CHENNAI: Hitachi Rail has been awarded a Rs 16.2bn ($US 196.7m) contract to deliver CBTC for Phase 2 of the 119km Chennai Metro Rail Project, which includes a 42km underground section. The contract, which will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), will see Hitachi installing CBTC combined with ATO to allow automatic, driverless operation at up to 90-second intervals. The contract covers design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the signalling, train control and video management systems.
Oslo: The city’s municipality has awarded Swiss infrastructure company Implenia a SFr 115m ($US 125.5m) contract for construction of the K2D Skøyen - Vækerø lot of the Fornebu Line, the largest Norwegian metro line tunnelling project since the 1970s. The K2D lots comprise building Skøyen station, undertaking 1.2km of tunnelling below a heavily urbanised area, and construction of an escape tunnel in the Bestum city area. Implenia is already building the K2A Fornebu - Lysaker tunnel section, which is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2023, and it expects to begin work on K2D Skøyen - Vækerø later this year, with the anticipated completion date in 2025.
Kayseri: A 6.5km extension of the Kayseray T3 light rail line from Anafartalar to Kunsmall AVM opened on March 2, bringing the line length to 30km and serving important city destinations including İldem, Beyazşehir, Cumhuriyet Square, Bus Terminal, City Hospital, Health Sciences University, Nuh Naci Yazgan University and Furniturekent and Kumsmall. The extension was inaugurated by Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality mayor, Dr Memduh Büyükkılıç, at Anafartalar station. Including lines T1 and T2, the whole Kayseray light rail network is 40.9km long with 66 stations.
Gdansk: The 1.7km Nowa Warszawska light rail extension opened between Ujescisko and Przemyska on March 4. There are intermediate stations at Częstochowska, Piotrkowska and Łódzka and the route is served by light rail services 2, 4 and 11. Construction began in March 2021 and cost nearly Zlotys 60m ($Us 13.8m). The project was carried out as part of the Gdańsk City Transport Project - stage IV A (GPKM IVA), which is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Fund for the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2014 - 2020. The project was completed ahead of schedule.
Innsbruck: An 1.2km extension of light rail line 5 was inaugurated on March 4. The eastern extension crosses the city boundary from Schützenstrasse, where the new route diverges from line 2, to Rum station, where a new transport hub has been built to allow interchange with Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) regional trains and bus services. As part of the project the station has been rebuilt with a covered waiting area, two side platforms with lift access, and parking spaces for 22 bicycles and 32 cars. The cost of the extension project was €30m and the service operating at 10-minute intervals on Monday - Saturday, and at 30-minute intervals on Sundays.
Hong Kong: MTR has awarded two asset management contracts to Systra. The first will see Systra working in a consortium with specialist Assetman to carry out a complete audit of the condition of the network, focusing on operating methods and the asset management process. The audit is expected to take six months, after which a report will be presented to the Hong Kong government. Under the second contract, Systra will use its local teams in Asia, along with Systra France’s systems team, to undertake complete analysis of track equipment and network infrastructure to identify potential for the use of new technologies.
Sydney: More than 60 lifts, 140 escalators, 1300 CCTV cameras and a range of station systems equipment have been ordered for Sydney Metro West as part of two framework contracts. For the first contract, Schindler will design, supply, install and maintain 60 lifts and 140 escalators for the nine new Sydney Metro West stations between the CBD and Westmead. The second contract will see Honeywell undertaking the design, supply, installation and maintenance of public address systems, CCTV security installations, 120 passenger information display boards, fire detection systems, and building management control and electronic access control systems.
Santiago: Chilean State Railways (EFE) has awarded a 50:50 consortium of Systra and Zañartu a contract to support construction of two new suburban rail lines. The five-year contract will see the consortium providing track, rolling stock, maintenance workshop, rail systems and RAMS support to create new direct rail services from Santiago to Melipilla, in the southwest, and to Batucco, in the northwest, so reducing travel times. The Santiago - Melipilla project will improve the line infrastructure and track double the Malocco - Melipilla section, while the aim with Santiago - Batuco is to create a new double-track line for passenger trains and improve the existing line for freight.
Riyadh: Mayor of Riyadh, Prince Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, has pledged in a TV interview on the Rotana Khalijia channel that the six-line, 176km Riyadh Metro project will be completed before the end of 2023, or at the beginning of 2024 at the latest.
Toronto: Metrolinx has awarded the MCS consortium of Mace, Comtech and Systra the delivery partner services contract for the Scarborough Subway Extension and Yonge North Subway Extension projects in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Together the lines will extend the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) metro network by 16km. The Scarborough extension will take metro services 8km into Toronto’s east end, helping to speed up journeys to and from the downtown area, while the Yonge North extension will extend services 8km from Finch station to Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill. MSC has already been working with Metrolinx on the Go Expansion rail infrastructure programme since early 2022.
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