ALGIERS Metro Enterprise (EMA) has awarded a contract worth about €20m to Siemens to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on a 4km underground extension to Line 1 of the Algiers metro.

TWO European open-access operators have signed contracts with Siemens for a total of five 15kV ac Vectron locomotives, which will be used on freight services in Germany and Austria.

VIENNESE public transport operator Wiener Linien has begun trial operation of the EcoTram, a Siemens ULF light rail vehicle equipped with low-energy heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.

INFRASTRUCTURE Leasing and Financial Services Rail (IF&LS), the Indian company which holds the PPP concession to build the metro in Gurgaon south of Delhi, has awarded Siemens a turnkey contract worth around Rs 5.65bn ($US 92m) to supply signalling, electrification, and rolling stock for the second phase of the network.

AMTRAK President Mr Joe Boardman, Federal Railroad Administrator Mr Joseph Szabo and Siemens Rail Systems USA president Mr Michael Cahill visited the Transportation Technology Center (TTCI) at Pueblo on July 29 to see the ACS-64 Cities Sprinter electric locomotive being put through its paces.

ARRIYADH Development Authority (ADA) announced the winning bidders on July 28 for three design and build contracts worth almost $US 22.5bn for the construction of a 176.7km six-line automated metro network in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

GERMAN Rail (DB) and Siemens launched a pilot project today for what they describe as the "signalbox of the future" using open-interface signalling architecture.

TURKISH State Railways (TCDD) has awarded a contract to Siemens for seven 300km/h trains for operation on its growing high-speed network.

SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has awarded Siemens a SFr 9.3m ($US 9.8m) contract to design and supply mobile reactive power compensation systems, which can be deployed anywhere on the Swiss mainline network.

SIEMENS has announced that it will withdraw from bidding for the tender to supply 60 10-car emus for the Crossrail project in London. This leaves Bombardier, CAF and Hitachi in the running to win the £1bn contract, which should be awarded next year.