THE supervisory board of Czech Railways (CD) has approved the purchase up to 80 long-distance coaches from Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) in a deal worth up to CKr 413m ($US 20.5m).

SAUDI Railways Organisation (SRO) has invited bids from consultants to study options for a high-speed line between the capital Riyadh and the Gulf port of Dammam.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) has launched the procurement process for its first electric trains by issuing a request for information (RFI) from potential suppliers of locomotives and multiple units.

UNITED Wagon Company (UWC), Russia, and Tatravagonka, Slovakia, have formed a joint venture company, Railway Casted Components (RCC), which will produce Barber bogie castings for 1520mm-gauge wagons.

Train catering if it is done well has the ability to become a unique selling point for long-distance passenger operators, but it can also be an Achilles' heel if it is done badly. As David Briginshaw explains, while there is a wide disparity between what operators choose to provide, there is also considerable innovation.

Online information distribution portal Spark is breaking down barriers to sharing information and research between institutions across the international railway industry, as Anson Jack, deputy chief executive of Britain's Railway Safety and Standards Board, explains.

MARUBENI and Toshiba announced on November 6 that they have been awarded a contract to supply and maintain electrical and mechanical systems for the Bangkok Metro Purple Line, which is due to open in 2017.

WARSAW Tramways has secured a Zlotys 285m ($US 91.9m) grant from the European Union (EU) which will be used to finance the acquisition of 80 low-floor LRVs from Pesa Bydgoszcz.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) celebrated the introduction of its first long-distance double-deck coaches at Moscow Kazan station on November 1, with the launch of the new vehicles on overnight services from Moscow to Adler.

SIEMENS has delivered the first of eight Avenio low-floor LRVs ordered by Munich Transport (MVG) in September 2012 in a deal worth €29m.