29 new Tram Projects announced for France

11 February 2011  Railway Gazette Funding allocated to 78 French urban transport projects http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/funding-allocated-to-78-french-urban-transport-projects.html FRANCE: Transport Minister Natahalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced the final tranche of light rail, metro and bus funding allocations under the Grenelle de l’Environnement on February 9. The announcement covers a total of €590m allocated to 78 urban transport projects in 54 conurbations […]

Istanbul & Hafif Tram/Light Rail news

Low-floor trams in service as Istanbul extension testing begins Railway Gazette 20 February 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/low-floor-trams-in-service-as-istanbul-extension-testing-begins.html TURKEY: The Mayor of Istanbul attended a ceremony on February 3 marking the entry into service of the first 14 of 37 Citadis trams being supplied by Alstom Transport. The remainder will enter traffic in the coming weeks. The ai??i??73m […]

World Tramway patronage statistics

At grade tramway system statistics. Passenger patronage, in excess of 100 million boardings per annum Updated for 2010 Ai??Ai??St Petersburg, Russia: 476 million Budapest, Hungary: 364 million Prague, Czech Republic: 350 million Ai??Warsaw, Poland: 270 million Moscow, Russia: 251 million Vienna, Austria: 240 million Zagreb, Croatia: 214 million Zurich, Switzerland: 199 million Yekaterinburg, Russia: 180 […]

UK Government confirms local transport project funding

Railway Gazette  04 February 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/government-confirms-local-transport-project-funding.html UK: Following a review which has brought a 14% reduction in the total cost, on February 4 the Department for Transport confirmed the allocation of funding that will enable nine rail and other local transport projects to go ahead. Additional schemes have been invited to bid for funding which […]

Twin Cities’ light-rail project with Congress

Federal grant agreement sent to Congress for Twin Cities' light-rail project from ProgressiveRailroading.com 2 February 2011 http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/Federal-grant-agreement-sent-to-Congress-for-Twin-Cities-lightrail-project–25683 The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has sent a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to Congress for the proposed $957 million Central Corridor Light-Rail Transit Project that would link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. A 60-day review will […]

Streetcars to roll back into New Orleans

From the Tyee.ca http://thetyee.ca/ http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Transportation/2011/02/01/Streetcars-roll-back-into-New-Orleans/index.html Vancouver canai??i??t hold a candle to New Orleans when it comes to food or music. And now the Terminal City is trailing the Big Easy in the Greenest City category as well. Buildings and transportation each account for roughly half of community greenhouse gas emissions. The Lower Ninth Ward is […]

Slowly New Orleans is growing back into a proper network.

Streetcar service along Rampart, St. Claude is getting a green light Tuesday, January 25, 2011 The Times – Picayune http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2011/01/streetcar_service_along_rampar.html More than 20 years after transit officials began exploring the idea of bringing streetcar service to Faubourg Marigny, Treme and St. Roch via the North Rampart Street and St. Claude Avenue corridor, the project is […]

Hudson-Bergen extension opens in New Jersey

Railway Gazette 01 February 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/hudson-bergen-extension-opens-in-new-jersey.html Ai??USA: A 1Ai??6 km extension of the Hudson-Bergen light rail line south from the former terminus at 22nd Street to a new stop at Eighth Street in Bayonne opened on January 31. The ribbon-cutting was attended by US Senator Robert Menendez, Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith and New Jersey Transit […]

London Tramlink seeks bids for additional trams

from the Railway Gazette, 31 January 2011 http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/london-tramlink-seeks-bids-for-additional-trams.html      UK: Transport for London subsidiary Tramtrack Croydon Ltd is seeking bids for the lease of 10 new or second-hand trams to increase capacity on the light rail network in south London from the end of summer 2011.  Transport for London press release http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/18051.aspx   A […]

The Light Rail Committee Sends a Message

The Light Rail Committee sent the following letter to all municipal governments in the lower mainland, to inform municipal politicians about upcoming transit funding discussions by the mayors council, with Transportation Minister Shirley Bond for the Evergreen Line. One wishes that Mayor Walton tell Minister Bond to "take a powder", and "if the provincial government wants more […]