While high-speed lines have been built primarily to serve the inter-city market, regional travellers are also benefiting from the investment in new rail infrastructure. IRJ editors look at the development of regional high-speed in three European countries and consider the prospects for growth.

CHINA Railway Investment Corporation (CRIC), on behalf of China Railways (CRC), has published the winners of tenders for 175 high-speed trains with a maximum speed of 350km/h, and 57 trains with a maximum speed of 250km/h, with subsidiaries of CSR and CNR securing all of the contracts.

SPAIN's infrastructure manager Adif reopened the Figueres - Barcelona high-speed line on Saturday evening, five full days after the line was closed following severe flooding in the 7km tunnel below Girona.

CALIFORNIA High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) issued a request for expressions of interest on October 2 for a contract to supply the train fleet and rolling stock maintenance facilities for the first phase of the state's high-speed network.

INTERNATIONAL high-speed services between France and Spain have been suspended since September 29 after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in the 7km tunnel beneath Girona on the Figueres – Barcelona high-speed line.

THE Spanish Ministry of Public Works and Transport has published its draft budget for 2015 this week and once again funds allocated to rail investments will exceed those for the department's other areas of responsibility, notably roads and air transport.

BRITAIN's Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that the new National College of High Speed Rail, which will provide specialist vocational training to the next generation of engineers working on the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, will be located in Birmingham and Doncaster.

JR East and JR West have revealed the service pattern for the 228km Nagano – Kanazawa section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, which is due to open on March 14 2015.

THE steering committee of Italian open-access high-speed operator NTV voted on September 24 to restructure its debts, with shareholders expected to contribute capital, while the company has also decided to withdraw Italo services to the Adriatic Coast from the start of the 2015 timetable on December 15.

Ten years after the launch of KTX, Korea's high-speed rail network continues to grow and the country's railway industry is working on the development of the next generation of high-speed trains. Dr Gil-hyun Kang, senior vice-president of Hyundai Rotem, charts the evolution of KTX.