THREE German companies, BWG, Pfleiderer, and Siemens, signed a deal in Guangzhou today to establish two centres of competence for high-speed rail in China. The agreement was signed in the presence of the German chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroeder, and the governor of Guangdong province, Mr Huang Huahua. The three companies also signed a letter of intent with Guangdong Railway Group to set up the first centre in Guangzhou. This will support a project to build a 127km high-speed line from Guangzhou to Zhuhai. The second centre is planned in Beijing. BWG specialised in turnouts, Pfleiderer in slab track, and Siemens in trains, signalling and control systems, electrification, and turnkey projects.
December 15, 2003 Spain-Morocco Rail Link Agreed In Principle
SPAIN's Development Ministry has announced that preliminary agreement has been reached with the Moroccan government to build a 39km railway tunnel beneath the Strait of Gibraltar. This would be the first fixed link between Europe and Africa. The tunnel will run from Punta Palomas, west of the existing Spanish railhead at Algeciras, to Punta Malabata, east of the Moroccan railhead at Tangiers. Euros 27 million is to be spent during the next three years on seismic testing to determine the best drilling route.
Roma - Napoli postponed until 2005 http://www.railwaygazette.com/2004/045-theme1.asp#x2 Construction work on the 205km high speed line between Roma and Napoli is nearly complete, but progress has been slow because of archaeological treasures found along the route and the need to complete trials with ETCS Level 2. TAV Managing Director Antonio Savini Nicci briefed Murray Hughes in Roma