FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) has selected Bombardier to design, manufacture and supply 860 double-deck emus for the French Regions. The Euros 8 billion framework contract includes the immediate supply of 80 trains valued at Euros 800 million, which will all be financed by the regions.

TRACK tests with ETCS Level 1 Limited Supervision (L1 LS) have been carried out for the first time at Burgdorf, Switzerland by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Developed by SBB, German Rail (DB), and industry partners, this is a simplified version of ETCS Level 1 to ease migration of railways to what could become a pan-European system.

MINING giant Rio Tinto has inaugurated the latest extension to Western Australia's Pilbara heavy-haul network with the opening of the 49km Robe Valley line from Pannawonica to the Mesa A/Warramboo iron-ore mine.

THE municipality of Amsterdam has selected Alstom for a Euros 200 million contract to supply 23 six-car metro trains. The Metropolis trains will be manufactured at Alstom's Valenciennes site in France and Katowice in Poland.

 

THE INDONESIAN government says it will invite bids in May for the construction of a $US 1.5 billion railway that will serve the coalfields of Central Kalimantan province in Borneo. According to the country's planning ministry, the 185km single-track line from Puruk Kahu to the Barito river port of Bangkuang will be built as a public-private partnership (PPP).

AN investigation is underway in Belgium after a head-on collision between two regional trains that left 18 dead and scores injured. The accident occurred at 08.30 this morning when a Quievrain - Liége train ran into a Leuven - Braine-le-Comte service at Buizingen near the town of Halle, 15km southwest of Brussels.

EUROSTAR must take steps to improve communications, winterisation of rolling stock, and emergency and evacuations procedures, according to an independent review into the failure of five trains in the Channel Tunnel on December 18.

 

THE first station in France to be built using the Corus modular platform system has been completed at Gallieni-Canceropôle on the Toulouse - Auch line. The station was built in just two months by contractor Connexinfra, and features two 115m-long platforms, built from Corus lightweight standard modular elements.

 

FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) has awarded a consortium headed by Systra a contract for infrastructure project management on the 12km, five-station Sartrouville - Epinay-sur-Seine section of the new 28km Tangentielle Nord line, a tram-train line that will link the northern suburbs of Paris.