CHINA Railway (CRC), the state-owned national operator, has been appropriated a Yuan 800bn ($US 115.13bn) budget for 2017 as it pushes ahead with network and service expansion following a record-breaking 2016.
FRANCE and Spain took control of the international high-speed rail link between both countries on December 21 after the contract with concessionaire TP Ferro was terminated following the company’s liquidation in September.
BAYERN LB and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CIB) announced on December 14 that they will finance 28 trains that will be operated by Transdev subsidiary Bavaria Regional Rail (BRB) from December 2018 on the Munich/Augsburg - Füssen and Augsburg - Landsberg network.
SLOVAKIA’s national train operator ZSSK has scrapped a tender for the purchase of 25 EMUs amounting to €160m.
WABTEC announced on December 20 that it has acquired engineered freight car components supplier Workhorse Rail, United States.
SMBC Rail Services, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitusi Banking Corporation, has agreed to acquire American Railcar Leasing, the sixth largest wagon leasing company in the United States with a fleet of 34,300.
THE board of French infrastructure manager SNCF Network approved the draft of its first multi-year performance contract with the government, which includes a 10-year spending plan, during a meeting on December 20.
VOSSLOH signed a contract for the sale of its electric systems business division, Vossloh Kiepe to Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems on December 21, a further step in the company’s transition to focus entirely on infrastructure.
ALSTOM has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Nomad Digital, Britain, a supplier of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions.
THE government of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Railway (BR) have agreed a memorandum of understanding with DP Rail, Britain, to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the new 240km Dhaka - Payra railway.
