AUSTRIAN open-access rail freight operator Wiener Lokalbahnen Cargo has awarded Bombardier a contract to supply three Traxx AC3 electric locomotives with last mile diesel engines for shunting on non-electrified sidings.

REPRESENTATIVES from Cuban Union Railways (UFC) and Lyudinovo Locomotive Works (LTZ), Russia together with other suppliers within the Sinara group have begun to finalize the specifications for a new fleet of diesel-hydraulic locomotives ordered by UFC earlier this year.

POLISH long-distance operator PKP Intercity announced on October 11 that it will invest Zlotys 2.5bn ($US 640m) over the next four years in the continued modernisation of its locomotive and rolling stock fleets.

ISRAEL Railways has issued a call for tender for the construction of its first electric train depot which will be built between existing diesel train depots at Lod.

GERMAN Rail (DB) has confirmed to IRJ that it has placed an order with Bombardier for a further eight class 245 Traxx ME multi-engine diesel-electric locomotives, supplementing the fleet of 27 units already in service.

CAF began testing the first Trenitalia class 402A locomotive for future push-pull 200km/h inter-city services at the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic on October 1.

GEORGIAN Railway has signed a preliminary with a joint venture of CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive and Georgia’s BMI Partners and AS Group for the supply of 28 electric locomotives.

SIEMENS and Mapna, Iran, will supply 50 diesel locomotives to Iranian Islamic Republic Railways (RAI) under an agreement signed by German federal industry minister Mr Sigmar Gabriel during an official visit to Tehran this week.

CANADA’s export credit agency, Export Development Canada (EDC), has agreed to provide Angola with a $US 429.5m loan to finance the purchase of 100 locomotives from General Electric (GE), according to an authorisation granted by presidential order.

GE Transportation CEO Mrs Jamie Miller joined Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure Mr Volodymyr Omelyan and Ukrainian Railways (UZ) board member for operations Mr Ireneusz Wasilewski at Kiev Passazhyrsky station on September 28 for a demonstration of a GE T33A diesel locomotive.