About the author

David Briginshaw

David Briginshaw joined IRJ in 1982 as associate editor, and was appointed editor-in-chief in 2001. He has travelled the world extensively interviewing many of the CEOs and senior managers of the world's railways and transit systems which has given him an in-depth knowledge of the global railway industry. David Briginshaw is currently consulting editor and associate publisher of IRJ.

May 28, 2014 | Financial

GE strengthens offer for Alstom’s Power division

DURING a meeting in Paris on May 27 with the French president Mr François Hollande, the CEO of General Electric (GE) Mr Jeff Immelt is understood to have improved GE's $US 16.9bn offer for Alstom's power division by pledging to create around 1000 more jobs in France within the next three years.

May 27, 2014 | Metros

Quito Metro invites bids for train fleet

QUITO Metro, which is building the first 22.5km 15-station underground metro line in the Ecuadorian capital, invites bids by June 16 for a $US 192.8m contract to acquire and finance trains, auxiliary vehicles and workshop equipment.

May 23, 2014 | Light Rail

Dammam public transport network approved

AN integrated public transport network of light rail and buses in Dammam could cost Riyals 60bn ($US 16bn) and be implemented by 2021, following its approval by Saudi Arabia's Council of Ministers on May 19.

May 23, 2014 | Signalling

ETCS Baseline 3 demonstrated successfully in Switzerland

TESTS of on-board functionality of ETCS Baseline 3, conducted on an operational line fitted with Baseline 2 ETCS in Switzerland during the second half of April, have successfully demonstrated the backward compatibility of the two versions of software, says Siemens.

May 22, 2014 | Financial

GE’s Immelt confident Alstom deal will succeed

SPEAKING at the 2014 Electrical Products Group conference in Florida on May 21, Mr Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE, said the acquisition of Alstom's power division is "a deal which we expect to close." He said GE is targeting closure in 2015.

May 22, 2014 | Africa

Nigeria invites companies to prequalify for rehabilitation projects

NIGERIAN Railway Corporation (NRC) is inviting contractors and consultants to prequalify by June 9 for a range of contracts to rehabilitate the railway as part of the federal government's Railway Rehabilitation Programme.

May 21, 2014 | Signalling

Colombian railway to install Positive Train Control

GE Transportation and PowerTrunk, a subsidiary of Teltronic, Spain, have signed an agreement to provide North of Colombia Railways (Fenoco) with an Incremental Train Control System (ITCS) over a digital Tetra radio network.

May 16, 2014 | Light Rail

Boston orders Green Line LRVs from CAF

MASSACHUSETTS Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has approved the purchase of 24 light rail vehicles from CAF, Spain, for the Green Line.

May 12, 2014 | Asia

Azerbaijan orders 8.8MW locomotives from Alstom

ALSTOM has won a €300m contract from Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) for 50 type KZ8A 8.8MW electric locomotives. The contract was signed in Baku in the presence of the president of Azerbaijan Mr Ilham Aliyev and the French president Mr François Hollande.

May 12, 2014 | Main line

Cuvillier accelerates Provence – Côte d’Azur new line project

FRANCE's secretary of state for transport, Mr Frédéric Cuvillier, has asked for studies for priority sections of a new line linking Marseille, Toulon and Nice to be accelerated with a view to obtaining a declaration of public utility for the project by 2017.