THE official opening date for the second tram line in Hungary's second-largest city Debrecen has been set for March 1 following the start of test operation last month.

FOR the first time since Eurostar services linking London, Paris and Brussels started in 1994 annual passenger traffic has reached 10 million journeys.

BEIJING's metro network reached 465km on December 28 with the start of public services on two new sections of Line 8, which links the city centre with the northern suburbs.

CHINA has marked the final days of 2013 by opening a number of high-speed lines in various parts of the country totalling 1501km.

A ground breaking ceremony was held in Shenzhen last week to mark the start of construction of MTR Corporation's first "rail-plus-property" project in mainland China.

ISREAL's prime minister Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, together with transport minister Mr Yisrael Katz and Israel Railways' general manager Mr Boaz Zafrir, opened an extension of the Tel Aviv - Ashkelon line south to Shderot on December 25.

THE Railway Research Institute (VUZ), Czech Republic, has issued Evraz, Russia, with a TSI compliance certificate for 920mm-diameter type BA 318 rolled railway wheels thereby allowing Evraz to start supplying these wheels to the European market.

RUSSIAN Railways International, a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD), will start in January to mobilise workers and equipment to enable work to begin in March to upgrade 370km of lines in Serbia and supply diesel trains to Serbian Railways.

MITSUBISHI Electric, Japan, has launched a 1.5kV dc traction inverter system which incorporates what it claims to be the world's first all-silicon carbide (SiC) power modules made with SiC transistors and SiC diodes.

BELGIAN National Railways (SNCB) has issued an invitation to tender for a framework contract to supply a fleet of 200km/h double-deck emus, which will help to meet growing demand on Belgium's inter-city network.