FRENCH National Railways has exercised a €56.5m option with Bombardier on behalf of the region of Midi Pyrénées for eight additional Regio 2N double-deck EMUs.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) began dynamic testing on the second phase of TGV Est on September 28, when a 10-car TGV Duplex set ran at speeds of up to 160km/h over the 106km extension from Baudrecourt to Vendenheim.

Current prospects for the global rail track system market are mixed according to the latest study by German consultancy SCI Verkehr. CEO Maria Leenen and senior consultant Karl Strang profile the results.

UNDER the French government's national accessibility programme, French National Railways (SNCF) has agreed to invest €820m during the next nine years to improve access for mobility-impaired passengers to 160 national points of access defined by the Ministry of Transport.

ILE-DE-FRANCE transport authority Stif announced on September 24 that it has agreed terms with French National Railways (SNCF) and Paris Transport Authority (RATP) for two contracts to fund operation and investment in the bus, light rail, metro, and suburban rail networks in and around Paris.

THE train operating arm of French National Railways, SNCF Mobility, achieved a 3.7% increase in turnover to $14.26bn for the first half of 2015 due to a slight improvement in the French economy, special offers to stimulate rail travel, and strong growth in SNCF's Keolis and Geodis subsidiaries.

FRENCH infrastructure manager SNCF Network has begun work on a €110.5m project to reinstate the 22km link between Belfort and the town of Delle on the Swiss border, which was abandoned in 1992.

SWITZERLAND's Federal Office of Transport (BAV) has granted Basle Transport Authority (BVB) planning permission for the Swiss section of the cross-border extension of tram Line 3 to Saint Louis in France.

TUNNELLING was officially launched on the 5.8km northern extension of Paris metro Line 14 from St Lazare to Mairie de Saint Ouen on September 9, when the project's first tunnel boring machine was christened Magaly.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) has announced plans to triple the number of routes operated its Ouigo low-cost high-speed subsidiary next year.