Australia: Faiveley Transport has been awarded contracts totalling more than US$150m to supply braking systems, HVAC, doors, driver vigilance units, pantographs and energy monitoring systems and 15 years of maintenance services for the 512 double-deck EMU cars which the RailConnect NSW consortium of Hyundai Rotem, UGL and Mitsubishi Electric Australia is to supply for NSW TrainLink Intercity services.
Belgium: CAF has signed a contract to supply 146 trams to De Lijn. CAF was named preferred bidder last year, but Bombardier lodged a legal challenge (RG 12.16 p12).
Czech Republic: Repair and leasing company Kladenská Dopravní a Strojní has acquired its first electric loco to join its diesel fleet. The 25 kV 50 Hz AC Class 210 shunter was bought from ČD after overhaul by ČMŽO Přerov, and is primarily designed for hauling cross-border trip freight on behalf of open access operators on the Břeclav – Bratislava – Rajka route.
Unipetrol Doprava has taken delivery of a CZ Loko Class 753.6 EffiLiner 1600 Bo-Bo diesel-electric loco, with one to follow and an option for two more.
CZ Loko has rebuilt a ČKD-built Class 740 as a Class 741.7 EffiShunter 1600 heavy shunter for use by fertiliser producer Lovochemie. A second is being rebuilt at CZ Loko’s Jihlava workshops.
RegioJet has bought six Astra Vagoane Calatori coaches formerly used by defunct Italian open access operator Arenaways for an undisclosed price.
Europe: Hector Rail has awarded Mgw Service a full-service contract to maintain its locomotive fleet for five years from January 2018.
Finland: Stadler’s plant at Szolnok in Hungary is to overhaul the bogies of Flirt EMUs supplied to Junakalusto in 2009-14 for use in the Helsinki region.
Germany: In response to an urgent need to increase capacity on its small-profile lines, Berlin operator BVG has ordered a further 80 metro cars from Stadler Pankow for delivery from the second half of 2019.
Italy: Trentialia had exercised options worth €170m for a further 27 Alstom Coradia Meridian Jazz regional EMUs for delivery in 2018-19.
NTV is to order a further five non-tilting Alstom Pendolino trainsets, which will take its Pendolino fleet to 17.
Kazakhstan: KTZ’s technical centre is developing specifications for covered, open, tank and flat wagons which would be produced domestically under a government-backed import substitution programme. Requirements include higher capacities than current designs, with longer intervals between maintenance. Production of 6 000 wagons/year is envisaged.
Vnesheconombank is financing 2 600 wagons which will be leased to Eurasian Resources Group.
Morocco: Société des Transports de Rabat-Salé has signed a €45m contract for Alstom to supply 22 Citadis trams.
New Zealand: Auckland Transport and CAF signed a NZ$133m contract on November 7 covering the supply of a further 15 three-car EMUs from 2019 and the provision of eight years of maintenance. There are options for further units, and for the EMUs to be fitted with batteries which would enable them to replace DMUs on the Papakura – Pukekohe route if electrification does not go ahead.
Philippines: The Department of Transportation has awarded Mitsubishi and CAF a €225m contract to supply 30 trainsets for Manila metro Line 1 in 2020-22. The 70 km/h trainsets will be 106 m long, with the high-capacity layout offering 276 seats and 16 doors/side.
Poland: Newag submitted the only bid for a contract to modernise nine Fablok SM42 diesel shunting locomotives operated by PKP Intercity.
Tramwaje Szczecińskie has selected sole bidder Modertrans to supply two Moderus Beta tram kits for assembly at its workshops. The 9·7m złoty contract includes options for two more.
Bogestra submitted the only bid to supply trams to MPK Łódź. The Bochum-Gelsenkirchen operator is to supply 32 NF6D partly low-floor trams by 2020 for €3·2m, and there are options for two more. Meanwhile, MPK Łódź’s workshops are to modernise 14 Type 805N trams by 2018.
Russia: Airport shuttle service operator Aeroexpress put its Stadler Kiss double-deck EMUs into revenue service on the Moscow Kievskaya – Vnukovo Airport route on October 27. The new units were expected to be introduced on the Domodedovo Airport route during November.
PhosAgro has signed a 2·9bn rouble 10-year agreement to lease 500 United Wagon Co high-capacity fertiliser hopper wagons from Gazprombank, with an option to buy.
Metrowagonmash and Sberbank Leasing have signed a 1·3bn rouble contract for the supply of 23 metro cars to Nizhny Novgorod by the end of 2017.
Uraltransmash was sole bidder for a contract to supply 21 trams to Kolomna by the end of February.
The Vagonmaš joint venture of Škoda Transportation and Kirovsky Zavod is to supply seven six-car trainsets for the St Petersburg metro for 4bn roubles.
Slovakia: ZSSK has selected S Rail Lease for a 10-year contract to supply 10 Siemens Vectron electric locos for use on Bratislava – Košice inter-city services. S Rail Lease was established in July, and is owned by finance houses S Slovensko (97%) and Slovenská sporiteľňa (3%), both part of Erste Group of Austria. ELL Germany also bid for the contract, which is worth €58·7m including full maintenance.
Sweden: Storstockholms Lokaltrafik has placed a €37m order for 10 three-section CAF trams for the Tvärbana and two four-section trams for the Lidingöbanan. Deliveries are scheduled for 2019.
Östgötatrafiken has ordered three more Alstom Coradia Nordic four-car EMUs for delivery in 2019 to augment its fleet of 15. They will be built as an add-on to a batch of 30 for Skånetrafiken.
Perpetuum is to provide wheelset condition monitoring equipment for SJ’s X2000 trainsets, with 10 years of support. This will enable a move from distance to condition-based maintenance.
UK: On November 17 Transport for London issued invitations to negotiate for a contract to supply 43 driverless light metro trainsets for the Docklands Light Railway to Alstom, Bombardier, CAF and a Siemens-Stadler consortium.
South Western Railway has awarded Kiepe Electric UK a contract to undertake a £45m refurbishment of 18 Class 442 EMUs. This will include replacing the life-expired DC traction equipment with an AC package incorporating IGBT technology. New brake controls from Knorr-Bremse will permit regenerative braking.
USA: Los Angeles County MTA has exercised a $18·3m option for Talgo to refurbish 36 Red Line metro cars.