BRAZIL'S national development bank (BNDES) has offered to lend up to Reais 19.98 billion ($US 11.8 billion) to the constructor of Brazil's first high-speed line in a move that aims to minimise risks to investors and speed up implementation of the project.

GREATER Stockholm Local Transport (SL) has awarded Ansaldo STS a Euros 80 million contract to totally replace the signalling system on the metro Red Line.

BRITISH track authority, Network Rail, has awarded Signalling Solutions, a joint venture between Alstom and Balfour Beatty Rail, two contracts worth in excess of Euros 29 million to modernise signalling equipment in London and on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).

TWO CANADIAN pension funds have won the race to operate Britain's 110km High Speed 1 rail link from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel. Borealis Infrastructure and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan will pay £2.1 billion to run the line for the next 30 years, slightly above the £1.5 - £2 billion estimate that state-owned London & Continental Railways (LCR) aimed to raise from the sale.

THE Línea Una consortium consisting of FCC construction, Spain, Odebrecht, Brazil, and Alstom has secured a $US 1.45 billion contract to build Line 1 of Panama City's metro.

THE European Commission (EC) is reportedly requesting that British authorities respond to accusations from Alstom that Eurostar's Euros 700 million order for 10 Siemens e320 high-speed trains fails to comply with EU public procurement rules.

IRJ at the CBTC World Congress in Paris: Mr Gérard Yelloz, a vice-president with Siemens Mobility, has suggested a way of realising some of the benefits of CBTC without the expense of going to full driverless operation which usually requires platform screen doors, a full safety case, and changes to operating rules.

IRJ at the CBTC World Congress in Paris: Fitting out has started on the 22km metro line being built from Kadikoy to Kartal on the Asian side of Istanbul. Demonstration operation is planned to begin on a 4km section in May 2011 with the entire line to open on December 31 2011.

SERVICES commenced today on the second phase of the Seoul - Busan high-speed line between Daegu and Busan in Korea. Costing Won 7.95 trillion ($US 7.08 billion) and taking eight years to construct, the new 124.2km line reduces journey times on the entire 417.5km route between Seoul and Busan by 22 minutes to 2h 18m.

ALSTOM has failed in its attempt to prevent Eurostar from buying 10 high-speed trains from Siemens. Alstom had sought an injunction in the High Court in London because it said the tender process was flawed.