FINLAND’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has selected a route from Rovaniemi via Sodankyla to Kirkenes in northeastern Norway for further study. The 450km railway would cost around €2.9bn to construct.

COPENHAGEN metro authority Metroselskabet has signed construction contracts for the 4.5km Sydhavn metro extension, allowing work on the project to begin immediately.

BRITAIN’s infrastructure manager, Network Rail (NR) has published a Prior Information Notice through the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for a tender to let track works contracts starting next year. The contracts will be worth up to £5bn over 10 years.

FOLLOWING a tender launched in 2016, Danish State Railways (DSB) has selected Siemens to supply 26 Vectron dual-voltage locomotives with an option for an additional 18 units. A contract cannot be awarded until DSB receives approval from the Parliamentary Finance Committee.

IRJ at Middle East Rail, Dubai: The United Arab Emirates has reaffirmed its commitment to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Railway project, confirming that it will complete its connection to the Saudi network within four years.

A €50m contract has been awarded by Metroselskabet, Denmark, to Hitachi Rail Italy for an additional eight driverless trains for operation on lines M1 and M2 of the Copenhagen light metro.

BARCELONA Metropolitan Transport (TMB) has decided to award two contracts for 12 five-car trains worth €92m to CAF and Alstom to increase capacity on the metro by up to 20%. Delivery is scheduled to start in the second half of 2019.

THE Serbian and Croatian governments signed a memorandum of cooperation in Belgrade on March 9 to jointly reconstruct the 412km Belgrade - Zagreb main line.

IRJ at Middle East Rail, Dubai: Kuwait’s Public Authority for Roads and Transportation (Part) is planning to implement the first phase of the country’s national railway network as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) as it seeks to complete its section of the Gulf States Railway by the mid-2020s.

IRJ at Middle East Rail, Dubai: MOROCCAN National Railways (ONCF) says it is on course to open Africa’s first high-speed line in the third quarter of this year.