Troubled Marconi is on track for a rail order in the South-east.
It has won a contract from Network Rail to provide equipment and services to renew and modernise railway communication networks and systems.
Marconi said that, while there were no guarantees, the deal had the potential of up to #15 million of business over five years.
Marconi and Network Rail will work together on the project.
?Marconi has a proven record in delivering safe, reliable and cost effective systems on time and to budget,? said Steve Harris, director of transportation, Marconi.
Meanwhile cable operators Telewest and NTL are said to have begun early-stage merger talks.
?They?re in discussions, but it?s at a very early stage,? a source said, adding a deal could still be weeks or months away.
Both have extensive cable coverage of the West Midlands.
Telewest has appointed Deutsche Bank and Rothschild to advise it on the long-touted merger, which would value the combined company at about #5.5 billion.
NTL uses Goldman Sachs for financial advice.
It is still not clear how a merger between the two groups - which operate in the UK but are listed in New York - would be structured.
Given NTL?s bigger size, however, analysts and bankers say the deal will likely be a takeover of Telewest, with one UBS analyst predicting a take out price of $22 a share, or a total price tag of $5.4 billion (#3 billion).
At the centre of any talks is US distressed-asset fund WR Huff Asset Management, headed by New Jersey-based hedge fund manager William Huff, which controls large stakes in both companies.
