Current prospects for the global rail track system market are mixed according to the latest study by German consultancy SCI Verkehr. CEO Maria Leenen and senior consultant Karl Strang profile the results.
THE Israeli prime minister Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, together with Israel's transport minister Mr Israel Katz, and Israel Railways' general manager Mr Boaz Zafrir, officially opened the 70km Ashkelon - Beer-Sheva line on September 17.
KENYA Railways has signed an agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to extend the 609km standard-gauge line under construction between Mombasa and Nairobi by 120km north to Naivasha.
ENGINEERS from Loughborough University have developed a failsafe and robust track switch mechanism called Repoint which they say will improve safety and reduce maintenance costs.
THE European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to provide Kosovo with a €39.9m loan, which will be used by Kosovo Railways (HK) infrastructure subsidiary Infrakos to fund the first phase of a project to rehabilitate the 148km north-south corridor between the Serbian and Macedonian borders.
THE Swiss Federal Transport Office and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have agreed a budget of SFr 7.6bn ($US 7.7bn) to fund rail infrastructure for the 2017-2020 period which is 15% more than the current 2013-2016 agreement.
PASSENGER trains started running on the Borders Railway for the first time in 46 years on September 6 following the completion of a £294m project to reopen the 48km line from Edinburgh south to Tweedbank.
SEVERAL managers of Dutch railway infrastructure manager Prorail have been forbidden from taking part in tendering procedures for track maintenance contracts.
UZBEKISTAN Railways (UZ) has completed the electrification and modernisation of the 140.8km line linking Samarkand with Qarshi in the southwest.
LONDON Underground's £11m project to enable 36 trains/hour/direction to operate on the Victoria Line for the first time - the highest frequency on the network - has reached the halfway point.
