International Railway Journal - October 2008 - (Page 12) Transit news Gold Coast study favours light rail T Bursa buys Bombardier Flexity Swift LRVs B OMBARDIER has been awarded a ƒ94 million contract to supply 30 Flexity Swift light rail vehicles (LRV) to the Turkish city of Bursa. The 28m-long bi-directional LRVs will be manufactured at Bombardier’s site in Bautzen, Germany, and deliveries will begin in the second half of 2010. The contract includes the supply of spare parts and an option for up to 28 additional LRVs. The 20.6km, two-line BursaRay network opened in 2002 and carries around 36 million passengers per year. A 3.9km extension from Küçük Sanayi to Uludag University is currently under construction, and further extensions are proposed to take the network to 50km. Guangzhou Airport extension approved C HINA’s National Development and Reform Commission has approved the construction of a Yuan 10.3 billion ($US 1.5 billion) extension of Guangzhou Metro Line 3 from Panyu to Nansha port and Baiyun International Airport. The 30.9km line will have 11 stations and will serve the districts of Tianhe, Baiyun and Huadu in the north of the city. China International Tendering Corporation invited bids in August for the supply of 12 six-car trains for the line. Construction work is expected to begin soon and the line will open in June 2010. HE government of the Australian state of Queensland says the preliminary business case for a new rapid transit network on the Gold Coast recommends the construction of a light rail system. The study suggests the first stage of the line could run from Griffiths University’s Southport campus to Broadbeach via Surfers Paradise. The line could eventually be extended to Helensvale and Coolangatta. The government now intends to determine whether the private sector will be willing to support the project. A corridor planning study will also be carried out, which could allow the government to make a final decision on whether to proceed with the project in the first half of 2009 with construction beginning in 2010. Around 50 companies have reportedly expressed an interest in building the initial phase of the network, which is expected to cost around $A 1.67 billion ($US 1.32 billion). Warsaw launches tender for LRVs ARSAW municipal government and Tramway Warsaw have launched a tender for the purchase 186 low-floor light rail vehicles (LRV). The vehicles will be up to 30m in length with air-conditioning, CCTV and onboard ticket vending machines. The LRVs are being ordered as part of Warsaw’s preparations for the European soccer championships, which are being held in Poland and Ukraine in 2012. Veolia wins Bremen S-Bahn concession EOLIA Transport subsidiary North West Railway (NWB) has been selected to run the S-Bahn network in the German states of Bremen and Lower Saxony from 2010, after German Rail (DB) withdrew its appeal against the conditions in the call for tenders. The Bremen S-Bahn will be the first electrified S-Bahn network in Germany to be completely operated by a private company. The concession covers the operation of a four-line, 270km network converging on Bremen Main Station. S-Bahn services will begin on the Bremerhaven - Lehe Twistringen, Bremen Oldenburg - Bad Zwischenahn, and Bremen - Nordenham lines in December 2010, and a year later on the Bremen Farge Verden line. W V A fleet of new low-floor trains will be ordered to operate these services. The Bremen S-Bahn will serve an area with a population of 660,000 and an annual business volume of 4.7 million train-km. Veolia says the 11-year concession will generate cumulative revenues of around ƒ500 million. Paris invites bids ARIS Transport Authority has issued an invitation to tender for the 4.9km extension of light rail line T1 from Saint Denis to AsnièresGennevilliers-Les Courtilles. The extension will have 10 stations, and will open in 2011. P Veolia already has a presence in the Bremen area through subsidiary NWB, which operates regional services to Osnabrück and Oldenburg. Photo: DB AG/Jazbec 12 IRJ October 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.