THE European Commission (EC) decided on July 22 to take Greece, Luxembourg and Romania to the European Court of Justice for not harmonising correctly, completely and in time of the European Directive for the establishment of the single European railway area.

THE European Parliament (EP) has adopted a resolution aimed at improving the competitiveness of the European railway supply industry in the face of what it regards as aggressive competition from Asia.

THE members of the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Managers (CER), the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT), the association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), and the International Union of Railways (UIC) have joined forces to present a joint roadmap that promotes the use of digital technology in the rail sector.

THE European Commission (EC) has approved the allocation of €368m from the European Regional Development Fund to support construction of Sofia metro Line 3.

IRJ at UIC ERTMS World Conference Brussels. Ms Amelia Areias, policy officer, single European area, with the EC's Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move), told delegates there are four key principles for ERTMS.

With 4G and 3G mobile networks potentially causing severe interference to safety-critical GSM-R, Sweden's railway sector is currently engaged in an intensive programme to combat the problem by a self-imposed deadline of July 1. Kevin Smith reports on the project's progress.

INNOVATION is the key to success as it will improve our competitiveness by providing leading-edge technologies. We have to make sure we are always one step ahead of others when it comes to technology and know-how - especially in the areas of energy efficiency, productivity/throughput, asset utilisation, improvements in infrastructure and rolling stock availability, travel experience for passengers, and, last but not least, climate and environmental friendliness.

THE year ahead and the longer-term future of European railways will certainly be shaped by the Fourth Railway Package, especially by the Technical Pillar, but there are other areas where we can expect to see changes. The railway community will need to be able to exploit all the opportunities opened up by technology and innovative business models to meet Europe's mobility needs in the coming decades.

THREE years after it was adopted by the European Commission (EC), the Fourth Railway Package has reached a key phase in its gestation, and is likely to become law in 2016, bringing significant structural changes to the industry.

JAPAN is the European Union's (EU) biggest trading partner after China, but the trade in railway equipment between the two economic powers is a poor reflection of this status and the scale of their respective railway markets.