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The long-planned merger of the transport subsidiaries of Veolia Environnement and Caisse des Dépôts to form Veolia Transdev was consummated in March. The company’s new CEO, Jérôme Gallot, took time at the UITP Congress in Dubai to talk to David Briginshaw about his ambitions for the new company.

THE SOUTH African government is preparing what it describes as an "ambitious fleet renewal strategy" for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).
Public enterprise minister Mr Malusi Gigaba told the South Africa Chamber of Commerce that the government will fund the procurement of "consistent and significant quantities of both electric and diesel locomotives annually over the next 15 years."

THE Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has begun test operation of phosphate trains on the 1392km North-South Railway.
The first train carried 200 tonnes of phosphate from the mines at Al Jalamid to the processing site at Ras Az Zawr in four wagons. When the line is fully operational, trains will be 2.8km long with five locomotives and 160 wagons, carrying a payload of up to 16,000 tonnes.

INFRASTRUCTURE managers (IMs) still lack the independence they need to meet the demands of international operations, according to the findings of a draft report on the European Commission's plans for a recast of the First Railway Package (FRP).

IRJ at the WCRR in Lille: "WE are building for the 21st century, not just amending the 19th," was the rallying call by Prof Andrew McNaughton, chair of the European Railway Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) and chief engineer of Britain's HS2 project, to delegates at this morning's plenary session.

ALSTOM and its Chinese joint venture Casco have been awarded two contracts worth a total of Euros 85m to supply its Urbalis Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) technology for metro lines in Shanghai and Kunming.

IRJ at the WCRR: The European Commission's (EC) White Paper on the future of transport over the next 40 years focuses on increasing the modal share of rail, with big plans for high-speed and railfreight.

MTR has signed agreements today with the Hong Kong government for the design, construction, operation and financing of two metro extensions. "Construction works will commence immediately with a view to extending our railway service to the southern part of Hong Kong Island as well as to Whampoa in Kowloon in 2015," says MTR CEO Mr C K Chow.

FINAL testing has begun on the new high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai. For the first time CR380A trains are operating on the entire 1318km route with testing set to continue for a month before the line opens for commercial services at the end of June.