ALSTOM confirmed on September 22 that it is in discussions with Siemens regarding a “possible combination” with Siemens Mobility.

LATVIAN national passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens (PV) announced on September 21 that it has received technical bids from four manufacturers for a contract to supply 32 EMUs.

TRANSMASHHOLDING, Russia, announced on September 21 that it has signed a contract with Cuban import agency Tradex for 28 four-car DMUs for Cuban Union Railways (UFC).

THE Australian government is seeking high-quality proposals for the development of business cases to bring faster rail links between urban and regional areas.

SINGAPORE Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on September 21 that it has established a wholly-owned subsidiary, SG HSR, to implement the Singapore - Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail project.

SOUND Transit introduced a new fleet of nine Bombardier double-deck driving cars for its Sounder commuter rail network on September 21, when the first vehicle entered passenger service between Seattle and Tacoma.

CHINA Railway Corporation (CRC) launched commercial operations on a 224km high-speed line linking Wuhan in Hubei province with Jiuijang in neighbouring Jiangxi on September 21.

SWEDEN’s national passenger operator, SJ, has launched a global tender for the supply of 30 trains with a maximum speed of 250km/h at an estimated cost of SKr 5-6bn ($US 627-752m).

FIVE years after it was originally due to open, the first light rail line in the Spanish city of Granada finally began carrying passengers on September 21.

CHINA Railway Corporation (CRC) restored 350km/h operation on the Beijing - Shanghai high-speed line on September 21, six years after the maximum operating speed was reduced to 300km/h.