News from the Cities
European Investment Bank supports metro projects in Spain
– Barcelona metro The European Investment Bank is providing a € 650 million loan to IFERCAT (Infraestructuras Ferroviaries de Catalunya) for the construction of Barcelona metro line 9 . The new underground line extends over 43 km and has 47 stations within the metropolitan area. It is the second loan provided by the EIB to
Britain moves one step closer towards road charging
Transport secretary Alistair Darling said at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference that congestion on roads in cities was one of the biggest threats to economic expansion and local economies in the next 10 to 15 years. CBI estimates the impact of congested road an rail holp-ups at €29 billion a year. Convinced that
London helps businesses changing their mobility habits
TfL is launching three new schemes to assist businesses in providing facilities for staff who want to reduce their dependency on private cars. Under the new schemes, if companies draw up workplace travel plans which lay out how they will encourage and help their staff to use sustainable transport – like cycling, walking or public
A circular subway in project for Copenhagen metropolitan area
The Danish government and the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg concluded an agreement for the construction Cityringen, a circular subway consisting of a 17 stationline around the capital. This line will double the number of stations of the current metro network that has opened in 2002 and that will also be extended by 4.5 kilometres
Employer-subsidised commuter tickets introduced in the Helsinki metropolitan area
New employer-subsidised commuter tickets have been introduced in the Helsinki metropolitan area at the beginning of 2006. The goal of the new ticket system is to increase public transport attractiveness. Employers decide individually whether they acquire the ticket to their employees or not. Employers can also decide the level of the subsidy but they have
Keolis wins Kent rail franchise contract, First group wins Thames-link/Great Northern franchise
UK Department for Transport announced in November several franchise contracts awarding for regional trains. – The Integrated Kent franchise (IKF) has been awarded to Govia, common subsidy of Keolis and Go Ahead as of 1 April 2006. The IKF will include routes on the national rail network currently operated by South Eastern Trains throughout Kent,
Towards a connection between Dublin LUAS lines
The Red Line and the Green Line that entered in service in 2004 constitute Dublin light rail scheme, LUAS. These two lines do not connect: there is a 15-minute walk between Abbey Street on the Red Line and St Stephen’s Green on the Green Line. However, tickets bought for a journey starting on one line
Hannover Mobile turns public transport into a full mobility service provider
The Greater Hannover Transport Association (GVH) manages mobility issues of a 1.1 million inhabitant metropolitan area through an integrated system. It offers a wide range of public transport services provided by four different companies: urban bus, tram, suburban bus, regional trains, and local rapid transit. However, this level of integration and this range of services
Rail services improvements foreseen in Switzerland
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) are currently working on the strategic planning of rail services for 2030: the Zukünftige Entwicklung der Bahnprojekte (ZEB). Concrete measures will be announced in 2006, as required by the Parliament. However, general guidelines of service improvements have been exposed in September. The scope covers all types of rail services: freight, long
Stockholm about to experiment congestion charging
The Municipality of Stockholm will experiment a trial period for congestion charging for all private vehicles crossing the city border on weekdays. Car users will have to pay for each crossing with a maximal daily fee of about €6 per day and per car. The trial will take place from 3 January to 31 July
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