BAVARIAN Railway Company (BEG) confirmed on December 16 that it will conclude two contracts to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn network with National Express after the regional high court in Munich ruled that the operator has provided sufficient financial performance guarantees in compliance with the terms of the original tender.

THE first pre-series class 490 EMU for the Hamburg S-Bahn network is nearing completion at Bombardier's Hennigsdorf plant north of Berlin, and according to the manufacturer is due to begin testing next month.

GERMAN Rail (DB) finally started passenger operation of its new IC2 double-deck push-pull inter-city trains with the launch of the 2016 timetable on December 13.

RAILFREIGHT capacity on lines into the port of Hamburg will be increased significantly on December 13 following the completion of infrastructure upgrades which will enable maximum train lengths to be increased from 740m to 835m.

THE United Arab Emirates Federal Transport Authority (FTA) granted Etihad Rail final safety authorisation on December 10 for the 264km Shah - Habshan - Ruwais line, clearing the way for the start of commercial operations on the first phase of the country's national railway network.

GERMAN chancellor Mrs Angela Merkel and minister for transport and digital infrastructure Mr Alexander Dobrindt joined German Rail (DB) CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube Thuringia state minister-president Mr Bodo Ramelow and his Saxon counterpart Mr Stanislaw Tillich to inaugurate the 123km €2.74bn Erfurt - Leipzig/Halle high-speed line (VDE 8.2) on December 9.

BERLIN senator for urban development and the environment Mr Andreas Geisel confirmed on December 9 that the Senate has selected DB Regio subsidiary S-Bahn Berlin as preferred bidder for a contract to operate the Berlin S-Bahn Ring/South East group of lines for 15 years from 2021.

GERMAN Rail's (DB) next generation high-speed train was officially christened ICE 4 by DB CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube and German federal minister for transport and digital infrastructure Mr Alexander Dobrindt, in a ceremony at Berlin Südkreuz station on December 4.

UNICREDIT Leasing, Germany, has awarded Siemens a contract to supply eight 3kV dc Vectron electric locomotives, which will be leased by DB Schenker Rail Italy.

THE German subsidiary of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), United States, has received a small boost to its plans to launch a car carrying service linking the North German island of Sylt (which only has a rail connection to the rest of Germany) with the mainland.