David Briginshaw

LUCKNOW Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) has awarded a Rs 640m ($US 9.6m) contract to a consortium of Datamatics Global Services and Mikroelektronika to provide an automatic fare collection system for the Indian city's first metro line.

SIGNIFICANT developments on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are likely to have a profound effect on the future of passenger rail. Radical new funding models are emerging in North America, while in Europe the market pillar of the Fourth Railway Package (FRP) should sweep away many of the obstacles to greater involvement by the private sector heralding a reinvigoration of regional and inter-city passenger services.

CANADA's national passenger train operator, Via Rail, has reported an increase in both traffic and revenue in its annual results for 2015, which it says is the first time it has achieved such growth in seven years.

CAF, Spain, has reported a 39% drop in net profit for the first quarter of 2016 which fell from €14m in the first quarter of 2015 to €8.6m this year. Nevertheless CAF says its prospects for 2016 remain unaltered due to a strong order pipeline and improved efficiency.

GLOBAL mining company Rio Tinto said in its first-quarter operation review published on April 19 that its AutoHaul project to convert its Tom Price heavy-haul railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to driverless operation is taking longer than expected.

EVRAZ has reported a 12.5% increase in the sale of railway products including rails from 362,000 tonnes in the last quarter of 2015 to 408,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2016, and a 2% increase in tonnage between the first quarters of 2015 and 2016.

THE European Parliament and the Dutch presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) reached an informal agreement on April 19 to increase competition in domestic passenger rail transport and ensure a level playing field for operators.

TRANSPORT for London has named Mr Mark Wild as the next managing director of London Underground and he will start his new role in June.

ITALIAN State Railways (FS) achieved a 53% increase in net profit to €464m in 2015 thanks to growing passenger traffic both in Italy and Germany, particularly from its domestic high-speed services.

LONDON Luton Airport (LLA) has announced plans to build a peoplemover between the airport terminal and Luton Airport Parkway station to replace the existing bus link.