RHINELAND Local Transport has awarded Rurtalbahn a contract to continue operating passenger services on the 30km Düren - Linnich, line west of Cologne until 2020.

JR Hokkaido and JR East have announced that the Hokkaido Shinkansen will open on March 26, and the two railways have also revealed the initial operating pattern for services over the 149km line from Shin-Aomori to Shin-Hakodate.

THE first of six passenger trains being built by CAF was handed over by the company's CEO Mr Andres Arizlorret to the chairman of Saudi Railway Company (SAR) Dr Saad A Al Qadhi and SAR's CEO Dr Rumaih Al-Rumaih at the new station in Riyadh.

FOLLOWING a lengthy legal process, Bavaria's regional high court in Munich has ruled that Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) will not be allowed to finalise two contracts with National Express for the operation of the Nuremberg S-Bahn network without first establishing whether that the financial performance guarantees offered by the selected bidder meet the terms of the original tender.

FRENCH infrastructure manager SNCF Network has begun work on a €110.5m project to reinstate the 22km link between Belfort and the town of Delle on the Swiss border, which was abandoned in 1992.

BORING of 113km of tunnels on the first phase of the Doha metro project has reached the halfway point, according to the managing director of Qatar Rail, Mr Abdulla Al-Subaie.

FINLAND's Ministry of Transport and Communications and national train operator VR Group announced on September 15 that they have reached a four-year agreement on the operation of public service obligation (PSO) passenger services.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) announced its results for the first half of 2015 on September 15, revealing group profits surged 60.1% year-on-year to SFr 92m ($US 94m) despite the worsening financial performance of its freight unit.

BRITAIN's rail minister Mrs Claire Perry announced on September 16 that the Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded an interim contract for the East Midlands franchise to the current operator, Stagecoach Group subsidiary East Midlands Trains (EMT).

FOLLOWING an international tender, Munich Transport (MVG) confirmed on September 15 that it has selected Siemens as preferred for a contract to supply 22 low-floor LRVs with options for up to 124 additional vehicles.