INDIAN Railways (IR) says it is preparing to launch a tender for a fleet of fixed-formation 200km/h trains and will hold a pre-bid conference for prospective suppliers this month.

The Indian government has approved record funding with the promise of more to come to modernise Indian Railways and provide desperately-needed extra capacity. However, as Raghav Thakur reports, IR has a poor record for implementing projects and past attempts to reform the railway have come to nothing. 

CHINA Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group (CRSSD) is conducting a preliminary study of a planned 1754km high-speed line in India linking Delhi, Bhopal, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Chennai which it hopes to complete by August.

INDIAN Railways (IR) has confirmed that it will select one of two Japanese suppliers within the next few months for a contract to supply 200 electric freight locomotives for use on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) from Delhi to Mumbai.

INDIA's railways minister Mr Suresh Prabu unveiled the government's 2015-2016 railway budget on February 26, promising record spending of Rs 1 trillion ($US 18.9bn) in Indian Railways (IR) over the next financial year.

Despite some successes in reducing energy consumption, Indian Railways continues to neglect sustainability in long-term planning. Sanjay Kumar, deputy chief vigilance officer with Northern Railway, argues that IR needs to adopt a company-wide plan which commits to sustainability in all areas.

INDIA's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has selected about 20 railway projects worth Rs 900bn ($US 14.5bn) for domestic or foreign direct private investment, allowing Indian Railways to float global bids shortly.

CHINA Railway Corporation (CRC) will begin a feasibility study early next year of what is billed as the world's longest high speed railway – a 2174km line connecting the Indian capital, New Delhi, with the southern port city of Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 2 trillion ($US 32.3bn).

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on September 18 by the chairman Indian Railways (IR) Mr Arunendra Kumar and the head of China Railway Corporation (CRC) Mr Lu Dongfu for a joint pre-feasibility study into constructing a high-speed line.

INDIA's Rs 700bn ($US 11.6bn) rail market is now open to global manufacturers and investors, following cabinet approval for so-called Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).