BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) has placed a £50m order with Plasser & Theurer for a new ballast cleaning machine, taking its total to five. Dubbed BCS5, this is the first unit to utilise third-rail operation and is designed to enable the conductor rail to remain in place during operation.

SAUDI Railway Company (SAR) has awarded a £120m five-year contract to provide operational management and technical support services on the North-South Railway to a British consortium of Serco Group, Network Rail Consulting, and railfreight operator Freightliner.

SIEMENS Rail Automation began work on January 26 on a 22-month project to renew life-expired signalling on the Heyford – Leamington Spa section of the Didcot – Oxford – Birmingham line, which is being carried out under a £40m contract awarded by infrastructure manager Network Rail.

A British project to evaluate the performance of battery-powered rolling stock reached a milestone on January 12, when a specially-adapted Bombardier 25kV 50Hz ac class 379 Electrostar EMU operated under battery power for the first time in passenger service.

THE CEO of Britain's infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR), Mr Mark Carne, has ordered an inquiry into the cause of late-running infrastructure work which resulted in the closure of London King's Cross station for an entire day on December 27 and major disruption to services out of London Paddington.

BRITISH transport minister Baroness Kramer announced on November 28 that the Department for Transport has allocated £16m to fund the electrification of the 16km Oxenholme – Windermere line in northwest England.

BRITAIN's infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) has issued the Wessex Route Plan, a blueprint for the future of passenger and freight services from London Waterloo to the south and the west of England over the next 30 years.

THE general assembly of the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) has elected Mr Paul Plummer, group strategy director of Britain's infrastructure manager Network Rail, as president to succeed Mr Gunnar Malm, director general of Trafikverket, Sweden.

BRITISH open-access railfreight operator Colas Rail has agreed a contract with HaCon, Germany, to deploy its train planning system, TPS Operator, which is intended to integrate with infrastructure manager Network Rail's (NR) own TPS Enterprise solution.

While high-speed lines have been built primarily to serve the inter-city market, regional travellers are also benefiting from the investment in new rail infrastructure. IRJ editors look at the development of regional high-speed in three European countries and consider the prospects for growth.