THE Transport Committee of Britain’s House of Commons wants the Department for Transport to “get a grip” on monitoring and enforcing the troubled Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise the performance of which is described as “woeful.”

TRANSPORT for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced on October 13 that it will expand its Metrolink network after plans for a new £350m tram line through Trafford Park were given the given the green light.

AUSTRIAN open-access rail freight operator Wiener Lokalbahnen Cargo has awarded Bombardier a contract to supply three Traxx AC3 electric locomotives with last mile diesel engines for shunting on non-electrified sidings.

REPRESENTATIVES from Cuban Union Railways (UFC) and Lyudinovo Locomotive Works (LTZ), Russia together with other suppliers within the Sinara group have begun to finalize the specifications for a new fleet of diesel-hydraulic locomotives ordered by UFC earlier this year.

POLISH long-distance operator PKP Intercity announced on October 11 that it will invest Zlotys 2.5bn ($US 640m) over the next four years in the continued modernisation of its locomotive and rolling stock fleets.

ASTRA Rail Management and The Greenbrier Companies, United States, announced plans on October 13 to form a new company, Greenbrier-Astra Rail, creating a Europe-based freight wagon manufacturing, engineering, and repair business.

THE Institute of Railway Research (IRR) at Britain’s University of Huddersfield has unveiled a new 150-tonne bogie test rig, which it says is the only one of its type in Europe. and inaugurated the Centre for Innovation in Rail.

AUSTRIA’s federal government has approved Austrian Federal Railways’ (ÖBB) infrastructure investment plan for 2017-2022, which pledges to spend €15.2bn on the rail network over the next five years.

CHINA’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has approved the second phase of the metro networks in cities of Urumqi and Xiamen, representing a total investment of Yuan 133.9bn ($US 20.1bn).

THE economy and infrastructure secretary of the Welsh government, Mr Ken Skates, has announced that four companies have been pre-qualified for the new Wales and Borders railway franchise which will start in October 2018.