ITALY'S state-owned train operator Trenitalia is preparing to enter the French market on two fronts after declaring its intent to bid for Veolia Cargo and applying for paths to operate international passenger trains. Italian Railways (FS) CEO Mr Mauro Moretti says Trenitalia is looking to pursue a strong policy of internationalisation and is targeting Veolia Cargo in a bid to expand its presence outside Italy. "We are reasonably optimistic we will participate to win and not lose," he says. Veolia Environment is reportedly looking to sell assets worth around Euros 1 billion this year. Veolia Cargo operates in France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. Last year it generated revenues of Euros 188 million with volumes of 4.5 billion tonne-km.

BRITISH Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown and London Mayor Mr Boris Johnson have laid a foundation stone at the site of Canary Wharf station in London's Docklands business district to formally mark the start of construction on the city's Crossrail project. Crossrail involves the construction of a central tunnel under London linking the Great Western Main Line at Paddington with the Great Eastern Main Line at Stratford, with an underground branch from Whitechapel running under the River Thames to Abbey Wood.

MONTPELLIER Area Council (TaM) has selected Alstom to supply a fleet of 42m-long Citadis LRVs for the city's third light rail line. The initial Euros 65 million contract covers the supply of 23 LRVs plus a full-size mock-up, although TaM has options for an additional 12 vehicles, and a 10-year maintenance contract which if exercised would take the total value of the deal up to Euros 117 million.

A CHINESE company has been awarded a contract to conduct a feasibility study into a line between the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese border, which will fill one of the key missing sections of the Singapore-Kunming Trans Asian Rail Link.

THE AUSTRALIAN Federal Government has allocated $A 365 million ($US 278 million) towards the construction of the first light rail line on Queensland's Gold Coast. Gold Coast City Council has already pledged $A 150 million towards the $A 850 million project and construction is expected to begin next year.

A SECOND attempt to privatise the freightarm of Polish State Railways could be postponed unless the economic situation beginsto improve within the next two or three months, according to the Polishgovernment. Deputy infrastructure minister Mr Juliusza Engelhardt says the saleof shares in PKP Cargo may not take place before the end of 2011, although therestructuring of the company, which is Europe's second largest railfreightoperator, will continue in preparation for an eventual flotation.

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) and Siemens celebrated a new Russian rail speed record on May 2 when a 10-car Sapsan high-speed train reached 281km/h on the Okulovka - Mstinskiy Most section of the Moscow - St Petersburg line.