spain, to the Bolligenstrasse depot in Berne. After an intensive testing and training programme, the LRVs will be used in regular service from late summer.
Thessaloniki: The Thema consortium of ATM and Egis has announced it is bidding for a public-private partnership (PPP) contract to operate and maintain the under-construction Thessaloniki Metro. ATM is the operator of the Milan Metro and since 2008 has also been present in Copenhagen where its subsidiary Metro Service operates all four automated metro lines. These routes operate at GoA4 using the same Hitachi technology being deployed in Thessaloniki.
Toronto: Ontario public transport operator Metrolinx has selected Siemens Mobility to provide track, signalling, and infrastructure maintenance services for the agency’s rail system in the west of Toronto. The contract runs for three years with an option for an additional two years. Siemens currently provides services to Metrolinx that include signalling and communications back-office support and fault control services at the Network Operations Centre (NOC) in Oakville, Ontario.
London: Transport for London (TfL) has appointed Arcadis and architects Hawkins\Brown to lead the Stage 2 design study for the Elephant & Castle Station Capacity Upgrade (ECSCU) project. The project will see a new Northern Line station entrance and ticket hall created at Elephant & Castle. Stage 1, comprising the station box and connections to existing platforms, began in 2022 with funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), Southwark Council and local developers. It is expected to be completed by 2028. Stage 2 will comprise the fit-out of a new integrated ticket hall, providing step-free access to the Northern Line platforms, and facilitating the commissioning of the existing Northern Line ticket hall.
Chongqing: The 9km Expo Garden Center - Yuegangbeilu section of Line 5 opened on February 27. This section is at the northern end of the north-south Line 5.
For detailed data on transit projects around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.
