THE government of the Brazilian state of Bahia has authorised a Reais 800m ($US 314m) financial package for the 5.5km extension of Salvador metro Line 1 from Pirajá and Águas Claras/Cajazeiras.

THE government of the Brazilian state of Ceará says it will launch a new tender on December 10 for a contract to complete construction of the Reais 265.5m ($US 102.7m) Parangaba – Mururipe LRT line in Fortaleza.

HYUNDAI-ROTEM, Korea, is to establish a rolling stock assembly plant in Brazil under an agreement with the government of the state of São Paulo, which was signed at Bandeirantes Palace on November 12 in the presence of the state's recently re-elected governor Mr Geraldo Alckmin.

ALSTOM announced on October 15 that it has delivered the last of 10 eight-car 4000 series Metropolis EMUs to Rio de Janeiro suburban operator SuperVia.

GE Transportation Brazil announced on October 9 that it has received the first order for its new metre-gauge ES43BBi Evolution diesel locomotive, which has been developed specifically for the Brazilian market.

PAULISTA Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM) has completed a feasibility study into a 30km north-south light rail line linking Guarulhos northeast of São Paulo with the districts of Santo André, São Bernardo, and São Caetano.

MOVE São Paulo, the PPP concessionaire responsible for building and operating São Paulo metro Line 6, has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) contract to provide railway systems for the 13.5km driverless line.

BRAZIL's federal government says it has received 81 study proposals from 19 groups for the construction of six new railway corridors totalling 4676km.

LIMITED public services began on the first phase of the metro network in Salvador, Brazil, on June 11, just two days before the city is due to host its first fixture in the 2014 football World Cup.

BRAZIL's minister of transport Mr Cesar Borges has announced that tender documents will be issued in August for the PPP concession to build and maintain the 901km line from Lucas do Rio Verde, in Mato Grosso state to Campinorte in Goiás, which will be operated on an open-access basis.