BRAZIL's Logistics and Planning Company (EPL) has announced it will issue tender documents in May for the contract to build the Central-West Integration Railway (Fico).

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have agreed to provide a $US 260m loan to support the construction of Ho Chi Minh City metro Line 5.

CONSTRUCTION has been completed of the first metro line in the Chinese city of Harbin and a fleet of 17 six-car trains has been delivered by CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles ready to start trial operation.

A TENDER notice was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 13 for a contract to operate direct cross-border passenger services between The Hague and Brussels.

FOLLOWING an extensive judicial review, the High Court in London today rejected nine of the 10 legal challenges brought against the first phase of High Speed 2 from London to Birmingham and Lichfield.

BRAZILIAN mining giant Vale announced on March 11 that it has suspended a project to develop one of the largest potassium mines in the world in Argentina's Neuquén province, which included the construction of an 83km railway.

SPANISH infrastructure manager Adif and Alstom have signed an agreement to develop a new dual-gauge signalling system for 1668mm-gauge and 1435mm-gauge trains operating on the same tracks.

BRITAIN's franchised passenger operators continued to defy the stagnant economic conditions during the third quarter of the 2012-13 financial year according to the latest figures from the Office of Rail Regulation, which reveal record ridership for the period between October 1 and December 31.

THE SAUDI cabinet granted approval on March 11 for Jeddah's Riyals 45bn ($US 12bn) transport master plan, which includes the construction of a 108km light metro network.