ZIMBABWE’s Ministry of Transport is trying to negotiate a partnership deal with Transnet, South Africa, while the government is in talks with the Development Bank of South Africa to help fund the rehabilitation of Zimbabwe’s 2583km rail network, although previous negotiations with the bank came to nothing.

A new generation of rolling stock entered passenger service on Vancouver’s SkyTrain driverless light metro network on the morning of August 18, when Mr Kevin Desmond, CEO of transport authority TransLink and British Columbia Rapid Transit Company (BCRTC) president and general manager Mrs Vivienne King welcomed passengers on board the first Mark III train at Waterfront station.

PROPOSALS for a 74km light rail network and a second commuter rail line for Nashville have been included in a 25-year transit strategy for the region, which was presented to the boards of Nashville Metropoitan Transit Authority (NMTA) and Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) on August 17 following 16 months of public consultation.

THE California State Transport Agency (Calsta) announced on August 16 the 14 recipients for the $US 390m 2016 Transit and Intercity Capital Programme (TIRCP) grants, $US 374m of which will be invested in rail.

SOUTH African freight logistics, shipping and financial service company Grindrod has announced plans to sell its locomotive assembly business due to the company’s deteriorating financial performance and an impairment of Rand 675m ($US 50.6m) for its rail businesses.

MTR Corporation, Hong Kong, has awarded Mechan, Britain, two contracts to supply lifting jacks, bogie turntables and a bespoke bogie drop.

HIGH-SPEED testing is underway on the Treviglio - Brescia high-speed line in preparation for the start of commercial operations in December.

While industry leaders talk of the need for innovation, start-ups keen to enter the rail market face a daunting array of obstacles when it comes to pushing their technologies through. Keith Barrow looks at the situation in Britain, where a new report highlights the barriers to technical innovation and how they might be overcome.