CENTRAL America's first metro line was inaugurated on April 5, when the Panamanian president Mr Ricardo Martinelli inaugurated the initial 13.7km section of Panama City Line 1 between Albrook and Los Andes.

CHILEAN State Railways (EFE) has selected Alstom to supply and maintain a further 12 two-car X'Trapolis suburban EMUs, four of which will be deployed on the new Rancagua Xpress service between Santiago, Nos and Rancagua, and the remaining eight vehicles on services between Valparaíso and Limache.

MEXICO's transport and communications ministry (SCT) has issued a call for tenders for construction of a 4.6km tunnel from Ocoyoacac Township, east of Toluca, east to the neighbouring Cuajimalpa delegation, which is the second section of the proposed 58km Toluca - Mexico City railway.

BRAZILIAN railfreight operator MRS Logistics carried a record 151.6 million tonnes of freight in 2013 according to the company's annual results, which show net profits increased by 6.6% year-on-year to Reais 469.4m ($US 202m).

PERU's private investment agency Proinversión has announced that just one bidder now remains in the tender for the PPP contract to finance, build, operate, and maintain the second metro line in the capital Lima after two of the three prequalified consortia failed to submit viable bids.

METRÔ RIO celebrated the opening of Rio de Janeiro's 36th metro station on March 15, with the inauguration of the 1.1km extension of Line 1 from Saens Peña to Uruguai.

SANTIAGO Metro has awarded a €220m contract to Alstom to modernise a fleet of 35 seven-car trains which Alsthom supplied more than 40 years ago.

THE Bolivian Ministry of Public Works, Services and Housing has awarded a consortium of Acciona Ingenieria, Spain, and CPM a contract worth around $US 10.5m to supervise construction of the 205km Montero - Bulo Bulo line.

MEXICO's Transport and Communications Ministry (SCT) has announced plans to invest at least Pesos 125bn ($US 9.4bn) in 13 passenger and freight railway projects.

ESTAÇÃO da Luz Participações (EDLP), a Brazilian logistics company, has applied to the federal government to carry out a feasibility study for a new 1200km north-south railway called Ferrogrão.