Germany: DB is to provide €300000 to Berlin Technical University over the next five years to fund continued research into railway technology and operations.
Israel: IR is to spend 5m shekels over two years to provide safety fencing at crossings and in areas deemed a high accident risk.
Lithuania: An agreement was signed in January for LG to invest €1·3m and receive ISPA funding of €3·9m for an infrastructure modernisation programme to raise speeds by 2007.
Malaysia: Following the its first full year profit and the recovery of traffic after the SARS outbreak, Express Rail Link Sdn, operator of the fast rail link to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, has revived its plans for an initial public offering.
Russia:RZD plans to issue 10bn roubles of bonds by September, and sign leasing agreements worth a similar amount. This will fund the purchase of rolling stock and develop plans for the domestic production of 550 locomotives per year by 2010.
Slovakia:The government has agreed to take over debts incurred by its inability to reimburse the costs of socially necessary but unprofitable passenger services between 1994 and 2001. ZSSK will write off KS7·32bn, and infrastructure manager ZSR KS13·63bn.
USA:Under the 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill which was passed by the Senate in January and covers the 12 months beginning on October 1 2003, Amtrak is to receive funding of $1·2bn, plus a seaprate $59·6m to keep commuter operations running if the corporation is wound up.
