SPAIN's state-owned train operating company, Renfe, and the country's infrastructure manager, Adif, have started passenger service tests on the mixed traffic high-speed line between Barcelona and the French border.

THE German Federal Ministry for Transport and DB Networks have finalised a financing agreement for the second stage of reconstruction and remodelling at Halle station.

NTV, Italy's first open-access high-speed operator, has got off to a flying start with traffic higher than forecast. But as managing director Giuseppe Sciarrone explained to David Briginshaw at InnoTrans, revenue is lower than expected due to the poor state of the Italian economy.

Australia's largest city, Sydney, has struggled for decades to get its public transport mix right, and as a result its suburban rail network continues to suffer from under-funding and a lack of bipartisan political support. However, with a change of government and the release of two major reports, a new vision is starting to emerge, but as Mark Carter asks will it be enough ease Sydney's rail transport woes?

NTV, Italy's open-access high-speed operator, has announced that its founding president, Mr Luca di Montezemolo, has decided to step down. He is being replaced by Dr Antonello Perricone who joins NTV from the publishing world.

CHINA has opened its second high-speed line in three weeks with the launch of commercial services on October 16 on the 131km line between Hefei and Bengbu in the eastern province of Anhui.

TRIAL operation began on October 8 on the 921km high-speed line linking Harbin in northeastern China with Changchun, Shenyang and Dalian on the Bohai Straits. Commercial operation is expected to start at the end of the year.

COMMERCIAL operations began today on the latest addition to China's high-speed network, a 536km line between Zhengzhou and Wuhan.

SPAIN's state-owned train operator Renfe has announced that its train leasing subsidiary, which will be established over the next few months, will be allocated a fleet of 26 high-speed trains for lease to new operators entering the soon-to-be-liberalised high-speed market.

FRENCH construction companies Travail Sud Ouest (TSO) and Eurovia Travaux Ferroviares (ETF) have selected Vossloh to deliver points and rail fastenings for the 340km South Europe Atlantic High-Speed Line between Tours and Bordeaux.