Africa – Page 29
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NewsTrams ordered for Sétif
ALGERIA: Alstom announced the details of the 26 Citadis trams that it is to supply for Sétif on February 15. The order forms part of a framework contract signed in 2012 by Cital and Entreprise du Métro d’Alger for the supply of Citadis trams to operate on lines planned for ...
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NewsLuxembourg Protocol will reshape rolling stock funding
INTERNATIONAL: Greater private sector investment in rolling stock is expected following the adoption of a new protocol on the ownership of railway assets, which will come into force after sufficient countries sign up over the coming months. Adopted in February 2007, the Luxembourg Protocol to the 2001 Cape Town ...
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NewsAfDB finances Casablanca – Marrakech double-tracking
MOROCCO: The African Development Bank board approved a US$112·3m loan to finance double-tracking of the 142 km Settat – Marrakech section of the Casablanaca – Marrakech route on January 27. National railway ONCF is providing a further US$290m for the project, which is intended to increase capacity and reduce ...
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NewsDR Congo rail renaissance in 2016
DR CONGO: SNCC Director General Ilunga Ilunkamba looked forward to 2016 as the year that would see the ‘renaissance’ of the state railway, in his message to staff delivered on December 31. Under the Multimodal Transport Project funded by the World Bank, 38 new locomotives were being acquired and track ...
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NewsAlger metro extension contracts awarded
ALGERIA: Two contracts have been awarded for the next extensions of the Alger metro. A consortium of Colas Rail and Kou G C is to undertake the work. Colas Rail will be responsible for trackwork, power supplies, ventilation and smoke extraction, and the ticketing system. It will also act as ...
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NewsCairo signs metro Line 6 MoU
EGYPT: The Ministry of Transportation has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Railway Construction Corp for the construction of Cairo metro Line 6. Construction of the 24 km line is expected to cost US$3·5bn, with the financing still to be negotiated. Meanwhile, the European Investment Bank has ...
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NewsSenegal - Mali railway modernisation agreements signed
AFRICA: The governments of Senegal and Mali have entered into agreements with China Railway Construction Corp (International) Ltd for the repair and reconstruction of the 1 286 km metre-gauge railway between the port of Dakar and Bamako. The contract with the National Railway Administration of Senegal covers 644·6 km ...
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NewsKampala light rail agreement signed
UGANDA: The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government for the construction of a light rail network in Kampala. To be built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corp, the first phase would cost US$440m to build and would extend for 35 km on an elevated ...
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NewsCairo metro receives EBRD loan
EGYPT: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has agreed to provide a €100m loan to the National Authority for Tunnels, which will support the procurement of 13 trainsets to be used on Line 2 of the Cairo metro. The supplier would also maintain the trains, which are intended ...
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NewsSiemens wins more Algerian signalling work
ALGERIA: The Estel joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens is to supply signalling, safety and train control for 140 km of lines around Alger, serving 18 stations. Worth €340m to Siemens, the package covers the installation of ETCS Level 1 to shorten headways and permit operation of ...
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NewsKampala trials commuter trains
UGANDA: An experimental commuter rail service was launched in Kampala on December 7, as a joint venture between the Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda Railways Corp and operating concessionaire Rift Valley Railways. The three partners have agreed run the pilot service for 12 months, following the signing of an initial ...
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NewsCairo metro depot signalling contract awarded
EGYPT: National Authority for Tunnels has awarded Alstom a €15m contract to supply signalling for the new depot on Cairo metro Line 1. Alstom is to supply computer-based interlocking, SCADA systems for traffic and traction power supplies, and telecommunications to support fire detection, phones and CCTV systems. The fit-out ...
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NewsAlstom buys stake in South African rolling stock business
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom announced on November 26 that it had signed an agreement to buy a 51% stake in rolling stock refurbishment company Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering from Commuter Transport Engineering and Industrial Development Corp, which will remain as minority shareholders. An employee benefit scheme will also be created. ...
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NewsTransnet tests diesel and electric locos
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Freight Rail has taken delivery of the first of 233 Class 44 diesel locomotives ordered from General Electric in March 2014. The order was one of four placed at the time for a total of 1 064 locomotives. Four Class 44 locomotives, each rated at 3 120 ...
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NewsTransnet signs R12bn loan to fund loco programme
SOUTH AFRICA: State-owned freight operator Transnet signed a R12bn club loan with five financial institutions on November 23, saying the agreements confirmed ‘buoyant investor appetite’. This completes the majority of the funding required for Transnet’s programme to acquire 1 064 locomotives from four manufacturers. Transnet has raised R12bn in the ...
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NewsEthiopia – Djibouti railway carries first freight
AFRICA: The first freight train to operate on the new standard gauge railway between Djibouti and Addis Ababa arrived at a temporary unloading facility in Merebe Mermersa, 112 km south of Ethiopia's capital, on November 21.Construction of the railway has not yet been completed, but freight services have been launched ...
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NewsRwanda announces DIKKM railway shortlist
AFRICA: The shortlist for a PPP contract to develop and implement the proposed 1 672 km railway which would link Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with Kigali in Rwanda and Musongati in Burundi was announced on November 17. Rwanda Transport Development Agency is leading procurement on behalf of the ...
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NewsAddis Ababa opens second light rail line
ETHIOPIA: The second light rail line in Addis Ababa opened on November 9. The 17·4 km Green Line has 22 stops. It runs east from Ayat to Tor Hailoch, sharing tracks with the north-south Blue Line on a 2·7 km, five-stop stretch between Lideta and Meskel Square. The north-south ...
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NewsTAZARA takes delivery of locos and coaches
AFRICA: Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority has taken delivery of four diesel-electric locomotives and 18 coaches supplied from China. TAZARA expects the new equipment valued at US$22·4m to have a ‘substantial impact’ on its operations, which have been suffering from reduced capacity as a result of the age of the fleet ...
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NewsHungarian company builds tram for Africa
ETHIOPIA: A prototype tram for the African market has been delivered to Addis Ababa by Hungarian company Dunai Repülőgépgyár. DR intends to carry out series production in Ethiopia using Hungarian components, and is in talks with Ethiopian state-owned Metals & Engineering Corp about constructing a test track. It is ...