KOREA's transport landscape is set to change forever in June 2016 with the entry of a new player into the high-speed passenger rail market. Supreme Railway (SR) will begin operating on the new Suseo high-speed line from Seoul Gangnam to Pyeongtaek, ending the incumbent, state-owned Korail's monopoly of passenger rail services outside of metropolitan areas.

WITH Hong Kong's public transport operator MTR preparing to open the latest additions to its metro network, the 2.6km Kwun Tong extension and the 7km South Island Line, 2016 is set to be another big year for the company.

SOUTHERN California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) has released the first images of the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) F125 locomotive, which will be compliant with the latest US EPA Tier 4 emissions standards.

THE European Railway Agency (ERA), which became operational in 2006, was set up by the European Union as part of its plan to create a single railway area. ERA is responsible for developing a common approach to safety, safety regulation and accident investigation, enhancing interoperability through the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) which it sets for railways and manufacturers and by acting as the system authority for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and facilitating the exchange of information within the railway sector.

GERMAN Rail (DB) is one of the world's biggest transport organisations with nearly 297,000 employees (64% of them in Germany) and group turnover of around €40bn in 2015. Yet despite its size and breadth of activities, DB faces an uncertain future - largely driven by changes in its "home" market.

THE year ahead and the longer-term future of European railways will certainly be shaped by the Fourth Railway Package, especially by the Technical Pillar, but there are other areas where we can expect to see changes. The railway community will need to be able to exploit all the opportunities opened up by technology and innovative business models to meet Europe's mobility needs in the coming decades.

BOMBARDIER ended 2015 announcing an important development: Canadian pension fund La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) will acquire a 30% stake in Bombardier Transportation to become a second shareholder alongside our parent company Bombardier, which will retain a 70% majority stake. La Caisse is a globally-invested pension fund and one of the largest institutional investors in North America.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has announced it will invest SFr 37m ($US 36.9m) in its workshops at Olten over the next two years to adapt the facility for the maintenance of SBB's growing fleet of multiple units.