IRISH Rail (IE) has signed a contract with Rolls-Royce to rebuild three MTU PowerPacks on a Hyundai Rotem 22000 class DMU with new EcoWorld transmissions from ZF to improve more efficiency and reduce noise emissions.

SHENZHEN Airport has awarded the CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems (PBTS) joint venture a Yuan 453m ($US 69.9m) contract to install a Bombardier Innovia automated peoplemover (APM) 300 system.

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) unveiled the first of 54 new class 710 Aventra EMUs being supplied by Bombardier on June 20, which will replace the current diesel trains on London’s Overground network.

STADLER is entering the signalling business through a joint venture with Mermec, Italy, with the Swiss company saying it is already running field tests and has started the approval process in Switzerland.

HYUNDAI Rotem says it has developed a bogie which enables low-floor LRVs to operate on tracks with a 15m curve radius, purportedly the tightest in the world.

STADLER says it has recovered from the negative effects of the Swiss franc shock, with turnover at Stadler Rail returning to approximately the same level as before the Swiss National Bank’s unexpected decision to scrap its currency cap of SFr 1.20 per euro in January 2015.

THALYS announced on June 19 that it will launch direct services between Brussels and Bordeaux next summer, connecting the Belgian capital with the Atlantic coast in little over four hours.

FRANKFURT Transport (VGF) has signed a contract worth around €100m with Alstom for the supply of 38 Citadis trams with special adaptations for the German market, including an option for 15 additional vehicles.

SIEMENS unveiled the first Inspiro metro train for Bangkok at its consortium partner Bozankaya’s factory in Ankara on June 19, the first of 22 new four-car sets for the Thai capital’s Green Line extension.

IRELAND’S Public Service Obligation (PSO) services saw an increase in both funding and passenger numbers last year, the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) statistical bulletin shows, with rail accounting for a third of passenger journeys.