AUSTRALIAN rail freight operator Aurizon has confirmed that it will withdraw its application to the federally-managed Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) for funding to assist with a rail solution associated with development of the Galilee Basin coal mining region in North Queensland.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) reported a 4.1% year-on-year increase in revenues across its 192 subsidiaries to Roubles 1.082 trillion ($US 18.99bn) in the first six months of 2017, with the result underpinned by strong freight and track access revenues.