Keith Fender

THE 5.5km northern extension of Bremen's tram network from Bremen-Borgfeld to Lilienthal and Falkenberg, which crosses over the state border into neighbouring Lower Saxony opened to passengers on August 1.

THE transport authorities of the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have awarded DB Regio a 12-year contract to operate the Allgäu diesel network which covers 7.8 million train-km per year.

GERMANY's Rhine-Main Transport Authority (RMV) has awarded a 12-year contract to operate the Odenwald regional network south of Frankfurt-am-Main to Vias, the current operator of these routes.

THE state government of Baden-Württemberg has submitted a €67m funding application to Germany's federal government to help finance the construction of a second metre-gauge tram line in the city of Ulm.

SIEMENS formally handed over the first of 60 Avenio low-floor LRVs for The Hague Tramways (HTM) at its Wildenrath test centre in Germany on May 22.

GERMAN Rail's DB Regio subsidiary has won a 15-year concession to operate semi-fast regional services between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim, via two different routes from December 10 2017.

HITACHI and Britain's Department for Transport (DfT) have unveiled the interiors of the new Super Express Trains (SET), which are being procured under the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) for Britain's Great Western and East Coast main lines, and are due to be delivered in spring 2015.

NORTH Hessen Transport Association (NVV) has awarded incumbent operator Cantus a 15-year contract extension to operate regional services on the northwest Hessen railway network.

SOUTH West Trains (SWT) and Britain's transport minister Mr Stephen Hammond unveiled the first two of its additional class 458/5 five car emus at London's Waterloo station on March 7.

POLISH State Railways (PKP) long-distance subsidiary PKP Intercity has awarded Pesa, Poland, a Zlotys 131.2m ($US 43.4m) contract to supply 10 four-axle 140km/h diesel-electric locomotives.