AFRICA: Société de Transport Ivoiro-Burkinabe has acquired rolling stock formerly used by Appenzeller Bahnen in Switzerland. Following refurbishment in France, the three BDe 4/4 II electric railcars, three ABt driving cars and nine second class coaches are to be used on thrice-weekly services between Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and Ouagadougou in

UK: The Scottish Government has given the go-ahead for detailed design work to support the proposed reopening of the 6·5 km railway serving Levenmouth at an estimated cost of £70m, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity Michael Matheson confirmed on August 8. The rail link had been identified as one of

BULGARIA: Infrastructure manager NRIC has awarded the ERTMS CA Voluyak DZZD consortium of local company AER and CAF Signalling a  contract to modernise signalling and telecoms on the 12 km route from Sofia to Obelya and Voluyak. Announcing the contract win on August 1, CAF Signalling said this was a strategic

NETHERLANDS: National operator NS has awarded Alstom a contract to supply a further 18 Intercity New Generation 200 km/h electric multiple-units, which will provide it with a pool of 20 units equipped for use on Amsterdam – Brussels services as well as domestic routes. This would enable the locomotive-hauled ICR stock which

TWO frustrated bidders for the South Eastern franchise could be set to join the growing number of companies sueing the Department for Transport over its handling of franchise competitions.The DfT has cancelled the competition for South Eastern, with the bidders down to two, saying it had ‘significant concerns that continuing

Plans to go in for new stationA REVISED planning application for a new station in the south western outskirts of Exeter is to be submitted by Devon County Council in the New Year. A previous proposal for the station at Marsh Barton failed after changes to design specifications caused costs

UK: The Rail Delivery Group will cease to be a member of the Eurail Group of railway companies with effect from January 1 2020, ending the ability of visitors to Great Britain to use the Interrail and Eurail pass schemes. RDG offers its own its range of BritRail passes. It said

UK: The Rail Delivery Group will cease to be a member of the Eurail Group of railway companies with effect from January 1 2020, ending the ability of visitors to Great Britain to use the Interrail and Eurail pass schemes. RDG offers its own its range of BritRail passes. It said

INTERNATIONAL: On August 2 a passenger train set out on the return leg of a coast-to-coast trip across Africa. Departing from the port of Lobito on Angola’s Atlantic coast and bound for the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean, the train had arrived in Lobito on

UK: The Department for Transport terminated the competition for the next South Eastern franchise on August 7, saying it had ‘significant concerns’ that continuing with the process ‘would lead to additional costs incurred to the taxpayer, with no certainty that this would deliver envisaged benefits for passengers in a timely