AUSTIN Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) has revealed plans for a $US27m capacity upgrade on the 51km Capital Metro Red Line between central Austin and Leander, Texas, less than four years after the line opened.
GOTHENBURG Tramways has invited expressions of interest for a contract to supply up to 100 low-floor LRVs with an initial order for 40 vehicles, which will replace the oldest trams in the city's fleet.
BRAZILIAN president Mrs Dilma Rousseff announced on January 17 that the federal government has reached an agreement with the state of Minas Gerais and the municipality of Belo Horizonte to invest Reais 2bn ($US 853m) in the expansion of the city's metro network.
WARSAW Tramways signed a Zlotys 167.9m ($US 54.8m) contract with Pesa, Poland on January 15 for 30 type 134N Jazz low-floor LRVs, which will be used on lower-density routes in the city.
THE FIRST of 31 Škoda type 26THU3 ForCity low-floor LRVs for Hungary's third-largest city Miskolc entered service on Line 1 on January 20 following the completion of more than 11,000km of endurance testing.
THE Urban Community of Marseille Provence Métropole has issued a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union for a contract to carry out feasibility studies for a 4.1km eastern extension of metro Line M2 from Dromel-St Marguerite to St Loup-Pagnol.
BRITAIN's Department for Transport (DfT) announced the shortlist of bidders on January 17 for the contract to operate the InterCity East Coast franchise for eight or nine years from February 2015.
ALSTOM has announced plans to invest €15m in new assembly line at its Taubaté hydro manufacturing plant in the Brazilian state of São Paulo to produce light rail vehicles for the South American market.
TEL AVIV Metropolitan Mass Transit System (NTA) announced on January 13 that four international consortia have prequalified for the railway systems contract for the city's planned 22km light rail Red Line from Petakh-Tikva to Bat Yam.
THE FRENCH city of Besançon celebrated a milestone in the construction of its low-cost light rail network on January 15, when test operation began on the city centre section between Planoise and Viotte stations.