LATVIA Railways (LDZ) has awarded a contract to Rolls-Royce for 28 MTU engines to power 14 class 2M62U locomotives which are to be rebuilt by CZ Loco, Czech Republic.

FOUR Indonesian banks have agreed to lend the country's national railway PT Kereta Api Rupiahs 2.38 trillion ($US 195.5m) to help increase capacity on the Jabodetabek commuter rail network serving Jakarta and neighbouring cities.

THE Egyptian Ministry of Finance has transferred $US 2.4bn to the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) to expand the metro and purchase trains.

EUROSTAR announced today at the unveiling of the first of 10 e320 high-speed trains on order from Siemens that it plans to purchase an additional seven trains - the two parties are now negotiating terms for a contract.

BNSF is testing an SD40 locomotive which has been modified by National Railway Equipment (NRE) to increase its tractive effort and adhesion.

BRITAIN's secretary of state for transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, has approved a £1bn 5km extension to the Northern Line of London Underground (LU).

THE Czech Republic's minister of transport Ing Antonín Prachař has resigned following intense criticism of his handling of a highway project and controversial management changes at national road and railway organisations.

THE first of three pre-series Super Express Trains (SETs) being supplied to Britain under the Department for Transport's Intercity Express Programme (IEP) was revealed to the press at Hitachi's plant in Kasado, Japan, on November 13.

THE North West Rail (NWB) subsidiary of Veolia Verkehr, Germany, has won a 10-year concession from the transport authorities of Lower Saxony, Bremen, and Westphalia Lippe to operate the Weser-Ems rail network.

CONSTRUCTION has started of a second Metrolink light rail line in central Manchester to enable more LRVs to run through the city centre.