THE Mauritian Ministry of Public Infrastructure has invited expressions of interest for a design-build-operate-maintain PPP concession for the planned light rail line between the island's capital Port Louis and Curepipe.

CENTRAL Japan Railway Company (JR Central) held simultaneous ceremonies in Tokyo and Osaka on February 8 to mark the entry into commercial service of its latest-generation Shinkansen train, the N700A.

BULGARIAN track authority National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) has awarded a consortium of Thales Austria and Kapsch CarrierCom a €35m turnkey contract to install ERTMS on the 133km Sofia – Plovdiv line, which forms part of Trans-European Corridor IV from Dresden and Nuremberg to Istanbul.

LEASING company Alpha Trains has signed a contract worth nearly €250m with Stadler Pankow to supply a fleet of 28 emus for German regional operator WestfalenBahn.

BOMBARDIER began dynamic testing of the Traxx F140 AC LM electro-diesel locomotive at its Henningsdorf facility near Berlin during January.

A CEREMONY was held in Milan on February 5 to mark the inauguration of the initial phase of the city's first driverless metro line.

THE Association of American Railroads (AAR) says the major freight railways in the United States plan to spend an estimated $US 24.5bn in 2013 on motive power, rolling stock and infrastructure improvements.

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has announced plans for a £320m project to lengthen trains on the London Overground network from four to five cars with the aim of accommodating rapidly-increasing ridership.

RHINE-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR), as lead contractor for two other transport authorities, has awarded two 15-year regional concessions in North Rhine Westphalia to a consortium of National Express Rail and IntEgro Transport.

FOLLOWING speculation last year, Pilbara iron-ore miner Fortescue Metal Group (FMG) has confirmed that it is to sell a minority interest in its rail and port assets.