Nasa is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon and has announced its plan to construct the first lunar railway system, known as Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT). The system aims to transport about 100 tonnes of material per day to and from NASA's future lunar base. It will transport lunar soil and other materials to various lunar surface locations and the railway will also facilitate transportation of larger quantities of materials and equipment between spacecraft landing sites and other areas. The space agency has set a target landing date of September 2026 for placing astronauts on the lunar surface.

Contact: Nasa

Website: www.nasa.gov

Dubai announced that work had begun on a new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, which the Gulf emirate's ruler said will become "the world's largest" at a cost of almost $35 billion. Once fully operational, it will "handle a passenger capacity of 260 million annually. It will have "the world's largest capacity" and be "five times the size of the current Dubai Airport", which is one of the world's busiest air hubs. The project's first phase will be ready within 10 years with a capacity for 150 million passengers annually.  

European Union countries gave their final approval to a law to cut carbon dioxide emissions from trucks, which will require most new heavy-duty vehicles sold in the EU from 2040 to be emissions-free. The law will enforce a 90 percent cut in CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. That means manufacturers will have to sell a large share of fully CO2-free trucks - including electric vehicles and those running on hydrogen fuel - to offset any remaining sales of new CO2-emitting vehicles in 2040. Truck manufacturers will also have to reduce the CO2 emissions of their fleets by 45 percent by 2030 - replacing the existing 30 percent target and 65 percent by 2035. From 2030, 90 percent of new urban buses sold in the EU will be required to have zero emissions, rising to 100 percent in 2035.

Siemens has won a contract to build trainsets for the Brightline West high-speed rail project that will connect Las Vegas and southern California. A watershed moment for America, the Brightline West system has been touted as the “first true high-speed rail system” in the US. The AP 220 will be the first true high-speed trainsets to be built in America and is designed for operational speeds of up to 220 miles per hour. These seven-car trains will carry between 434 and 450 passengers and may be operational

by early 2028 in time for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.    

Contact: Siemens

Website: www.siemens.com

RailTel is bullish on business in the neighbouring countries including Bhutan and Bangladesh and plans to further expand its footprint in the Indian subcontinent. The project in Bhutan requires providing international bandwidth connectivity. The company will make a techno-commercial offer for the project by the end of the month. Currently, there is connectivity in Bhutan through Siliguri (West Bengal), however that path is restrained. Besides these projects, the company is also keen on executing some signalling projects in Bangladesh.      

Contact: RailTel

Tel: 11 22900600

Website: www.railtel.in