Brussels, 19/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - In Paris on Friday 19 February, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed an agreement with the Réseau Ferré de France and SYNERAIL, committing €280 million to the French rail network in the first public-private partnership in this area in France. With the signing of the agreement, the EIB re-affirmed its commitment to increased safety and improved performance of the French rail network. This project will see the realisation of the construction and operation of an innovative digital communications network: the GSM-R (Global System for Mobile communication - Railway), which, by 2015, will cover 14,000 kilometres of track. This funding will ensure the viability of the project over 15 years, with a loan rate at the best possible conditions, the EIB said in a press release. (O.L./transl.rt)