Keith Fender

DB Regio has won a three-year contract tendered by Bavarian railway authority BEG to operate services on non-electrified routes south and east of Ulm from this December until the end of 2019, with an option to extend the contract by a year.

DB Regio subsidiary DB RegioNetz Verkehrs (Erzgebirgsbahn) has been awarded a three-and-half year direct-award contract by Central Saxony Transport Authority (ZVMS) to operate the Erzgebirge Diesel Network.

SKANDINAVISKA Jernbanor, which operates Gothenburg - Stockholm - Uppsala Blå Tåget open-access intercity services, has been informed by the Swedish national transport safety body Transportstyrelsen that its safety certificates will be withdrawn.

SIEMENS has announced plans for a new range of commuter and regional EMUs, known as Mireo. The articulated design uses many components used in the current Desiro City EMU for Britain and will supersede Siemens' Desiro ML platform for continental European markets.

CZECH municipally-owned infrastructure manager Železnice Desná (ŽD), which owns two branch lines totalling 22km in Moravia, has completed a project electrify and modernise the 19km Šumperk - Kouty nad Desnou line.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has announced plans to launch a new Frankfurt - Milan service next year in cooperation with both Trenitalia and German Rail (DB).

SWITZERLAND's metre-gauge Rhaetian Railway (RhB) has introduced the first of six sets of seven-car locomotive-hauled coaches into public service.

BRAUNSCHWEIG Transport (BSVAG) has issued a tender for nine LRVs for delivery by 2019 to be funded largely by the state of Lower Saxony.

THE 2016-17 Transport for London (TfL) budget presented to the London Assembly includes funding for improvements to the Croydon Tramlink network including capacity enhancements and additional LRVs.

GERMAN Rail's (DB) rail freight subsidiary, DB Cargo has confirmed plans to withdraw freight services from 215 locations in Germany reducing the total number of locations it serves to around 1300.