Australia: Acting Commissioner of Railways for Western Australia Reece Waldock confirmed last month that two bids are being evaluated for 117 EMU cars to work the South-West Metropolitan Railway to be built between Perth and Mandurah (RG 12.00 p791). Alstom is bidding with United Goninan against Bombardier.
Bangladesh: BR has purchased 10 broad-gauge locos and spare parts from Rites for US$18·9m, using a US$31·4m Indian government loan. The first five were expected to enter service at the end of June. The remaining US$12·5m will be spent on infrastructure work.
China: Bombardier has ordered anti-roll bar assemblies from Silvertown UK. They will be used on 208 U series Metrostar bogies for Korean-built Hong Kong MTR vehicles.
Czech Republic: Bonatrans has won a contract to supply 1700 resilient tram wheels to Alstom Ferroviaria of Italy.
Denmark: The 83 four-car DMUs being built for DSB by AnsaldoBreda will have brake equipment worth €11m ordered from SAB Wabco.
Egypt: ENR has called for bids from telecom companies for the rights to use the railway’s communications networks.
Finland: CKD Vagónka is bidding to supply 16 diesel railcars to VR Group.
France: Fret SNCF has called tenders for the lease of between 60 and 90 diesel locomotives. Deliveries are expected to take place in the course of 2002.
ERG Group and Schlumberger have won a US$15m contract to install contactless smart card fare collection in Bordeaux.
Germany: Siemens has won a €60m contract from DB for three Simis C electronic interlockings to allow the Magdeburg area to be controlled from Leipzig.
Great Britain: Freightliner has ordered a further 17 Class 66 diesel locomotives from General Motors EMD.
Italy: Officine Meccaniche BBM has installed three ETR500 and ETR450 high-speed train bogie testing benches for FS. It is also supplying a wheelset press, bogie testing bench and wheelset testing stand to Metropolitana di Napoli.
Mauritania: SNIM has called bids for 150 iron ore wagons and 800 bogies; bidders include Standard Car Truck.
Spain: Renfe has awarded Indra and Comelta contracts worth a total of Pts2bn to supply 239 ticket vending machines for its Suburban business unit. Indra will supply 80% of the TVMs and undertake maintenance under a separate four-year contract worth Pts930m.
Feve is to upgrade automatic block signalling and CTC equipment on the Lieres - Nava section of its Oviedo - Santander route, having set a budget of Pts561m for the 12-month programme. Electronic interlocking is to be installed at Treto and Marrón on the Santander - Bilbao route at a cost of Pts233m.
EuskoTren’s strategic plan for the period to 2012 contains investment of Pts161·9bn, including Pts78bn on infrastructure that will see double track installed on 40% of the network. Pts3·6bn has been allocated for signalling, with Pts18·3bn for improving passenger services and Pts10·8bn for freight.
A consortium of FCC, Copisa and Comsa has been awarded a Pts4bn contract to build a rack railway from the FGC station at Monistrol de Montserrat to Plaça de la Creu, for which Stadler is supplying five trainsets for Pts4·3bn. Two new rack trainsets are also to be acquired at a cost of Pts1·15bn for FGC’s Ribes de Freser - Núria route.
Sweden: Transwaggon has ordered 300 Hirrs 6 covered vans from Alstom for €35m. They will be built in Germany and Poland, for delivery by April 2004.
Uzbekistan: Eyvalekmakhsustemirbeton has won an order to produce concrete sleepers for railway reconstruction.
