THE governments of Uganda and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a light rail network in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

TWO Swiss metre-gauge railways - Wynental & Suhrentalbahn (WSB) and Montreux Bernese Overland (MOB) - have issued calls for tender for the supply of new trains.

NORWEGIAN infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded a NKr 250m ($US 28.9m) signalling contract to Thales for the Follo Line project, Norway largest infrastructure project.

BAVARIAN Railway Company (BEG) confirmed on December 16 that it will conclude two contracts to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn network with National Express after the regional high court in Munich ruled that the operator has provided sufficient financial performance guarantees in compliance with the terms of the original tender.

FOR the first time a train has operated under ETCS with cab signalling through central London marking six years of development by Network Rail (NR) for the Thameslink upgrading project.

ALSTOM confirmed on December 15 that it has signed a €160m contract with Hessen State Railways (HLB) to supply 30 Coradia Continental EMUs for the Südhessen-Untermain regional network in central Germany.

CHINA Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) has awarded Hollysys Automation Technologies a Yuan 483.8m ($US 74.9m) contract to supply Automatic Train Protection (ATP) equipment for 179 high-speed trains being built for China Railway Corporation.

ANGOLAN National Railways (INCFA) is planning to begin civil works early next year on a project to construct a second track on part of the Luanda Railway (CFL), which links the capital with Malanje and Dondo.

BRITAIN's Department for Transport (DfT) announced on December 15 that it has awarded 11 companies Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) Passports in a bid to streamline the bidding process for rail franchises.

THE first pre-series class 490 EMU for the Hamburg S-Bahn network is nearing completion at Bombardier's Hennigsdorf plant north of Berlin, and according to the manufacturer is due to begin testing next month.