THE Austrian cities of Linz and Graz both launched extensions of their tram networks on September 12.

Facilities at Deutsche Plasser's training centre in Bingen am Rhein are helping to dramatically reduce the time it takes to train track machine engineers, as Kevin Smith discovered during a visit to Germany's Rhine valley.

BOMBARDIER ended 2015 announcing an important development: Canadian pension fund La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) will acquire a 30% stake in Bombardier Transportation to become a second shareholder alongside our parent company Bombardier, which will retain a 70% majority stake. La Caisse is a globally-invested pension fund and one of the largest institutional investors in North America.

The availability of advanced telemetry looks set to transform operators' understanding of how energy is used on rail vehicles and how power consumption can be optimised.

PUBLIC consultation is now underway on the extension of Linz light rail Line 3 to Traun following the completion of planning for the project.