CALTRAIN, which operates the San Francisco - San Jose commuter rail line in California, has awarded contracts to Stadler Rail for new trains and Balfour Beatty to electrify the 83.7km line.

THE Japanese government announced on August 12 that it will provide a $US 2.4bn loan for a new railway in the Philippines in order to ease Manila’s traffic difficulties.

NORWAY’s infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has begun an of a 2.8 km section of the Bergen Railway between Voss and Palma Foss, where an emergency terminal is being built.

CHINA Railways Corporation inaugurated its new standard high-speed EMU, which has been under development since 2012, on the Dalian – Shenyang line on August 15.

RUSSIAN Railways subsidiary, RZD Logistics, launched a test of a refrigerated container train carrying fruit and vegetables between Russia and China on August 8 in what hopes will become a regular service.

ONTARIO’s premier Kathleen Wynne unveiled the first of 16 refurbished Polar Bear Express passenger coaches in North Bay on August 12.

TRIAL operation is expected to start in September on the 665km standard-gauge electrified line linking Addis Ababa with Djibouti.

A new fleet of Newag Impuls 36WEa EMUs for the Polish region of Opole entered trial passenger service on the Wroclaw - Opole - Kedzierzyn-Kozle line on August 4.

THE first tracks were laid on August 8 on the 12km CBD and South East light rail line under construction in Sydney, Australia.

THE government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh released the first tranche of funding on August 11 for land acquisition for the initial phase of the metro network in Vijayawada.