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In this month's briefing: Riyadh’s six-line network has fully opened; Thessaloniki gets its long-awaited metro; catenary-free trams arrive in the Sydney suburbs.
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2024 saw metros open in Riyadh, Ho Chi Minh City, Thessaloniki and Agra
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Most of the momentum in the global metro construction market is coming from Asia, and this was reflected in high-profile openings in 2024. Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam inaugurated its first line in December, although this risked being overshadowed by the much larger openings in Riyadh. In Greece meanwhile, the Thessaloniki metro opened on November 30, 18 years after construction began. This is a driverless line equipped for GoA4 operation, as is the metro in Agra, India, which opened in March. The push towards automation in urban rail shows no sign of slowing down.
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Parramatta light rail line opens in western Sydney
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The L4 light rail line serving Parramatta in western Sydney opened on December 20, with simultaneous first departures from the Westmead and Carlingford termini at 05.00.
The 12 km line serves destinations including the Westmead Health Precinct, CommBank Stadium — home of the National Rugby League side Parramatta Eels — Riverside theatres, cafes and restaurants around Church Street, Parramatta Square, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and three Western Sydney University campuses. Around 130 000 people live within walking distance of the 16 stops, and ridership is expected to reach 22 000 passengers/day by 2026.
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Dubai Blue Line construction contract awarded
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Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority has awarded the contract for construction of the metro network’s Blue Line to a Turkish-Chinese consortium comprising civil works contractors Mapa and Limak with railway systems supplier CRRC.
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| Delhi RRTS extension opens as India targets second spot in world metro rankings
The 13 km Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar extension of the Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System line was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5. The Rs46bn extension takes Namo Bharat (commuter) services into central Delhi.
The same day, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the first section of Delhi Metro Phase IV, a 2·8 km extension of Line 8 (Magenta) from Janakpuri to Krishna Park, and laid the foundation stone for the Rs62·3bn, 26·5 km long Rithala – Kundli section of Phase IV. Modi said India now had the third longest total length of metro lines in the world, and would soon have the second longest (after China). |
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| | RER NG trains launched on Line D as Paris fleet renewal accelerates
The renewal of the rolling stock fleet used on the RER suburban network around Paris is continuing, with the latest generation RER NG trainsets entering service on Line D in December.
The RER NG fleet comprises two subclasses, Z58000 for Line E and Z58500 for Line D. The first of the EMUs entered service on Line E in November 2023 as part of the renewal and extension of the route under the Éole programme. Now they are being rolled out on the busy Line D which runs north-south through the heart of Paris, linking Nord and Lyon stations along its route. Train Control: Paris RER lines switch to NExTEO
SNCF Réseau is committed to installation of the digital NExTEO train control system to increase train throughput on the busiest sections of the heavily used Paris RER network. Jérémie Anne reports. |
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Four cities gained a metro last year: Agra, Riyadh, Thessaloniki and Ho Chi Minh City.
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Overall, China led the way in urban rail expansion in 2024, but Railway Gazette data on openings highlights the strength of the Turkish and South Korean metro markets. Australia is also adding rail across its urban areas, albeit using a mix of metro, light rail and suburban rail modes.
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Incoming Uruguayan government commits to Montevideo light rail The new national government taking office on March 1 has committed to ‘carry to an end’ Montevideo’s proposed tram-train project by the end of its term. The 35 km light rail route would link central Montevideo to El Pinar in the east, with operation by tram-train vehicles to leave open the option of extension over existing main lines.
Programme manager selected to oversee Austin’s starter light rail line Austin Transit Partnership has appointed consultancy Aecom to support the 15·7 km, 15 stop, Phase 1 of the Texas state capital’s light rail network, covering a line from 38th Street to Yellow Jacket and branch to Oltorf. The procurement process for a contract to design and build Austin Light Rail Phase 1 was launched on February 11. Service agreement ‘paves way’ for suburban rail devolution in Cape Town Following months of negotiations, the city of Cape Town and Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa signed a Service Level Plan on December 4 which Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said would ‘lay the foundation for future rail devolution’.
More walk-through Subway cars in latest New York MTA procurement New York MTA has approved a $1·27bn firm order for a further 435 Kawasaki Rail Car R211 Subway cars, including 80 R211T cars with open gangways. This takes the total number of R211 cars ordered under the 2018 framework agreement to 1 610, of which 345 are now in service. Deliveries of the latest batch are to begin in 2027. All of these stories and more can be found at Railway Gazette’s urban rail news hub.
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Thank you for reading City Track, a curated briefing covering urban rail. This newsletter forms part of the Railway Gazette Group’s Market Essentials series tracking key trends shaping the future of rail globally. Railway Gazette Group is committed to providing authoritative, independent and industry-relevant coverage wherever there are railways. Subscribe to stay ahead here – Nick Kingsley, Executive Editor |
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City Track is compiled by Andy Hellawell. Executive Editor: Nick Kingsley. DVV Media International Ltd | Registered office: Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1JB, England | Registered in England under company number: 6090951
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