QATAR Railways' (QR) CEO Mr Saad Al-Mohannadi says that the first tender for the project to build a network of railways across the Persian Gulf emirate will be delayed until the third quarter of 2012.

SAUDI ARABIA'S Landbridge project finally looks set to go ahead after the Council of Ministers approved construction of the new link between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

FIGURES released by China's Ministry of Railways show the country maintained strong growth in rail traffic during the first three quarters of this year, despite the impact of July's fatal collision near Wenzhou, which prompted speed reductions on high-speed lines.

VEOLIA Transdev and Trenitalia today announced France's first open-access passenger operator will begin operating overnight services from Paris to Milan and Venice on December 11.

NORTHERN IRELAND'S transport minister Mr Danny Kennedy has announced the launch of a project to rehabilitate the Coleraine - Londonderry line will be brought forward from 2014 to next year.

SPANISH rolling stock manufacturer CAF has secured its first train order from Australasia with the signing today of a contract for 57 three-car emus for Auckland.

THE STATE of Michigan has reached an agreement with Norfolk Southern to acquire the 217km Kalamazoo - Ann Arbor - Dearborn line in a move that will secure the future of Amtrak services between Chicago and Detroit. The $US 140m purchase was funded with the aid of a Federal Railroad Administration grant and will pave the way for the upgrading of the route for 177km/h operation.

CANADIAN engineering and construction group SNC Lavalin has acquired British railway technology consultants Interfleet Technology for an undisclosed sum.

SWEDISH transport administration Trafikverket and Railcare, Sweden, have today unveiled a new snow-clearing machine at the Nordic Rail exhibition in Jönköping, Sweden.

PLANS to implement the European Rail Traffic Management System on Poland's main lines reached a milestone on September 26, with the first test operation of rolling stock equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1.