OSLO airport express operator Flytoget has awarded CAF a NKr 1.3bn ($US 160m) contract to supply eight four-car Oaris EMUs for services from Gardemoen Airport to Oslo Central and Drammen.

BUDAPEST Transport Company (BKV) began operating over the 3.2km southern extension of its circular tram Line 1 on March 20, when trams began using Rákóczi Bridge across the Danube, which was built 20 years ago with space allocated for the track.

MTR Corporation launched its first European open-access venture on March 21, when MTR Express began operating its initial timetable of four trains a day between Stockholm and Gothenburg.

FIRST Great Western (FGW) has selected Hitachi as preferred supplier for a contract to supply 29 bi-mode trains to replace the fleet High-Speed Trains (HSTs) currently used on services from London to Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.

MOSCOW tram operator Mosgortrans has begun four months of trials using a prototype V853000M Metelica low-floor LRV supplied by the Stadler Minsk joint venture of Stadler Rail and Belkommunmash, Belarus.

SWISS railfreight operator BLS Cargo announced its annual results on March 17, revealing a 75% increase in profits to SFr 2.5m ($US 2.5m) and a 49% increase in Ebit to SFr 4 million in 2014 despite an 8% drop in net earnings, which fell to SFr 167.9m.

GERMAN Rail (DB) recorded a 5.7% reduction in Ebit to €2.1bn in 2014 despite a 1.5% increase in total revenue to €39.7bn.

THE president of Benin Mr Boni Yayi and his Nigerien counterpart Mr Mahamadou Issoufou formally launched upgrading of the 437km Cotonou - Parakou line in a ceremony at Cotonou Central station on March 19, marking the start of work on a $US 1.6bn project to link the capital cities of the two countries by rail.

AFTER several years with very little activity, plans for a rail tunnel beneath the Peruvian Andes look set to move forward after Peru's minister of transport and communications José Gallardo announced studies will be launched for the $US 2bn project later this year.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) issued an invitation to tender on March 16 for a contract to carry out engineering design, project planning, and alignment studies for the 770km Moscow – Kazan high-speed line.