TURKEY celebrated the completion of the rail connection between the European and Asian sides of Istanbul on October 29, with the inauguration of the Lira 9.2bn ($US 4.6bn) Marmaray link beneath the Bosphorus.
TRAIN services have been disrupted by a severe storm with winds gusting at up to 159km/h which swept across southern England in the early hours of October 28 before heading to the Netherlands en route to Denmark where it was expected to arrive later today.
THE northern extension of Stockholm's Tvarbanan light rail line from Alvik to Solna was officially inaugurated on October 27.
THE vice-president of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Mr László Baranyay signed a €152m 25-year loan agreement with Ukrainian finance minister Mr Yurij Kolobov in Luxembourg on October 25, which will be used to finance the extension of the Dnepropetrovsk metro.
THE FIRST of 10 Stadler Flirt emus for Györ-Sopron-Ebenfurth Railway (GySEV) was delivered to Stadler's Hungarian maintenance centre at Pusztaszabolcs on October 20 for commissioning.
BRITAIN's Department for Transport (DfT) has issued an invitation for operators to qualify to bid for the InterCity East Coast franchise, which will be let for eight or nine years with a possible two-year extension at the DfT's discretion.
PLASSER & Theurer exhibited a new Unimat 09-4x4/4S Dynamic universal tamping machine at an open day held on October 23 at Plasser UK's maintenance depot in West London. The machine will be operated by SB Rail, Britain.
NORWEGIAN State Railways (NSB) experienced a record increase in ridership in the first eight months of 2013, with passenger numbers rising 8.4% compared with the corresponding period in 2012.
German Rail (DB) has issued an invitation to tender in the Official Journal of the European Union on behalf of its long-distance subsidiary for a contract to supply between seven and 10 new diesel locomotives.
TENDERING is underway for four design-build contracts for civil works on the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, which will provide a double-track railway and four-lane highway connection between Puttgarden, Germany, and Rødbyhavn in Denmark.
