KING Mohammed VI of Morocco formally launched the modernisation of the 354km Fez – Oujda line on June 19 during a royal visit to the city of Oujda in the northeast of the country.

THE Catalan Ministry of Territory and Sustainability (TES) and Barcelona Metropolitan Transport (TMB) are to head a European project to provide technical and legal support for the reform of the safety regime on the Cairo metro.

A CONSORTIUM of Italian construction companies Condotte d'Acqua and Rizzani de Eccher has awarded Ansaldo STS a €40m contract to design, supply, install and commission ERTMS on the new 130km line from Oued Tlelat to Tlemcen in northwest Algeria.

ALGERIA's Ministry of Transport has issued a tender for a contract to supply 17 standard-gauge dmus for Algerian National Railways (SNTF).

Construction is underway on the initial 8km section of Lagos' first metro line. Doing business in Nigeria has traditionally been a difficult proposition for foreign companies, but as Kevin Smith discovers, by enacting an effective PPP financing structure the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority has attracted the international project management expertise required to get the Blue Line up-and-running.

PASSENGER Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has awarded a consortium of Thales and local partner Maziya the Rand 1.86bn ($US 186m) Western Cape New Signalling contract, which is a key part of Prasa's National New Signalling Programme.

TENDERS will be invited later this year by South Africa's Department of Transport to conduct a study into the likely cost and feasibility of building high-speed lines between the country's main cities.

THALES Spain has signed a Euros 109m turnkey contract to modernise and renew signalling systems on the Cairo-Alexandria line, in a project which will double capacity and raise the maximum line speed from 140km/h to 160km/h.

IRJ at the 60th UITP Congress Geneva: Alstom has developed a modular light metro system called Axonis which is designed to be quick to build and economic to construct and operate.

PRETORIA-based RRL Grindrod has sold two and leased four ex-Queensland Rail (QR) General Electric type C22-MMi locomotives to Democratic Republic of Congo National Railways (SNCC).