NEW ZEALAND: Stadler has shipped the first two of the Class DM main line diesel locomotives that its Valencia factory in Spain is building for KiwiRail.

EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Getlink has completed a €80m three-year programme of changes to its car and lorry shuttle train terminals at Folkestone and Coquelles ahead of the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System, which is now scheduled for November 2024.

SPAIN: The Spanish government has vetoed the proposed acquisition of 100% of rolling stock manufacturer Talgo by Hungarian consortium Ganz Mavag Europe, saying confidential analysis had determined that the deal posed ‘a risk to national security and public order’.

AFRICA: The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, Zambia Railways and Calabash Freight are pooling resources including locomotives and wagons for an eight-month project to deliver 160 000 tonnes of maize from Makambako and Vwawa in Tanzania to Kalomo in Zambia.

GERMANY: Upgrading and electrification of the Cottbus – Görlitz line has been approved by the government. It is one of 10 projects aimed at helping economic regeneration in regions where coal mines are due to close.

UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail is to waive track access charges for new flows in an effort to encourage new freight traffic to rail.

UK: Nine technology start-ups have been selected from more than 100 applicants to joint the Future Labs innovation programme run by Southeastern, Northern, LNER and TransPennine Express with specialist company L Marks.

INTERNATIONAL: Ahead of this year’s InnoTrans, the Railway Gazette editorial team has put together a concise guide providing impartial advice and insights into how to get the most out of the world’s largest rail technology event.

POLAND: Łódzkie voivodship has ordered 10 more three-car electric multiple-units from Pesa Bydgoszcz at a cost of 350m złoty for use by regional operator Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna, which runs various services radiating from the city of Łódz.

AUSTRALASIA: The Australasian Railway Association has published a report designed to help the rail industry better understand what hinders the entry, retention and progression of women, with 10 practical recommendations.

POLAND: The government plenipotentiary for the CPK multimodal transport project has approved the preferred route for a 150 km high speed line from the future hub airport north to Płock and Włocławek.

UK: The Rail & Urban Transport Review led by former Siemens UK CEO Jürgen Maier has published a report into at how rail infrastructure could be delivered ‘better, faster and more cost effectively’.

INTERNATIONAL: The €31bn/year worldwide wagon market will grow by 2·6% annually through to 2028, a slight slowdown compared to the last five years, German consultancy SCI Verkehr predicts in the 10th edition of its Freight Wagons — Global Market Trends study.

EUROPE: Freight train operators are using sensors from technology company A1 Digital and its hardware partner Cargomon to accurately determine wagon weights in real time, reducing the risk of uneven loading and lowering maintenance costs without needing to send wagons to weighing stations.

AUSTRALIA: A mock-up built by Allweld Manufacturing is being used to gather feedback from future users including train drivers, people with reduced mobility and cyclists to ensure that a future fleet of electric multiple-units will be accessible for all.

INDIA: Following a series of serious train collisions in recent months, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has instructed Indian Railway officials to accelerate the implementation of the Kavach automatic train protection system.

News from the world rail freight market.

GERMANY: Small volumes of freight can be handled on urban rail networks using freight trams or similar vehicles, a research project conducted in Karlsruhe has concluded.

KAZAKHSTAN: Locomotive maintenance company Kamkor Locomotiv and the Akmola region have signed an agreement to build a 47bn tenge locomotive assembly plant in Atbasar.

TAJIKISTAN: South Korea’s International Co-operation Agency is planning to assist Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport with a US$4m feasibility study for a railway to the border with Afghanistan.