Posted on 08 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Tunisair and Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT – the Tunisian National Railways) have signed a joint agreement creating two “spin-off” companies. Minister of transport Abderrahim Zouari; minister of industry, energy and small and medium enterprises Afif Chelbi; Tunisair president and CEO Nabil Chettaoui, and Néjib Fitouri, SNCFT CEO Néjib Fitouri were present [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
France has signed a financing protocol for a ?225 million loan to fund the rolling stock of the Casablanca tramway. Initialled by Finance minister Salaheddine Mezouar and French state secretary for foreign trade Anne-Marie Idrac, the agreement includes a donation amounting to 42% of the loan which is destined for the rolling stock supply and maintenance. Mezouar [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Morocco’s new Tangier-Casablanca high-speed trains will carry 8 million passengers per year, says Office National des Chemins de fer (ONCF – the national railway of Morocco) CEO Mohammed Rabie Khlie. With a capacity of 500 passengers, each trainset will be accessible to the “average citizen” with a departure every hour and every half-hour during periods [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Canadian engineering firm Dessau has won a $38.8 million contract to conduct the preliminary and final design for the construction of a 170km double track between Algiers and Constantine in Algeria’s north-east. The contract is part of a $2.3 billion government project. The contract was awarded by a consortium comprising China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
From October 2010, new electric trains will gradually phase out diesel traction between the main railway station in Tunis’ Place Barcelone and Hammam El Chatt, south of the city. Sets with a capacity of 2,500 are to be introduced by Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT – the Tunisian National Railways). They will [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The 25-year railway management agreement between Tanzania and Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites) is be officially revoked in February, Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of Infrastructure Development Omari Chambo has told the parliamentary committee on public accounts in Dar-es-Salaam. “Coupled with the onset of the El Nino rains that have washed away [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
IT company Telvent (Nasdaq:TLVT), has announced that it is to implement its Telvent SmartMobilityTM solution in the new light rail system that will connect the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Sale. Comprising 32 stations along its 18km extension, the line is scheduled to begin operating by 2011. The contract is valued at €2.3 million. The system [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 4 January, container transport by rail was launched between the Port of Algiers and the dry port of Rouiba, about 20km east of the capital. Railway lines in the harbour have not been used for many years, and this is the first time that container trains have been operated in the area. Accompanied by [...] [...more]
Posted on 15 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
President of Rossiiskie Zheleznie Dorogi (RZhD – the Russian State Railway) Vladimir Yakunin visited Libyan Railways Chairman Said Mohammed Rashid on 5 December to inspect progress with building the new 554km Surt-Banghazi railway.. Altogether a workforce of 3,500 from Libya and Russia are involved in the four-year construction phase, and housing for more than 400 [...] [...more]
Posted on 15 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
A new rail project has been launched to link the Red Sea at Port Sudan with the Atlantic Ocean at Dakar in Somalia Senegal. Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is quoted saying that the political will behind the project was confirmed during the first ministerial meeting on the scheme [...] [...more]
