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Tag: Metropolitan

Alstom chosen to provide Smartlock Interlocking & ETCS for Cork Area commuter rail

August 23, 2023 – Alstom (OTC: ALSMY), the global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has been awarded a groundbreaking contract by Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) to revolutionise rail travel and mobility on the Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) network. The project, set to enhance the rail service within the Cork metropolitan area, will feature Alstom’s cutting-edge signalling technologies – Smartlock Computer-Based Interlocking (CBI) system and European Train Control System (ETCS).

The CACR project aims to modernise and upgrade 62km of the rail network, stretching from Mallow to Cork, Cobh, and Midleton, creating a seamless, high-frequency unified suburban rail service for the people of Cork.

Alstom’s Smartlock Interlocking System: A Foundation for Safety and Efficiency

At the core of this transformative initiative is Alstom’s Smartlock CBI system. This state-of-the-art technology will serve as the project’s primary foundation, offering a safe, simplified, and maintenance-friendly solution. By directly interfacing with axle counters and trackside objects through SmartIO, the Smartlock system eliminates the need for intermediate relays, ensuring a robust, efficient, and streamlined operation.

ETCS: Ensuring Continuous Train Protection and Efficiency

In addition to Smartlock interlocking, the project will also feature the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1 trackside technology. ETCS is a train protection system that guarantees enhanced safety, efficiency, and reliability throughout the Greater Cork area. The implementation of ETCS further strengthens the commitment to safety and ensures a smooth, secure, and eco-friendly rail network.

Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities

Washington, D.C. – Texas Central Partners (“Texas Central”) and Amtrak are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 205-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.

The proposed approximately 240-mile route would offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between two of the top five major U.S. metropolitan areas and would complement future, new and improved corridor and long-distance service in the southern region.

Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with further study and design work for the potential Dallas to Houston segment, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program.

Amtrak has worked with Texas Central since 2016 when it entered into agreements to provide through-ticketing using the Amtrak reservation system and other support services for the planned high-speed rail line.

In addition to current Amtrak service in Texas and planned station improvements, Amtrak submitted grant applications for daily Sunset Limited service and the extension of the Crescentfrom Mississippi through Louisiana and Texas. Amtrak supports Kansas DOT’s Heartland FlyerExtension Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) application that will connect Wichita and communities across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to the Amtrak network. Amtrak also supports Texas DOT’s applications for the Texas Triangle (Dallas – Fort Worth – Houston – San Antonio) routes.

CSX Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

Jacksonville, Florida – July 12, 2023 – CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX) announced that the Company’s Board of Directors approved a $0.11 per share quarterly dividend on the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on September 15, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 31, 2023.

About CSX and its Disclosures

CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company.  It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products.  For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation’s economic expansion and industrial development.  Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population resides.  It also links more than 230 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike.  More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com.

Aeromexico and Delta Resume Austin and Dallas Service, Increase Flights to Houston

Effective July 1, Aeromexico and its partner Delta Air Lines will resume daily service from Mexico City to Austin and Dallas, Texas, adding to their current weekly service from Mexico City to Houston and San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, starting next week, both carriers announce an increase in their service to Houston.

With these resumptions, the airlines will offer a total of 47 routes between the United States and Mexico, increasing connectivity to benefit their joint customers.

Austin offers cultural attractions for all types of visitors, such as the impressive Texas State Capitol, Zilker Metropolitan Park, Lady Bird Lake, and the SoCo District, renowned for its art galleries, restaurants, and music venues. It’s also home to a thriving technology community and the University of Texas at Austin.

Further north, Dallas is a great business and leisure destination, featuring the largest urban art district in the United States, more than 160 museums in the metropolitan area, and the biggest and oldest zoo in Texas. It’s also home to companies from important sectors such as telecommunications, information technology, financial services, and transportation.

During April, both airlines will offer approximately 3,600 flights between the U.S. and Mexico, a seven-fold increase compared to the same period in 2020.

Both airlines offer the highest standards in safety and cleanliness protocols meant to protect their customers and employees. Delta offers the Delta CareStandard, while its main partner Aeromexico offers the Health and Sanitization Management System (HSMS).

Emirates Restarts Flights to Newark, New Jersey Via Athens, Greece

Dubai, UAE, 22 February 2021 –Emirates has announced it will resume daily services to Newark via Athens from 1stJune 2021. The resumed flight will provide global travellers with another access point to the popular New York Metropolitan area, serving the large Greek-American community in the United States while offering a convenient connection to travellers headed towards the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa via Dubai. 

The addition of Newark via Athens will take Emirates’ US network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Washington DC, Dallas and San Francisco (to resume on 2nd March).

The Dubai-Athens-Newark flight will operate daily with a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, complementing Emirates’ double daily flights to New York (JFK) as the airline continues to expand across North America. The resumed link between Greece and the US will open up year round connectivity, facilitate trade, boost tourism and benefit consumers by providing them with choice and convenience. Emirates will also increase its flights to the Greek capital, Athens, flying daily to support the newly resumed service.

Emirates flight EK209 will depart Dubai at 1050hrs, arriving in Athens at 1500hrs before departing again at 1735hrs and arriving into Newark Liberty International Airport at 2120hrs on the same day. The return flight EK210 will depart Newark at 2355 hrs, arriving in Athens at 1605hrs the next day. EK210 will depart once again from Athens the next day at 1805hrs bound for Dubai where it will arrive at 2335 hrs (all times are local). 

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network. Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Aeromexico Announces New Agreements with Medical Laboratories

Mexico City, February 19, 2021- Aeromexico has signed agreements with four medical laboratories, in addition to the two it already formalized to offer discounts and other benefits on Covid-19 tests for customers with a valid reservation with the airline or partner Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL).

Operating in Monterrey and metropolitan area:

  • Laboratorios Dr. Moreira with 28 Covid-19 branches.
  • Swisslab Laboratorio de Analisis Clínicos with 19 Covid-19 branches. Operating in Mexico City and metropolitan area:
  • Olive Diagnosticos Medicos with 22 Covid-19 branches.
  • Biomedica with 13 Covid-19 locations.

In addition to special discounts for PCR and Rapid tests for Antigen Detection, customers will have access to other benefits: an exclusive helpline for Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines clients, bilingual advisors, delivery of results in Spanish or English, and at-home service. Club Premier members will also have an exclusive phone line and at-home service at no additional cost.

The results will be delivered 24 hours for PCR tests and 30 minutes for Rapid tests for Antigen Detection.

Laboratorio Medico del Chopo and LAPI Laboratorio Medico continue to offer their services with specific benefits for Aeromexico and Delta passengers.

Aeromexico recommends customers with an international flight to check the destinations’ requirements at the following link: Country Requirements

To consult the details of laboratories’ agreements, click on Laboratory Alliances

CSX Corporation Announces Increase to Quarterly Dividend

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Corp. (NASDAQ: CSX) today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has authorized an 8 percent increase in its quarterly dividend, from $0.26 to $0.28 per share. The new $0.28 quarterly dividend is payable on March 15, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 26, 2021.

About CSX and its Disclosures

CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company.  It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products.  For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation’s economic expansion and industrial development.  Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population resides.  It also links more than 230 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike.

Milestone in Alstom’s First System Contract in Vietnam

  • Alstom on track to complete first train for Hanoi Metro Line 3

26 October 2019 – Alstom, which is manufacturing 10 trains for Hanoi Metro Line 3, today hosted Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tran Quoc Vuong, and his delegation to a visit of its train assembly plant in Valenciennes (France). The plant is working to complete the first trainset by the end of October, marking an important milestone in Alstom’s first integrated metro system contract in Vietnam, signed with MRB (Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board) in 2017.

As part of the visit, Alstom’s Managing Director for China and East Asia, Olivier Loison, and Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee and Mayor of Hanoi, Nguyen Duc Chung, signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the existing contract of Alstom in Hanoi. The agreement aims to foster further collaborative opportunities between both parties for new systems within the Vietnamese capital. 

“We are honoured to have Deputy General Secretary Vuong and his team witness the final assembly of our first train for Hanoi Metro Line 3 here in Valenciennes. This will be an important milestone for the bilateral project as we bring this train to fruition. We look forward to remaining a close and long-term partner of Vietnam, addressing its mobility needs and supporting it in its upcoming transport projects,” said Olivier Loison. 

In 2017, Alstom, as leader of a consortium including Colas Rail and Thales, was awarded a contract to supply an integrated metro system for Hanoi Metro Line 3. Alstom’s share covered the supply and integration of the metro system, including the 10 trains and the Urbalis 400 signalling system[1], as well as the delivery of power supply and depot equipment together with a partner. The new line is 12.5 kilometres long with 12 stations. It is expected to carry over 23,900 passengers per hour and per direction at peak capacity.

Alstom puts the passenger at the heart of its train design process. The four-car Metropolis trains for Hanoi Metro Line 3 will feature wide doors to facilitate passenger flow, dedicated space for passengers with reduced mobility, as well as ergonomic and easy-to-grab bars. The trains will be fully electric, with lightweight aluminium car bodies. The train’s exterior and interior colour scheme takes local Vietnamese inspiration and includes motifs such as dragon fruit and the rice paddy field – a design that was well-received by the people at a public consultation held in September 2018.

When completed, the first train will undergo a series of static and dynamic tests at the Valenciennes Railway Testing Centre during the month of November. Tests will be carried out on the trains’ automatic control system and on-board audio-visual equipment, this time on Hanoi Metro Line 3 in the second half of 2020. Entry into service is expected in the first half of 2021. 

Alstom has built up close to 30 years of presence in Vietnam. It has provided signalling and telecommunication system modernisation services for the Hanoi-Vinh regional line phase one and phase two and has offered signalling and telecommunication systems for Ninh Binh station. 

[1] Alstom’s Communication Based Train Control (CBTC)-solution, which controls the movement of the trains and enables trains to run at higher frequencies and speeds in total safety

New Ground Transportation Centre Opens at Nashville Airport

A brand new ground transportation centre has opened at Nashville International Airport. The new complex is part of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority’s BNA Vision Project, a $1.2 billion expansion and renovation plan geared towards meeting the regions population growth and record-breaking passenger numbers.

The new facility came in under budget, and features a six-level, 2,200-space garage equipped with parking guidance and sensors that will direct drivers to open parking spots.

A covered walkway connects the parking garage to the terminal, and airport information displays are located at all five passenger elevators on the first level.

The first level of the garage has dedicated hubs for buses, limos, ride-sharing services, shuttles, and taxis.

JE Dunn Construction was the general contractor for the project, which includes car locating kiosks, electric-vehicle charging stations, and a fee-free tire-inflation unit.