ITALY: Campania regional train operator Ente Autonomo Volturno has ordered five Stadler diesel-battery multiple-units by using an option within a framework contract for up to 50 units which Lombardia regional railway FNM signed with the Swiss manufacture in November. The two operators said this arrangement would enable them both to order high

A NEW round of London Underground pay negotiations is due to begin tomorrow (5 June), and the RMT has prepared the way by making a ‘clear demand’ for ‘a deal that reflects the growing workload and pressures’ which it says affect the staff.One point of contention, according to the RMT,

GERMANY: Toshiba Railway Europe unveiled a electric-diesel-battery hybrid traction technology demonstrator locomotive at the Transport Logistic trade show in München on June 4. The company has a contract to supply 50 diesel-battery centre cab locomotives to DB Cargo from 2021, TRE Managing Director Hinrich Krey told Railway Gazette. The demonstrator is

German private operator IGE has adopted the Calipri Prime contactless wheel profile measuring tool as a way of eliminating risk from the wheel inspection process. Inspecting the wheels of a train before it departs is a time-honoured part of ensuring safe railway operations. Like many operators, Germany’s Internationale Gesellschaft für

UK: Virgin Trains is developing a booking app which it says will guarantee that passengers obtain the cheapest walk-up fares by retrospectively looking at the trains used and recalculating the fare if a different ticket would have been cheaper than the one purchased. The system would automatically provide a partial refund

UZBEKISTAN: National railway UTY has finalised an order for a further two Talgo 250 trainsets for use from 2021 on Afrosiyob services between Toshkent, Samarkand, Qarshi, Bukhara and Khiva, along with four coaches to lengthen its original pair of Talgo 250 trainsets. The €57m order announced by Talgo on May 30 is

USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit has awarded Stadler a $199m contract to supply eight Flirt diesel multiple-units for the $1·1bn Cotton Belt Regional Rail Project in the northern suburbs of Dallas. The 42 km line between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano is under construction for opening by

GERMANY: Following a European tender, Baden-Württemberg’s rolling stock procurement body SFBW has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 18 two-car Lint 54 diesel multiple-units for use on Zollernalbbahn services between Tübingen and Aulendorf from December 2020.  The 140 km/h units will have 150 seats, air-conditioning, wi-fi, power sockets, passenger information screens and

SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is examining options for reintroducing overnight services to a range of European destinations. Armin Weber, Head of International Passenger Services, told Schweizer Radio & Fernsehen on May 30 that SBB had identified a market need and was looking at potential routes. If SBB decided to re-enter the

ANOTHER legal action has begun against the Department for Transport over its franchising process.It has been confirmed that Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Arriva has lodged a High Court Claim about the award of East Midlands to Abellio on 10 April, which alleges that Abellio was sent an email containing confidential information