VIA Rail Canada issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) on April 16 for a contract to supply 32 new trains to replace the current fleet on its flagship Quebec City - Windsor corridor.

CZECH and Slovak open-access operator Regiojet received its first two Traxx multi-system electric locomotives from Bombardier on April 14.

HAMBURG-based Paribus Group has sold its Northrail Technical Service locomotive maintenance subsidiary to traction leasing company Railpool.

TRANSMASHHOLDING subsidiary TMH-Argentina has won a $US 29.7m contract for the maintenance of Chinese-built locomotives and rolling stock used by Argentinean Trains (TA) to operate services on the San Martin Line from Buenos Aires to Pilar.

POLAND’s largest rail freight operator PKP Cargo signed a Zlotys 388m ($US 113m) contract with Newag on April 4 for the modernisation of 60 Soviet-built SM48 diesel-electric heavy shunting locomotives.

A study into the potential introduction of hydrogen fuel cell trains as an alternative to electrification of part of Toronto’s Go Transit commuter rail network recommends further development of the concept, as
David Briginshaw and Keith Barrow explain.

MITSUI Rail Capital Europe (MRCE) and Siemens have reached an agreement to form a joint venture company, Locomotive Workshop Rotterdam (LWR), for the service and maintenance of locomotives.

Florida East Coast Railway has become the first North American railway to adopt liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the fuel for its entire mainline locomotive fleet. William Vantuono outlines the reasons for the switch.

RITES, the international arm of Indian Railways (IR), has handed over the last of 18 six-axle metre-gauge diesel locomotives to Myanmar Railways.

INDIAN Railways (IR) has received five bids from international suppliers for a contract worth around Rs 50bn ($US 800m) to supply 200 6.7MW electric locomotives for the 1534km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).