Canada: CN has ordered 40 ES44 DC locos of 4 400 hp from GE, and 25 SD70M-2 locos of 4 300 hp from EMD. Deliveries will be completed by August 2008. All will be equipped with distributed power capability for operation by remote control in the middle of trains.
Croatia: TZV Gredelj has been awarded a 30m kuna contract running to October 2008 to supply Swiss-based leasing firm AAE with wagon bogies.
Estonia: Eesti Raudtee has placed a 80m kroon order for flat wagons with UVZ & AVR, and awarded Skinest Rail a contract to supply wagons worth 212m kroons.
France: On June 27 the SNCF board confirmed a €2·1bn order for 80 double-deck TGV Duplex trains. The 320 km/h trains will be delivered from 2009, with 52 of their 509 seats adapted for passengers with reduced mobility, and some will be equipped for operation in Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Bombardier announced on July 6 that SNCF had ordered 19 more AGC trainsets for €82m. In total 698 AGCs have now been ordered, with the first of more than 125 dual-mode, dual-voltage electro-diesel units launched in the Champagne-Ardenne region during June.
India: Terry Farrell & Partners has been awarded a contract by Indian Railways to develop a masterplan for the redevelopment of New Delhi station.
Morocco: ONCF has awarded Thales a €14m contract to supply PC-based LockTrac 6171 PIPC electronic interlockings for eight stations on the 117 km line from Taurirt to Nador which will open next year.
Netherlands: NS Reizigers has ordered two motion and two multi-functional driving simulators with 300 km visual databases from Corys TESS. They will be installed at a purpose-built training facility in Amersfoort
Spain: Invensys Dimetronic has announced four contract wins. A €3·5m contract from ADIF covers updating the ASFA train protection on the Madrid — Sevilla route, a €7m contract covers the supply of ATC equipment to FGC for the Llobregat — Anoia line, a €5·5m contract covers signalling the Plaza yard at Zaragoza, and civils contractor Sacyr has awarded a €6·4m contract for signalling on the Málaga — Córdoba line.
Sweden: Following a year of testing by postal service Posten, Kockums Industrier has been awarded a SKr32m contract to supply 26 intermodal wagons for mail traffic, with an option for an additional 60 wagons valued at SKr75m.
Banverket has awarded NCC Construction a SKr263m turnkey contract for the replacement of a 640 m viaduct over the Västra Hamnbanan and E20 road in Göteborg.
Switzerland: Subject to approval by the cantons of Aargau and Zürich in October, BDWM Transport will place a SFr80m order with Stadler for 14 low-floor EMUs for use on the metre-gauge Bremgarten — Dietikon line from the end of 2009. The route will offer first class accommodation for the first time.
Ukraine: UZ has ordered two Desec TL 70 Tracklayers for switch and crossing replacement. During 2006 the state railway's two existing TL 70s replaced 290 turnouts.
UK: Freight operator First GBRf said last month it is ordering 'up to 50' HYA coal hopper wagons from IRS in Arad, Romania.
Transport for London has placed a £36m order with Bombardier for a further three four-car Class 378 Electrostar inner-suburban EMUs and 24 cars to lengthen the three-car units ordered in August 2006. They will be maintained by the manufacturer and operated by MTR Laing through TfL's London Rail concession (RG 7.07 p408).
EWS Construction has ordered 34 aggregate hopper wagons with Axiom Rail track-friendly suspensions from Greenbrier in Poland.
Virgin Trains has awarded preferred bidder Nomad Digital a contract to supply onboard wi-fi for the Class 390 Pendolino fleet. Wireless base stations will be installed along 650 route-km of the West Coast Main Line.
USA: Last month Tennessee Southern Railroad began taking delivery of six GP10 locos refurbished by National Railway Equipment Co and equipped with an N-Force wheel slip system which the shortline says will allow the 1 700 hp locos to exert the tractive effort of 2 300 hp units.
On July 11 Pacific Harbor Line commissioned the first four of 16 remanufactured MP20C-3 and MP20B-3 diesel-electric shunting locos with MTU Detroit engines. The 2 000 hp locos with Q-Tron controls are expected to cut fuel consumption by 30%, particulates by 70% and NOx by 46%.
Amec has been chosen to provide geotechnical engineering services for the $150m enlargement of 28 tunnels to take double-stack trains on Norfolk Southern's Heartland Corridor (RG 10.06 p644).
