Comsa Signs Croatian Upgrade Contract
Croatian rail manager HŽ Infrastructure signed a €278.8 million ($307 million) contract with Spain’s Comsa to upgrade the 44‑km Hrvatski Leskovac‑Karlovac segment of Line M202. The project, co‑financed by EU Cohesion Programme grants, will rebuild the existing track, add a second electrified line, and replace signalling and telecom systems, aiming for a 160 km/h maximum speed. Work begins this summer with a target completion in 2029, and includes station refurbishments at Hrvatski Leskovac, Jastrebarski and Karlovac. The upgrade is part of Croatia’s broader plan to invest nearly €6 billion ($6.6 billion) in rail over the next decade.
Germany Sets up ERTMS Coordination Office
Germany announced the creation of an ERTMS Coordination Office to accelerate the rollout of the European Rail Traffic Management System and its train control component ETCS across both trackside and onboard equipment. The office will serve as a single point...
Amtrak Issues RFP for Long-Distance Fleet
Amtrak has released an RFP for over 800 single‑deck long‑distance coaches to replace aging equipment on 14 routes. The new fleet will standardize cars, improve amenities, and is slated for award by the end of 2027. The move follows a...
China Increases Express Freight Trains
China Railway unveiled a new national freight timetable on April 10, adding eight express freight trains that can reach 160 km/h, 53 fast trains at 120 km/h and 87 standard services at 80 km/h. The schedule also introduces 13 fast and 16 standard intermodal...
Jordan and UAE Form Joint Venture to Build Freight Railway
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have sealed a $2.3 bn joint‑venture to construct a 360 km freight railway linking the country’s major phosphate and potash mines with the Red Sea port of Aqaba. The new UAE‑Jordan Railway Company, backed by L’imad...
Belgian Sovereign Wealth Fund Takes Full Control of Lineas
The European Commission approved Belgian sovereign wealth fund SFPIM’s move to acquire full control of Lineas, Europe’s largest privately‑owned rail freight operator. SFPIM, already holding 46.42% of the company, will replace French private‑equity owner Argos Wityu’s 53.58% stake. The deal...
Saudi Arabian Railways Extends Service Network
Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) announced five new logistics corridors that connect Gulf ports with central and northern Saudi regions and neighboring countries, serving key dry ports and freight terminals such as Riyadh, Dammam, Jubail, Hail and Al‑Qurayyat. The corridors enable...
Ghana Secures EU Grant for ETCS Project
Ghana’s Railway Development Authority has secured a €20 million (≈$22 million) European Commission grant to install ETCS Level 1 signalling on the 97.6 km Tema‑Mpakadan line, the first phase of a planned 1,000‑km standard‑gauge railway. The line, built at a cost of $449 million, currently...
SNCF Wins Poitou-Charentes Operating Contract
SNCF Passenger has been named the preferred bidder for a 10‑year TER contract covering six Poitou‑Charentes lines in Nouvelle‑Aquitaine, valued at €1.2 billion (approximately $1.3 billion). The award, pending a regional council vote on April 20, will see service frequency rise by 20%,...
Stadler to Install CBTC on Basle Light Rail Network
Swiss operator BASELLAND Transport has commissioned Stadler to fit its core light‑rail network with the Nova Pro communications‑based train control (CBTC) system, enabling automatic train operation. The rollout follows a successful GoA‑2 ATO deployment on the 13‑km Waldenburg Railway, where...
Russia Orders 2700 Long-Distance Coaches
Transmashholding’s subsidiary TVZ secured a contract exceeding 400 billion roubles ($5.25 billion) to supply more than 2,700 locomotive‑hauled passenger coaches to Russia’s Federal Passenger Company. Deliveries will run from 2026 through 2030, with the first phase providing 449 coaches and 480 units...
Cologne S-Bahn Expansion Agreed
The German state of North Rhine‑Westphalia will contribute €305 million (≈$332 million) toward the €836 million (≈$912 million) reconstruction of Cologne’s S‑Bahn Line S11, with the federal government providing the remaining €531 million (≈$579 million) via grant funding. The project’s most costly element is adding two new...
São Paulo Metro Extension Financing Secured
ViaQuatro, the operator of São Paulo’s Line 4‑Yellow, secured a R$1.25 bn ($250 m) loan from state bank Caixa under the Pró‑Transporte programme to fund a 3.3 km, two‑station extension to Taboão da Serra. The extension marks the first metro service outside the city...
Peru to Overhaul Rail Safety Regulations
Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications is drafting a new National Rail Regulation after a fatal collision near Cusco on Dec. 30. The overhaul will tighten operational safety standards, upgrade inspection regimes, replace manual controls with GPS monitoring and automated braking,...
DB Cargo Scraps Toshiba Locomotive Project
DB Cargo has cancelled its partnership with Toshiba to deliver up to 100 HDB 800 dual‑mode diesel‑battery locomotives, scrapping eight partially built units after failing to secure German certification for SCiB lithium‑titanium‑oxide batteries. The decision is part of a cost‑cutting...