NETHERLANDS RAILWAYS (NS) is to operate peak-hour bus services from today in an effort to relieve overcrowding on its busiest rail services.

GOVIA Thameslink Railway, Britain, has completed its order of 25 class 700 EMUs from Siemens in a £200m deal after securing funding from British leasing company Rock Rail.

THE first of 75 new six-car EMUs for South East Queensland commuter services arrived in Brisbane, Australia, on February 16.

INDRA, Spain, is to supply ticketing equipment and information technology to Argentinian State Railways (SOFSA) in a €35m deal.

BOMBARDIER Transportation is to supply French National Railways (SNCF) with four additional eight-car Regio 2N double-deck EMUs in a deal worth €34m.

PUGLIA regional operator Ferrotramviaria marked the completion of another phase in the modernisation of its train fleet on February 11, when three new four-car ETR 452 EMUs were formally presented to regional councillor Mr Giovanni Giannini by the railway's president Mrs Gloria Pasquini and by the company's general director Mr Massimo Nitti in Bari.

TORONTO and Hamilton transit authority Metrolinx outlined the four options being considered for the core of the Toronto Regional Express Rail (RER) network at a board meeting on February 10.

THE first major contract for the €3.7bn western extension of Paris RER Line E was awarded on February 10, when French National Railways (SNCF) president Mr Guillaume Pepy and Siemens president Mr Joe Kaeser signed a €186m contract for the rollout of CBTC on the core section of the east-west line.

FRENCH prime minister Mr Manuel Valls confirmed on February 6 that the government will contribute a further €500m towards the €3.7bn western extension of Paris RER Line E from St Lazare to Mantes-la-Jolie.

IZMIR celebrated the opening of the latest addition to its Izban suburban rail network on February 6 when the 27km extension of the Southern Line from Cumaovasi to Tepeköy was inaugurated by Turkey's transport and communications minister Mr Binali Yildirim and the mayor of Izmir Mr Aziz Kocaoglu.