Australia: On March 28 Downer EDI announced a contract to supply an additional 19 EMD SD70ACe locos to BHP Billiton Iron Ore, bringing the miner's total order to 55 of the locos. Changes to manufacturing schedules enabled EMD to ship the first 10 from Canada in April. The remainder will arrive in mid-2009.
Belarus: Transmash Holdings' Kolomensky plant has supplied BC with the first two of five TEP70BS locos under a contract signed earlier this year. Transmash will also supply 15 engines for modernising M62 diesel locos, four engines for TE10 freight locos, and spares.
Rigas Vagonbuves Rupnica has been awarded a €8m contract to supply BC with four three-car DMUs.
Europe: Last month leasing firm Touax Rail announced a framework agreement for International Railway Systems to supply 6 000 wagons by 2012, including 3 600 container flats, 1 200 steel wagons and 1 200 coal hoppers.
Five PKP Cargo ET22 electric locos have been certified for operation in Slovakia.
Angel Trains announced its entry to the Scandinavian market on April 22 with the lease of 10 Traxx locos to Cargonet, a cross-border operator owned 55% by Norway's NSB and 45% by Green Cargo of Sweden. The locos had already been ordered from Bombardier, and will be delivered by December.
Hungary: MÁV has awarded Bombardier a €17m contract to refurbish 46 Bhv suburban coaches at its Dunakeszi site by December 2009.
India: Golden Rock workshop has developed a prototype stainless steel wagon with a capacity of 71 tonnes, 3 tonnes more than a conventional vehicle. Around 150 are expected to be built this year.
Lithuania: LG has awarded Skinest Rail contracts to supply wagons worth 44·8m litas.
Netherlands: Nedtrain has signed a 10-year contract to maintain the seven Stadler EMUs being delivered to Arriva for operation on the Dordrecht - Geldermalsen line from December this year. Nedtrain will also maintain 11 ?RandstadRail RegioCitadis vehicles.
Nigeria: NRC and GE have signed a memorandum of understanding for diesel loco upgrading. Flour Mills plc has agreed to fund work on the first five locos for use on dedicated trains, and other major customers are being approached on a similar basis.
Pakistan: PR has ordered 30 air-conditioned coaches from China to meet demand during the coming summer. PR plans to include at least one air-conditioned coach in all major express trains.
Poland: This month Stadler will deliver to Mazowiecke voivodship the first two of 14 four-car Flirt EMUs ordered in June 2006 at a cost of SFr100m. Four of the EMUs are for Silesia. They are being assembled in Siedlce, and deliveries will be completed by the end of the year.
Russia: On March 3 RZD placed an order with Transmash Holding for one two-car and 15 three-car RA-2 diesel multiple-units.
Last month Tver Carriage Works received safety certification for its 61-4440 compartment coaches and 61-4447 open-plan cars. Compared to previous designs the vehicles make increased use of moulded plastics, have better noise insulation and have a corrosion-resistant body with a design life of 40 rather than 28 years. The first of 244 coaches will be supplied to RZD in July.
This month RZD will select a supplier to form a joint venture which will supply 1 210 double-deck coaches by 2015. Alstom, Bombardier and Finnish firm Transtech were expected to submit bids.
Spain: The 30 high speed trains being supplied by Talgo and Bombardier under a contract awarded in March 2004 (RG 4.04 p182) will now have 348 instead of 316 seats per set, including more provision for passengers in wheelchairs. Their RENFE designation has been changed from Class 102 to Class 112 accordingly.
Switzerland: Having taken delivery of a four-car set last year, Transports Régionaux Neuchâtelois has ordered a further two Stadler Flirt EMUs which will be supplied by August 2009. TRN's two NINA units will then be sold to BLS.
Turkey: Logistics firm Reysas has purchased 20 wagons from Sanito for €0·4m.
UK: Network Rail has placed a £10m order with German firm Kirow for 26 wagons to carry factory-built modular pointwork panels to worksites.
The interiors of CrossCountry's Voyager inter-city DEMUs are to be revised by Bombardier, adding 16 seats and 20% more luggage space to the 22 five-car units and 14 seats and 25% more luggage space to the 35 four-car sets. The onboard shop will be removed and an at-seat ?catering service provided instead.
Transport for London has exercised a £23m option with Bombardier for a further seven four-car Class 378 Electrostar EMUs, to be delivered in early 2010.
WH Davis Ltd has won a £6·1m contract to supply Network Rail with sleeper, barrier and workshop wagons to support a High Output Track Renewal System.
Wabtec Rail has signed a contract to ?refurbish 40 MkIII HST carriages by December for use on CrossCountry's ?Edinburgh - Plymouth services. They will gain power sockets, wi-fi and a 'catering home base' for at-seat catering.
USA: On April 21 Wabtec Corp's MotivePower subsidiary announced a $95m order supply 26 MPXpress locos for Maryland Transit Administration's MARC commuter service in 2008-09.
