FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) has chosen a group led by Vinci and including Caisse des Dépôts and AXA for final negotiation for a Euros 7.8 billion public-private concession to build a 340km high-speed line between Tours and Bordeaux. RFF hopes to sign the contract by the autumn. The financial arrangements will be finalised early next year to allow construction to start by the end of the year.

BRAZIL's National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) has opened the bidding process for a concession to build and operate a high-speed line between Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Campinas. The closing date for bids is November 29 and the winner will be announced at Commodities and Futures Exchange in São Paulo on December 16.

THE French government expects to complete by the end of the year its new National Transport Infrastructure Plan (Snit) which envisages an investment of Euros 170 billion over the next 20 to 30 years of which almost 52% will be for rail. Snit forms part of the so-called Grenelle Environment initiative and seeks to transfer 10 billion tonne-km of freight from road to rail by 2030, 2.5 billion passenger-km from road to rail, and 2 billion passenger-km from air to rail. This should reduce CO2 emissions by 2 million tonnes per year.

TITAGARH Wagons, India, has confirmed that it has purchased financially-troubled private French freight wagon manufacturer, IGF Industries-Arbel Fauvet Rail (AFR) in a Euros 15 million deal, Euros 2 million of which is for the company's assets.

THE Chinese government has agreed to invest $US 10 billion in 10 different railway projects in Argentina despite a continuing trade dispute between the two countries. The agreement was reached today during a visit to Beijing by Argentina's president Mrs Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) has announced plans to invest Euros 4 billion to improve infrastructure in the I'lle-de-France region centred on Paris in a move it says will reduce delays caused by infrastructure problems by 30% by 2012.

ALSTOM has won a Euros 42 million contract from the Metropolitan Community of Le Havre (Codah) to supply 20 Citadis LRVs for the city's first light rail line.

MOROCCAN National Railways has awarded a consortium of Egis and Moroccan partner Ingema the contract for design and construction management on the 87km northern section of the Kenitra - Tangiers high-speed line. Both Egis Rail and Egis Structures & Environment will be involved in the project until 2013.

FRANCE'S secretary of state for transport Mr Dominique Bussereau met today the national railfreight  monitoring committee and praised the progress of schemes included in the Euros 7 billion programme announced last September to increase the share of non-road freight transport.

PLANS to improve Mumbai's suburban railway system have received a major boost after the World Bank agreed to a $US 430 million loan for the project.