HUNDREDS of residents lined the streets of the historic city centre of Cuenca on July 27 to witness the inaugural test run on the Ecuadorian city’s first light rail line.

GREAT Western Railway (GWR) operated the first class 800 Intercity Express Trains built by Hitachi Rail Europe between London and Paignton on June 30, the first Intercity Express Train to travel beyond Exeter in passenger service.

FOLLOWING a European tender, Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) and Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport have awarded Go-Ahead Transport Germany a contract to operate the Allgäu Electric Network for 12 years from December 2021.

SIEMENS’ Mobility division will be transferred into a legally separate company owned by Siemens in anticipation of its merger with Alstom, as part of a Siemens’ company-wide restructuring announced on August 1.

THE Thai cabinet has approved funding for the construction of a 326km double-track line linking Den Chai on the Bangkok - Chiang Mai line with Chiang Rai and Chiang Khong on the Mekong River, which forms part of the border between Thailand and Laos.

PASSENGER capacity on Auckland’s new City Rail Link, currently under construction, is set to be expanded as a result of patronage on the city's rail network rising faster than original projections.

SIEMENS’ Mobility Division recorded an 8% increase in orders to €2.5bn in its third quarter financial results released in Munich on July 2, a 4% increase in revenue to €2.1bn, and a profit of €177m, down 1% compared with the same period last year.

CHINA marked a decade of high-speed rail development on August 1, when celebrations were held to mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the country’s first railway designed for operation at speeds of more than 250km/h.

BOTSWANA Railways (BR) has issued a call for tender for the supply of three DMUs with a closing date for bids of September 7.

GERMAN infrastructure manager DB Network has launched a new website called iTrace which enables more than 420 German rail companies and those entitled to access its infrastructure, the opportunity to submit proposals online for enhancements to the network.