Mark Carter

The state government of Western Australia has shortlisted three consortia for a $A 1.6bn project to build 246 new EMU cars required for the expanded Perth Metronet suburban rail network and to replace older trains on the existing Transperth network.

AUSTRALIAN freight operator Aurizon has reported a 6% increase in underlying earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) to $A 941m ($US 658.2m) for the 2017-18 financial year, up from $A 884m the previous year, which the company says reflects increased coal volumes and business transformation outcomes achieved during the year.

HIGH-SPEED testing of Alstom Metropolis trains has begun on the first phase of the Sydney metro network, with trains regularly reaching speeds of 100km/h during daylight test runs.

THE government of the Australian state of Victoria has announced that if re-elected in the forthcoming November state election it will provide up to $A 5bn ($US 3.5bn) towards the construction of a dedicated rail link from the Melbourne city centre to the international and domestic airport at Tullamarine.