INDIA’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) granted approval on August 24 for nine projects representing an investment of around Rs 243.5bn ($US 3.6bn) to increase rail capacity in nine states.

INDIAN Railways (IR) is exploring options to extricate itself from a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) precondition that binds it to acquire rolling stock and systems equipment from Japanese companies, after talks with a Kawasaki-led consortium over the acquisition of 200 freight locomotives broke down.

A locomotive-hauled Talgo variable-gauge train set a new Indian rail speed record on July 13, reaching 180km/h during trials on the Mathura - Palwal section of the Agra - Delhi line.

THE World Bank has agreed to provide a $US 500m seed capital loan with a seven-year repayment moratorium to kick-start Indian Railways' (IR) station redevelopment programme, which will be financed through a combination of intergovernmental agreements and public-private partnerships.

ALSTOM achieved a 12% increase in sales during its financial year which ended on March 31 rising from €6.16bn in 2014-15 to €6.88bn in 2015-16, while adjusted Ebit rose by 23% from €298m to €366m.

With the sale of its power generation and turbine business to GE at the end of last year, Alstom has been left to focus entirely on its rail activities. Chairman and CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge explains the company's growth strategy to Keith Barrow.

TRIALS with variable-gauge Talgo coaches are due to begin on the Indian Railways (IR) broad-gauge network next month, with the first nine vehicles due to arrive at the port of Mumbai on April 21.

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.