ISRAEL Railways has filed a draft prospect with the Israeli Securities Authority for a bond issue worth Shekels 1bn ($US 260m) during 2015, the first step in a plan to issue bonds worth up to Shekels 2bn over the next two years.
ESER, a group of Turkish companies, has handed back the 243km Port Harcourt – Enugu line to Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) following the completion of a project to upgrade the southern section of the main line to Kaduna.
TRACK laying has started on Israel's 60km Valley Line linking Haifa with Sheikh Hussain bridge over the River Jordan where it will eventually be connected to the Jordanian rail network.
THE first 13-car Talgo 350 train for the 450km Mecca – Medina Haramain high-speed line was loaded onto cargo vessel the Jolly Quarzo at Barcelona docks on the morning of December 11 in readiness for its sea voyage to Saudi Arabia.
PROSPECTIVE bidders for the contract to execute the 207km segment one of Oman's 2235km railway network from Sohar to Buraimi have been granted a one month extension to submit their bids by Oman Railway Company (ORC).
SAUDI transport minister Mr Jabara Al-Seraisry confirmed on November 24 that trial operation will begin "early next year" on the first completed section of the 450km Haramain high-speed line from Medina to Jeddah and Mecca.
SHEIK Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, has officially opened the emirate's first light rail line.
PLANS to build the first metro line in Oran, Algeria's second city, have been completed and it is hoped to launch a tender for the first phase in the first quarter of 2015.
ISRAEL Railways (IR) announced on October 28 that it has shortlisted five prequalified suppliers for a design-supply-build-maintain contract for the first stage of its electrification programme.
FINAL designs for the Riyadh metro Orange Line train fleet have been presented to the governor of Riyadh and chairman of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) by Bombardier, which is supplying 47 two-car Innovia Metro 300 sets for the 40.7km east-west line.
