(Русский) Южный экспресс
September 6th, 2012
Brest opens new tramway
July 12th, 2012
The 14.3km tramway in the French seaport of Brest in Brittany was opened on 23 June with a ceremony at Esplanade des Français Libres at 10.45, and three days of free rides. The population of 142 000 has been without trams since 1944, when allied bombardment destroyed much of the city’s infrastructure. The current project was approved in 2004, with an estimated cost of EUR 300M, and work started on 6 July 2009. The line runs from south-west to north-east via the city centre, linking Port de Plouzané and Porte de Guipavas, with a short branch at the north-east end to Porte de Gouesnou. 20 Alstom Citadis have been purchased for EUR 42.6M as part of a joint order with Dijon. The tramway operator is Keolis, providing service from 05.30 (08.00 on Sundays) to 00.30 with trams every 5-8 minutes during the day. The final cost of the project was EUR 383M and a second line is planned by 2020 from Gare SNCF to Hôpital Cavale or Lambézellec.
The new Brest tramway passes the Town Hall. In the foreground a point has already been in stalled for the future line 2 to Gare SNCF.
Source: lrta
<!–:en–>Metrolink trams line to Oldham reopens after 60 years<!–:–>
June 21st, 2012
Tram services between Manchester and Oldham have returned – for the first time since trams stopped running in Oldham in 1946.
The first service to Oldham Mumps left Manchester Victoria at 05:24 BST, calling at the eight stops on the line.
The tram then made the return journey, leaving Oldham at 06:00 BST and taking about 25 minutes to reach Manchester city centre.
The line is expected to be extended to reach Rochdale by the end of the year.
Transport for Greater Manchester said tram services will run every 12 minutes and a six-minute service will be introduced as passenger numbers grow.
Stops at Monsall, Central Park, Freehold and South Chadderton are all new while those at Mumps, Hollinwood, Failsworth and Newton Heath and Moston were used by the Oldham Loop until it closed in October 2009 and have now been completely rebuilt.
Jim McMahon, Oldham Council Leader, said: “This is about giving some equality to people in Oldham, Rochdale and across north-east Manchester to have the opportunities to access employment right across the city region.”
Ian Yearsley, from the National Tramway Museum, said the cost of renewing the track in the 1930s and the worry that there would not be enough passengers due to the depression, had led to the closure of the former tram system on 3 August 1946.
Source: bbc
New metro wagons in Kharkov
June 20th, 2012
