THE president of the Sicilian Region, Mr Sebastiano Musumeci, signed a €1.6bn contract with Mr Orazio Iacono, managing director of Trenitalia, covering the operation of passenger services on the Italian island of Sicily up to 2026.

BOSNIA and Herzegovina Federal Railways (ŽFBiH) has announced it will reinstate passenger services between Sarajevo and Bihać on July 1 following the completion of a Marka 2.26m ($US 1.35m) project to renew overhead electrification equipment on the 47km Blatno - Bihać section of the Unska Line.

GENESEE & Wyoming Canada has announced that its Huron Central Railway (HCRY) subsidiary will cease operating by the end of the year, citing a lack of funding from the province of Ontario to maintain services on its 283km line between Sault Sainte Marie and Sudbury.

FORT Worth Trinity Metro celebrated a milestone for its TexRail commuter rail project on May 22 when the line’s train maintenance depot was inaugurated in the presence of the city’s mayor, Mrs Betsy Price, and Federal Transit Administration regional administrator, Mr Robert Patrick.

THE Welsh government announced on May 23 that it intends to appoint KeolisAmey as Operator and Development Partner (ODP) for the Wales & Borders franchise and the South Wales Metro network.

THE ranking of the world’s largest railway equipment suppliers is set to change when the agreed merger between GE Transportation and Wabtec comes into force, according to analysis by IRJ.

TRANSMASHHOLDING, Russia, and Hitachi, Japan have agreed to set up a joint venture in Russia to produce traction inverters for passenger trains for Russia, central Asia and Europe.

BANGLADESH Railways (BR) has awarded a Taka 2976m ($US 35m) contract to Hyundai Rotem for the supply of 10 metre-gauge diesel-electric locomotives funded by the Asian Development Bank.

BUENOS Aires City Council and Argentina’s Ministry of Urban Development and Transport inaugurated a 1km extension of metro Line H to Faculty of Law-Julieta Lanteri on May 17.