BERLIN Transport (BVG) has exercised an option worth around €140m with Stadler Pankow for 27 additional type IK small-profileU-Bahn trains, taking the total number of trains on order to 38.

SCOTLAND's transport minister Mr Humza Yousaf has ordered an intensive review of Network Rail's (NR) infrastructure enhancement programme in Scotland after it emerged electrification of the Edinburgh - Falkirk High - Glasgow Queen Street line will not be completed until July 2017, seven months later than previously scheduled.

FRENCH prime minister Mr Manuel Valls joined the mayor of Montpellier Mr Philippe Saurel and Languedoc-Roussillon Midi-Pyrénées regional president Mrs Carole Delga to inaugurate the final 1.2km section of Montpelier Line 4 on July 1, marking the completion of France's first orbital light rail line.

GO-OP, a British open-access operating organisation, has presented revised plans to introduce a new rail service from Taunton to Swindon from December 2017.

THE Australian state of Victoria has signed a seven-year, $A 700m ($US 525m) contract with NTT Data for the continued operation of its myki smart card public transport ticketing system that covers Melbourne and many parts of Victoria.

AIRPORT Railroad Corporation (A'Rex) has taken over operations of the Incheon Airport Maglev as of July 1.

BRITAIN's Department for Transport published an invitation to tender (ITT) for the South Western franchise on July 4, calling for increased frequencies and accelerated services on routes from London Waterloo.

TRANSDEV North America announced on June 30 that it has been awarded a $US 15.5m contract by M1-Rail to operate and maintain Detroit's first modern tram line.

PARIS - Strasbourg journey times were reduced to less than two hours on July 3 with the start of commercial operations on the second 106km phase of TGV Est.

JERUSALEM's district council has approved the alignment of the 19.6km Green Line, the Israeli capital's second light rail line.