THE Spanish government finally confirmed this week that Renfe will start commercial services on the 165km high-speed line from Albacete to Alicante on June 18.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) says it is considering abandoning its fleet of V250 trains as it is unconvinced that AnsaldoBreda will be able to correct the numerous faults on the trains within an acceptable period.

Ouigo, SNCF's new low-fare TGV service, has got off to a flying start since its launch at the beginning of April. As David Briginshaw reports from Paris, the service has already achieved a high satisfaction rating with passengers and attracted more people to rail than expected.

TGV Lyria is forging ahead with new and improved services between France and Switzerland. Director general Alain Barbey spoke to Anitra Green about the company's progress.

IRJ at the 1520 Strategic Partnership: Mr Vladimir Yakunin, president of Russian Railways (RZD), has confirmed that the first high-speed line to be built in Russia will connect Moscow with Kazan.

TENDERS will be invited later this year by South Africa's Department of Transport to conduct a study into the likely cost and feasibility of building high-speed lines between the country's main cities.

A REPORT published today by Britain's National Audit Office (NAO) into the early stages of planning for High Speed 2 (HS2) suggests the Department for Transport (DfT) needs to strengthen the strategic business case for constructing the high-speed line from London to Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) and Renfe have postponed the launch of direct TGV services between Paris and Barcelona due to delays in completing certification of TGV Dasye sets for operation on the Figueres – Barcelona high-speed line.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) says design work could begin by the end of this year on the 790km Moscow – Kazan section of the proposed 1600km Moscow – Yekaterinburg high-speed line.

CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has revealed details of the five bids submitted in January for the contract to design and build the first section of the state's high-speed network.