Urban rail industry news round

Urban rail industry news round-up This week’s round-up of news from the global urban transport sector. Moskva’s Deputy Mayor for Transport & Industry Maksim Liksutov has announced that the Big Circle Line will become Russia’s first fully automated metro line by 2030. The first autonomous train is to begin shadow operation without passengers this year, followed by passenger-carrying test runs in 2027. All 94 trainsets will be equipped for automated train operation including LiDAR sensors and computer vision. An intrusion detection system developed by Moskva’s autonomous transport R&D centre will be deployed across the line’s 29 stations. São Paulo suburban rail Line 11 – Coral is to be temporarily extended westwards from its Barra Funda terminus to Água Branca, where a station on metro Line 6 opened on July 2. State Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said the extension, which is to start from January 2027, would see Line 11 trains sharing tracks with Line 7 until metro Line 6 had been extended across the city centre to São Joaquim. The move is intended to improve access to and from the newly opened route, which is currently isolated from the rest of the city’s metro network. The UK’s Light Rail Safety & Standards Board has entered into an affiliation agreement with the Transit Rail Association for Canadian Contractors, Maintainers, Operators & Standards. LRSSB Chair George Lowder said the agreement would ‘provide us with insight and engagement within the Canadian light rail sector and also an opportunity to explore safety projects which will be of mutual benefit in the future. LRSSB’s reputation as a key driver of safety best practice is rapidly gaining traction well beyond the UK, and we look forward to forging a close working relationship with TRACCS in the months ahead.’ A consortium led by Systra has been appointed as General Consultant for the Phase I Extension and Phase II of the Pune Metro Rail project. This will expand the network by 54.7 km and 49 new stations across six corridors. Systra will provide consulting services from tender preparation, design proof-checking, and construction supervision to systems integration, rolling stock commissioning, and oversight of the fare collection technology. A one-year sponsorship deal has seen New Jersey’s Meadowlands Rail Line branded as the DoorDash Meadowlands Rail Line. This is ‘exactly the kind of non-farebox revenue strategy that Governor Sherrill has called for’, said the operator’s President & CEO Kris Kolluri. ‘One that generates real value for NJ Transit without passing additional costs on to everyday commuters.’ Damien Chabas, Managing Director of Manchester light rail operator KeolisAmey Metrolink, has joined the UK’s Light Rail Safety & Standards Board to strengthen operator representation as part of an ongoing restructuring of its governance model. Transport for London is to directly award Schunk Carbon Technology a £13m framework contract to supply shoe gear and beams for London Underground’s S Stock trains. TfL notes that because of the bespoke nature of the products and the technical dependency, only the existing supplier can ensure full compatibility and continuity of service. Subscribe to gain access to all news Already have a subscription? Log in. Choose your subscription Considering a corporate subscription? Contact us to find out more.