IN preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy in Atlantic City this evening, rail services have been suspended along the eastern seaboard of the United States from Washington DC through Philadelphia and New York to the south of Boston.
PAULISTA Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM) has awarded three contracts to upgrade the traction power supply system covering the six-line 284km São Paulo commuter rail network.
MARYLAND Board of Public Works has awarded Bombardier Transportation a $US 205m service contract to operate Maryland Area Regional Commuter (Marc) commuter rail services on the Camden (Baltimore Camden - Washington DC) and Brunswick (Martinsburg - Washington DC) lines from June 2013.
PLANNING approval has been granted by the Australian state government of New South Wales for the start of construction on the North West Rail Link, a 23km line to Rouse Hill to Epping via Castle in the northwest Sydney suburbs.
KENYA Railway Corporation (KRC) has revived an international tender for a design and build turnkey project for a 7km commuter line in Nairobi after it was suspended in the second quarter when Kenya put on hold a planned $US 200m infrastructure bond.
THE Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has received seven bids for its Rand 123bn ($US 14.93bn) rolling stock fleet renewal programme (IRJ June p16) for state-owned commuter operator Metrorail.
GREATER Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) is to order an additional 35 FP class Matangi two-car emus from Hyundai-Rotem for Metlink suburban services, instead of refurbishing the fleet of 44 EM class emus built by Ganz Mavag, Hungary, in 1982.
THE governor of the state of São Paulo Mr Geraldo Alckman has approved the launch of a Reais 153m ($US 75.4m) international tender for the design of the 47km express rail link between São Paulo and Jundiaí.
SIEMENS and Stadler Pankow have formed a consortium to bid for the contract to supply trains for the forthcoming Berlin S-Bahn Ring Line concession, which is currently being tendered by Berlin Brandenburg Transport Authority (VBB).
THE first of 28 double-deck emus for the Bern S-Bahn was handed over by Stadler to BLS in a ceremony today in the Swiss capital.