IN a ceremony held today in Gold Coast, Australia, Bombardier presented its first Flexity 2 LRV for the city's new light rail line, a 13km, 16-station link between Gold Coast University Hospital and Broadbeach.

SAMSUNG C&T has subcontracted the construction of the heavy-haul rail link to the new Roy Hill iron-ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to John Holland in a deal worth $A 257m ($US 240m).

NEW ZEALAND's national railway KiwiRail has reported an annual operating profit of $NZ 108.2m ($US 85.3m) for the financial year ending June 30, an increase of 3.1% compared with the previous financial year.

IN the run-up to Australia's federal election on 7 September 2013, both major political parties have given their backing to the eventual construction of the $A 5bn ($US 4.4bn) Inland Rail project, which will provide a new standard-gauge link between Melbourne and Brisbane.

THE Western Australian state government has committed to build both its planned Perth light rail and airport rail links despite considerable doubt about a federal government contribution.

THE government of the Australian state of Queensland has awarded a consortium led by Thiess Australia a $A 650m ($US 583m) contract to build the second phase of the $A 1.15bn Moreton Bay Rail Link.

NEW ZEALAND's national railway KiwiRail has taken delivery of three tampers and three ballast regulators, which were ordered in October 2011 at a cost of $NZ 12m ($US 9.6m).

LIQUIDATORS have been appointed to wind up Australian niche railfreight operator El Zorro Transport after the company incurred debts reported to be in excess of $A 10m ($US 9.2m).

NATIONAL Railway Equipment Company (NREC), United States, has won a contract to supply seven multi-engine N-ViroMotive locomotives to Pacific National, Australia, for shunting operations operation at the BlueScope steelworks at Port Kembla in New South Wales.