TWO consortia consisting of Indonesian state-owned and Japanese companies are in the running for construction of the underground section of Jakarta's first metro line.

A ceremony was held on August 18 to mark the start of construction of last remaining 21km segment of the 143km Nagasaki – Hakata Shinkansen between Isahaya and Nagasaki.

JAPAN's minister of transport Mr Yuichiro Hata has approved the construction of three extensions to the Shinkansen high-speed network. The project will cost an estimated Yen 3.04 trillion ($US 38.1bn) and will be mainly funded by national and municipal governments.

JR East has selected Knorr-Bremse to supply braking equipment for its latest-generation E6 Shinaknsen trains, 23 of which will be delivered from next March for use on Tokyo - Akita services.

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) launched its latest radio-based train control system on October 10 2011. Takashi Kato, manager, and Kenji Fujita, deputy manager of electrical and signal network system department at JR East, highlight the merits and characteristics of the new system.

HITACHI is reportedly seeking a domestic partner to set up a joint venture assembly plant in India.

OFFICIALS from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as well as representatives of JR East and JR Central, visited India's railways minister Mr Dinesh Trivedi last month, with the intention of promoting Japanese high-speed rail technology.