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RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) opened today a new rail link between Moscow Beloruskaya and Sheremetyevo Airport. There will be 27 trains per direction per day, with a journey time of 35 minutes.

ALGERIA's National Agency for the study and monitoring of rail investment projects, Anesrif, has invited bids by October 25 to study the construction of a 1200km 350km/h line running from the Tunisian border in the east to the Moroccan border in the west.

THE new CEO of German Rail (DB), Dr Rüdiger Grube, celebrated his first 100 days in office last month in what he must now realise is one of the toughest jobs both in Germany and the rail industry worldwide. Not only is he having to deal with the devastating effects of the biggest global recession since the Great Depression on DB's huge international freight and logistics operation, but he also faces the massive challenge of trying to repair DB's badly-damaged image and low staff morale in the wake of a series of crises. 

THE BRITISH and Scottish governments have unveiled two separate plans that will see more than £2 billion invested in three major electrification projects over the next eight years.

AFTER a sharp decline in volumes this year, German railfreight operators can look forward to much better trading conditions in 2010 according to a study for Germany's Ministry of Transport. Intraplan Consult, Germany, calculates that by the end of this year volumes in Europe's largest railfreight market will have slumped 18%, compared with a drop of 10.8% for road freight. However, it predicts that 2010 will see an upturn in volumes.

BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) has revealed its vision of a high-speed line from London to northern England and Scotland in a study that claims high-speed rail could almost eradicate domestic air travel.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) now controls 50% of the shares in Mongolia's Ulan Bator Railway (UBR) after the Russian President Mr Dimitry Medvedev signed a decree transferring all the Russian government's shares in UBR into the ownership of RZD for a five-year period.

NS HISPEED says it will begin operating its interim 160km/h Amsterdam - Rotterdam service via HSL South on 7 September, marking the start of commercial operations on the troubled high-speed line. Trains will run hourly on weekdays using Bombardier Traxx locomotives and seven ICR coaches, with the 72km journey taking 39-43 minutes.

GERMAN Rail (DB) is warning freight volumes could take years to recover to pre-recession levels after revealing its operating profits had plummeted by 52.6% in the first half of this year.