ALSTOM presented the first of 28 Citadis Al Mehmel low-floor LRVs for the Lusail light rail network to Qatar’s minister of transport and communications H.E. Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti during a recent visit to the company’s plant in La Rochelle, France.

DUTCH infrastructure manager ProRail has been granted €43m by Mrs Stientje van Velthoven, secretary of state with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, to allow Netherlands Railways (NS) to introduce more high-frequency passenger services. NS will contribute €27m to the project.

UNION Pacific Railroad (UP) has launched construction of its new Brazos Yard in Texas, which will become one of the highest-capacity yards on the company’s 23-state network when it opens in 2020.

RAIL Baltica invited bids on January 26 for a tender for detailed technical design of the first sections of the standard-gauge new railway in Latvia. Closing date for bids is February 28.

IRELAND’s National Transport Authority (NTA) says 251 million passenger journeys were made in 2017 on Irish Rail (IE), Dublin’s Luas light rail network, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, representing an increase of 16.3 million or 7% over 2016.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) announced on January 30 that it has selected Amadeus IT Group for a contract to deliver a new international distribution system with the aim of improving interfaces with other operators and simplifying cross-border rail travel.

TEXAS Central, which is planning to build a privately-funded 386km 320km/h railway linking Dallas with Houston, has selected the site for its station in Dallas and says it has reached an agreement with developer Jack Matthews, which owns the site.

AN investigation is underway in Italy after a Trenord commuter train derailed north of Milan on January 25, killing three passengers and injuring 46.

ACCORDING to Spanish press reports, Spain’s Ministry of Development and national train operator Renfe are finalising plans for a €2bn rolling stock investment plan covering the period 2017-2028. The total investment could be much higher if Renfe includes maintenance in the contracts it awards.

POLISH broad-gauge railway PKP LHS signed a Zlotys 121m (36.2m) loan agreement with the European Investment Bank on January 25, which will help finance a Zlotys 300m programme of infrastructure enhancements.