Alstom delivered today the first three cars of the additional fleet for Panama Metro Line 1. The contract (1) was awarded to a consortium led by Alstom, and composed of Thales, Sofratesa, CIM and TSO. Alstom will also upgrade the existing signalling and power supply infrastructure, required to run the extended fleet with five cars per train.
Line 1 of the Panama Metro was inaugurated in April 2014. It is approximately 10 miles long with 14 stations and it runs through Panama City, from North to South. The expansion of the fleet was made necessary due to the tremendous commercial success of the line in terms of ridership, which, with more than 275,000 passengers per day, goes far beyond initial forecast. The current fleet will be reconfigured from 20 three-car trains as of today to 26 five-car units.
The Alstom Metropolis trains are manufactured in Santa Perpetua plant in Barcelona, Spain. Metropolis trains for Panama meet with the highest standards in environmental terms, due to maintaining low-energy consumption through light weight trains, as well as through the optimization of its traction performance and energy recuperation. The train reaches maximum speeds of 55 mph and includes a communication and information system for passengers. Additionalaly, the trains offer wide access doors, a large capacity for passengers within the corridors to increase circulation between the cars, internal LED lights and a CCTV security system.
Alstom is also providing an integrated metro system for Line 2 (2) of Panama Metro, which includes 21 Metropolis trainsets, Hesop reversible substations, and Urbalis – Alstom’s Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) solution which controls the movement of the trains and enables to run at higher frequencies and speeds in total safety.
(1)Alstom’s share of the contract is worth $140 million. The contract value for the consortium is $158 million. (2)Alstom’s share of the contract is worth $326 million.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
