GERMAN concrete-sleeper manufacturer Rail.One is to construct a plant in Iowa, United States, at a cost of €15m. The factory is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year and will have an annual capacity of 600,000 sleepers.
VIA Transport, which operates the light rail/metro networks in Duisburg, Mulheim and Essen, Germany, has issued a call for tenders for a contract to refurbish its fleet of 45 GT10NC LRVs which operate in Duisburg. Closing date for bids is April 15.
BRAZILIAN president Dilma Roussef approved funding of Reais 800m ($US 404m) on March 6 for the planning and construction of a 15km a light rail line in São José dos Campos northeast of São Paulo.
CHINA is to push ahead with plans to dissolve the Ministry of Railways (MOR), following a report submitted by state councillor Mr Ma Kai to the national legislator on March 10.
THE United States Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) are awarding New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $US 193m in Hurricane Sandy recovery funds.
THE Turkish government has presented a bill to parliament to split up Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to form a separate infrastructure manager and a train operating company, while at the same time paving the way for open-access operators.
ARRIVA, FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach, which were bidding for the cancelled Great Western franchise, have filed papers with the High Court in an attempt to get Britain's Department for Transport (DfT) to refund their costs.
A DISPUTE between Italy's open-access high-speed operator NTV and infrastructure manager Italian Rail Network (RFI) over NTV's plan to launch a new service between Milan, Rimini and Ancona on the Adriatic coast came to a head this week.
BMZ Bryansk, a subsidiary of Transmashholding (TMH), Russia, has awarded a contract to Wärtsilä TMH Diesel Engine Company (WTEC) for 12 Wärtsilä 20L generating sets for installation in series TEM 18B diesel shunters.
FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) and Spanish passenger operator Renfe have reached an agreement to start direct TGV services between Paris and Barcelona next month.
