Numerous rail projects are under way across Italy, thanks to Covid recovery funding, but slow progress means that some schemes may not meet the EU deadlines for completion. Toma Bačić investigates.

CHILE: EFE has signed a US$470m contract with the Constructora Gran Andes consortium for the first section of civil works to reconstruct the Santiago – Batuco railway.

USA: Hitachi Rail has opened a factory in Maryland where it will produce rolling stock for North American customers including the Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia metros.

ITALY: The construction of a railway to the resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites is not viable, according to a study prepared by infrastructure manager RFI.

AUSTRALIA: Expressions of interest in the next contract to operate passenger rail services around Melbourne are to be invited from mid-September, with the state government calling for ‘the most experienced transport operators from around the world’ to bid.

USA: NJ Transit has exercised options to purchase an additional 200 Alstom Multilevel III double-deck commuter electric multiple-unit cars for $1·055bn and 12 ALP45 electro-diesel locomotives for a maximum of $204m.

CHILE: A contract has been let for renewal of the Malloco – Santiago Lo Errázuriz section of the Santiago - Melipilla suburban rail scheme, while national railway EFE has received bids for civil works for an underground section of the route in the centre of the capital city.

UK: The Department for Transport has published what it says is ‘landmark’ research into the most effective measures to prevent railway suicides.

NEW ZEALAND: Greater Wellington Regional Council has awarded Alstom a NZ$1·066bn contract to supply and maintain 18 battery-electric multiple-units for the Wairarapa and Manawatū lines as part of the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility programme.

With its planned acquisition of Frauscher Sensortechnik, Wabtec is pushing further into the train control market, and it hopes its PTC 2.0 concept could offer a lower-cost alternative to ETCS for railways around the world. President of Wabtec’s Digital Intelligence business Nalin Jain explained the thinking to Nick Kingsley.

SWITZERLAND: State-owned SBB Cargo is undertaking a realignment of its freight services under the Suisse Cargo Logistics programme, which would see the company become self-sufficient.

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

UK: The Railway Industry Association has published recommendations for actions to help British rail sector SMEs increase their exports.

UKRAINE: Standard gauge trains from the EU can now run directly to the city of Uzhhorod, following the opening of a 1 435 mm gauge track from Chop near the Slovakian and Hungarian borders.

RUSSIA: A fully automated driverless tram has entered regular passenger service in Moskva, following a multi-stage testing programme.

UK: Inter-city operator LNER is developing plans for a Ticket Protection product intended to give customers greater confidence when booking currently non-refundable rail journeys.

IRELAND: Procurement of contractors for the DART+ Coastal North project to extend Dublin’s electric suburban services north to Drogheda is to get underway, following the granting of planning approval during August.

AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government has cancelled Stage 4 of the Gold Coast Light Rail programme, and will instead look to bus provision as well as studying wider transport needs for the region.

UK: Southeastern and Canterbury Christ Church University are to collaborate to boost career development for staff and students, tackle regional skills shortages and support employment opportunities.

USA: The San Francisco Bay Area’s BART has introduced tap-in tap-out payment with contactless bank cards and mobile services.