BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) completed electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Maidenhead and Didcot on December 27, enabling the start of electric services on January 2.

ISRAEL Railways (IR) has conducted its first test run with an electric locomotive when a Bombardier Traxx locomotive reached a speed of 160km/h along the first 12km electrified section of the A1 between Anava junction and Latrun Monastery.

THE President of Italy’s Puglia region, Mr Michele Emiliano, has announced that a 189km section of South East Railway (FSE) in the Salento area will be electrified.

SCOTLAND’s Edinburgh - Glasgow Improvement Programme (Egip) celebrated a milestone on December 10 with the start of electric services from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High.

After considering battery trains for non-electrified lines, electrification prevails in New Zealand’s largest city.

INDIA’s railways minister Mr Piyush Goyal has set a target for the complete electrification of the country’s mainline network within five years, despite Indian Railways’ (IR) commitment to acquire 1000 diesel locomotives from GE, most of which will be built at a new plant at Marhoura in the eastern state of Bihar.

THE government of Uzbekistan has signed a $US 80m loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank to finance the electrification of the 145.1km Pap - Namangan - Andijan line in the east of the country.

THE Edinburgh - Glasgow Improvement Programme (Egip) reached a milestone in the early hours of October 18 with the first electric test run on the Edinburgh - Falkirk High - Glasgow Queen Street line.

ELECTRIC services on Buenos Aires’ suburban Roca Line were finally extended to the state capital La Plata on October 18 following the completion of electrification works on the 9.6km branch from City Bell.

THE first 10km section of main line in Israel has been electrified and is ready to be energised. This is part of the 35km section of the new A1 link between Jerusalem Navon (formerly Hauma) station and Anava Junction.