Africa: Corus is to supply 4500 tonnes of 18m rails and 32500 type 202 sleepers to Transrail SA for the upgrading of the Mali - Senegal line.
Australia:NSW RailCorp has placed a A$262m order with United Group for a further 81 Oscar double-deck EMU cars for use on outer suburban services in Sydney from late 2006. United Goninan now expects to deliver 41 vehicles ordered under a previous contract at the start of next year.
Bangladesh:BR has awarded Ircon International a 885m taka contract to install computerised signalling at 12 stations on the Dhaka - Sylhet route.
Canada:CP has agreed to purchase seven Green Goat shunters from RailPower Technologies for use in Calgary. A further 28 will follow over three years if the initial seven meet performance specifications.
On April 6 Canadian National announced orders for 50 GE ES44DC locomotives of 4400hp and 25 EMD SD70M-2 locos of 4300hp for delivery by mid-2006. It has options on a further 25 ES44DC and 50 SD70M-2 locos until the end of 2008.
China:On March 15 the Ministry of Railways signed a contract with CSEE Transport, Zelri and CARS for the supply of 120 sets of Eurocab-based on-board ATP equipment for use on Alstom and Kawasaki trains operating at up to 200 km/h.
Czech Republic:CD has bought a 38% stake in catering and sleeping car company JLV, which has around 400 staff and turnover of KC300m.
Germany:Bombardier is to supply EBIlock 500 computer-based interlockings to DB Netz for use on the Appenweier - Bad Griesbach line.
Hungary:MÁV has awarded a consortium of Alcatel and M? vepcell contracts worth €42m to supply Altrac train controls at Kom? rom station and LockTrac interlocking and signalling equipment for the 85 km line between Zalal?€?v?€? and Boba.
Italy:Trenitalia has ordered a further 100 Bombardier E464 3 kV DC electric locos worth €250m. Deliveries will start in September and be completed by November 2007. Trenitalia had previously ordered 288 of the 3·5MW locos, entering service on regional passenger services from 1999.
Poland:Alcatel and KZAiT have been awarded a €30m contract to provide LockTrac interlockings, FieldTrac axle counters and NetTrac CTC at six stations in Poznan.
Spain:On March 1 maintenance of the Madrid - Lleida high speed line was taken over by a consortium of CSEE Transport and Cobra under a four-year contract with ADIF worth €59·9m.
Sweden:Banverket has awarded contracts totalling €31m to Peab Group and Balfour Beatty Rail AB for electrification of the 120 km Blekinge coast line between Kristianstad and Karlskrona. The project includes resignalling, bridge rebuilding, and station remodelling at Solvesborg, Morrum, Karlshamn, Brakne-Hoby and Ronneby. Work is to start in June and end in 2007.
Botniabanan AB has awarded Bombardier a contract to produce the ERTMS Level 2 specification for the Botniabanan (RG 12.04 p846). Bombardier intends subsequently to supply its Interflo 450 signalling technology.
Tunisia:SNCFT has placed an order with Corus for 1350 tonnes of 36m rail for delivery to Sfax later this year.
United Kingdom:Under a joint order First Swietelsky is to buy three Kirow KRC250 general purpose renewals cranes and GrantPlant is to purchase two, for delivery from summer 2006. The five cranes will have a maximum capacity of 25 tonnes and jib radius of 16m.
USA:Norfolk Southern is to purchase an additional 50 GE ES40DC six-axle 4000hp locos this year, in addition to 52 EMD SD70M-2 locos previously announced in the railway's 2005 capital spending budget.
RailPower Technologies is to supply Union Pacific with 10 Green Goat hybrid shunting locos for use in Fort Worth and Houston, financed under the Texas emissions reduction programme.
Metros
Australia:The A$215m South Australia Strategic Infrastructure Plan for 2005-15 includes A$21m to extend Adelaide's Glenelg tramway from Victoria Square to North Terrace. Construction would begin in 2006 for completion in September 2007, when Bombardier is due to deliver nine Classic low-floor trams.
Chile:Santiago Metro has ordered 42 metro cars from Alstom for €52m, including a two-year maintenance package, and exercised a €44m option for an additional 43 cars. They will be delivered from mid-2007 for use on the extension of Line 2 north from Cerro Blanco to Américo Vespucio. Alstom has also won two signalling and train control contracts worth €14m.
France:Cegelec has won contracts worth €10m for E&M installation work on the Lea tramway in Lyon (RG 2.05 p63). It will work with Ineo on power supplies, with TSO on overhead line equipment and with Alstom on signalling.
Germany:Stadtwerke München is to begin work in the third quarter of the year on a 4 km tram line linking Münchner Freiheit station on metro lines U3 and U6 to Funkkaserne West in the Schwabing development area. Opening in mid-2007, Route 23 will have seven stops.
India:Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Ltd has commissioned Rites to carry out surveying for the Rs6·25bn two-line metro. Opening is planned for October 2008.
Panama: Chilean consultancy C2P has carried out a private feasibility study for a light rail line in Panama City, putting the cost at US$170m. Transport authority ATTT is also considering bus alternatives.
Spain:Plans have been drawn up for a 5·8 km light rail line in the northern suburbs of Bilbao. The first phase with nine stops would link the university campus with Leioa on the existing metro line to Plentzia. The second phase with two stations would continue the line across the River Nervión on a lifting bridge to Urbinaga, connecting with metro Line 2 from San Inazio.
Taiwan: Taipei Rapid Transit Corp has awarded Continental Engineering Corp a NT$8·7bn contract to construct a 2·7 km section of the Xinyi Line. The 6·4 km underground route from Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Station along Xinyi Road to the Xinyi area is planned to open in 2011 and will have seven stations.
Thailand: The Transport Ministry is planning to set up a new agency to develop a 500route-km suburban network radiating from Bangkok, which would make use of existing SRT railway alignments.
Turkey:A consortium of Güris and Aktürk submitted the lowest of three tenders to compete the extension of Ankara Metro from Kizilay to Cayyolu 2.
United Kingdom:Transport for London has appointed Turner & Townsend as strategic support consultant to assist with the application for powers to construct the proposed £574m cross-river tramway through central London.
Strathclyde Passenger Transport has awarded Bombardier a contract to replace the Glasgow Subway's centralised control systems with EBI Screen CTC by July 2006.
USA:The first two of 20 Siemens U3 light rail vehicles which are being extensively refurbished by CAF at a cost of $1·4m each are expected to return to service in Pittsburgh this month. The initial pair were overhauled in Spain, but the rest will be modernised at Elmira, New York.
The Federal Transit Administration intends to approve preliminary engineering work costing $60m on Houston's planned light rail extension to Northline Mall. Federal funds will meet $390m of the projected cost, with a similar sum to be raised through a local bond issue.
Philadelphia's Port Authority Transit Corp has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a $11·3m contract to design and supply smart card fare collection equipment for the 13 stations and seven car parks on the 23 km Patco Hi-Speed commuter line.
Pointers
Mexico's Secretariat of Transport & Communications has appointed Systra to prepare a bidding process inviting tenders for a US$5bn 300 km/h rail link between Mexico City and Guadalajara.
At last month's launch of the Chinese-built three-car DMU 'Omugulu Gomnashe', TransNamib announced plans to upgrade passenger services this year. The company plans to acquire further diesel multiple-units for services between Windhoek, Tsumeb, Ondangwa and Keetmanshoop.
To improve access to the Trans-Siberian corridor, Austria's Green party has proposed an extension to Wien of one of the 1520mm gauge lines which currently terminate at Ciesle in Poland and Kosice in Slovakia.
København International Airport plans to develop a rail-connected international freight terminal at its Airport Business Park, providing access to the Øresund crossing from the airfreight facility.
Kenyan Transport Minister Chris Murungaru has expressed government support for the development of light rail to ease transport 'mayhem' in Nairobi.
- CAPTION: Trenitalia has rolled out the first of 300 double-deck coaches being built by the Corifer consortium for delivery by October 2006. Fitted with Siemens SF400 bogies, they will form five-car 160 km/h push-pull 'Vivalto' sets to work local services with Bombardier Class E464 electric locos. Another 150 vehicles are due to be ordered later this year
Photo: Ernesto Imperato/ www.ferrovie.it - CAPTION: Taking shape in Alstom's Savigliano plant are the first 'third generation' Pendolino tilting trains, which are due to enter service from October 2006. Alstom is supplying 14 seven-car 'CIS-2' sets to Cisalpino and 12 to Trenitalia under contracts totalling €544m awarded last year (RG 4.04 p224) Photo:David Campione
- CAPTION: Taking shape at Bombardier's Brugge plant is the first of 46 Cityrunner trams ordered by STIB inSeptember 2003. Shown to Brussels officials on March 18, the 30 m long six-axle car is due to be delivered in September for test running before series production starts at the end of this year. The order includes 27 short cars and 19 eight-axle cars 43 m long
Photo:Harry Hondius - CAPTION: In March, Lombardia region tested a Stadler GTW railcar on the Brescia - Darfo Boario Terme line, with a view to ordering new trains to replace Ferrovie Nord Milano's ageing Aln668 diesel railcars. The unit is scheduled to enter service on the Merano - Malles line this month
Photo: Maurizio Tolini - CAPTION: On March 23 Uruguayan railway operator AFE took delivery of 27 second-hand container flat wagons from Loko Trans of the Czech Republic
Photo:Marcelo Benoit
