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A DECADE after plans for a high-speed line from Sydney to Canberra were abandoned, Australia's transport and infrastructure minister Mr Anthony Albanese has announced the Labor government will commission an new feasibility study if it is re-elected in national elections on August 21.

TRENITALIA has confirmed a consortium of Bombardier and AnsaldoBreda is the preferred bidder to supply a fleet of 50 high-speed trains in a deal worth around Euros 1.2 billion.

THE MAYOR of London Mr Boris Johnson officially launched London's first air-conditioned Underground train today, with the entry into commercial service of Bombardier S-Stock trains on the Metropolitan Line.

PLANS to build a new underground central station and connecting lines in Stuttgart have suffered a setback after it emerged the total cost of the project has increased by Euros 865 million.

Last year the International Union of Railways (UIC) appointed a new management team with the aim of extinguishing an internal conflict, and restructuring the organisation to better reflect its global role. UIC director general Jean-Pierre Loubinoux explains to Keith Barrow how the UIC is working to reinforce international cooperation.

At the end of this year Australia will see its largest privatisation since the mid-1990s, when Queensland Rail (QR) will float its freight business, QR National, on the Sydney stock exchange. QR CEO Lance Hockridge explains to Keith Barrow why the sale is vital to the future of the company.

IF more evidence is needed of the growing resurgence of rail transport, then look no further than the August issue of IRJ. Expansion is underway in many parts of the world from Asia via the Middle East and Africa to Europe and across the Atlantic to the Americas. For someone who has been writing about railways for 30 years, the contrast between now and the 1980s could not be greater as the outlook back then was far from certain and in many cases decidedly bleak.

 

FOR the first time, the leading US trade associations are joining forces to stage a combined exhibition called Railway Interchange 2011. This will take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center on September 18-21 2011. The event will occupy nearly 28,000m2 indoors, plus 2.5km of track at Canadian Pacific's Humboldt Yard to display rolling stock and equipment. A bus shuttle will link the two sites.

GERMAN Rail (DB) CEO Mr Rüdiger Grube says his company is "back on track for growth" following improved financial results in the first half of this year. Compared with the same period in 2009, group revenues grew by 12.8% to Euros 16.5 billion while earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) rose 26% to Euros 846 million.

A SPENDING review by the Irish government has spared major rail projects in Dublin from the axe, although plans for new lines outside the capital face a less certain future.