THE Association of French Regions (ARF) and the Federation of French Towns have warned the French government that it must act decisively to save the so-called balance of territory (TET) trains, a network of 40 loss-making long-distance services which serves 355 towns and cities across 21 regions.

IRELAND's National Transport Authority has granted Irish Rail (IE) approval to launch a new non-stop inter-city service from Cork to Dublin Heuston, which will shave 15 minutes off the current fastest journey time.

GERMAN Rail (DB) says it is on schedule to begin construction on a new depot for ICE high-speed trains at Nippes northwest of Cologne later this year after receiving final planning consent for the €220m project.

LEGISLATION to renationalise Argentina's railways become law on May 20 when President Mrs Christina Fernandez de Kirchner signed a bill reviving Argentinean Railways (FA) as a state company.

THE state government of Western Australia issued its budget for 2015-2016 on May 13 with a commitment to funding the extension of the TransPerth suburban network to Perth airport, but the proposed Max light rail project appears to have been put on hold.

A TE33A locomotive built by JSC Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty (LKZ), Kazakhstan, is undergoing trials with Polish operator PKP LHS on its 394km 1520mm-gauge line which links a steelworks near Katowice with the Ukrainian border.

WATCO Companies confirmed on May 18 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchased two west Texas shortlines from Iowa Pacific Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

HOUSTON will restart planning for its first commuter rail line under an agreement signed on May 18 by Republican Senator for western Harris County Mr John Culberson and Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) Mr Gilbert Garcia.

MYANMAR Railways signed a $US 19.9m contract with Mitsubishi Corporation and Hitachi on May 15 for resignalling of the 140km Yangon – Pyuntasa section of the Yangon – Mandalay line.

CHINA's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) confirmed on May 18 that it has approved the next phase of the metro network in Chengdu, which encompasses the construction of 79.1km of new lines by 2020.