NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) confirmed on January 19 that four suppliers have been shortlisted for the final stage of the tender for a contract to supply a new fleet of 200km/h EMUs under its Next Generation Intercity (ICNG) programme.

THE mayor of Quito Mr Mauricio Rodas officially launched major construction works on the Ecuadorian capital's first metro line on January 19, when a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the line's depot and control centre near Quitumbe bus terminal in the south of the city.

CHINA Railways Corporation (CRC) announced on January 17 that it has set itself a fixed asset investment target of Yuan 800bn ($US 121.6bn) for the third consecutive year.

TRENITALIA is set to continue operating regional services in Umbria until December 2020 under a new contract which was signed in Perugia on January 13 by regional councillor for transport Mr Giuseppe Chianella and regional director of Trenitalia's passenger division Mr Orazio Iacono.

AN initial public consultation began on January 18 on plans for a further section of Paris's orbital Tramway des Maréchaux, which would extend Line T3b into the city's 16th arrondissement.

METRO Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmadabad (Mega), the special purpose vehicle established by the Indian government and the state of Gujarat to construct the Ahmedabad metro network, launched an international competitive tender on January 15 to supply 96 metro cars for the first phase of the project.

CATALONIA Government Railways (FGC) president Mr Carles Puigdemont visited Lleida on January 16 to witness the delivery of the first Stadler DMU for the Lleida – La Pobla de Segur line.

LONDON Underground has invited Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens, which previously pre-qualified, to submit tenders to supply a fleet of 250 trains under its New Tube for London project.

THE first of 14 four-car light metro trains being built by Bombardier Transportation and Hartasuma for operation on the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur was presented to Prasarana Malaysia and the operator Rapid KL on January 18.

SWEDEN's minister for infrastructure Mrs Anna Johansson officially launched test operation along the full length of Stockholm's SKr 16.8bn ($US 1.96bn) City Line on January 14 when she made an inaugural journey through the 6km tunnel between Stockholm South and Tomteboda.