MTR, Hong Kong, has selected Alstom in a €41m contract to build, install, test, and commission 11km of double track, which includes a depot and sidings, as well as 25kV ac overhead electrification for the Shatin-Central Link project in Hong Kong.

THE first of 11 Citadis 402 low-floor LRVs for Dubai's Al Sufouh Tramway arrived in the United Arab Emirates through the port of Jebel Ali last week, and has been delivered to the line's depot in readiness for the start of testing.

THE European Commission (EC) has adopted the seven-year €1bn Shift2Rail public-private partnership (PPP) research project designed to increase passenger and freight traffic within the European Union.

ALLIANCE Rail Holdings has announced plans to invest up to £300m to introduce an hourly-interval open-access service - operated by its Great North Eastern Railway subsidiary - between London King's Cross and Edinburgh on Britain's East Coast Main Line (ECML) using a fleet of Pendolino trains acquired from Alstom.

ITALIAN Rail Network (RFI) has awarded a consortium consisting of Alstom, Gemmo., M Pavani Segnalamento Ferroviario, Ricci and Politecnica a €120m contract to upgrade signalling and telecommunications networks on 200km of mixed traffic lines in Rome.

MILAN metro operator ATM has commissioned a new €11.5m centralised traffic control centre, which supervises the operation of all lines except the driverless Line 5.

THE first of 468 new-generation Azur metro cars being built by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom for Montreal public transport company STM was formally presented to representatives of the government of Quebec and the City of Montreal at Bombardier's La Pocatière plant in Quebec on November 25.

CONSTRUCTION of a two-line light rail network in the French city of Avignon moved a step closer on November 23, when the €250m project was granted public utility status.

HANNOVER Transport Authority (Üstra) exercised an option for another 50 type TW 3000 light rail vehicles on November 15 to coincide with the completion of the first batch of 50 units by a consortium of Vossloh Kiepe and Alstom.

ALSTOM unveiled today at its plant in La Rochelle, France, the first Citadis Compact LRV for launch customer Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Etoile region.