Quintus Vosman

A prototype low-floor tram developed by Pragoimex, Czech Republic, began trial operation with passengers on the Prague tram network on February 1, when the vehicle entered service with the city's public transport operator DPP.

DUTCH secretary of state for infrastructure and the environment Mrs Sharon Dijksma joined Netherlands Railways (NS) CEO Mr Roger van Boxtel, ProRail CEO Mr Pier Eringa, and the mayor of The Hague Mr Jozias van Aartsen at The Hague Central on February 1 to mark the completion of the station's reconstruction.

Dutch secretary of state for infrastructure Mrs Sharon Dijksma announced on January 14 that the phased rollout out of ERTMS across the national network will be delayed because more time is needed to plan implementation of the programme.

BADEN-Württemberg Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the state's public transport authority NVBW have published a tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union for a contract to operate the Ulm star regional network south of Stuttgart for 13 years and six months from June 2019.

BAVARIAN Railway Company (BEG) has published an international tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union for a contract to operate regional services from Nuremberg to Coburg and Sonneberg in the neighbouring state of Thuringia via the southern section of the 107km Ebensfeld - Erfurt high-speed line, which is due to open in 2017.

BADEN-Württemberg Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the state's public transport authority have published an international tender notice for the operation of the Aulendorfer Kreuz regional network.

DUTCH infrastructure manager Prorail has published a tender notice for a contract to electrify the 13km Zwolle - Kampen line.

FOLLOWING an international tender, the public transport authorities of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Braunschweig have selected Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland as preferred bidder for both lots of the Saxony-Anhalt Diesel Network regional concession.

FOLLOWING an open tender, the German state of Brandenburg and Oberlausitz- Niederschlesien Transport Authority (ZVON) have awarded East German Railway Company (ODEG) a contract to operate the Spree-Neisse regional network for 12 years from December 2018.

RHINE-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) signed a 12-year contract with Vias Rail in Mönchengladbach on November 16 for the operation of the Erft-Schwalm regional network from 2017.