FOR the first time a train has operated under ETCS with cab signalling through central London marking six years of development by Network Rail (NR) for the Thameslink upgrading project.

CHINA Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) has awarded Hollysys Automation Technologies a Yuan 483.8m ($US 74.9m) contract to supply Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment for 179 high-speed trains being built for China Railway Corporation.

EGYPT's National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has awarded Alstom and its consortium partners contracts worth €187m to supply signalling, telecommunications and electromechanical equipment for the phase 3 extension of Cairo Metro's Line 3.

Testing is underway on a Paris metro line using LTE as a component of the automated signalling system. Angus Hammond outlines the objectives of the trial and the potential benefits of using LTE.

A NEW control centre for the Gauteng area has been commissioned by Siemens for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and will start to control trains in January.

IRJ at Railway Interchange: Pintsch Tiefenbach, Germany, had a prototype SIL4 software-based axle counter on display in Minneapolis.

SPAIN's infrastructure manager, Adif, has awarded a €164m contract to a consortium led by Bombardier and including Alstom and Indra to install signalling and provide maintenance for a new high-speed line under construction in the Extremadura region.

THE United States Committee on Foreign Investment has cleared the takeover of Alcatel-Lucent by Nokia. The acquisition has already been approved by the US Department of Justice.

METROLINX has awarded a €113m contract to Alstom to provide a new computer-based integrated train control system for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton commuter rail network.