CHICAGO commuter rail operator Metra announced on August 9 that due to changes in the availability of capital required to fund its $US 2.4bn modernisation plan, the agency has temporarily suspended its search for a vendor to supply 367 double-deck coaches.

GERMAN Rail (DB) announced on August 10 that its subsidiary DB Regio has lodged an appeal at the regional high court in Munich against a ruling by Bavaria’s public procurement authority which upheld the decision by Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) to award two contracts for the operation of the Nuremberg S-Bahn network to National Express.

THE government of the Australian state of Victoria has announced three consortia have been shortlisted for the $A 6bn ($US 4.6bn) public private partnership (PPP) to build a new rail tunnel through Melbourne.

A major capacity enhancement project south of Amsterdam was completed in the early hours of August 10, when Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail reopened the Schiphol Airport - Duivendrecht/Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena line following five years of reconstruction work.

ABELLIO Rail Mitteldeutschland CEO Mr Dirk Ballerstein, Saxony-Anhalt transport minister Mr Thomas Webel and Thuringia’s minister for infrastrucutre and agriculture Mrs Birgit Keller signed a 14-year contract in Aschersleben on August 10 for the operation of the Saxony-Anhalt Diesel Network.

TRIAL runs began on August 10 on the 5.2km ITO – Kashmere Gate section of the Delhi Metro’s Violet Line.

SWEDISH national passenger operator SJ says passenger numbers on the Stockholm - Oslo route have climbed sharply since it launched faster and more frequent services between the Swedish and Norwegian capitals.

LISBON commuter rail operator Fertagus has awarded a contract to Emef, Portugal, for part of the heavy maintenance of its fleet of 18 UQE3500-series trains starting at the Entroncamento workshop from September.

A full-size mock-up of the forthcoming Alstom Metropolis train for Guadalajara metro Line 3 was unveiled in the city’s northern district of Zapopan on August 9 by Mr Rodolfo Guadalajara Gutiérrez, managing director of metro operator Siteur, and the governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco Mr Aristóteles Sandoval Díaz.

TRELLEBORG, Sweden, announced the acquisition of Schwab Vibration Control, a manufacturer of vibration control components and system solutions, on August 10.