News from the world rail freight market.

UK: Transport for Greater Manchester has launched the process of appointing the next operating and maintenance contractor for the Metrolink light rail network, after the Great Manchester Combined Authority’s Bee Network transport committee opted for a revised franchising model rather than taking operations in-house.

CHINA: CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles has rolled out a 200 km/h ‘intelligent inter-city electric multiple-unit’ which integrates digital technologies.

BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has formally awarded the Alstom-led BULEMU consortium a contract to supply and maintain 35 Coradia Stream electric multiple-units.

UGANDA: A Limited Notice to Proceed has been issued along with US$83m of funding to enable lead contractor Yapı Merkezi to commence work on the 272 km Eastern Line from the capital Kampala to Malaba on the Kenyan border before the end of May.

COLOMBIA: The first of 30 six-car fully automated trainsets for Bogotá metro Line 1 is on test at CRRC Changchun’s plant in China.

CHILE: Passenger services on the Puerto Montt – Llanquihue line have restarted after a gap of 18-years.

UK: Arriva Group has announced plans to launch an open access passenger service between Newcastle and Brighton via Birmingham and London Gatwick Airport.

This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.

UK: UK Power Networks Services has begun work on a £24m project to upgrade sections of London Underground’s high voltage power network to support the introduction of Siemens Mobility trains on the Piccadilly Line.

BRAZIL: Local transport group Comporte Participações has won the bidding auction for the operation, maintenance, modernisation and extension of São Paulo suburban rail lines 11, 12 and 13 for 25 years.

ITALY: Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, national railway FS Group is to increase passenger services to Roma between April 23 and 27, while city transport operator ATAC is preparing to handle large numbers of visitors.

MOZAMBIQUE: CRRC Ziyang has begun delivering diesel locomotives to state-owned rail and port authority Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique.

FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has commissioned the first digital interlocking to be developed under the Argos programme. This aims to achieve a 30% reduction in deployment times and a 15% reduction in total cost of ownership, along with improvements in performance.

UK: Industrial locomotive leasing, rolling stock maintenance and engineering support company RMS Locotec has consolidated its operations from multiple locations at a single site in Chesterfield.

GERMANY: Over half of all Deutsche Bahn signal boxes need replacement, according to a report into the state of the more-than-34 000 km national network.

NORWAY: Stadler has announced a ‘significant’ contract to supply signalling systems for the expansion of Bergen’s Bybanen light rail network.

USA: The Inglewood Transit Connector project to build an automated peoplemover in the Greater Los Angeles area has been put on hold.

UK: Train running information website Realtime Trains now sells tickets under the Realtime Tickets brand, building on its established approach to simplifying complex rail data structures and also seeking to grow passenger demand by suggesting travel ideas.

GERMANY: DB Regio has formally awarded Stadler an order to supply 19 Flirt battery-electric multiple-units to help decarbonise regional rail operations in Thüringen.