NEW ZEALAND: An Alstom Iconis Traffic Management System has gone live on the Wairarapa Line, as the first step in a major digitalisation programme which will eventually see KiwiRail manage its entire network from two control centres in Wellington and Auckland.

INTERNATIONAL: China, Germany, The Netherlands and Togo have now signed the United Nations Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Rail, which aims to eliminate rail’s competitive disadvantage for the transport of freight between Europe and Asia.

JAPAN: Transreport has launched an online tool to make it easier for anyone with assistance requirements to request support at Hankyu Railway’s 87 stations. The commuter operator runs trains serving the Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe areas.

A project which aims to develop a more affordable alternative to traditional tramways is taking its next major step. Andrew Grantham reports from the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre.

UK: The legal minimum age at which people can become train drivers to be lowered, with the Department for Transport saying thousands of jobs and apprenticeships are to be made available as early as December.

EUROPE: A phalanx of trade associations from across the rail and logistics sectors has issued a position paper calling for the EU to push ahead with a successor to the Europe’s Rail research body.

This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.

UK: Oxford to Cambridge railway project promoter East West Railway Co is seeking feedback from potential suppliers to support the development of its commercial strategy for the next stage of the programme.

ITALY: FS Group’s freight operator Mercitalia Rail has begun taking delivery of 70 Traxx Universal electric locomotives which are to be supplied from Alstom’s Vado Ligure factory by 2027.

As the competitive tendering of French regional passenger services becomes established, the various régions are pursuing different rolling stock strategies. Jérémie Anne investigates.

EUROPE: The national railways of Romania and Moldova have signed a memorandum of understanding for cross-border co-operation which includes reopening of the Fălciu – Prut (Cantemir) railway, electrification of the Iași – Chișinău line, modernisation of customs facilities at Ungheni and the resumption of Cahul – Galați passenger services.

UK: Transport for London is to call tenders in July for a contract to replace the control system on the Croydon tram network.

COLOMBIA: Siemens Mobility has selected Spanish company GMV to supply service planning and vehicle location technology for the Metro de la 80 light rail project in Medellín.

CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator České Dráhy has put into service the first full rakes of ComfortJet coaches, adding the missing driving trailer and restaurant cars to sets which had until now been operating in short formation.

News from the world rail freight market.

No fewer than 28 cities in France have built modern light rail networks in the 40 years since Nantes turned the tide on post-war car-centricity. With 115 km of new line now under construction and 276 vehicles on order, the outlook remains bright, even if political headwinds are starting to ...

Advances in technology, particularly data analytics, are transforming Mobility as a Service from a failed experiment into a more pragmatic and sustainable real-time travel companion.

AUSTRIA: The first generation of Austrian Federal Railways’ Railjet push-pull trainsets are undergoing mid-life refurbishment after more than 15 years of service.

UK: The Department for Transport has told the Transport Select Committee that service optimisation will be prioritised over infrastructure investment, but equivocation over future projects is already pushing rail suppliers to embrace export opportunities instead.

Recent legislation has paved the way for the development of high-performing multimodal transport networks in 24 French conurbations, centred around rail as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reinhard Christeller explains.