MTR Corporation, Hong Kong, achieved a 3.8% increase in revenues last year as the company continued to expand its international operations, particularly in Europe.

UZBEKISTAN Railways (UTY) celebrated a milestone in the construction of the 122.7km Angren - Pap line on February 27, when a ceremony was held to mark the completion of the 19.2km Kamchik Tunnel.

FOLLOWING an international tender, Bangladesh Railways (BR) has awarded PT Inka, Indonesia, a Taka 5.62bn ($US 71m) contract to supply 150 stainless steel-bodied passenger coaches, including 50 broad-gauge and 100 metre-gauge vehicles.

THE Chinese city of Qingdao has launched passenger operations on the city's inaugural light rail line, the 9km link from Qianwangtuan to Chenyang Wholesale Market.

THE Thailand Transport Ministry is seeking cabinet approval for a 60km, Baht 25bn ($US 701m) railway linking Phuket International Airport to the Chalong intersection.

KORAIL will open an extension to the Suin (Suwon-Incheon) Line commuter rail on February 27 from the current terminus of Songdo to Incheon where it will connect with Line 1 of the Seoul metro.

JAKARTA's long-awaited Soekarno-Hatta Airport rail link project has secured a $US 53.3m syndicated loan for the purchase of 10 trains, state-owned infrastructure financing firm, Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI), has confirmed.

INDIAN Railways (IR) recorded a 3.7% fall in revenue to Rs 1360bn ($US 19.8bn) between April 2015 and January 2016, compared with a forecast of Rs 1414bn. Despite the shortfall the forecast in the 2016-17 budget is for revenue to rise by 10.1% to Rs 1842bn.

Rolls-Royce, Britain, and China Yuchai International subsidiary Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company (GYMC) have formed a 50:50 joint venture for the production of MTU diesel engines under licence in China. Both parties will invest RMB 75 million ($US 11.4m) in the joint venture.

JR East, Japan, plans to spend Yen 1.04 trillion ($US 9.1bn) on upgrading its Tokyo - Morioka and Niigata – Omiya high-speed lines from 2031.