railways

After 4 years of negotiations, EU and Japan have reached an agreement in principle on the main elements of an EU-Japan Economic Partnership agreement on July 6^th. The agreement was likely accelerated by the G20 meeting the next day, in a move by both economic giants to show that the age of trade liberalization has not ended with the United States’ withdrawal from TTP in January. 

The Japanese government announced on November 7, that JR Kyushu procurement will no longer fall under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA). JR Kyushu which operates on the most southern Island was fully privatized, when the Japanese government sold its stock-holdings in an IPO conducted last month, which raised ¥416 billion.

JR Kyushu will become the fourth of the former Japan National Railways to be listed on the stockmarket on October 25, reports Nikkei Online (J). The government is selling all its shares in the company at an initial price of ¥2600 (22.76 euro) per share

The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) published four calls for tender regarding design of stations along the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, which is expected to link the cities of Kanazawa and Tsuruga, on the Western coast of Japan. The line is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2023.

Japan’s public organisation in charge of construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) published an updated of its main procurement plan for the remainder of fiscal year 2016.  In terms of new construction MLIT-linked JRTT’s focus has been on the development of new Shinkansen high-speed railways in the past years, notably on the Hokuriku Shinkansen and the Hokkaido Shinkansen lines.