Dutch rescue The new chief exeutive of Dutch Railways was confirmed at the start of October as Roger van Boxtel. His appointment has followed the franchise bidding scandal which led to the resignation of Timo Huges in June. The new CEO wants to restructure NS, which he described as a ‘wounded animal’ following the franchise row, and also boost passenger numbers.
Italian link A recently-launched High Speed service is set to be extended by 150km to serve another town in southeastern Italy next summer. The Frecciarossa service has linked Milan and Bari since September, and will soon to continue to Lecce. Operating costs will be met by central government, and the transport minister signed an agreement in Rome on 14 October.
Trams deal French builder Alstom has won a 100 million-Euro contract from Casa Transport – the company in charge of Casablanca’s public transport – to provide 50 Citadis trams for a new section of tramway which is expected to open in late 2018. The first part of the tramway opened in December 2012, and usage has risen by 30 per cent since then.