SWEDISH regional public transport operator Skånetrafiken has awarded Alstom a €135m eight-year contract to maintain its fleet of Alstom Coradia Nordic X61 EMUs.

RUSSIA’s Federal Budgetary Organisation (FBO), which is responsible for railway certification, has approved the production of a new design of container flat wagon by TikhvinSpetsMash, a subsidiary of United Wagon Company, Russia.

THE first batch of four trains for the Doha metro network were unloaded at Hamad Port in Qatar on August 20 after completing their 21-day sea voyage from Kobe, Japan.

HUNGARIAN national passenger operator MÁV-Start placed its first order for Stadler Kiss double-deck EMUs on August 18, when CEO Mr András Csépke and Stadler Bussnang country director for Hungary Mr Zoltán Dunai signed a Forints 60.5bn ($US 234m) contract for 11 trains.

WARSAW Tramways announced on August 11 that it has abandoned a tender for a contract to supply up to 213 LRVs because the offer submitted by the highest-scoring bidder exceeds the available budget.

NEW United Group (NUG), China, has awarded a Yuan 531m ($US 79.6m) contract to the Bombardier NUG Propulsion System Chinese joint venture to supply traction and control for 678 metro cars.

THE first Flirt 3 EMU for RB61 Wiehengebirgsbahn cross-border services from Bielefeld and Bad Bentheim in Germany to Hengelo in the Netherlands was presented to Keolis Germany managing director Mr Thomas Görtzen by Mr Ulf Braker, Stadler executive vice-president for Germany, at Stadler Pankow’s Berlin Wilhelmsruh plant on August 16.

VALENCIAN Government Railways (FGV) has awarded Stadler Rail Valencia a €43.3m contract to supply six bi-mode (diesel and electric) multiple units.

BOMBARDIER has rolled out the 200th VLocity DMU from its Dandenong factory for Public Transport Victoria for operation on regional services in the Australian state of Victoria.