SHANGHAI Shentong Metro Group has awarded Shentong Bombardier (Shanghai) Rail Transit Vehicle Maintenance Company (SHBRT) two contracts worth a total of Yuan 1.1bn ($US 158m) to carry out 10-year overhauls on 498 metro cars used on lines 7 and 9.

A contract for the construction of two sections of metro line on the Asian side of Istanbul was signed in the presence of the city’s mayor Mr Kadir Topbaş at a ceremony in Saraçhane on May 5.

AN agreement to carry out technical and economic studies into the extension of Barcelona metro Line 3 and the Trambaix light rail network was signed by Catalonia’s minister of territory and sustainability Mr Josep Rull and the mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat Mrs Pilar Díaz on May 5.

TRIAL operation began on May 1 on the eastern section of the 51km Klang Valley MRT Sungai Buloh - Kajang Line (Line MRT1) in Kuala Lumpur.

THE Philippines’ transport secretary Mr Arthur Tugade attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Parañaque City on May 4 to mark the official start of construction on the 11.7km southern extension of Line LRT1 to Bacoor in Cavite province.

A consortium of Barcelona metro operator TMB and Spanish engineering consultancy Ayesa has been awarded a three-year contract to supervise a project to increase capacity on Lima metro Line 1.

THE mayor of Quito Mr Mauricio Rodas announced on May 3 that international lenders have accepted changes to the contracting structure for the Quito metro project after Brazilian construction company Odebrecht pulled out of the consortium building the line.

ALSTOM has begun delivering a batch of 70 additional Metropolis metro cars to Panama Metro, which will be used to increase capacity on Line 1.

THE Iranian city of Shiraz extended its first metro line on April 20 with the inauguration of the 3km southern section of Line 1 between Namazi and Zandiyeh.

THE government of São Paulo has announced that bidding will open on July 4 for the public-private partnership (PPP) concession to operate lines 5 and 17 of the Brazilian city’s metro network.