LEASING company Mitsui Rail Capital Europe (MRCE) has ordered an additional 21 Vectron locomotives from Siemens taking its fleet of Vectrons to 56.

RAILSERVE, United States, has despatched six Dual-Leaf genset locomotives from Houston to Libreville, Gabon, for use by Transgabonaise Exploitation Company (Setrag) as part of a project to modernise its railfreight operations.

IRJ at Railway Interchange: Wi-Tronix, United States, launched two new in-cab driver safety systems in Minneapolis.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has placed two orders with a combined value of SFr 265m ($US 274m) for 47 locomotives and 35 track maintenance vehicles as part of a programme to modernise its infrastructure maintenance fleet, which has an average age of more than 40 years.

IRJ at Railway Interchange: NRE showed for the first time its independent axle control (IAC) locomotive, the SD40-4, which is designed to increase adhesion.

IRJ at Railway Interchange: Nordco had on display its new electric road-rail yard switching unit and its new RoadReady ballast regulator and tamping machine.

IRJ at Railway Interchange: Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) had on show its first Tier 4-compliant locomotive at the outdoor exhibition area at BNSF's Northtown yard in Minneapolis.

CUMMINS has dispatched its first production QSK95 diesel engine for the rail market to Siemens' plant in Sacramento, California, where it will be fitted into a 200km/h Charger diesel locomotive.

POLAND's largest railfreight operator PKP Cargo announced on September 23 that it has awarded Siemens a contract to supply 15 multi-system Vectron locomotives, which will support the expansion of its international operations.

GE Transportation Africa president and CEO Mr Thomas Konditi and Mr Hippy Tijvikua, acting CEO of Namibia's national railway TransNamib signed a $US 22.7m contract in Windhoek on September 11 for six 1067mm-gauge C23EMP diesel locomotives.