THE French region of Rhône-Alpes has placed a €160m order with Alstom for 17 multi-system Régiolis EMUs, which will be used on the cross-border Leman Express (formerly Franco-Valdo-Genevois RER) network around Geneva.

A fleet of five type 71-911 City Star low-floor trams has entered passenger service on the 91km tram network in the in the Russian city of Tver.

TRAFIKVERKET is set to bring forward a number of track and structure maintenance projects after the Swedish government increased the infrastructure manager's renewals budget for 2015 by SKr 620m ($US 73.6m).

THE German city of Augsburg is planning to construct a new tram line and a tram/rail interchange beneath the main station as part of its wider Project Augsburg City urban regeneration project.

SUNSHINE Coast, Australia, is to carry out further studies into the development of a light rail network after a public consultation revealed 87% of residents endorse the project.

RHENUS Logistics, Germany, confirmed on July 2 that it has signed an agreement with Austria's Graz-Köflach Railway (GKB) to acquire a 50% stake in open-access railfreight operator LTE Logistics and Transport for an undisclosed sum.

TESTING is underway at Alstom's Lapa plant in Brazil on the first of 600 X'trapolis Mega commuter EMUs for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), while preparations for the transfer of production to South Africa are also making progress.

HUAWEI and Alstom claim to have achieved a world first after completing a successful test of 4G LTE multi-service broadband radio technology based on Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC).

ARTIST's impressions of the CAF Urbos low-floor LRV for the first light rail line in Luxembourg were unveiled on July 1 by the country's minister for sustainable development and transport François Bausch and mayor of Luxembourg Mrs Lydie Polfer.

ASCIANO, the parent company of one of Australia's largest railfreight operators Pacific National (PN), confirmed on July 1 that it has been approached by Canada's Brookfield Asset Management in a $A 8.8bn ($US 6.8bn) takeover bid.