IRJ IN-BRIEF - Fleet: Spanish anti-Covid measures certified; Myanma Railways receives six trains; Thailand orders 50 locomotives.

Renfe also confirmed that its Avant fleet has met the Aenor protocol. The operator's Ave, Alvia, Euromed, Intercity fleets are already certified.

Belgium: SNCB has announced that all future rolling stock purchases will stipulate that passenger vehicles must have an entrance height of 76cm, equal to the construction height of new platforms. This will ensure accessibility for passengers with limited mobility.

Poland: Leasing company Rail Capital partners (RCP) has received the first Dragon 2 electric locomotive from Newag. RCP will receive a further two units in November ahead of the start of leasing the locomotives in January 2021.

Myanmar: Myanma Railways (MR) has received delivery of six trains from an order of 24 from Japanese manufacturer Niigata Transys for use on the Yangon - Taungoo line. The remaining trains will be delivered in three batches between December 2020 and April 2021.

Thailand: State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has awarded a Baht 6.53bn ($US 209.3m) contract for 50 diesel-electric locomotives manufactured by CRRC Qishuyan. The order will be procured through the SFR joint venture of Thai firms Sanfoko and River Engineering. The locomotives have a top speed of 120km/h and will be used to haul both passenger and freight trains.

Austria: Siemens has begun trials with a 230km/h Vectron locomotive variant equipped with modified bogies. Tests were carried out in Tyrol, on the Semmering Line and on the Vienna - St Pölten high-speed line.

Russia: Transmashholding (TMH) has confirmed that it will deliver three type RA-3 Orlan diesel trains to the Sakhalin Railway, a subdivision of the Far Eastern Railway, by the end of October.

Poland: The first of four Newag Impuls 2 DMUs for regional operator Greater Poland Railways (KW) has begun approval testing at Polish Railway Institute in Żmigród. KW ordered the trains in September 2019 in a contract worth Zlotys 77m ($US 20.2m).

Switzerland: Stadler has chosen to extend a contract with Huber+Suhner for the supply of Radox railway cables under a new agreement which will run until 2023. The cables will be used for the implementation of power, control and communications systems on Stadler trains and LRVs.