Brazilian Train Service Bought by Japanese Group

Mitsui and West Japan Railway now own Supervia, the suburban rail service of Rio De Janiero. "According to Mitsui, this is the first time a Japanese group has taken a controlling stake in an overseas railway. The company has now brought in JR West to provide the necessary operating expertise and help turn the declining business around," the Railway Gazette reports.

The Japanese consortium hopes to boost falling in ridership on the service with investments in modernizing the system and expanding service. "The Japanese partners expect to spend around ¥3bn a year on revitalising the network, including the installation of a new signaling system to improve performance and allow the operation of more frequent services at shorter headways," the Railway Gazette reports.