GERMAN Rail (DB) has placed a €113m order with Bombardier for 12 Twindexx Vario double-deck emus, which will be used by DB Regio on Main-Spessart Regional Express services from Frankfurt to Würzburg and Bamberg from 2015.

PRESIDENT Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic attended a ceremony in the capital Santo Domingo on April 1 to mark the opening of the city's second metro line.

SINGAPORE Land Transport Authority (LTA) has signed a $S 119m ($US 96m) contract for a second batch of 45 Movia C951 metro cars from Changchun Bombardier Railway Vehicles (CBRC), China.

MITSUBISHI Heavy Industries (MHI) has started construction of what it describes as Japan's first comprehensive railway system verification facility.

SWEDISH operator Hector Rail has acquired 42 type ICK coaches from Netherlands Railways (NS) leasing subsidiary NS Financial Services.

JAPAN's Mitsubishi Electric Corporation says it has installed the world's first auxiliary power supply system incorporating silicon carbide power modules in a series-production train.

THE United States Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has selected the Illinois Department of Transportation (Idot) to lead the multi-state procurement of at least 35 200km/h diesel locomotives for passenger operations, Illinois governor Mr Pat Quinn announced on March 21.

ABELLIO Rail NRW, the Abellio subsidiary operating in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, has invited bids for a contract to supply between 18 and 42 dmus for regional services.

GO-Ahead has awarded Knorr-Bremse two contracts to deliver its Leader driver assistance system on dmus operated by its Southern and London Midland franchises in Britain.