North America – Page 5
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In depthHigh Speed: FRA grant kick-starts Brightline West
Construction of a high speed inter-city passenger railway in the congested corridor between Las Vegas and Southern California is expected to get underway this year, following the approval of federal funding for the Brightline West project. Dave Lustig investigates.
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NewsChicago’s Metra thinks outside the box with Stadler battery train order
USA: Chicago commuter agency Metra has awarded Stadler a contract to supply eight battery multiple-units. The $154m deal announced on February 21 includes staff training and spare parts. The first of the units are expected to be delivered from Stadler’s Salt Lake City plant in 2027-28. ...
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Metro Report InternationalMontréal metro CBTC contract awarded
CANADA: Thales Ground Transportation Systems has been awarded a C$217m contract to supply and maintain a communications-based train control system for the Montréal metro Blue Line. This will include the 6 km five station extension from Saint-Michel to Anjou, where construction has begun and with bids ...
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NewsCalifornia orders more hydrogen trainsets
USA: California’s Department of Transportation has ordered six more Stadler Flirt H2 hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units. The $127m order announced on February 15 has been placed using an October 2023 framework contract which included an $80m firm order for four trains with options for up to ...
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Metro Report InternationalHyundai Rotem USA wins Los Angeles metro train contract
USA: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority has selected Hyundai Rotem USA as the winner of a contract to supply metro trains. The $663·7m order approved by the board on January 25 covers 182 vehicles, with an option to order 50 more. Designated HR5000, the trains ...
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NewsTrainline targets airport users during Super Bowl
USA: Ticket retailer Trainline is to show an advertisement for European rail travel on TV screens at US international airport terminals during Super Bowl LVIII commercial breaks, while on-screen adverts will appear during the game. ‘The Super Bowl has a near-mythical status in US culture and ...
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In depthUSA: Manhattan congestion charge is key to New York investment
New York MTA hopes its congestion charging scheme will go live in mid-2024, which could provide a revenue stream to kick-start investment in renewal and expansion of the Subway network, as Benjámin Zelki and Nick Kingsley explain.
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Metro Report InternationalNew York’s first walk-through Subway trainset enters service
USA: The first R211T open gangway trainsets being supplied by Kawasaki Rail Car for the New York Subway entered service on February 1 on the C/Eighth Avenue Local Line linking Washington Heights and East New York. New York state Governor Kathy Hochul, Metropolitan ...
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NewsBallard fuel cells to power CPKC shunting locomotives
CANADA: Canadian Pacific Kansas City has ordered a further 12 hydrogen fuel cell power packs from Ballard for delivery during 2024. The 200 kW FCwave fuel cells are intended to power a batch of locomotives to undertake shunting and local freight services in Alberta; they are ...
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NewsAmtrak sets out 2024 plans as it aims to double ridership by 2040
USA: Amtrak has announced the steps it will take this year in support of its ‘ambitious’ plans to double annual ridership to 66 million passengers in 2040. On February 1, the national passenger operator’s President Roger Harris said Amtrak has two overarching objectives for 2024: ‘improving ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew Jersey Transit pilots track monitoring ‘force multiplier’
Mock dashboard USA: Humatics has been awarded a 12-month contract to pilot its Focus track condition monitoring technology on the New Jersey Transit network. This will expand current trials from an initial 16 track-km of monitored track to more than 160 km. ...
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NewsToronto passenger train Operations & Maintenance contract finalised
CANADA: Transport agency Metrolinx has finalised the Operations & Maintenance contract for GO Transit passenger rail services in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. The contract has been agreed with the ONxpress Operations Inc partnership of Deutsche Bahn International Operations (72%) and Aecon Group (28%), which ...
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NewsChicago commuter operator allows bikes on all trains
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra is making permanent a Covid-era policy allowing bicycles on all trains from February 1, and has begun manufacturing and installing bike racks on its coaches.
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Metro Report InternationalExtension takes Phoenix light rail over the freeway
USA: ‘We have made the leap over one of our busiest and most vital freeways with a bridge that opens the door to the West Valley’, said CEO of Phoenix’s Valley Metro Jessica Mefford-Miller when celebrations marked the opening of the Northwest Phase II light rail extension on January 27.
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Metro Report InternationalOntario Line tunnel contract awarded
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Toronto area transport agency Metrolinx announced on January 17 that they had signed a Development & Master Construction agreement for the Pape tunnel and underground stations on the Ontario Line metro project with the Pape North Connect consortium. Pape North Connect comprises: ...
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NewsGas-fuelled freight locomotive under development
USA: Plans have been unveiled for the development and testing of a prototype main line freight locomotive with a powered tender, which will be fuelled by renewable natural gas. RNG is a purified biogas that can be used interchangeably with conventional natural gas. ...
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NewsNetwork Rail Consulting awarded California high speed rail contract
USA: The consultancy arm of British infrastructure manager Network Rail has been awarded a $73·2m contract to provide rail systems engineering services to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Network Rail Consulting will be supported by subconsultants Egis and Ricardo, as well as local companies C2PM DR ...
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NewsNorfolk Southern aims for low-carbon future
USA: Norfolk Southern has released its inaugural Climate Transition Plan, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emission intensity by 42% by 2034. Plans include the use of innovative technologies and operating practices to improve locomotive fuel consumption, which accounts for over 90% of the company’s scope 1 ...
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Metro Report InternationalEglinton Crosstown West Extension contracts awarded
CANADA: Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport agency Metrolinx has appointed infrastructure consultancy AECOM as its delivery partner for the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension light rail project, and has awarded Aecon Infrastructure Management a contract to design and build an elevated section of the route. The ...
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NewsCalifornian high speed train shortlist announced
USA: The California High-Speed Rail Authority has shortlisted two qualified bidders for a planned contract to supply high speed trainsets for the project. They are Alstom Transportation Inc and Siemens Mobility Inc. The authority expects to release the request for proposals in the coming months, followed ...