A full-size mock-up of Trenitalia's forthcoming ETR 1000 Frecciarossa emu was unveiled at the Rimini Meeting festival on August 19 by Italian prime minister Mr Mario Monti.

KOREA Rail Network Authority (KRNA) has selected a consortium led by LSIS, Korea, and including Ansaldo STS to supply the train control system for the 182km Honam high-speed line between Osong and Gwangju Songjeong, which is due to be completed by December 2014.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has placed a €200m order with Alstom for an additional eight ETR 610 Pendolino tilting emus. The order is an option from a contract for seven trains signed in March 2004 by Alstom and Cisalpino, the now defunct joint venture between Trenitalia and SBB.

TWO subsidiaries of Italian State Railways (FS), Italferr and Italcertifer, have been awarded a contract by the Saudi-Spanish Al Shoula consortium to act as safety verification engineers for the second phase of the Haramain high-speed project in Saudi Arabia.

SENER, Spain, has signed an ownership, protection and license distribution agreement with Spanish infrastructure manager Adif, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and the Cidaut Foundation to promote the use of an innovate sleeper designed to tackle the problem of flying ballast on high-speed lines.

NS Hispeed celebrated a long-awaited milestone on July 29, when one of its AnsaldoBreda V250 Fyra emus operated a scheduled passenger service for the first time.

A ceremony was staged today by French Rail Network (RFF) and Eiffage to mark the start of construction of the 182km Bretagne-Pays de la Loire high-speed line.

ITALY's rail regulator (URSF) has ruled in favour of Italian Rail Network (RFI) in a dispute with open-access high-speed operator NTV over the recent erection of a fence at Rome Ostiense which prevents NTV passengers walking directly from NTV's lounge to their train on the adjacent platform 15.

THE SPANISH government is expected to vote at the end of this month on draft legislation that could bring sweeping liberalisation of the rail market within a year together with the privatisation of Renfe.

JAPAN's minister of transport Mr Yuichiro Hata has approved the construction of three extensions to the Shinkansen high-speed network. The project will cost an estimated Yen 3.04 trillion ($US 38.1bn) and will be mainly funded by national and municipal governments.