REPRESENTATIVES from Cuban Union Railways (UFC) and Lyudinovo Locomotive Works (LTZ), Russia together with other suppliers within the Sinara group have begun to finalize the specifications for a new fleet of diesel-hydraulic locomotives ordered by UFC earlier this year.

BRAZIL’s National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) has agreed to lend Reais 3.5bn ($US 1.1bn) to rail and port operator Rumo Logistics in order to fund part of its 2015-2018 investment programme.

THE 4.5km extension of São Paulo’s suburban Line 9, which will connect the district of Grajaú to the Varginha tunnel, has been further delayed until 2018 after Sao Paulo commuter rail operator CPTM ceased contracts with the two consortiums responsible for building the extension.

CONSTRUCTION of the second phase of the metro network in the Brazilian city of Salvador reached a milestone on September 29 with the start of dynamic testing on the east-west Line 2.

ARGENTINEAN Trains says it plans to begin tendering this week for contracts with a total value of around $US 380m for the second phase of the renewal of the metre-gauge Belgrano Railway, which links Buenos Aires with northern Argentina.

A study commissioned by Chilean State Railways (EFE) into the construction of a new rail link between Santiago and Valparaíso has concluded that one of the options under consideration would meet government investment criteria.

BRAZILIAN mining giant Vale announced on September 14 that it has obtained a 10-year operating license from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources (Ibama) for a rail link to the new Carajás Serra Sul (S11D) mine in the state of Pará.

BRAZIL’s interim federal government led by president Michel Temer is investigating how to revive the country’s ambitious new line construction programme at a time of financial austerity by involving the country’s concessionaire rail freight operators.

THE first of 42 driverless metro trains being supplied by Hitachi Rail Italy (HRI) for Lima metro Line 2 was loaded onto the MV Cerinthus at the port of Salerno on August 16 in readiness for its 29-day sea voyage to Peru.