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PRESIDENT Dmitry Medvedev of Russia has ordered more stringent security measures on the rail network following the bomb attack on November 27 against the Moscow - St Petersburg Nevsky Express in which 26 people were killed and 92 injured. The president says the order involves "not only social, economic and security issues, but also sets a tight deadline for investigating terror attacks." Medvedev says the investigation into the explosion is a "matter of national importance" and "all necessary resources" must be put into solving the investigation.

MACAU'S Bureau for Transport Infrastructure (GIT) has launched an international tender covering infrastructure systems and rolling stock for the first phase of the city's automatic light metro network. The turnkey contract covers the supply of trains together with the design and build elements of a project to adapt the Sai Van bridge for the metro. The contract includes options for up to 10 years' train maintenance and two additional batches of trains.

DANISH State Railways (DSB) has been awarded its fourth contract to operate regional services in Sweden. Subsidiary DSB Småland will operate Krösatågen services on five routes around Jönköping and Nässjö for a period of eight years from next December, with annual passenger volume of around 2.1 million passenger-km.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) reported a year-on-year fall in freight traffic by 16.9% to 1 billion tonnes between January and November 2009, but experienced a 5.3% year-on-year freight traffic increase for November 2009 to 95.7 million tonnes, a positive sign that the Russian economy is beginning to recover from the global economic downturn.

ITALIAN State Railways (FS) subsidiary Trenitalia has invited tenders for a fleet of 50 high-speed trains in a deal that will be worth around Euros 1.2 billion. Bids will be submitted within three months for the fleet of trains, which must be equipped for operation outside Italy.

MOROCCO'S Casa Transport has signed an initial Euro 120 million contract with Alstom for the delivery and maintenance of 74 Citadis LRVs for Casablanca's new light rail network.

WITH just a year left until opening, a new railway tunnel under the Swedish city of Malmö will be completed 9.4% under budget, according to project manager Mr Örjan Larsson. A new calculation for the remaining work has shown that the project will cost SKr 8.57 billion ($US 1.2 billion) at 2001 prices, 9.4% less that the SKr 9.45 billion originally budgeted.

FINLAND'S railway infrastructure manager Finnish Rail Administration (RHK) is to merge with the country's road, and maritime agencies on January 1 in a move that aims both to reduce costs and achieve greater integration between the different modes.

PERTH'S popular suburban rail network is set to grow further after the government of Western Australia approved plans for a 7.5km extension of the Joondalup Line from its existing northern terminus at Clarkson to a new park-and-ride station in Butler. Transport Minister Mr Simon O'Brien says preliminary works have already begun on the $A 240 million ($US 218 million) project, which is due for completion in 2014.