RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) announced on January 10 that Sapsan high-speed trains carried 4.8 million passengers in 2016, 37.4% more than in 2015.

SPANISH infrastructure group FCC Construction announced on January 6 that it has completed the boring of the Bolaños tunnels on the Madrid - Galicia high-speed line.

THE Korean Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit) announced on January 6 that non-stop trains between Seoul and Busan would be making a comeback in June or July this year.

JAPAN’s coalition government agreed on December 20 to adopt a route via Obama for the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tsuruga to Kyoto.

FRANCE and Spain took control of the international high-speed rail link between both countries on December 21 after the contract with concessionaire TP Ferro was terminated following the company’s liquidation in September.

SOUTH KOREA’s national railway operator, Korail, announced on December 30 that it has signed a Won 260bn ($US 216m) contract to purchase 84 high-speed EMU-250 units from Hyundai Rotem.

INDIA’s National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRC), Japan International Consultants for Transportation (JIC), Nippon Koei, and the Oriental Consultants Global Company Limited joint venture has been appointed as general consultants to execute India’s first high-speed rail corridor linking Mumbai with Ahmedabad.

CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on December 16 for a contract to manage initial operation of its high-speed rail network.

THE French Railway Safety Board (EPSF) granted an Authorisation to Place in Service (APS) on December 15 to permit Siemens Velaro D class 407 high-speed trains to operate in multiple on the French rail network.

THE first completed driving car for NTV’s new fleet of Pendolino tilting trains was unveiled at Alstom’s Savigliano plant in northern Italy on December 15.