THE president of the Sicilian Region, Mr Sebastiano Musumeci, signed a €1.6bn contract with Mr Orazio Iacono, managing director of Trenitalia, covering the operation of passenger services on the Italian island of Sicily up to 2026.
FORT Worth Trinity Metro celebrated a milestone for its TexRail commuter rail project on May 22 when the line’s train maintenance depot was inaugurated in the presence of the city’s mayor, Mrs Betsy Price, and Federal Transit Administration regional administrator, Mr Robert Patrick.
TRANSMASHHOLDING, Russia, and Hitachi, Japan have agreed to set up a joint venture in Russia to produce traction inverters for passenger trains for Russia, central Asia and Europe.
CZECH rolling stock manufacturer Škoda Transportation Group has acquired the remaining 25% stake in Finnish train builder Transtech for an undisclosed sum.
SCI Verkehr says in its latest Multiple Units - Global Market Trends study that the world market for regional and suburban multiple unit trains is currently worth more than €9bn and is growing at around 9% per year, while the €8bn aftersales market has an annual growth rate of 4%.
AUSTRIA's narrow-gauge Zillertalbahn announced on May 15 that Stadler is the successful bidder for a €80m contract to supply five hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units.
VIVARAIL, which is offering low-cost regional trains to the British and international markets using trains built with former London Underground aluminium coach bodies and bogies has completed its first entirely battery powered train and is making progress with the first diesel-powered class 230 set for West Midlands Trains.
NORWAY’s minister of transport Mr Ketil Solvik-Olsen confirmed on May 15 that the government will provide funding for state-owned rolling stock company Norske Tog to order 25 additional Stadler Flirt trains, including the first bi-mode sets, to meet continuing growth in passenger numbers.
PRODUCTION is due to start in the fourth quarter of 2018 on Turkey’s national EMU project under a joint venture of Tüvasaş, Turkish State Railways (TCDD) and Turkey’s Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications (UDH).
BRITISH rolling stock leasing company Eversholt Rail announced on May 11 that it has joined the consortium that will develop, manufacture and market the Revolution Very Light Rail (VLR) vehicle.
