SENIOR Western Railway managers invited bidders to a meeting at Mumbai Churchgate station yesterday to brief them and answer questions about a Rs 210bn ($US 3.77bn) project to build a mainly-elevated line for commuter services to relieve congestion on the existing Churchgate - Virar line.
THE African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided $US 500m to the East African Community (EAC), which covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, to roll out projects under its Railway Master Plan starting this year.
BELARUS Railways (BC) says it is on course to complete the electrification of the 107km section of the Minsk – Gomel line between Osipovichi, Babrujsk and Zhlobin by December.
TRENITALIA has received three bids for a contract worth around €1.5bn to supply 130 regional diesel and electric multiple units with options for a further 60 trains.
BRAZILIAN mining giant Vale has announced on August 23 that it has concluded a Reais 3.9bn ($US 1.92bn) financing deal with Brazil's National Development Bank (BNDES) to fund its Logistics Capacity North (CLN) 150 enhancement project, which will boost iron ore throughput by 30.4% on the Carajás Railway (EFC) and at the port of Ponta da Madeira.
THE metre-gauge Matterhorn Gotthard Railway (MGB) has awarded Siemens a contract to renew signalling and train control equipment as part of an upgrading programme on its 154km network in southern Switzerland.
SNCF Geodis subsidiary Viia formally presented its Viia Transhelvetica project for the transalpine transport of semi-trailers via the Gotthard line to the Swiss Federal Transport Office (BAV) in Bern on August 14.
IN CONTRAST with the decline in neighbouring Poland, Ukraine witnessed slight overall growth in freight volumes during the first half of this year, according to the latest figures released by Ukrainian Railways (UZ).
AFTER a lengthy and complex decision process, Czech Railways (CD) has finally announced it will go ahead with a reduced order for seven 230km/h Railjet trains from Siemens.
THE EUROPEAN Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to provide Macedonia's Public Enterprise for Railway Infrastructure with a €46.4m 15-year loan to fund the rebuilding of the 30.8km Kumanovo – Beljakovce line, the first phase of a project to establish a direct rail link between Skopje and Sofia.