ISREAL's prime minister Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, together with transport minister Mr Yisrael Katz and Israel Railways' general manager Mr Boaz Zafrir, opened an extension of the Tel Aviv - Ashkelon line south to Shderot on December 25.

THE Railway Research Institute (VUZ), Czech Republic, has issued Evraz, Russia, with a TSI compliance certificate for 920mm-diameter type BA 318 rolled railway wheels thereby allowing Evraz to start supplying these wheels to the European market.

RUSSIAN Railways International, a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD), will start in January to mobilise workers and equipment to enable work to begin in March to upgrade 370km of lines in Serbia and supply diesel trains to Serbian Railways.

MITSUBISHI Electric, Japan, has launched a 1.5kV dc traction inverter system which incorporates what it claims to be the world's first all-silicon carbide (SiC) power modules made with SiC transistors and SiC diodes.

BELGIAN National Railways (SNCB) has issued an invitation to tender for a framework contract to supply a fleet of 200km/h double-deck emus, which will help to meet growing demand on Belgium's inter-city network.

RUSSIAN locomotive and rolling stock manufacturer Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EMD to study potential opportunities for jointly developing a new range of diesel locomotives for 1520mm-gauge railways in Russia and the CIS region.

THE first train consisting of six Vossloh three-axle G6 shunters has been dispatched to BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

ANSALDO STS has been awarded a contract by Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), United States, to upgrade a 72.4km section between Speonk and Montauk from dark territory to signalled territory.

TRANSPORT for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has signed an option worth £18m with a consortium of Bombardier and Vossloh Kiepe for the supply of 10 additional Flexity Swift light rail vehicles (LRVs).

BRITISH Columbia transport authority TransLink has awarded Bombardier a five-year contract to operate West Coast Express commuter rail services from Vancouver to Mission City, British Columbia.