PRODUCTION of the first of 66 bodyshells for the new fleet of Mk 5A locomotive-hauled coaches for British train operator TransPennine Express (TPE) began at CAF’s plant at Bessain in northern Spain on October 27.

FOLLOWING a public vote, Kobe Municipal Transport Authority has finalised the design for a new fleet of metro trains for the Seishin-Yamate Line.

ALSTOM confirmed on October 27 that it has received a €130m order from DB Regio for 24 Coradia Continental EMUs, which will be used on the Breisgau S-Bahn network in southwest Germany.

CHICAGO Transit Authority (CTA) plans to invest $US 3.5bn during 2017-2021 and proposes a balanced $US 1.52bn operating budget that will maintain current rail and bus service levels.

SHARES in Japan’s Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) climbed 15% on the first day of trading following the company’s IPO on the Tokyo stock exchange on October 24.

GERMANY’s federal government is set to provide 60% of the funding required for a second east-west S-Bahn tunnel beneath Munich city centre under an agreement signed in the city on October 25 by federal transport minister Mr Alexander Dobrindt and minister president of the state of Bavaria Mr Horst Seehofer.

A wireless broadband system has been installed on the Astana – Borovoye line in Kazakhstan by InfiNet Wireless to provide Wi-Fi on trains as part of Kazakhstan Railways’ (KTZ) pilot project to connect track to trains with a single network.

SYTRAL, which is responsible for the four-line metro in Lyon, has awarded a €140m contract to Alstom for 30 two-car rubber-tyred trains with an option for another 18 trains.

STOCKHOLM-based investment company Ratos announced on October 25 that it has sold its 100% stake in Swedish rolling stock maintenance specialist Euromaint to private equity fund SSVP, in a deal worth SKr 650m ($US 73m).

GERMAN Rail (DB) and Siemens are launching a one-year pilot project to predict servicing and maintenance requirements for DB’s class 407 ICE 3 trains supplied by Siemens.