ETIHAD Rail was granted final safety authorisation on December 10 by the United Arab Emirates Federal Transport Authority (FTA) 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.

THE prototype 2ES7 freight locomotive developed by Ural Locomotives, the Russian joint venture of Siemens and Sinara, began a six-week programme of trials on Russia's Yuzhno - Uralskaya South Urals Railway on January 18.

ANSALDO STS has awarded Siemens a contract to electrify two lines of the Lima metro currently under construction. These comprise the 27km east-west Line 2 and the 8km first phase of Line 4 which will extend Line 2 to the airport.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) confirmed on January 19 that four suppliers have been shortlisted for the final stage of the tender for a contract to supply a new fleet of 200km/h EMUs under its Next Generation Intercity (ICNG) programme.

LONDON Underground has invited Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens, which previously pre-qualified, to submit tenders to supply a fleet of 250 trains under its New Tube for London project.

CALGARY Transit unveiled its first Siemens S200 high-floor LRVs on January 15 and says it is on course to introduce the new fleet on the CTrain light rail network this spring.

A project to substantially increase capacity on Toulouse metro Line A took an important step forward on January 15, when Mr Jean-Michel Lattes, president of the city's transport authority Tisséo, and Mr Eric Cazeaux, director of Siemens Mobility France, signed a €66m contract to upgrade the 12.3km driverless line from Blama-Gramont to Basso-Cambo.

THREE months ahead of schedule, the first Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) class 4744 Cityjet EMUs for the southern province of Styria entered passenger service on January 11.

THE first Sr3 Vectron electric locomotive for Finnish national train operator VR Group left Siemens' Allach plant in Munich on January 3 on the first stage of its journey to Finland.

INITIAL testing has been completed at Siemens' Allach plant in Munich on the first three EU 46 Vectron electric locomotives for PKP Cargo.