TBM for Lyon-Turin Project Unveiled
The first of two tunnel boring machines (TBM) for the Italian segment of the 57.5 km Mont Cenis Base Tunnel was unveiled at Herrenknecht's German plant. The 235‑meter machine, equipped with a 10.16 m‑diameter cutter head, will be shipped to the Chiomonte site in the Susa Valley to dig the second access shaft and then the southern bore. Ordered by the UXT consortium—Itinera, Ghella and Spie Batignolles—it joins a fleet of seven TBMs slated to excavate 75% of the tunnel, which will replace the aging Fréjus Tunnel.
Final Civil Works Contract Awarded for Singapore Metro Extension
Singapore's Land Transport Authority awarded the final civil works contract for the Downtown Line 2 extension to the local branch of China Railway Tunnel Group. The S$199 million design‑construction contract covers a 1.8 km twin‑bore tunnel between Bukit Panjang and the DE1...
Operators Launch Rail Baltica Regional Fleet Procurement
National passenger operators Elron (Estonia), Vivi (Latvia) and LTG Link (Lithuania) have launched a joint tender for up to 20 new 25 kV AC EMUs to serve the 1,435 mm‑gauge Rail Baltica corridor. The framework allows each carrier to order a baseline of...
Trenitalia Builds French High-Speed Depot
Trenitalia France, a subsidiary of Italy’s FS, signed a 35‑year lease with SNCF Network to build a new high‑speed train depot in Maisons Alfort‑Pompadour, south of Paris. The €80 million facility will accommodate up to 25 Frecciarossa trains, featuring three maintenance...
Norwegian Main Line Plagued by Train Cancellations
Go‑Ahead Nordic’s Oslo‑Stavanger Sørlands line suffered severe disruptions, with roughly 42% of trains cancelled in September‑October 2025. An inspection by leasing firm Norske Tog uncovered 83 serious faults across the 31 leased units, ranging from dust‑laden electrical cabinets to cracked hoses...
New Commuter Operator for Montreal
Montreal’s EXO commuter rail network, covering 225 km with five lines and 52 stations, carried over seven million passengers in 2024. The agency awarded a ten‑year operations and maintenance contract to Transdev, with an optional four‑year extension, after a single‑envelope weighted...
Spain to Fund Technical Studies for Morocco Tunnel
Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has allocated €1.73 million to Secegsa for technical studies on a proposed railway tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar. German TBM maker Herrenknecht confirmed the 65‑km tunnel is technically feasible but cannot meet the...
Chile’s Santiago - Valparaíso Project Stalls
Chile’s flagship medium‑speed rail link between Santiago and Valparaíso has hit a standstill as the new administration of President José Antonio Kast reviews the project. The line, originally budgeted at $3.82 bn and split into a $1.32 bn first phase using the...
Le Train to Operate High-Speed Services From Paris
Le Train, a French open‑access operator founded in 2020, has secured framework track‑access agreements with SNCF Network to launch high‑speed services from Paris to Rennes and Bordeaux. This marks the first time the newcomer will run trains on the classic LGV...
Greater Poland Province Orders Stadler EMUs
Greater Poland province has signed a €263 million contract with Swiss‑German manufacturer Stadler for ten five‑car Flirt electric multiple units, with an option for an additional ten. The aluminium‑bodied trains will be built in Poland and are slated to enter service...
Munich S-Bahn Extension Approved
The Bavarian state signed an implementation and financing agreement with Deutsche Bahn to electrify the 18.7 km Ebersberg‑Wasserburg line, extending Munich’s S‑Bahn network eastward. Platform lengths will be increased to 140 m, allowing standard S‑Bahn trains to replace diesel‑powered RB 48 services. Bavaria...
Peru to Advance Barranca - Trujillo Feasibility Study
Peru's government and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) signed a technical cooperation agreement providing a $4 million grant for the feasibility study of the Barranca‑Trujillo railway. The study, estimated at $10.8 million, receives roughly 37 % of its...
Querétaro - Irapuato Facilities Contract Awarded
A consortium led by Spanish builder Aldesa secured a $173 million contract to design and construct the refuelling stations, workshops, depots and maintenance base for the under‑construction Querétaro‑Irapuato passenger line. The award follows a November 2025 contract to Mota‑Engil for the...
Belgium and Netherlands Seek to Improve Cross-Border Connections
Belgium and the Netherlands signed a letter of intent to deepen cooperation on cross‑border rail passenger and freight services, creating bilateral working groups that will meet twice a year and report annually. The partnership targets ERTMS harmonisation, capacity upgrades, and...
More Civil Works Tendered for Spain’s Burgos - Vitoria High-Speed Line
Adif AV has issued a €357.6 million tender for civil works on the 22.7 km Piérnigas‑Pancorbo section of the Burgos‑Vitoria high‑speed line, including twelve viaducts with two long spans over the River Oroncillo. This fourth contract follows earlier phases that together total...
Beijing - Pyongyang Passenger Services Resume
Direct passenger rail service between Beijing and Pyongyang resumed on March 12, ending a six‑year hiatus caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic. The two‑coach addition to the K27/K28 overnight trains departs Beijing four days a week, transfers at Dandong, and continues...
Zambia Railways Signs Locomotive Upgrade Contract
Zambia Railways (ZRL) has signed a $20 million contract with Worldwide Rail and Mining Solutions to overhaul six GT‑type 2.68 MW diesel freight locomotives, boosting fuel efficiency, reliability and extending service life. The vendor‑financed, deferred‑payment structure ties repayment to revenue generated by...
Romanian Private Operator Receives First Alstom Coradia EMU
Romania’s Railway Reform Authority (ARF) handed over the first of 13 Alstom Coradia Stream EMUs to private operator InterRegional Călători (IRC). The six‑car, 315‑seat units are part of a €490 million order of 37 EMUs intended for three public service obligation...
Seville Airport Rail Link Progresses
Spain’s Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility approved a 4.7 km rail link connecting Seville’s Santa Justa station to the airport. The selected North 3 alignment runs 92.5% underground and includes an intermediate stop in Alcosa Park, with construction costs estimated at a minimum...
SNCF Says Italian High-Speed Path Allocation Insufficient
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) approved binding commitments from infrastructure manager RFI, granting SNCF Passenger Italy a minimum access package of 18 high‑speed train paths per day on the Turin‑Milan‑Rome and Turin‑Milan‑Venice corridors for ten years. The decision follows an...
Korail Appoints New CEO
Korean national railway operator Korail named Kim Taeseung as its 12th president and CEO on March 3. Kim, a transport and logistics veteran who has taught at Inha University since 2007, brings more than 30 years of industry experience. He outlined three...
UITP Cancels 2026 Summit in Dubai
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) has cancelled its 2026 Summit in Dubai, citing evolving safety concerns and travel advisories in the Gulf region. The executive board made the decision after consulting national authorities, emphasizing delegate wellbeing over the...
Gothenburg Regional Operating Contract Awarded
Swedish state‑owned operator SJ has won an 11‑year regional rail contract for Gothenburg, valued at roughly SKr 12 billion ($1.32 bn). The deal, awarded by Västtrafik and its county partners, merges the Västtågen and Kinnekulle networks under SJ Götalandståg and designates Alstom as...
Major Upgrade for Commuter Line C5 in Madrid
Spain’s transport minister announced a €1.35 billion upgrade of Renfe’s commuter Line C5 in Madrid, comprising 28 infrastructure projects. The programme will boost line capacity by 60%, extend platforms, add a new station and depot, and introduce ERTMS Level 2 signalling with...
New $US 4bn Argentina - Chile Freight Corridor Proposed
Argentina’s provinces of Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis have unveiled a $4 bn Cuyo‑Pacific rail corridor linking the copper‑gold mining basins of San Juan and Mendoza and the Vaca Muerta shale complex to Chile’s Pacific ports. The plan calls for...
Turkey Starts Testing of Domestically Developed 225km/H Train
Turkey has begun trials of its first domestically developed 225 km/h high‑speed train built by Türas. The eight‑car, 577‑seat unit features locally sourced control and traction systems from Aselsan and a suite of passenger amenities. Turkish State Railways plans to acquire...
Eurofima to Finance More Fleet Types in Revised Lending Framework
Eurofima has overhauled its lending framework to finance a broader range of rolling stock, adding new metro trains, light‑rail vehicles, infrastructure maintenance units, wagons and, in certain cases, locomotives for public service contracts. The revised terms extend financing horizons beyond...
Islamic Development Bank to Fund Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is set to provide a €405 million concessional loan and co‑financing for Uganda’s first Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) phase, a 272 km electrified line linking Kampala to the Kenya border at Malaba. The €2.7 billion project, with a...
Mumbai - Ahmedabad High-Speed Line Costs Rise by 83%
The Mumbai‑Ahmedabad high‑speed rail corridor’s budget has surged 83%, climbing to roughly Rs 2 trillion after land‑acquisition disputes inflated costs. Japan’s Official Development Assistance, which covered 81% of the original estimate, is unlikely to be extended, forcing India to tap its Consolidated...
DAC Undergoes Extreme Weather Testing
RAIL Cargo Group (RCG), the freight arm of ÖBB, has completed a three‑week winter trial of the European Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) on a demo train in Austria. The tests exposed the couplers to –15 °C, freezing rain, snow and a...
DB Announces Senior Regional Management Changes
Deutsche Bahn announced a senior management reshuffle across its S‑Bahn subsidiaries. Heiko Büttner will become CEO of S‑Berlin on April 1, while Matthias Glaub moves from Stuttgart to head S‑Munich on May 1. Nina Hutwagner takes over as chair of S‑Stuttgart, bringing long‑distance...
New Japanese Loan for Manila MRT-3 Upgrade
Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Philippines’ Department of Finance signed a ¥21.6 billion loan on March 3 to fund the next phase of Manila MRT‑3 upgrades. The loan carries a 0.8 percent interest rate, payable over 40 years with a ten‑year grace period....
Next Section of Naples - Bari High-Speed Line Completed
Italian Rail Network (RFI) has placed the 18 km Cancello‑Frasso Telesino‑Dugenta segment of the Naples‑Bari high‑speed line into service, marking the second commissioned stretch after Bovino‑Cervaro. The double‑track section includes a 4 km Monte Aglio tunnel, eight viaducts and the removal of...
CER Endorses Europe’s New Ports Strategy
The Community of European Railways (CER) welcomed the European Commission’s new EU Ports Strategy, which formally recognises rail freight as a key component of port policy, planning and investment. The strategy targets competitiveness, sustainability and resilience, and commits the EC...
Armenia Proposes New Rail Concessionaire
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged Russia to sell the remaining 12‑year concession for the country’s rail network to a neutral third party, arguing the current Russian‑run South Caucasus Railway has eroded competitiveness. Since 2008 freight volumes have fallen...
Work Starts on Melbourne Airport Rail Link
Preliminary work has begun on Melbourne’s $4.1 billion airport rail link, starting with a major redevelopment of Sunshine station into a transport hub. The upgrade adds six kilometres of new track, two rail bridges and realigns existing passenger and freight lines....
Etihad Rail Fills Void Left by Middle East Flight Cancellations
Etihad Rail evacuated more than 350 UAE citizens and residents using three special trains between the Saudi border at Ghuweifat and Al Faya in Abu Dhabi after regional flights were halted by the Iran conflict. The railway, still in trial mode...
FS to Acquire Rolling Stock Manufacturer Titagarh Firema
The Italian Competition Authority cleared Italian State Railways (FS) to acquire rolling‑stock maker Titagarh Firema, allowing the deal to proceed. Titagarh Firema, owned 60% by India’s Titagarh and 31% by Invitalia, faced a liquidity crisis but generated €71.4 million in revenue...
São Paulo Confirms Record Rail Budget
São Paulo’s 2026 budget allocates 7.99 bn reais (≈$1.1 bn), with more than half earmarked for metro expansion, marking the state’s largest coordinated rail investment. The 15.3 km Line 6/Orange is over 75% complete and slated to start passenger service in October, reaching full...
Pesa Secures Research Funding for Hydrogen Rail Vehicle
Polish trainmaker Pesa secured Zloty 36 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, part of a Zloty 108 million project to build a bi‑mode hydrogen‑electric passenger demonstrator. The vehicle will feature a pantograph, hydrogen fuel cells, batteries and an intelligent control system that...
European Sleeper Confirms September Start for Brussels - Milan Service
European Sleeper announced that its Brussels‑Milan night train will launch on September 9, with tickets on sale from March 17. The service, delayed from an original June start due to extensive German infrastructure work, will run via the Gotthard corridor,...
Sofia to Modernise LRV Fleet
Sofia’s Metropolitan Electric Transport (EAD) has issued a tender for 40 low‑floor LRVs with a guide price of €102.3 million and plans a second tender for an additional 38 units, bringing the total to 78 vehicles costing roughly €200 million. Bids are...
Peru Awards $US 420m Freight Line Construction Contract
The Peruvian government has granted a $420 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Power Construction Corporation of China for a 120‑kilometre freight railway linking the Chancay Pacific port with the central highlands. The line will traverse rugged Andean terrain,...
Croatia Tenders Lowland Railway Consultancy Contract
Croatian rail manager HŽ Infrastructure has issued a €1.5 million consultancy tender to support the design‑build procurement for the 39.1 km Karlovac‑Skradnik and 72.2 km Skradnik‑Tijani sections of the new 174.7 km Lowland Railway between Zagreb and Rijeka. The contract will draft the design‑build...
Munich Opens New Light Rail Line
Munich Transport (MVG) inaugurated the first 1.5 km segment of the 8.3 km West Tangent Light Rail on 28 February, adding two new stations at Laimer Platz and Aindorferstraße. Line 14 now runs between Pasing and Gondrellplatz every ten minutes during the day and...
Quito Metro Awards Signalling Maintenance Contract
Quito Metro has awarded Alstom a four‑year preventive and corrective signalling maintenance contract for Line 1, valued at US$27.2 million. The deal covers train control, interlocking and lineside equipment that supervise real‑time movements on a line that carries about 185,000 passengers daily....
Siemens and Newag Sign Cooperation Agreement
Siemens Mobility and Polish rolling‑stock maker Newag have signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation in Poland’s emerging high‑speed rail market. The MoU will pool engineering and manufacturing capabilities to develop 300 km/h trains for the Warsaw‑Łódź corridor and advanced...
Wales Publishes £14bn Rail Plan
Transport for Wales unveiled a £14 billion long‑term rail strategy that aims to generate 13.3 million new rail journeys, cut 3.8 million car trips and avoid 55,000 tonnes of CO₂. The plan promises £6.3 billion of direct and wider economic benefits and is backed by...
Progress Rail and Wabtec Settle Lawsuit
Progress Rail and Wabtec announced a settlement of the antitrust lawsuit filed in September 2023, ending claims that Wabtec abused market power after acquiring GE Transportation. The dispute centered on Wabtec’s alleged dominance in North American diesel freight locomotives, where...
Chinese Heavy-Haul Coal Traffic Plateaus
The Daqin Heavy‑Haul Railway reported that its 2025 coal haulage slipped to 390 million tonnes, a 0.54 % decline from 2024. December 2025 volumes fell 1.68 % year‑on‑year to 34.43 million tonnes, with a daily average of 1.11 million tonnes across 71 trains, half of...