SWISS rail freight operator SBB Cargo is equipping its entire fleet of freight wagons with RFID technology in a bid to meet future market demand.

BULGARIA’s Transport Ministry announced on November 7 that it has launched a project for the construction of a 23km double-track railway connecting its capital Sofia with the town of Ellin Pelin.

COUNCILLORS in the Finnish city of Tampere voted by a majority of 41-25 on November 7 to approve construction of the city’s first light rail line.

AZERBAIJAN Railways (ADY) announced on November 7 that it has completed the 8.3km line from Astara to the Iranian border on the western shore of the Caspian Sea.

LATVIAN Railways (LDZ) and the Latvian Ports Transport and Logistics Council have unveiled a plan to expand the electrified network from 257km to 839km and replace all existing dc electrification with ac equipment.

CHINA Railway Corporation (CRC) announced on November 7 that China’s rail freight volume rose for a third successive month in October, to a 21-month high.

THE Management Authority for Urban Railways of Ho Chi Minh City (MAUR) is planning to hold a workshop on November 21-22 for contractors interested in bidding for packages to construct tunnels and stations on metro Line 2.

ALSTOM presented the first metro train for the Indian city of Lucknow to Mr Yasar Shah, Uttar Pradesh commercial taxes minister, in a ceremony at its plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, on November 4.

THE executive board of Helsinki City Transport (HKL) decided at a meeting on November 1 to exercise an option with Škoda Transportation’s Finnish subsidiary Transtech for 29 Artic low-floor LRVs for the Raide-Jokeri light rail line between Helsinki and the neighbouring city of Espoo.

TORONTO and Hamilton transit authority Metrolinx confirmed on November 3 that it has filed a notice of intent to terminate a contract worth up to $C 770m ($US 574.2m) for up to 182 Flexity Freedom LRVs.