David Briginshaw

SERVICES are being launched today on a tram-train line in northwestern France linking Nantes with Châteaubriant. Passengers will be able to try the new service free of charge until March 2.

THE recent spate of extreme weather which has affected countries around the world, has disrupted rail services due to lines being blocked by snow, ice, flood water, fallen trees and infrastructure failures. With more extreme weather events forecast due to climate change, the question is whether railways are robust enough to cope.

TAIWAN High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) has awarded a Yen 2.8bn ($US 27.5m) turnkey contract to Toshiba, Japan, for installation of electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems at three new stations.

BRITAIN's infrastructure manager Network Rail says it will now take until mid-April to repair the storm damage to the southwest main line at Dawlish rather than its original estimate of six weeks.

FIRST Capital Connect has been awarded a six-month extension to its Thameslink franchise while Britain's Department for Transport (DfT) assesses the bids from five companies for a new larger franchise which is due to start in September.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) managed to achieve a 0.5% increase in turnover to €32.2bn and a 2% rise in Ebitda to €2.8bn in 2013 despite a 1.8% drop in revenue from its Geodis freight business and a 1.4% decline in income from TGV services.

KOREA's national rail operator, Korail, has issued a call for tender for 15 10-car high-speed trains for operation on the new Wongang line which opens in 2017 and will link Wonju, southeast of Seoul, with the east coast city of Gangneung.

ESTAÇÃO da Luz Participações (EDLP), a Brazilian logistics company, has applied to the federal government to carry out a feasibility study for a new 1200km north-south railway called Ferrogrão.

VOTERS in Switzerland have approved by a majority of 62% the so-called Faif project to invest SFr 6.4bn ($US 7.1bn) in maintaining and upgrading the national rail network.

SPAIN's Ministry of Public Works (Fomento) has approved €280m of funding to equip the under-construction Grenada – Antequera high-speed line, enabling infrastructure manager Adif to invite tenders.