Africa: Plasser & Theurer has won orders to supply ATP 500-C flash butt welding machines to Oncfm in Morocco and the Transgabonais Railway which carries manganese ore in Gabon.

China: Nokia Siemens Networks is to provide GSM-R communications on the 166 km Passenger-Dedicated Line under construction between Hefei and Nanjing for opening next year.

Czech Republic: Infrastructure manager SZDC has awarded a consortium of SSZ, Viamont and Skanska a contract to undertake the modernisation of the 40 km Planá - Cheb route between January 2008 and December 2010.

France: On November 13 Bombardier announced a €34m contract from Veolia Cargo SAS for nine Traxx locos, with an option for a further 12. To be built in Kassel, they will be used in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Germany: In October DB placed a €170m order with Bombardier for 42 Talent 2 EMUs under the terms of a 321-vehicle framework agreement announced in February. Designated Class 428, the four-car units will enter service on Nürnberg S-Bahn routes from December 2010.

Railion Deutschland issued a tender on November 16 for the supply of 225 main line diesel locos with a nominal rating of 2 200 kW, intended to haul medium-weight freight services. Delivery is required by 2016.

Israel: Voestalpine and Shafir have been selected to undertake the construction of the Sha'ar Hagai - Emek Ha'arazim section of the fast rail link to Jerusalem, which includes a 1·2 km tunnel and a 11·5 km twin-bore tunnel to be bored with TBMs. Work will start in 2008.

Italy: Last month Ferrovie della Calabria placed a €22m order with Stadler for five DMUs to be delivered by autumn 2009 for use on lines from Catanzaro-Città in the extreme south of Italy. Four of the 950 mm gauge two-car sets will be equipped for rack operation, and the operator has an €37m option for a further 10 units.

Kazakhstan: During October KTZ took delivery of the first three of 15 TEM18 diesel shunting locos being supplied by Transmash Holdings subsidiary BMZ Bryansk Engineering.

Luxembourg: On November 14 CFL placed an order with German firm On-Rail for 540 Rbnpss 25 m long flat wagons for steel beam, sheet and pile traffic. They will be built in Bulgaria and delivered from 2009, joining CFL's fleet of 3 700 wagons.

New Zealand: Ontrack placed a NZ$25m order for 12 specialist track machines with Plasser Australia on November 16, for delivery from early 2009. Working as a set, the ballast cleaner, dual-sleeper tamper and dynamic track stabiliser will be able to treat 200 track-km a year.

Romania: Under a €14m contract with CFR announced on November15, Pöyry is undertake design work and provide technical assistance during a €600m upgrade of the 184 km section of Corridor IV between the Hungarian border, Curtici and Simeria.

South Africa: This month Booyco Engineering begins series production of 8·3 kW cab air-conditioning units and footwell heaters for installation on 110 Class 19E dual-voltage 3 kV/25 kV locos which are to be supplied to Spoornet by UCW. The first loco is due to begin tests in February, with the last entering service in March 2011.

The Bombela consortium has awarded Thales and local partner SIMS a €10m contract to supply contactless smart card ticketing for the 10 stations on the Gautrain project. Gautrain Project Leader Jack van der Merwe has said tickets will be priced around R0·60 per km, with a premium rate on express services to OR Tambo International Airport.

Spain: A joint venture of Joca Ingeniería y Construcciones and Construcciones Sarrión has been awarded a €57·9m contract to undertake civil works on the 16 km between Merida and Montijo. This is the second contract to be awarded on the high speed line between Madrid and the Portuguese border at Badajoz.

Civil works on the 4·6 km Durango - Amorebieta/Etxano section of the high speed line connecting Vitoria, Bilbao and San Sebastián are to be undertaken by ?Vías y Construcciones and Nortúnel under a contract worth €70m. The 5·42 km Lemoa - Galdakao section has been awarded to Ortiz, Construcciones Murias and Enrique Otraduy for €69m.

Turkmenistan: The Ministry of Railway Transport has awarded Ukraine's Stakhanov Wagon Works a contract to supply 300 type 31-945 hopper wagons of 66 tonne capacity from early 2008.

UK: A Hegenscheidt-MFD U2000-400 wheel lathe has been installed by GNER at Bounds Green depot in London, where InterCity East Coast trains are maintained.

Siemens has appointed Interfleet to optimise the overhaul regime for the Class 332 EMUs which are maintained by the manufacturer under a 19-year contract with operator Heathrow Express. Whole-life cost modelling will look at the optimal maintenance frequency for each component with a view to extending overhaul intervals.

Network Rail has awarded consultancy Scott Wilson a £10·6m contract for detailed design work for the £300m reinstatement of the 24 km Airdrie - Bathgate line, creating a further through route between Edinburgh and Glasgow (RG 7.06 p376).

USA: Miner Enterprises has supplied its AggreGate solar-powered remote control discharge doors for use on 150 Union Pacific ballast wagons.

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