AUSTRIA: ÖBB has exercised an option for Siemens Mobility to supply a further 61 Vectron MS electric locomotives for use by Rail Cargo Group on cross-border routes in several countries. The national...

SWITZERLAND: Plans for an initial public offering and listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange were announced by rolling stock manufacturer Stadler on March 19. The IPO is planned for ‘the coming months’,...

RUSSIA: Central Suburban Passenger Co has awarded Transmashholding’s Demikhovsky factory a contract to supply 21 Class EP2D electric multiple-units, to be financed by Sberbank Leasing. The 11-car...

IRAN: President Hassan Rouhani opened the 164 km Qazvin – Rasht railway with a ceremony on March 6. He said Iranian engineers had overcome many complexities since the project was launched in 2002. A...

RUSSIA: The first platskartny coach to be modernised by the Vagonremmash factory in Tambov re-entered revenue service on March 18, following the completion of testing and certification. It is to...

ISRAEL: The first intake of students is expected to enrol in May at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa as ISR and the Ministry of Transport launch a programme to train more track...

INDIA: Tenders for design, construction and commissioning of civil engineering works on around half of the planned Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed line were invited by the National High Speed Rail Corp...

Infrastruktura Železnice Srbije has ordered two CZ Loko EffiShunter 300 locomotives with 328 kW CAT C13 engines for use on shunting and light freight duties from 2020. RM Rail has obtained...

GERMANY: The Land of Thüringen has given advance notice of its intention to directly award incumbent DB Regio a new contract to continue to operate a group of regional passenger services which...

LITHUANIA: The Vilnius Connect programme to revitalise the capital’s main station and its surroundings has been designated as a project of regional importance by the city council. Mayor Remigijus...

Book Review Overhead Line Electrification for Railways By Garry Keenor Developed over several years by an experienced electrification engineer, this book is intended to provide ‘an approachable and...

CHINA: Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong-
Liverpool University’s Suzhou campus have developed an algorithm intended to optimise the storage and reuse of braking energy. Currently, regenerative braking...

USA: CAI International has agreed to sell 2 146 wagons, approximately 30% of its North American lease fleet, for $200m. The sale of 1 946 wagons was completed on February 26, realising a gain of...

LITHUANIA: The restructuring of national railway Lietuvos Geležinkeliai into a state-owned holding company with stand-alone passenger, freight and infrastructure business is underway, with completion...

DB’s long-distance passenger operating business has selected IVU Traffic Technologies software to gather and process information for vehicle planning, preparation and maintenance management. The...

AUSTRALIA: Development of the long-planned rail link to Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is set to move forward following the signing of Heads of Agreement between the federal government and the state...

GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has announced further details of the 23 push-pull trains that it ordered from Talgo for €550m in February as part of a framework contract for up to 100 trainsets. At an event...

The Department for Transport has invited stakeholder views on the interoperability of the draft Control Command & Signalling, Energy, Noise, Operations & Traffic Management, Safety in Railway...

UK: Better planning of projects, wider adoption of best practice and a long-term commitment to a rolling programme could reduce the cost of overhead line electrification to between 33% and 50% of...

TURKEY: Infrastructure manager TCDD announced on March 12 that it had awarded the contract for electrification of 231 km of single track on the Nenek - Şefaatli route to a consortium of domestic...