AFTER a two-year wait, Indian Railways (IR) finally launched its fastest inter-city service on April 5, when railways minister Mr Suresh Prabhu flagged off the Gatimaan Express on its maiden run from Delhi to Agra.

THE cost of constructing a 480km high-speed line linking Delhi with the holy city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab is estimated to be around Rs 1100bn ($US 20.8bn), according to a draft final report on the project by a consortium of Systra and Rites, which was submitted to the Indian Railways board last week.

THE first air-conditioned EMU for the Mumbai suburban network was officially handed over to India's Central Railway (CR) at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on March 31.

THE European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide a Rs 33bn ($US 498m) loan to finance the construction of the first metro line in the Indian city of Lucknow.

CRRC Nanjing is set to supply 19 standard-gauge trains for the 29.7km Noida – Greater Noida metro line under an agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which was signed in the Indian capital on March 17.

THE detailed project report (DPR) for the first phase of the metro network in the Indian city of Kanpur was approved by the Uttar Pradesh state government on March 14.

The Rs 137.2bn ($US 2bn) network comprises two lines totalling 32.8km with 31 stations, 19 of them elevated and 12 underground.

The 23.8km Line 1 will link the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur campus with Naubasta and includes 22 stations. Line 2 will run for 8.6km from Chandra Shekher Azad University of Agriculture to Jaurali with nine stations, including an interchange with Line 1 at Rawatpur Railway Station.

The DPR will now be submitted to the Indian government for final approval.

INDIAN Railways (IR) recorded a 3.7% fall in revenue to Rs 1360bn ($US 19.8bn) between April 2015 and January 2016, compared with a forecast of Rs 1414bn. Despite the shortfall the forecast in the 2016-17 budget is for revenue to rise by 10.1% to Rs 1842bn.

INDIA's government has approved investment of Rs 107 billion ($US 1.56bn) in railway projects.

THE Bihar state cabinet signed off the detailed project report (DPR) for the first phase of the metro network in Patna on February 9, referring the project to the Indian government for final approval.

With domestic economic growth slowing, China is aiming to boost exports from its rapidly developing technological sector, including rail. Kevin Smith looks at what 2016 might have in store for China and its impact on the railway landscape in east Asia.