FRANCE's junior transport minister, Mr Frédéric Cuvillier, has instructed French Rail Network (RFF) to produce a plan within six months to renovate the country's rail network, and in particular its major rail corridors.

HARSCO has secured three contracts worth a total of $US 85m to supply and service track maintenance equipment.

A new 2.4km-long, dual gauge single track access to the Port of Barcelona opened last week. The line connects the new Prat dock with Adif's 1668mm-gauge network and the Barcelona - Figueres - Perpignan mixed-traffic 1435mm-gauge high-speed line through the Can Tunis rail yard.

A consortium of Pöyry's urban business unit and German engineering consultant PTB Magdeburg have secured a contract from DB Projects for construction management and supervision of the refurbishment and electrification of the Upper Rhine railway between Erzingen on the German – Swiss border and Beringen to the west of Schaffhausen.

INTEREST was high in Linsinger's MG31 milling machine at InnoTrans which was on display for the first time at the outside track area.

FRENCH construction companies Travail Sud Ouest (TSO) and Eurovia Travaux Ferroviares (ETF) have selected Vossloh to deliver points and rail fastenings for the 340km South Europe Atlantic High-Speed Line between Tours and Bordeaux.

TWO leading providers of rail technology services, Switzerland's Sersa Group in and Rhomberg Rail Holding, Austria, have announced plans to merge.

KIWIRAIL is to slash its infrastructure and engineering workforce by almost a quarter as part of its continuing drive to reduce operating expenses by $NZ 200m ($US 164m) over three years.

The world's leading mining companies are preparing massive operations in Mozambique's Moatize basin which holds one of the world's largest untapped coal deposits. Kevin Smith and John Batwell look at plans to develop railway infrastructure to aid extraction of the country's mineral wealth.

With its punishing gradients, sharp curves, and intensive freight traffic, the Brenner corridor between Germany and Italy poses daily challenges for the many operators that use the route. Erwin Reidinger looks at how significant investment in additional capacity will bring a step-change in performance on this vital transalpine artery.