South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator is tasked with overseeing safe and secure rail services on a network ravaged by vandalism and asset theft over recent years. RSR is also implementing the government’s plan to open up the Transnet network to new entrants. Acting CEO Mmuso Selaledi explains the scale of ...

KENYA: Consultancy Systra has undertaken a study into the potential use of battery-powered trains on commuter services between Nairobi and Thika, around 40 km to the northeast.

CANADA: The government of Ontario has awarded contracts for infrastructure works to enable the reinstatement of Ontario Northland’s Northlander passenger service between Toronto Union station and a new Timmins-Porcupine station.

SOUTH KOREA: Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport Park Sang-woo has engaged with businesses to explore options to use private financing as well as government funding for the second phase of the Great Train Express programme in the Seoul region.

Australia’s High Speed Rail Authority has been tasked with drawing up proposals for a new line between Sydney and Newcastle, as the first step in developing a 1 750 km route linking urban and regional centres along the East Coast corridor.

CHINA: The South Ring Section of the Guangzhou – Foshan circular railway opened on May 26, running from Panyu (Guangzhou Nan) to Foshan Xi.

News from the world rail freight market.

SECURITY: Sensonic has added CCTV functionality to its optic fibre based Distributed Acoustic Sensing security system, enabling railways to visually identify trespassers after detecting and locating them in real-time.

USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has produced three reports into the safety and performance of trains more than 7 500 ft (2 286 m) in length.

BRAZIL: Mining group Vale has signed a 10-year master service agreement with Wabtec Corp for maintenance of the Evolution series diesel-electric locomotives used on the 1 600 mm gauge Estrada de Ferro Carajás. Worth R$1∙8bn, the agreement will ‘optimise the maintenance services for Vale’s fleet, increasing availability, reliability and the ...

USA: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern for the purchase of the route used by Manassas Line commuter services, and to introduce passenger services to the New River Valley in the southeast of the state.

ESTONIA: The government has formally launched a two-stage process to privatise national rail freight operator Operail.

ROMANIA: Railway reform authority ARF has confirmed Pesa Bydgoszcz as the winner of a contract to supply 20 electric multiple-units for InterRegio services, after a court required a review of the bids following an appeal by Alstom.

A report by the Aviation Studies Institute of Singapore University of Technology & Design recommends replacing short-haul air routes by high speed lines in southeast Asia to improve sustainability. It also finds that airport-rail links in the region are less common than elsewhere and that better rail connectivity would yield ...

This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.

UK: A Railway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship has been launched by a partnership of the University of South Wales, the Welsh government, Coleg Y Cymoedd and Transport for Wales.

FRANCE: High speed rail start-up Proxima has announced a €1bn plan backed by investor Antin Infrastructure Partners to acquire 12 Alstom trainsets and launch open access services from Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Angers to Paris.

INTERNATIONAL: ‘Beware of trains. Life can change in a split second’ is the slogan for the 16th International Level Crossing Awareness Day, which this year has a particular emphasis on the safety of vulnerable people.

KENYA: Kenya Railways has launched its strategic plan for 2023-27, setting out a medium-term policy, legal, institutional and regulatory framework to transform itself into the ’leading transport service provider in the region’.

European policymakers and the larger rail freight operators are confident that the Digital Automatic Coupler programme can move from vision to reality by 2028. Nevertheless, significant financial and logistical barriers remain. Toma Bačić reports.