A CEREMONY was staged in Fuzhou to mark the completion of the 275km section of 250km/h line between Fuzhou and Xiamen. Test running is now underway with a view to starting passenger services in April with a 90-minute journey time.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) has placed a Euros 410 million order with Siemens for 38 Desiro trains to transport athletes and spectators attending the 2014 Winter Olympic Games being staged in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The trains will be manufactured at the Siemens factory in Krefeld, Germany. RZD has an option for another 16 trains worth Euros 170 million to be built partly in Russia.

HIGH Speed Two, the company charged with developing plans for a high-speed link between London and Scotland, has presented its proposals to the British government. The first stage would run from London to Birmingham, with options for extending the line to Manchester, the East Midlands, Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland. If the government decides to pursue the project, a white paper will be published by the end of March, followed by public consultation in the autumn.