THE new West Midlands Combined Authority centred on Birmingham, Britain, is drawing up plans through Transport for West Midlands, which comes into force this month, to expand the rail network under a £4bn 10-year transport investment plan.

ŠKODA Transportation, Czech Republic, is to set up a subsidiary company in the United States with a view to selling light rail vehicles and trains in North America.

STADLER, Switzerland, says the decision to remove the Swiss Franc's exchange rate cap with the Euro in 2015 has cost it more than SFr 100m ($US 103.6m) on top of a fall in orders for new trains.

WHITING Corporation, United States, has acquired LB Foster's rolling stock and locomotive repair and service assets in Pittsburgh for an undisclosed sum.

THE Canadian province of Ontario is to provide $C 205m ($US 160m) to help advance work for the Yonge North subway extension and the proposed Relief Line which is designed to help relieve congestion on Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) Yonge Line.

GERMAN Rail (DB) has signed memorandums of understanding with CRRC, China Railway and the city of Dalian, expanding its presence in the Chinese railway market.

SLOVENIAN prime minister Mr Miro Cerar and Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade Mr Péter Szijjárto attended an inauguration ceremony at the border station of Hodoš on June 10 to mark the completion of a project to modernise and electrify the 109km Pragersko - Hodoš line.

SWEDISH infrastructure manager Trafikverket has installed recycled plastic sleepers supplied by Lankhorst Engineered Services, Netherlands, as part of a trial to evaluate the durability of alternatives to traditional timber sleepers.

DEDICATED Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) has awarded a consortium led by GMR Infrastructure, India, a Rs 22.8bn ($US 430.3m) design-build contract for civil works and trackwork on a 221km section of the 1839km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), which will connect Kolkata with Ludhiana.

EAST Japan Railway Company (JR East) has unveiled a Yen 250bn ($US 2.4bn) project to rebuild three stations in central Tokyo in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.