ALL traction power for the Dutch railway network will come from wind turbines under a new energy contract signed on May 15 between power company Eneco and Vivens, an energy procurement joint venture which includes Netherlands Railways (NS), Veolia, Arriva, Connexxion and railfreight operators.

BELGIAN National Railways (SNCB) has agreed a €2.5m settlement with AnsaldoBreda over its cancelled contract for three V250 high-speed trains, ending legal proceedings against the Italian manufacturer over the much-maligned rolling stock for the now abandoned Fyra service.

An innovative concept for turnouts functioning in sub-zero temperatures that eliminates the need for a point heater has been developed by Dutch mechanical design engineer, Richard de Roos, at his own risk and expense.

THE DUTCH province of South Holland has selected Netherlands Railways (NS) and its German subsidiary Abellio Regio NRW to operate regional passenger services on the electrified line between Gouda – Alphen-aan-den-Rijn.

AT the request of manufacturer Bombardier, Netherlands Railways (NS) withdrew its entire fleet of Traxx F140 MS (class 186) multi-system locomotives from service on April 8 due to excessive pantograph wear.

AnsaldoBreda has generally hit the news headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent years. But with a sale of the company now appearing a distinct possibility, significant restructuring work has taken place behind the scenes to secure the manufacturer's long-term future, as Kevin Smith and Marco Chiandoni discover.

BRITAIN's Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded Northern a so-called "direct award" franchise for 22 months.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) has announced plans to refurbish its fleet of first generation VIRM double-deck emus, the oldest of which entered service 20 years ago.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) and Finmeccanica, the parent company of Italian rolling stock manufacturer AnsaldoBreda, have reached a settlement on the future of the V250 Fyra high-speed trains and the cancellation of the contract by NS.