FAIVELEY Transport has been awarded contracts by Bombardier worth in excess of €60m to supply components for 355 M7 double-decker coaches being supplied by the Bombardier-Alstom consortium to Belgian National Railways (SNCB).

ALSTOM announced on May 17 that it has been granted planning permission by Halton Borough Council to acquire 30 acres of land for a new 30-acre rail technology and training centre at Widnes near Liverpool.

POLISH rolling stock manufacturer Pesa signed an agreement with the Polish Development Fund (PFR) on May 16 to establish a locomotive leasing unit.

BRITAIN's secretary of state for Transport Mr Patrick McLoughlin inaugurated a new £12m rolling stock testing and commissioning facility at Bombardier's Derby plant on May 13.

BOSNIA-Herzegovina Federal Railways (ZFBH) says the long-delayed launch of its fleet of Talgo trains will finally take place in July, when the fleet will be introduced on services from Sarajevo to Zagreb and Ploče in Croatia, as well as on the domestic Sarajevo – Banja Luka route.

ALSTOM has received approval for its Coradia Lint 41 EMUs to operate in Poland. With certification already granted in the Czech Republic, the trains can be operated on cross-border services between these two countries and Germany.

ARGENTINA's Ministry of Transport is to invest Pesos 1.64bn ($US 115.5m) during the next four years to upgrade the 54km metre-gauge Belgrano North commuter rail line linking Buenos Aires Retiro with Vila Rosa.

SWISS Southeast Railway (SOB) has awarded a SFr 170m ($US 175m) contract to Stadler to supply Flirt EMUs for operation on its scenic Voralpen Express route from St Gallen to Lucerne from December 2019.

MALAYSIA's Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT) has awarded two systems and two civil works contracts worth Ringgits 4.2bn ($US 1bn) related to the construction of Line 2 in Kuala Lumpur.

LOCOMOTIVE leasing company Railpool, Germany, has awarded a contract to Siemens for five additional Vectron ac multi-system locomotives, with an option for a further 10 units.