SAUDI Railways Organisation (SRO) and Indra, Spain, have chosen Kapsch CarrierCom to install GSM-R on the 450km Haramain high-speed line under construction between Mecca, Jeddah, and Medina.

TAIWAN High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) has awarded a consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Toshiba the contract for trackwork and electrical & mechanical (E&M) works on the 9.2km extension of the Kaohsiung – Taipei high-speed line from Taipei Railway Station to Nangang.

THE FIRST of 20 seven-car Pendolino sets for PKP Intercity was presented to the Polish deputy transport minister Mr Andrzej Massel and PKP Intercity CEO Mr Janusz Malinowski at Alstom's Savigliano plant in Italy on June 17.

THE European Commission (EC) has issued a formal request to the French and British governments to enforce European regulations on track access charging for freight and passenger trains in the Channel Tunnel, which have been branded "excessive" by transport commissioner Mr Siim Kallas.

SPAIN celebrated the launch of high-speed services between Madrid and Alicante on June 17 with the official opening of the Albacete – Alicante high-speed line by His Highness Prince Felipe of Asturias, Spanish prime minister Mr Mariano Rajoy and transport minister Mrs Ana Pastor.

THE Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has unveiled plans to reform Korail over the next four years, which will create new business units under a holding company structure.

AFTER three years of studies, the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) has granted German Rail (DB) a 'Certificate B' operating licence to run passenger trains between France and Britain.

SPAIN's Ministry of Transport this week reported that ridership on Renfe AVE services has risen 14% year-on-year in the last four months to 4.7 million passengers, following an 11% cut in all tourist class tickets in early February.

ITALY's antitrust authority has announced it is launching an investigation into Italian State Railways (FS) and its subsidiaries following allegations by open-access high-speed operator NTV that the national railway has engaged in anticompetitive practices against the newcomer.

CALIFORNIA High Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) board unanimously approved a $US 985.1m bid from a California-based joint venture of Tutor Perini, Zachary and Parsons on June 7 to carry out civil works on the inaugural 48.3km Madera - Fresno section of the state's high-speed railway network.