ITALIAN open-access high-speed operator NTV and Alstom have unveiled the design for the eight Pendolinos which NTV ordered in a €460m contract placed in October.

FOLLOWING a European tender, Rhine-Ruhr Transport Authority (VRR) has acquired 48 class 422 EMUs used on Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn services from German Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Regio.

THE first of 600 X'Trapolis Mega six-car commuter EMUs for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has been delivered to the operator's Wolmerton depot near Pretoria in readiness for the start of dynamic testing on the South African network.

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) announced on December 17 that it will begin "detailed technical work" next year to develop a case for the extension of the Bakerloo Line southeast from its current terminus at Elephant and Castle to Old Kent Road and Lewisham.

RENFE started commercial service in the Olmedo - Zamora section of the Madrid - Galicia high - speed line on December 17 with a single return service which will cut travel time for the 232km Madrid - Zamora trip by 22 minutes to 1h 33min.

THE Shift²Rail joint technology initiative published its first call for proposals on December 17, making an initial tranche of €170m in grant funding available for railway research projects in Europe.

INNSBRUCK Transport (IVB) has awarded Bombardier a contract to supply 20 Flexity 2 low-floor LRVs as part of the expansion of the Austrian city's metre-gauge tram network.

GREATER Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) announced on December 17 that it has selected Transdev Australasia in a partnership with Hyundai Rotem as preferred bidder for a contract to operate the Metlink suburban network in New Zealand's second-largest city.

FOLLOWING an international tender, the public transport authorities of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Braunschweig have selected Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland as preferred bidder for both lots of the Saxony-Anhalt Diesel Network regional concession.

NORTHEAST Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad (Metra) and Parsons Transportation Group (PTG) have awarded Wabtec contracts totalling $US 45m to supply Positive Train Control (PTC) for the Chicago commuter rail network.