Canada: CP plans capital spending of C$810m to C$825m for 2006, down from C$920m in 2005. C$570m will go on infrastructure, C$160m on locos, C$50m on IT and C$25m to expand intermodal terminals.
Croatia: Zagreb city council has agreed to guarantee financing for the purchase of 18 EMUs for HZ’s suburban services.
Estonia: The government is to provide Edelaraudtee with 152m kroon subsidy in 2006 to retain current passenger services.
France: The Centre regional council has agreed to fund the purchase by SNCF of five TER-2N EMUs for Paris - Chartres - Nogent-le-Rotrou TER regional services and six AGC EMUs for Tours - Vierzon.
Germany: Standard & Poor’s has assigned its BBB+ long term issuer credit rating to Rostocker Stra§enbahn, its first rating of a German local transport operator.
Lithuania: The EU Cohesion Fund is to provide €51·4m towards a €60·5m project to modernise LG’s radio communications.
Luxembourg:CFL is borrowing €180m from EIB and BCEE to fund the purchase of 85 double-deck passenger coaches and 20 locos, as well as maintenance work at Luxembourg station.
Nigeria: China has offered a US$2bn loan to fund railway modernisation. Managing Director Abdulrahman Abubakar said NRC is not obliged to buy from China, and is considering the purchase of Korean locos.
Romania: EIB is to provide €300m to fund the upgrading for 160 km/h operation of the 175 km double-track line between Simeria and Curtici north of Arad, and the doubling and rehabilitation of the 9 km line from Curtici to the Hungarian border.
Peru: Ferrocarril Andino Central is to invest US$14m in new traction and rolling stock during 2006. Existing motive power is to be converted to use liquefied natural gas fuel.
Spain: On December 27 2005 the Renfe board agreed to spend €92·5m on equipping 217 EMUs deployed on the Madrid suburban network with ERTMS.
Switzerland: The federal parliament has approved SFr7·5m and the canton of Graubünden is to allocate SFr20m for the SFr50m Porta Alpina scheme for a station in the Gotthard base tunnel, linked to the surface at Sedrun by an 800m lift.
