About the author

Keith Barrow

Keith Barrow joined IRJ as News Editor in 2006 and was promoted to Associate Editor in 2008. He was previously editor of employee publications for the Welsh Assembly Government, G4S, and Thomsonfly, and has written for a range of other publications including the Derby Telegraph. He graduated from Lincoln University in 2002 with a degree in journalism.

September 18, 2017 | Main line

MÁV-Start to cut international services

HUNGARIAN national train operator MÁV-Start is planning to scale back international services from December due to mounting losses in the sector.

September 18, 2017 | Rolling stock

Bangladesh Railways orders 200 coaches

BANGLADESH Railways (BR) signed a Taka 5.79bn ($US 71m) contract with Indonesian rolling stock supplier PT Inka in Dhaka on September 14 for 200 metre-gauge coaches.

September 18, 2017 | Europe

Uppsala - Gävle track-doubling completed

TRACK doubling of the Uppsala - Gävle stretch of the Stockholm - Sundsvall East Coast Line was completed on September 17 with the official inauguration of the second track on the 4km Löten - Samnan section near the historical site of Gamla Uppsala.

September 15, 2017 | Light Rail

Potsdam receives first lengthened Combino LRV

POTSDAM marked a milestone in a €50m project to upgrade its 29km tram network on September 7, when the first Siemens Combino LRV to be lengthened from 30.5m to 41.6m arrived back in the German city.

September 15, 2017 | Keith Barrow

Cross-border rail links - the spark to ignite intra-African trade?

OVER the last 20 years the value of trade between Africa and the rest of the world has quadrupled, but trade between African nations remains extremely limited. According to the World Trade Organisation, intra-regional trade accounts for just 18% of Africa’s total trade volume. This compares with 50% for North America, 52% for Asia, and 70% for Europe.

September 15, 2017 | Metros

Singapore LTA awards Thomson East Coast Line operating contract

SINGAPORE Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on September 15 that it has awarded SMRT Trains a nine-year contract to operate the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), which is due to open in phases from 2019 onwards.

September 15, 2017 | Freight

Incoherent policy putting French rail freight at risk, warns Court of Auditors

FRANCE’s Court of Auditors has expressed concern over the fragility of French National Railways’ (SNCF) freight operations in a communication to government ministers which calls into question the “coherence and effectiveness” of French freight transport policy.