THE National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) announced on November 13 that it will provide cash-strapped Pakistan Railways (PR) with a Rs 6.1bn ($US 63.7m) loan to revive its depleted locomotive fleet.
BELARUS Railways (BC) has awarded CZ Loko, Czech Republic, a contract worth almost €20m to supply 20 two-axle 1520mm-gauge diesel shunting locomotives.
RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) will step up its fleet modernisation programme next year by spending a record Roubles 85bn ($US 2.7bn) on new locomotives, transport minister Mr Maksim Sokolov confirmed on November 8.
BRAZILIAN mining giant Vale has received the first of an order for 14 SD70ACe diesel locomotives from EMD, which will be used by the company's newly-established logistics subsidiary, VLI.
SIEMENS has handed over the first Vectron electric locomotive to German leasing company Railpool, which ordered a batch of six units in December 2010.
Years of government ownership, three different rail gauges, industry-specific haulage requirements and the emergence of a plethora of rail operators from post privatisation open-access track regimes has created a diverse, and in part, ageing locomotive fleet in Australia.
TRANSNET signed a Rand 2.6bn ($US 298m) contract with CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, China, on October 22 for 95 dual-voltage electric locomotives, which are being ordered as part of a massive investment in railfreight capacity in South Africa.
THE first of 10 pre-series KZ8A 25kV ac freight locomotives was unveiled today in Belfort, France, by the president of Alstom Transport, Mr Henri Poupart-Lafarge, who was accompanied by the president of Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ), Mr Askar Mamin.
AN Alstom Prima II locomotive was tested in the Channel Tunnel on the night of September 29-30 in what EuroTunnel says was a step to introducing standard locomotives on railfreight services between Britain and continental Europe.
FRENCH construction companies Travail Sud Ouest (TSO) and Eurovia Travaux Ferroviares (ETF) have selected Vossloh to deliver points and rail fastenings for the 340km South Europe Atlantic High-Speed Line between Tours and Bordeaux.
