THE Greek government has secured a €1m grant from the European Union (EU) TEN-T Programme to help fund a series of studies into the construction of a new 43km single-track line from Toxotes Xanthi on the existing Thessaloniki – Alexandroupoli line to the Aegean port of Kavala.

SAUDI Railways Organisation (SRO) has invited bids from consultants to study options for a high-speed line between the capital Riyadh and the Gulf port of Dammam.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) has launched the procurement process for its first electric trains by issuing a request for information (RFI) from potential suppliers of locomotives and multiple units.

DENMARK has secured €11.5m from the European Union's (EU) TEN-T programme to help fund a €115.5m project to electrify the 57km Lunderskov – Esbjerg line and improve rail links to the port of Esbjerg.

LOCAL authorities in Stockholm have reached an agreement on the expansion of city's metro network to support the construction of 78,000 new homes, which will help to meet rapidly-rising demand for housing in the Swedish capital.

THE 5km southern extension of Moscow metro Line 7 from Ryazanskiy Prospekt to Zhulebino was inaugurated on November 9 by the chairman of the Moscow Department of Construction Mr Andrey Bochkarev and Moscow Metro president Mr Ivan Besedin.

THE governor of Maryland Mr Martin O'Malley and members of the state's Board of Public Works (BPW) have approved the Maryland Transit Administration's (MTA) plan to implement the construction of the Washington Purple Line as a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

TRANSPORT for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced on November 8 that its Capital Projects and Policy Sub-Committee has backed plans to develop a tram-train strategy for the city and surrounding area.

BRITAIN'S Chancellor Mr George Osborne announced on November 7 that the government will establish a taskforce to study accelerating passenger services between London and eastern England.

ALMOST 30 years after the project was conceived, the Salerno Metro suburban line was inaugurated on November 4 by the city's Mayor Mr Vincenzo De Luca.