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IRJ at InnoTrans, Berlin: GENERAL Electric announced today that its project to develop a hybrid battery-diesel locomotive is making good progress. Last year GE committed $US 160 million to build a factory to make the batteries for the new locomotive. ``The facility will be running next year to produce the batteries," said Mr Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO of GE Transportation.

IRJ at InnoTrans, Berlin: The president of Russian Railways (RZD), Mr Vladimir Yakunin, signed a memorandum of understanding with the president of Transmashholding, Mr A Bokarev, and the president of Alstom Transport, Mr Philippe Mellier, to develop a prototype freight locomotive by April 2011. The new double Bo-Bo locomotive will be more powerful and more efficient than existing RZD locomotives.

IRJ at InnoTrans: The vice-president of the European Commission Mr Siim Kallas set out his vision for European railways at the opening session of InnoTrans in Berlin today. Kallas said that rail should play an essential role in reducing Europe's dependence on fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But in order to do this, there need to be radical changes in the structure of Europe's railways, which he described as ``obsolete". Kallas called for the creation of Europe-wide infrastructure managers and pan-European independent operators.