Angola: Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co is to supply the Benguela Railway with two SDE16N locos powered by Cummins QSK60-L engines rated at 1640 kW.
Bosnia: Funded by a €67·7m loan from the Spanish government, Patentes Talgo is to supply BHZJK with nine trainsets of nine cars each with passive tilt for 220 km/h operation; four will be for overnight services.
Canada: CN has exercised an April 2005 option with EMD for 50 SD70M-2 high-horsepower locomotives to be delivered in the second half of 2007. The 4300hp locos will increase capacity for the opening of the first phase of a C$30m intermodal terminal under construction at Prince Rupert.
China: Nortel has signed a framework agreement with the Ministry of Railways for the supply of seven GSM-R switching centres, supplementing two deployed in 2005.
Czech Republic: On May 3 CD General Manager Josef Bazala signed a KC1·7bn contract with Skoda subsidiary CKD Vagonka for three 471 double-deck EMUs which will be used on suburban services around Ostrava from early 2007.
Finland: VR Ltd has awarded Talgo Oy a €40m contract to supply 20 double-deck passenger coaches for inter-city duties. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between autumn 2007 and spring 2008.
France: Parkeon announced on June 13 that it had been selected by RATP to supply ticket vending and smart card recharging machines worth up to €35m for installation at Paris metro and RER stations.
Germany: ZAO Transmashholding has bought Fahrzeugtechnik Dessau for an undisclosed sum. The German firm produces bodyshells, cabs, door modules and other rolling stock components.
Italy: On June 12 Ferrovie del Sud-Est signed a €45m order with PESA Bydgoszcz for 13 three-car DMUs. To be delivered to Bari in 2007-09, the units will have a top speed of 120 km/h, 21 first and 134 second class seats, and two toilets, one with wheelchair access.
Netherlands: Angel Trains has selected Vossloh to install Alstom ETCS Level 2 equipment on 19 G1206 and G2000 diesel locos for use on the Betuwe Route and Rotterdam port complex.
Serbia: ZS has awarded Hungarian firm TriGranit a €170m contract to complete the long-delayed construction of Prokop station in Beograd, which began 30 years ago. The project includes 128000m2 of office space and should be completed in two years with the aid of local subcontractors.
On May 17 ZS took delivery of the last of a batch of 10 Class 621.1 diesel-electric locos (RG 11.04 p744) built by CMKS Lokomotivy under a €6·7m contract. The Effishunter locos have a 392 kW Caterpillar C15 engine and a top speed of 80 km/h. A further two have been added to the initial order, and 10 more are to follow by 2007.
Spain: ADIF has awarded Talleres Alegría a €4·9m contract to supply 38 expansion devices for bridges on high speed lines. Plasser Española is to supply a high speed track recording vehicle for €2·6m.
Sweden: Forest products company SCA has awarded Hector Rail a 10-year contract to carry timber between the Östersund and Sundsvall areas from January 2007.
United Kingdom: Leasing company Angel Trains has signed a £15m contract for Brush Traction to replace the Paxman Valenta diesel engines in 25 Class 43 HST power cars operated by GNER with MTU 16V4000R41 engines, by November 2008.
Between November 2006 and late 2007 Bombardier is to refurbish 405 MkIII High Speed Train coaches operated by First Great Western, at a cost of £53m. Bombardier will also be responsible for bogie maintenance throughout the operator's 10-year franchise under a contract worth up to £85m.
Northern Rail has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a £2·3m contract to replace the existing Aptis ticket issuing system with FasTIS at the operator's 153 staffed stations and two training academies.
USA: By the end of 2007 FreightCar America is to supply Norfolk Southern with 400 AutoFlood III aluminium bottom-discharge wagons and 1200 hybrid stainless steel/aluminium open wagons; these are designed to withstand the repeated applica-tion of heat when thawing frozen coal.
Kansas City Southern has ordered 30 GE ES44AC and 30 EMD SD70ACe locos of 4300hp, which will replace older locos on a two-for-three basis.
Trinity Industries has won a contract valued in excess of $8m to supply Chicago SouthShore & South Bend Railroad with 100 wagons for coiled steel traffic.
