Administrator

JR East responded to the Japanese government's request to cut power consumption by reducing train frequency on the Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen, and limiting train operations on some narrow-gauge lines, and suspending services on other lines. However, the power cuts were not as extensive as originally planned, and JR East has been able to operate more trains than expected. Nevertheless, only 20% of services were running on nine of its busiest lines.

THE New Zealand government has agreed to back plans to modernise the suburban rail network in the country's third-largest city Wellington. Under the deal, the government will contribute $NZ 88 million ($US 65.5 million) to complete infrastructure upgrades while Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) will borrow $NZ 80 million to refurbish Metlink's fleet of 43 EM class emus built by Ganz-Mavag, Hungary, which it will then assume ownership of from KiwiRail.

SWEDEN's Västtrafik, which is responsible for public transport in the county of Västra Götaland, has awarded Bombardier a Euros 73 million contract for the supply of six three-car Regina emus. Set to be delivered in 2013, the latest order will take the total number of Reginas in Västraffik's fleet to 26.

ALGERIA'S National Railway Investment Agency (Anesrif) has awarded a consortium of Spanish construction group FCC and ETRHB Haddad, Algeria, a Euros 1.23 billion contract to build a 66km line linking Tlemcen with the Moroccan border at Akkid Abbas.

ISRAEL National Roads Company today invited the first tenders for a new line that will revive the route of the former Hedjaz Railway. The 60km Jezreel Valley Railway from Haifa to Afula and Bet Sha'an will eventually form part of a connection between northern Jordan and Israel's Mediterranean Coast.

STADLER PANKOW is celebrating its largest-ever train order after signing a contract with Veolia Transport Regio, Germany, for 35 Flirt emus.

TURIN Transport Group (GTT) has inaugurated services on a 3.6km extension of the city's automated metro system.

TRANSNET, South Africa, has awarded a $US 230 million contract to supply 32 additional class 15E electric locomotives to Mitusi subsidiary Venus Rail Soultions.

A BID to prevent Florida governor Mr Rick Scott from rejecting $US 2.4 billion in Federal grant funding for a high-speed line between Tampa and Orlando today ended in failure after the State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Scott's favour.