TEST operation began on the first section of high-speed line in China's Xinjiang Uygar Autonomous Region on June 4 with the start of trials on the 300km Urumqi – Shanshan section of the Urumqi – Lanzhou high-speed line.
GERMANY's railfreight industry has seen its strongest first quarter growth since 2011 according to figures released on June 4 by the Federal Statics Agency (Destatis), which show quarterly volumes climbed 4.4% year-on-year to 92 million tonnes.
LUXEMBOURG moved a step closer to starting work on its first light rail line on June 4, when the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy approved legislation authorising construction of the first phase of the Luxtram network.
THE government of the Australian state of Queensland has announced plans to privatise the 1000km, 1067mm-gauge Townsville – Mount Isa line in Central Queensland as part of its 2014-15 budget strategy.
TAIWAN's Ministry of Transportation and Communications has proposed a radical financial restructuring of Taiwan High Speed Railway Corporation (THSRC) which it says will help the company overcome its continuing struggle with debt and avoid bankruptcy.
THE state government of Baden-Württemberg has submitted a €67m funding application to Germany's federal government to help finance the construction of a second metre-gauge tram line in the city of Ulm.
ALSTOM handed over the first of eight additional ETR 610 Pendolino EMUs to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) at its Savigliano plant in northern Italy on June 3.
THE Chilean embassy in Argentina and the government of the Argentinean province of Salta hosted a symposium for senior diplomats, politicians, and industrialists in Salta on May 29 with the aim of kickstarting the revival of the Northern Transandine railway.
THE first of a fleet of 120 1524mm-gauge LRVs ordered by Moscow tram operator Mosgortrans from a joint venture of Pesa, Poland, and Uraltransmash, Russia, entered trial passenger operation in the Russian capital on June 1.
CANBERRA's proposed 12.5km inaugural light rail line received a $A 21.3m ($US 19.8m) boost in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) budget which was announced on June 3, in an allocation the government says is designed to make the proposed public-private partnership project "investment ready."
