Latest changes on emta.com
London: new responsibilities for TfL and new trains for passengers
Transport for London (TfL) announced that a £223m (€330 million) contract to build and maintain more than 44 new trains has been awarded to Bombardier with the aim of revitalising London’s rail services, addressing issues of capacity and train performance. The contract also includes further options for extra carriages for the North London Railway and
Madrid: new rolling stock for line 7 extension
As Madrid continues to expands its metro network, new rolling stock “Class 9000” manufactured by Ansaldobreda has passed the tests phase and will be able to enter in service in Spring 2007. It will be equipped with modern communication means, automatic driving systems, CCTV, anti-fire protection and optimisation of energy consumption. Each train will be
New trains for commuter traffic
The competitive tendering arranged by Junakalusto Oy – a company owned by the cities Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen in the metropolitan area and the Finnish Railways VR Ltd – started in autumn 2005 following the EU rules regarding public procurements. Seven tenders were received from five European rolling stock manufacturers in January 2006. Junakalusto
Analysis: “Madrid Region public transport system: a focus on intermodality”
Since its creation in 1985, Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), the Public Transport Authority for the Madrid Greater region, has considered the integration of the different modes of public transport to be a high-priority objective in its operations, among others: – planning of infrastructures and services; – pricing framework and multi-trip tickets; and
Stockholm votes YES to congestion charge, but…
Residents from Stockholm’s 461 municipalities voted in a referendum, on 17 September 2006, about the controversial traffic-control system tested in the city centre over a period of seven months. A 53% majority voted in favour of the proposal as 46% voted against. The charging scheme would impose charges ranging from €1 to €2.10 each time
Very short cycle rental service introduced in Brussels
The Brussels capital region launched a very short term bicycle renting service called ‘Cyclocity’. The initiative wants to encourage the use of bicycle for short trips. The project aims at commuters as well as tourists as registration is possible immediately with a credit card. The service is provided by JC Decaux on the same principle
Private sector funding boost for Metro extension in Birmingham
A crucial agreement detailing the private sector’s largest funding contribution towards the Midland Metro extension has been signed. Westfield has completed its agreement with Centro-PTA by pledging its support for the new 11-lilometre tram lines through the Black Country with a £36.5m (€53 million) contribution towards the £268m (€400 million) project – the largest single
Stockholm one step forward for the new North-South tunnel
Stockholm’s suburban rail network crosses the city from North to South. This tunnel, build in 1871 constitutes however a bottleneck and doesn’t allow extra train services at peak hours, explaining the importance of bus service improvement during the congestion charging trial period (see EMTA News n°24). The Citybanan project is a 6-kilometre infrastructure that will
Bombardier will provide new rolling stock for Porto Metro
A consortium led by Bombardier won a € 115 million contract for the provision of Porto Metro rolling stock. 30 Flexity low-floor light rail vehicles will be added to the current fleet from 2008-2009. The contract also includes a 5-year maintenance period. The vehicles are 37-metre long, can reach a top speed of 100 km/h
New central station inaugurated in Berlin
The new Berlin Hauptbahnhof opened on 28 May, few days before the beginning of the Soccer World Cup 2006. With this new station, the whole rail network has been reorganised allowing new connections and huge time savings. In the past, the structure of the network was based on an east-west corridor and a 120-kilometre long