THE New South Wales (NSW) state government has allocated funding for rail projects in its 2015-16 budget as part of its plan to increase infrastructure spending, with $A 38bn ($US 29.3bn) allocated over the next four years to roads and transport.

THE final section of the Australian state of Victoria's $A 3.65bn ($US 2.8bn) Regional Rail Link was officially completed on June 14 paving the way for the introduction of new high-frequency timetable on June 21.

AN audit of Australia's infrastructure carried out for the federal government by Infrastructure Australia says that without action to improve transport, congestion could cost the country $A 53bn ($US 41.8bn) in just over 15 years while road journey times along major urban arteries would increase by 20%.

THE state government of Western Australia issued its budget for 2015-2016 on May 13 with a commitment to funding the extension of the TransPerth suburban network to Perth airport, but the proposed Max light rail project appears to have been put on hold.

METRO Trains Melbourne (MTM) has awarded Nomad Digital a contract to install remote condition monitoring (RCM) systems on four Alstom X'Trapolis EMUs in a proof of concept which could lead a full fleet rollout of the technology.

WHILE the new 2015-16 budget published by Australia's federal government on May 12 will see increases in spending on both rail and road infrastructure, the rate of increase for road is much greater than for rail, and federal funding for urban rail will be slashed.

THE Western Australian state government has announced that three consortia have been shortlisted to bid for the design-build contract for Perth's $A 2.2bn ($US 2bn) Forrestfield-Airport Link.

THE government of the Australian state of Victoria has committed significant funds to new rolling stock, rail projects, and infrastructure upgrades across the state over the next four years in its 2015-16 budget announced on May 5.

THE government of Australia's Northern Territory (NT) will contribute $A 1m from its 2015 budget towards feasibility studies into a new 600km line to link mines in Mount Isa in northwest Queensland with Tennant Creek on the existing Adelaide - Darwin line.

THE chairman of Australian mining company Hancock Prospecting Mrs Gina Rhinehart marked the delivery of the locomotive fleet for the new Roy Hill heavy-haul railway in Western Australia's Pilbara region on March 23, when she named the first unit Ginny in a ceremony at Port Hedland.