DESPITE another difficult year for Italy's economy, Italian State Railways (FS) improved its financial performance for the fifth consecutive year in 2012, with Ebitda rising 7.6% to exceed €1.9bn for the first time and net profits increasing 33.7% to €381m.
THE LATEST addition to Manchester's rapidly-expanding Metrolink light rail network welcomed its first passengers on May 23, with the opening of the 2.8km extension of the South Manchester Line from St Werburgh's Road to East Didsbury.
WASHINGTON Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has placed a $US 184m order with Kawasaki Heavy Industries for 100 additional series 7000 metro cars, which will replace unreliable Breda series 4000 vehicles supplied in the 1990s.
THE Swiss Federal Council has approved a scheme to create and finance a project which will allow 4m corner-height semitrailers to be carried on the Gotthard line.
UKRAINIAN Railways (UZ) signed a letter of intent with Luganskteplovoz, the Ukrainian subsidiary of Transmashholding, Russia, on May 16 for the purchase of 300 twin-unit electric freight locomotives.
CZECH Railways (CD) has placed a Koruna 942.7m ($US 46.9m) order with Škoda Transportation for an additional seven Regiopanter emus.
SWEDEN's Lussavaara-Kirunava AB (LKAB) inaugurated the latest phase of its iron-ore mining operation in Kiruna, northern Sweden today, which includes a 12km, standard-gauge underground automatic railway.
GERMAN Rail (DB) CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube has called on European governments to adopt the structure of Germany's railway industry to foster competition and increase market share.
METROPOLITAN Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) awarded the first of three-design-build contracts on May 14 for the second phase of the Washington DC Silver Line, which will extend the line from Wiehle Avenue in Reston to Washington Dulles International Airport and Ashburn.
DESPITE speculation that Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) might not proceed with its implementation of an Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) on the interstate network, a further $A 50m ($US 49m) was allocated in last week's Federal Budget to allow the technology to be rolled out on the Port Augusta - Tarcoola line.
