Contracts have been awarded and construction is underway on the United Arab Emirates' inaugural railway line. Kevin Smith looks at the current state of play for the country's planned 1200km network.
CAF has secured a Riyals 553m ($US 147.5m) contract with Saudi Railways Company (SAR) to supply five push-pull diesel passenger trains for the North-South Railway.
THE president-director of mining company PT Tambang Batu Bara Bukit Asam (PTBA) says he has been informed by the Indonesian government that the legal problems which have delayed construction of the 300km railway since 2005 will be settled this year.
The first 4.1MW diesel freight locomotive jointly designed by Indian Railways' Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi, EMD, and India's Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) will be completed soon.
Track doubling of the 90km section between Lodhran and Khanewal has been completed at a cost of Rs 3.3bn ($US 36.3m).
LOCOMOTIVE components and freight wagons are to be manufactured in India through a joint venture between UGL, Australia, and Texmaco Rail & Engineering using the latter's facility in Kolkata.
Hyundai Rotem has awarded Thales a contract to supply communications-based train control (CBTC) on the 12km extension of the Sin Bundang metro line from Jeongia to Gwanggyo.
CSR has been awarded a contract to supply 23 five-car trains for Metro Line 2.
THE Japan International Cooperation Agency has signed a Yen 18bn ($US 223m) loan agreement with the Uzbek government to fund the electrification of the 325km line from Karshi to Baysun and Termez in the south of the country.
