UK: Labour MP for Swindon South Heidi Alexander was appointed as Secretary of State for Transport on November 29, following the resignation of Louise Haigh the previous evening.

USA: Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners has completed a corporate carveout of locomotive services business Velocity Rail Solutions from Stellex Capital Management’s A Stucki Company.

UGANDA: President Yoweri Museveni officially launched construction of the standard gauge railway programme’s 272 km Eastern Line from the capital Kampala to Malaba on the Kenyan border during a ceremony in Tororo district on November 21.

CHINA: The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology-MTR Joint Research Laboratory has used artificial intelligence and big data to predict changes to travel patterns and assist MTR Corp’s operations team in implementing appropriate plans.

This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.

GERMANY: Ongoing technical problems with a fleet of hydrogen-powered iLint Alstom multiple-units on part of the Taunus network has prompted the operator to replace them with Lint41 diesel multiple-units on route RB15 between Bad Homburg and Brandoberndorf. The change in traction will take effect progressively from January 2025.

GERMANY: Ongoing technical problems with a fleet of hydrogen-powered iLint Alstom multiple-units on part of the Taunus network has prompted the operator to replace them with Lint41 diesel multiple-units on route RB15 between Bad Homburg and Brandoberndorf. The change in traction will take effect progressively from January 2025.

SWITZERLAND: Bern suburban operator Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn has awarded Stadler a SFr190m contract to supply 20 custom electric multiple-units to replace its oldest vehicles and increase capacity on Solothurn – Bern RegioExpress route RE5.

KAZAKHSTAN: The first TE36A main line diesel locomotive for national railway KTZ has been rolled out at CRRC Dalian’s factory in China.

AUSTRALIA: The A$1·7bn Tunnels North contract for Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop East was announced by Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority on November 9.

GHANA: President Nana Akufo-Addo has formally opened the 97·7 km Tema – Mpakadan standard gauge railway. Built by Afcons Infrastructure Ltd for US$447m, the line connects Tema’s port with a transfer quay on Lake Volta.

EUROPE: The Spanish national operator’s international business RENFE Proyectos Internacionales and Spanish private equity firm Serena Industrial Partners have each acquired a 33% stake in Longitude Holdings, which was previously sole owner of Italian private operator Arenaways.

UK: High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd announced the award of more than £3bn of track and railway systems contracts on November 27.

POLAND: A diesel multiple-unit formerly used by Dutch national operator NS that PKP Intercity is leasing from SKPL entered revenue service on the Kraków – Jelenia Góra line on November 18.

FRANCE: Leasing company Railpool has signed a long-term full-service agreement to supply Regiorail with three Alstom Traxx Universal locomotives with last mile engines, with an option for a further four.

UK: Sensonic has opened an ‘Innovation Farm’ test facility to help it develop optic fibre cable distributed acoustic sensing technologies without the need for lineside access to a live railway.

CANADA: Canadian Pacific Kansas City and ATCO EnPower have completed two hydrogen production and refuelling facilities as part a pilot programme to retrofit diesel locomotives with Ballard fuel cell power packs.

USA: Trinity Metro has ordered four more Stadler Flirt diesel multiple-units to increase capacity on the TEX Rail line from central Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

UK: Transport for London has invited requests to participate in the procurement of the next London Overground operating concessionaire.

UK: A Wheelset Intervention Support Tool which uses predictive AI to identify problems before they lead to damage and disruption is being trialled by the Rail Safety & Standards Board and freight operators.