TURIN Transport Group (GTT) and Arriva Italy Rail signed an agreement on April 3 confirming the two companies will bid jointly in the next tender for the operation of Turin’s SFM suburban rail network.

BRITISH Steel has opened a new long length rail logistics centre in Lecco, Italy, in order to meet growing demand in Italy.

SIEMENS has delivered the first two of 10 new Vectron multi-system locomotives to Alpha Trains which are being leased to TX Logistik, Germany, to transport freight between Germany, Austria and Italy.

ITALIAN State Railways’ (FS) engineering subsidiary Italferr has awarded a €397m contract to a consortium comprising Salini Impregilo (60%) and Astaldi (40%) for the design and construction of the Naples - Cancello section of the Naples - Bari line in Italy, which will have a maximum speed of 200km/h..

TESTING of the ERSAT EAV satellite signalling system concluded on February 24, when the operation of the technology was demonstrated to guests including Mr Josef Doppelbauer, executive director of the EU Agency for Railways, Mr Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, director of the International Union of Railways (UIC) and Mr Libor Lochman, director of the Community of European Railway (CER) on the Cagliari - Decimomannu line in Sicily.

MILAN Transport (ATM) exercised an option with Hitachi Rail Italy (HRI) on February 8 for 15 additional Leonardo metro trains.

THE French Senate adopted a bill on January 26 ratifying the agreement between the French and Italian governments to build the €26.1bn Lyon - Turin high-speed line.

PRODUCTION of the next-generation double-deck EMU for Trenitalia was officially launched at Hitachi Rail Italy’s (HRI) Pistoia plant on January 20 with the unveiling of a full-size mock-up of the driving vehicle cab end.

A 10-year contract for the operation of conventional inter-city services and overnight trains in Italy was signed in Rome on January 19 by Trenitalia CEO Mrs Barbara Morgante and Italy’s minister of transport and infrastructure Mr Graziano Delrio.

ITALIAN State Railway (FS) has brought all of its freight activities under one roof with the creation this month of Mercitalia which includes the former Trenitalia Cargo division as well as logistics and terminals.