THE project to automate Paris Metro Line 1 reached an important milestone on July 7 with the launch of full Unattended Train Operation (UTO) at weekends.

GREATER Stockholm Local Transport (SL) has awarded Strukton Rail two new contracts to maintain infrastructure on the 106km Stockholm metro network and the 65km narrow-gauge Roslagsbanan.

ANSALDO STS Australia has won two contracts worth a total of $A 362m ($US 371m) to supply signalling systems for Rio Tinto's heavy-haul iron-ore operations in Australia.

Norway's government will announce a revised 10-year transport plan and details of several new infrastructure projects in 2013. Kevin Smith spoke with Harald Nikolaisen, Jernbaneverket's director of construction and investments, about what the infrastructure manager has suggested these plans include.

IN an unexpected move, the Dutch Environmental and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) has banned Vossloh G1206 and G2000 diesel locomotives from operating light engine on the Dutch railway network.

THALES has signed a €2.1m contract with Grand Port Maritime du Harve (GPMH) for the turnkey installation of a Pivos computer-based interlocking system to serve lines at the Port 2000 terminal.

GERMANY's infrastructure manager DB Networks has selected Siemens to supply an electronic interlocking subcentre at Celle as well as five further distributed interlockings as part of the upgrade of the Hannover - Uelzen line.

SIEMENS has won three contracts to supply its Trainguard MT Communications-based train control system (CBTC) on new metro lines in the Chinese cities of Suzhou, Qingdao and Chongqing.

THE outgoing Dutch minister of infrastructure and environment, Mrs Melanie Schulz van Haegen-Maas Geesteranus, has told the Dutch Parliament that ERTMS will be rolled out over the country's entire national railway network.

HUNGARY'S National Infrastructure Development Company (NIF) has awarded Thales Austria a Euros 18m contract to install ETCS Level 2 on the 101km Boba – Bajánsenye line in western Hungary. The contract includes the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of ETCS Level 2, and adaption of the existing ETCS Level 1 equipment.

Upon completion of the project in September 2014, the maximum line speed will be raised from 100km/h to 120km/h. The line is part of part of Pan-European Corridor 5 (Venice – Ljubljana – Budapest Lvov – Kiev), and the project is 85% funded by the European Union.

Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) has included the extension of ETCS Level 2 from Boba to Hodoš in its investment plans for 2012-15.