On December 15 SNCB is due to introduce M6 double-deck rolling stock between Eupen and Oostende, following the start of a €2m project by Infrabel to improve clearances in a 60 m tunnel at Verviers-Central. A new deck over the railway is to be completed by mid-2015, part of a of €25m, 10-year programme on Line 37 between Liège and Welkenraedt that has seen the loading gauge enhanced at 27 tunnels and 25 bridges.
The 20·93 million shares in PKP Cargo were sold for 68 złoty per share in the IPO last month (RG 11.13 p10), raising 1·42bn złoty. EBRD bought a 5·27% stake, becoming the second-biggest shareholder after state-owned railway holding company PKP SA which retained a 50% plus one share stake.
Sri Lanka Railways is to test whether GPS-equipped Android mobile devices could be used to provide data to real-time passenger information systems.
On October 19 South Africa’s President Zuma opened the Bridge City Rail Link, a 3·5 km suburban line near Durban built at a cost of R1·3bn.
Citing high costs and low passenger flows, Kazakhstan has postponed plans to build a 1000 km Almaty – Astana high speed line (RG 4.13 p11).
In an effort in to increase transparency, India’s Commission of Railway Safety is to make accident reports public. Individual names will not be published.
The Carlyle Group is to sell its stake in Genesee & Wyoming Inc, having partially funded the short line group’s acquisition of RailAmerica in 2012.
On November 7 SCT ran a trial 1800 m freight train on the Melbourne – Adelaide route, 300 m longer than the previous limit.
Since October 23 South West Trains has been able to use one of the five former international platforms at London Waterloo, unused since Eurostar services moved to St Pancras in 2007.
The Saudi government is to study vertical separation of Saudi Railways Organization, which would become an operating business with infrastructure transferred to a new body.
