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TRANSNET Freight Rail, South Africa, has selected GE to supply a fleet of 100 C30ACi diesel locomotives. GE says the 2.46MW locomotives will be the first in sub-Saharan Africa to feature ac traction.

CHANGCHUN Bombardier Railway Vehicles (CRBC) has been awarded a Yuan 1.99 billion ($US 291 million) contract to supply 246 Movia metro cars for Shanghai Metro Line 12. The contract comprises 41 six-car trains, spare parts and staff training.

QUEENSLAND RAIL (QR) has secured a $A 2 billion ($US 1.8 billion) long-term contract from mining giant Xstrata to transport coal from mines in the Collinsville/Newlands area to Abbot Point export terminal. The contract, which will commence at the end of this year or early next year, covers operations from Newlands, Collinsville, Oaky Creek, and Rolleston mines.

PAKISTAN Railways (PR) has signed a $US 244 million loan agreement with Exim Bank, China that will allow it to purchase new locomotives and coaches from Chinese suppliers. Under the loan agreement, PR will receive $US 110 million to buy 75 diesel locomotives from Dong Fang Electrical Corporation and $US 134 million for 205 coaches which will be procured through China Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) has awarded a Euros 350 million contract to Corus Rail to supply rails for four years initially, with an option to extend the contract by another two years.

THE first light rail vehicles for Bergen's new light rail network arrived in the Norwegian city on December 9. Stadler Pankow is supplying 12 Variobahn low-floor LRVs, with an option for four additional vehicles. The second of the 32.2m-long vehicles will follow in February, with the remainder arriving at 3-4 week intervals until the last is delivered next September.

Alstom has secured a Euros 16.5 million contract with Spain's Ministry of Transport for a signalling system on a 25km stretch of the Atlantic high speed mainline between Vigo and Portela.

SIEMENS will equip the first metro line in Chongqing, China with its Trainguard MT signalling and control system. Scheduled to enter public service in 2011, the first of six proposed metro lines for China's 20th largest city will be 36km long and include 23 underground, at-grade and elevated stations. Siemens declined to release the value of the contract.

KAZAKHSTAN Railways (KTZ) has awarded a $US 100 million contract to Alcatel-Lucent to modernise its telecommunications network to bring it up to international standards.

NEXUS, the authority responsible for Newcastle's metro, has selected German Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Regio as its preferred bidder for a concession to operate the 78km Tyne & Wear network.