China: Bombardier Transportation is to supply 200 bogies and kits for another 400 for use under cars for Guangzhou metro Lines 4 and 5 which are being assembled by a joint venture of Itochu Corp and Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co Ltd.
Harsco Track Technologies is to supply a rail grinder to Tianjin Binhai Mass Transit Development Co for its 45 km metro line.
Voith Turbo is to supply 360 SET-553 final drives to Dalian Loco Works for use in the first 60 of 420 SSJ3 high-performance Co-Co electric freight locos which will be powered by 1250 kW Toshiba motors.
Cuba: Cuban Railways has ordered 12 DF7G-C locomotives from Beijing February 7th Rolling Stock Works of China. Deliveries of the 2500hp diesel-electric locos are due to start in the second half of this year.
Czech Republic: SZCD has awarded contracts totalling KC1·7bn for 3 kVDC electrification of the 27·2 km line from Ostrava-Svinov to Opava-Vychod by October 2006. The package includes resignalling and upgrading for 100 km/h operation.
CD is to call tenders this year for delivery in 2006-07 of 12 Type WLABmz 200 km/h couchette coaches for overnight services to Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
Pars Nova Sumperk is to rebuild two of CD’s Studenka-built Class 810 diesel railcars into a two-car part-low-floor DMU designated Class 814/914 powered by a low-emission ML640E engine; CD hopes to order up to 100 series conversions in 2006-09.
Denmark: Lokalbanen AS has ordered a fleet of 27 Lint 41 low-floor diesel railcars from Alstom LHB to operate services on its regional network north of København; deliveries are scheduled for 2006-07.
France: On February 16 RFF announced that it had appointed Nortel to provide operations and management services for its national GSM-R network which is currently being rolled out under a contract awarded to Nortel in September 2003.
Germany: On January 20 Verkehrsindustriesysteme GmbH of Halberstadt rolled out the first of 19 Lint 41 and Lint 27 diesel railcars being supplied to Connex Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH in association with Alstom LHB. They will enter service when Connex starts operating the Nordharz network in December.
Mexico: Ferromex is planning to invest US$101m this year, including the purchase of 40 diesel locos and 1000 freight wagons plus expansion of intermodal terminals in Monterrey, Hermosillo and Silao.
South Africa: Protekon has won a R74·5m contract to rehabilitate the 3 kV DC overhead line equipment on a 42 km section of Spoornet’s Durban - Johannesburg main line, as the first phase of a five-year programme to upgrade the 91 km from Estcourt to Merrivale.
Spain: Preliminary works have begun for a €16·6m programme to install CTC and automatic block signalling on the Vic - Puigcerdà route. Work due for completion by Bombardier within 28 months includes installation of eight electronic interlockings, ASFA train protection equipment and a new optic fibre telecommunications system.
ADIF is to call tenders for civil works on the 3·7 km Sant Boi de Llobregat - Hospitalet section of the Madrid - Barcelona high speed line, including a new station at El Prat airport for high speed and suburban services. The €195·4bn budget is the largest for a civil works contract on this project.
Bombardier has won a €81m order from FGV to supply 30 bi-directional Flexity Outlook low-floor LRVs for use in Valencia and Alacant, with an option for a further 10. Delivery is scheduled for 2006-07.
Switzerland: Zürcher Verkehrsverbund has called tenders for supply of touch-screen ticket-vending machines able to accept cash or credit cards; the contract is to be awarded by September, with the machines to be operational at the start of 2008.
Südostbahn announced on January 21 that it had ordered 11 four-section Flirt low-floor EMUs from Stadler Bussnang at a cost of SFr90m; they will replace existing EMUs dating from 1959-60.
United Kingdom: Northern Ireland Railways has selected a joint venture of AMEC and FP McCann for a £17m contract to renew 17·5 km of track on the Belfast - Larne line between Bleach Green and Whitehead.
On January 26 Network Rail awarded May Gurney a five-year framework contract to renew civil engineering structures in the London & North East area, with an estimated first-year value of £25m. Kier has been awarded the East Anglia contract, worth an estimated £20m in the first year.
Network Rail awarded framework contracts on January 26 to renew telecommunications equipment in its five asset territories. First Engineering has London North East and Scotland, Marconi South Eastern, Siemens Western and Thales London North West.
Carillion Construction has selected Westinghouse Rail Systems to undertake signalling alterations on the Chiltern line from Marylebone to Bicester under the £80m Evergreen II project (RG 2.05 p60).
USA: Kansas City Southern has ordered 30 SD70ACe diesel locos of 4300hp from EMD for delivery by the end of this year.
Union Pacific has awarded a contract for supply of concrete sleepers until 2012 to CXT Inc, which plans to modernise its plant at Grand Island, Nebraska, and open another at Tucson, Arizona.
