Canada: Work is to begin this month on a C$4m station at St Basile le Grand on AMT’s Montréal - Mont St Hilaire line. It is expected to open in September.
France: On April 1 Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau formally opened the Dijon-Bourgogne intermodal terminal which was first used in December 2002.
Germany: Erfurter Industriebahn has won a concession to operate regional passenger services on the Schweinfurt - Bad Kissingen - Gemünden and Schweinfurt - Meiningen routes.
DB, the Land of Sachsen and local transport authorities have signed an agreement to upgrade four routes totalling 217 km in the Zwickau and Chemnitz region for local passenger services. Funds amounting to €180m will be invested to modernise infrastructure and acquire VT642 diesel multiple-units.
India: Southern Railway has introduced refrigerated vans on mail and express trains. 12 tonnes of perishable goods can be carried at 4í C, and there is also a 5 tonne capacity freezer compartment.
International: CFM has suspended passenger services to Komatipoort since a South African law introduced R5m fines for every undocumented person carried across the border by the railway.
Israel: The new station at Ramla was opened without ceremony on April 12, and the line from Rosh-ha-Ayin to Kfar Sava opened the following day.
IR has called tenders for the construction of a freight terminal at Ramat Hovav, south of Be’er Sheva.
Japan: The Tokyu Corp group of companies is restructuring to focus on its railway operations and urban development businesses. Debts will be reduced through sale of non-core operations.
Netherlands: On April 15 the Dutch parliament’s upper house passed the Railways Act, which sets out how the railways operate and defines the responsibilities of the bodies involved (RG 4.03 p219). The act will come into effect in January 2004.
Poland: Following strong protests PKP has temporarily suspended its massive cuts in passenger services (RG 4.03 p190). However, some trains have been withdrawn.
Slovakia: Passenger traffic was expected to resume on the 20 km Hronsk
