15 May 2012,
Procurement of new Merseyrail trains begins
15 May 2012,
14:02:00
UK: Transport authority Merseytravel
announced on May 14 that it had begun procurement of a new fleet of suburban
electric multiple-units for the 750 V DC third rail Merseyrail network centred
on Liverpool. Recruitment consultants have been asked to identify candidates for
the post of Project Director. 'Getting the right person to oversee the project
and creating the right project governance arrangements are the first
priorities', according to Merseytravel Chair Councillor Mark Dowd. Expressions
of interest in supplying 150to 250 vehicles have been invited 'from
manufacturers worldwide'. Merseytravel plans to launch the tendering process
later this summer, with delivery of the new trains expected by 2017. The current
fleet of 58 three-car Class 507 and 508 EMUs dating from 1978-80 is owned by
Angel Trains and leased to Merseyrail until March 2015, with an option for
extension to March 2018 when they will be nearing the end of their expected
lifespan. The cost of the new trains is estimated at €120m to €325m plus taxes.
Some of the funding for the new fleet will be provided by the national
Department for Transport, but it is expected that Merseytravel will also need to
resort to borrowing.
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Denver launches I-225 light rail extension
15 May 2012,
09:52:00
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony was held on
May 11 to mark the start of work on a 2·4 km extension of Denver RTD’s I-225
light rail line from Nine Mile to Iliff. Participating in the event were
representatives from RTD, Colorado Department of Transportation and SEMA
Construction. The light rail extension is being combined with CDoT’s programme
to widen the orbital highway from Parker Road (Nine Mile) to Mississippi Avenue,
enabling the two schemes to share resources and minimise inconvenience to local
residents and travellers. The existing I-225 branch to Nine Mile forms a spur
off RTD’s Southeast Line, and a 16·9 km northwards extension to Peoria with
eight stations forms part of RTD’s FasTracks expansion strategy. This would
provide interchange at Peoria with the EastRail commuter rail line to Denver
Airport which is now under construction. Although no timetable had been set for
construction of the I-225 extension, RTD received an unsolicited proposal that
the short section to the first station at Iliff should be built in conjunction
with CDoT’s road widening. After ‘the proposal was found to have merit’, RTD
issued a request for proposals in early May to launch a competitive bidding
process, with the aim of awarding a formal construction contract in the summer.
The light rail works will be funded by $90m out of the $305m of short-term funds
which had been allocated in the 2011 FasTracks Financial Plan for work on
projects not yet in construction or under contract. As well as building the
tracks along the highway corridor and rebuilding two bridges, the work will
include a new station and bus-rail interchange at Iliff, together with a
600-space car park. With LRVs running every 15 min, the extension is expected to
attract around 1 400 additional riders per day.
Tuas West Extension construction underway
15 May 2012,
05:00:00
SINGAPORE: Construction of the Tuas West
Extension project was officially launched when Minister for Transport Lui Tuck
Yew attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Tuas Link metro
station on May 4. 'Over the next five years, there will be a new section of rail
line opening every year, bringing about greater capacity and convenience to
commuters', said the Minister. The 7·5 km extension of the 49·7 km East -West
Line from Joo Koon is scheduled to be completed in 2016. The line will be
elevated on a viaduct which will be integrated with a 4·8 km road viaduct along
Pioneer Road, increasing road capacity to cope with anticipated growth in
traffic. The metro extension is predicted to reduce travel times to the Tuas
area by up to 35 min, with the four new stations at Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent,
Tuas West Road and Tuas Link expected to serve more than 100 000 commuters a
day. China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corp has two civil works contracts, while
Thales is to provide signalling under a €24m contract. Parsons Brinckerhoff has
designed a 26 ha depot which is to be built to accommodate the 35 trains being
acquired for the extension, with a total capacity of 60 trainsets to allow for
future expansion.
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