AUSTRIA’s federal government has approved Austrian Federal Railways’ (ÖBB) infrastructure investment plan for 2017-2022, which pledges to spend €15.2bn on the rail network over the next five years.

THE University of Huddersfield Institute of Railway Research (IRR) is working with Siemens to develop a sensor system which could turn any rail vehicle into a track monitor to inspect the condition of rails and the track bed.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: Frauscher, Austria, unveiled its new acoustic sensing system which is able to monitor a railway along an optic fibre cable already belonging to the railway.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: Voestalpine demonstrated for the first time its interactive life-cycle cost tool for rails which will enable infrastructure managers to choose the ideal rail for their particular application.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: Linsinger, Austria, showed a prototype self-propelled grinding machine suitable for use in metros, and trials are planned later this year on the Berlin U-Bahn.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: A tunnel inspection vehicle designed and built by Plasser & Theurer for DB Network was officially presented to the German infrastructure manager at InnoTrans on September 21.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: ITALIAN steel producer Aferpi, Lucchini Rails and SMS Group have unveiled plans for a new rail production facility.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: HUNGARIAN State Railways (MÁV) presented its new FMK-008 track condition measurement train at InnoTrans, the first time it has been publicly displayed outside Hungary.

IRJ at InnoTrans 2016: Speaking at the opening press conference for InnoTrans 2016 in Berlin, Dr Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin, said a new exhibition hall will be ready in time for the 2018 edition of InnoTrans to cope with increasing demand for exhibition space.

CHINA’s high-speed network now exceeds 20,000km after the opening of a line linking Zhengzhou in the central Henan province with Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu on September 10.