INDIAN Railways (IR) says it is preparing to launch a tender for a fleet of fixed-formation 200km/h trains and will hold a pre-bid conference for prospective suppliers this month.

BRITISH franchise operator South West Trains (SWT) has announced that it has awarded a consortium of British rolling stock engineering consultancy ESG and Danish IT and engineering company Cubris a "multi-million pound" contract to deliver the GreenSpeed Driver Advisory system on 249 of its trains.

BOMBARDIER has completed a three-week programme of endurance testing on the Norwegian rail network using a Traxx AC Last Mile locomotive owned by leasing company Railpool.

SWEDEN's national passenger operator, SJ, is currently testing SKF's new Insight intelligent bearing on a locomotive-hauled passenger coach. The trial is expected to be completed by June.

THE first of 27 three-car DMUs being supplied by CNR for commuter services on the metre-gauge Belgrano Sur network in Buenos Aires rolled off the production line at the CNR Tianjin plant in eastern China on April 15.

3D printing is revolutionising manufacturing processes in industries ranging from construction to medical and Formula 1 motor racing. Rail is also benefiting from this Technology. However, as Kevin Smith discovers, the complex process of approving new materials for use in rolling stock components is preventing widespread adoption.

Interactive screens embedded into train windows have long been painted as a vision of the future of onboard information services for rail passengers. But with trials of a new system developed by Israeli company Oran Safety Glass now underway, they could soon be standard features on trains around the world, as Kevin Smith discovers.

THE German rail industry achieved a 25% increase in revenue last year to €12.5bn, with domestic orders rising 26% from €5.3bn to €6.7bn and exports increasing by 23% from €4.7bn to €5.8bn. The results were announced on April 14 at the annual press conference of the German Rail Industry Association (VDB) in Berlin.

CNR Beijing, China, has delivered 18 six-axle CKD8C1 diesel-electric locomotives to Democratic Republic of Congo National Railways (SNCC).

THE European Union's TEN-T programme will provide more than €15m to support the deployment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) on rolling stock in three member states: Belgium, Denmark and Luxembourg. All the projects will be completed by the end of the year.