THE board of Californian commuter rail operator Caltrain has approved contracts with a total value of $US 1.25bn for the electrification of the San Francisco - San Jose line, together with a new fleet of electric trains for the 82km route.

POWERLINES Group, Austria, has been awarded a contract by CCE Elektrik, Turkey, to supply overhead catenary components for electrification of new light rail lines in the Turkish cities of Izmir and Izmit.

THE Hungarian government finalised the 2016 budget on May 23 for the Integrated Programme for Transport (IKOP), which is 85% financed by the EU, and allocates a total of Forints 1216bn ($US 4.3bn) to transport projects including Forints 790bn for mainline and urban rail projects.

BELARUSIA Railway (BC) has completed electrification of the final section of the Minsk - Gomel line between Zhlobin - Gomel, close to the borders with Ukraine and Russia.

Israel's network expansion programme and technological upgrades are set to revolutionise rail transport in the country in the next four to five years. Kevin Smith visits facilities in Haifa and Lod to see how the railway is preparing for the transition.

Once the butt of jokes for its poor reliability and slow journey times, Israel Railways is undergoing a radical transformation which promises to turn it into a competitive and viable means of transport for more and more people. CEO Boaz Tzafrir outlines to Kevin Smith how the company is delivering these improvements.

THE German state of Baden-Württemberg has signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipalities of Waldshut and Lörrach, Hochrhein-Bodensee Regional Council, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV) and the Swiss cantons of Basel-Stadt and Schaffhausen on planning, financing, and implementation of a project to electrify the 75km Basle - Waldshut - Erzingen Upper Rhine Line, which straddles the border between the two countries.

With at least two sets of national rules and numerous location-specific technical considerations to contend with, cross-border ERTMS deployments can represent a daunting challenge for infrastructure managers. Keith Barrow looks at two key projects which are seeking to streamline international train movements on the Rhine-Alpine Corridor.

TORONTO and Hamilton transit authority Metrolinx outlined the four options being considered for the core of the Toronto Regional Express Rail (RER) network at a board meeting on February 10.

MALAYAN Railway (KTMB) has expanded its electric long-distance passenger services and cut journey times following the extension of 25kV ac electrification north from Ipoh to Butterworth and Padang Besar and south from Kuala Lumpur to Gemas.