EGYPT's National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has awarded a consortium of Vinci Construction Grand Projets, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Egyptian partners Orascom Contruction and Arabco Contractors a contract worth around €1.1bn to carry out civil works on the third phase extension of Cairo metro Line 3.

THE first of 34 Alstom Citadis 402 LRVs for the initial phase of the light rail network in Sidi Bel Abbès arrived in the Algerian city on April 8.

ALSTOM, Algiers Metro Company (EMA), Ferrovial, and Algerian National Railways (SNTF) signed a framework agreement in Algiers on April 10 to expand their Cital joint venture to assemble Alstom Coradia Polyvalent regional and inter-city multiple units at its Annaba plant in eastern Algeria.

ALSTOM has completed its buyout of the remaining 51% share in South African train refurbishment specialist CTLE (Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering), previously known as Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW), from CTE (Commuter Transport Engineering) and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) which remain shareholders.

EGYPTIAN National Railways (ENR) has awarded a contract to Siemens to resignal the main line from Benha, on the Cairo - Alexandria main line, via Zagazig to Port Said, and line from Zagazig to Abu Kebir, in the northeast of the country.

THE first two class 45-000 six-axle diesel locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail, South Africa, rolled off the production line at CRRC Corporation's Dalian plant in China on March 15.

A Dirhams 600m ($US 61m) project to reconstruct Rabat Agdal station was officially launched on March 7 by King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

SOUTH Africa's minister of transport, Ms Dipuo Peters, was among the guests to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Rand 928m ($US 59.4m) railway vehicle manufacturing plant and maintenance facility at Dunnottar, 50km east of Johannesburg, on March 4.

PASSENGER Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has received the second of 600 Alstom X'Trapolis Mega six-car commuter EMUs for testing. The first arrived in December 2015.

CITAL, a joint venture between Alstom (49%), Ferrovial (41%) and Algiers Metro Company (EMA) (10%), has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 26 Citadis low-floor LRV kits.