THE first of 600 X'Trapolis Mega six-car commuter EMUs for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has been delivered to the operator's Wolmerton depot near Pretoria in readiness for the start of dynamic testing on the South African network.

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.

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.

ESTEL RA, a joint venture of Algerian Railways (SNTF) and Siemens, has secured a contract to supply signalling, safety and control systems, including ETCS, for the 140km Algiers RER commuter rail network which is operated by SNTF.

CHINA's Exim Bank has agreed to provide $US 1.5bn to fund 85% of the cost of extending the 609km Mombasa – Nairobi standard-gauge line currently under construction 120km north to Naivasha, while the Kenya government will fund the remaining 15%.

PASSENGER Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has approached the High Court in Johannesburg in a bid to terminate the controversial €250m locomotive deal it signed with Vossloh, alleging that the tender was rigged.

ALSTOM announced on November 26 that it has signed an agreement to purchase a 51% share in Commuter Transport and Locomotive Engineering (CTLE) from South African companies Commuter Transport Engineering (CTE) and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which will remain shareholders.

EGYPT's Ministry of Transport has invited expressions of interest for the acquisition of a fleet of 13 trains for the Cairo metro and a consultant to advise on the introduction of a new fares policy designed to increase revenue.

SIX years after Botswana Railways (BR) became a freight-only operation, the country's president Mr Ian Khama has announced plans to restore passenger services from Francistown in the north of the country to the capital Gaborone and Lobatse on the South African border from next March.