Istanbul Rail Bypass Project Tendering Underway
Turkey’s Ministry of Transport has launched expressions of interest for the 127‑km Istanbul North Rail Crossing (INRAIL) project, a $6.5 bn railway bypass linking the Asian and European networks. The line will support passenger and freight trains up to 160 km/h, bypassing the capacity‑constrained Marmaray corridor. Central to the scheme is the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, built with space for a double‑track railway. Four geographical construction lots and separate consultancy and signalling contracts will be tendered later this year under World Bank procurement standards.
Procurement Problems Delay Lisboa Metro Extension Projects
Lisbon’s Red Line extension, a 4‑km stretch to Amoreiras and Alcântara, has seen its construction cost climb from €304 million to €405 million ($442 million) and lost EU Recovery & Resilience Facility funding. The project, originally slated for completion by end‑2025, now expects...
SBB ‘Categorically Rejects’ Claims It Missed ‘Unmistakable Warning Signs’ in Gotthard Derailment
Switzerland’s national railway SBB has flatly rejected a non‑public expert report that accused it of ignoring warning messages during the 2023 Gotthard Base Tunnel freight derailment, which caused over €160 million (≈$173 million) in damage and a year‑long tunnel closure. The company...
Lithuania Starts Work on Military Mobility Hub to Move NATO Cargo to the Baltics
Lithuania’s LTG Infra broke ground on a €37.4 million (≈$41 million) dual‑gauge military mobility hub at the Palemonas terminal near Kaunas. The project will expand loading yards, add standard‑ and broad‑gauge tracks, and enable handling of cargo up to 100 tonnes and vehicles...
Desert Sand Dune Inspired Metro Station Opens
The Western infill station on Riyadh’s Orange Line opened on May 15, completing Webuild’s portfolio of 22 stations on the 41‑km automated route. The 112,000 m² interchange blends a 17,000 m² elevated metro hub with a bus terminal, underground parking, retail space, a...
ProRail Studies Battery and 25 kV Electrification Options for Northern Lines
ProRail, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the provinces of Friesland and Groningen are conducting a detailed study to decide how to replace diesel trains on the 250 km northern regional network. The study will compare four scenarios that mix full...
Urban Rail Industry News Round-Up
Mexico City is spending roughly $132 million to upgrade its sole light‑rail line, now branded Ajolote, adding 17 new CRRC vehicles and longer platforms ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Egypt opened the 56‑km East of Nile Monorail, built by an...
Automated Metro Train for Hangzhou Unveiled
CRRC Nanjing Puzhen unveiled the first custom Type AH trainset for Hangzhou Metro Line 12, the city’s inaugural line equipped for unattended automatic operation (GoA4). The fleet will consist of 29 four‑car and four six‑car trainsets capable of 100 km/h with precise platform...
World Rail Freight News Round-Up
Algerian railway operator SNTF awarded Ferrovial 800 phosphate wagons for the upgraded Eastern Mining Railway, targeting 13.6 mtpa capacity by 2027. A consortium of Entreprise Générale du Cobalt, EVelution Energy and Trafigura signed an MOU to ship Congolese cobalt via the...
Work Starts on Quang Ninh High Speed Line
Vietnam has broken ground on a 121‑km high‑speed railway linking Hanoi to the coastal city of Ha Long, led by Vingroup’s VinSpeed subsidiary. The double‑track, electrified line, built to 350 km/h standards, is budgeted at over 147 trillion VND (about $6.3 billion) and...
EuroMaint Lands Nordic Maintenance Contracts Worth €300m
EuroMaint, the Nordic rail maintenance arm of CAF Group, secured long‑term contracts in Sweden and Norway valued at roughly €300 million (about $327 million). The Swedish deal includes taking over maintenance of 99 X61 regional EMUs for Pågatågen from December 2027, while Green...
Railway Supply Industry News Round-Up
Dematic is installing a high‑bay AutoStore warehouse in Mechelen for Belgium's SNCB, promising higher storage density and smarter material flow. Standard Chartered has syndicated a financing package exceeding $2.33 bn to fund Tanzania's standard‑gauge railway construction, targeting key sections from Makutupora...
Vossloh to Acquire Rail Surveying Technology Specialist Cordel Group
Vossloh AG announced a cash‑plus‑share offer to acquire UK‑based Cordel Group for about £29 million (≈$37 million) under a court‑sanctioned scheme of arrangement. Cordel supplies LiDAR‑based hardware and AI‑driven software that creates 3‑D point‑cloud images of rail corridors, enabling early detection of...
Monterrey Monorail Construction Still Underway as World Cup Deadline Nears
Monterrey's metro operator Metrorrey aims to run limited monorail service on lines 4 and 6 during the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, but full passenger service is now expected only in 2027. The two routes are about 78% complete, falling...
Railmark Holdings Returns to the Passenger Rail Sector
Railmark Holdings is re‑entering the passenger rail market through its Train Travel subsidiary, which offers consulting, operating and mechanical services to agencies and states. Train Travel brings a 38‑year legacy, having run the Star Clipper Dinner Train and Reno Fun...
Siemens Mobility Agrees to Acquire Key MerMec Signalling and Diagnostics Activities
Siemens Mobility announced an agreement to acquire MerMec Group’s Italian signalling business and its worldwide diagnostics and data‑analytics activities. The assets comprise roughly 1,700 employees, serve customers in over 70 countries and generated about €430 million (≈$470 million) in FY25 revenue. The...
Spain and Portugal’s Railways Stick with On-Board Ticket Sales
Spain’s Renfe and Portugal’s CP have both confirmed they will keep selling tickets on board trains, rejecting the trend set by Belgium’s SNCB, which will end the practice in July 2026. Renfe sold about 1.8 million onboard tickets in 2025, split...
European Commission Unveils Passenger Package to Tackle Fragmented Rail Booking Systems
On May 13 the European Commission introduced a three‑part Passenger Package aimed at unifying Europe’s rail ticketing landscape. The proposals include a Rail Ticketing Regulation, a Multimodal Booking Regulation and a revision of passenger‑rights rules, enabling a single ticket for...
Škoda Revives Uzbekistan EMU Project After 2023 Financing Failure
Czech rail manufacturer Škoda Group has secured a €120 million (≈$130 million) contract to deliver ten next‑generation RegioPanter electric multiple‑units to Uzbekistan, reviving a stalled project from 2023. The deal, signed at the Uzbek presidential palace after a Czech‑Uzbek state visit, includes...
Indian Contractor Picked for Croatia’s ‘Largest Railway Project’ in European Debut
India's Afcons Infrastructure Ltd has been awarded a €677 million (≈$744 million) contract to upgrade Croatia's Dugo Selo‑Novska railway, the country's largest rail project to date. The 83‑km line will be double‑tracked, modernised with new signalling, safety systems and noise barriers, and speed‑limited...
Basalt to Acquire Track Maintenance Plant Leasing Company RELAM
Basalt Infrastructure Partners announced it will acquire rail‑maintenance equipment leasing firm RELAM from Paceline Equity Partners. RELAM operates about 1,500 specialized rail‑maintenance machines serving infrastructure managers and contractors across the United States and Canada. The transaction, financed with debt led...
Dublin Automated Metro Procurement Launched
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has opened the tender for the M500 contract, the core package to design, build, finance, operate and maintain Dublin's 18.8‑km MetroLink automated line. The scope includes trains, GoA4 signalling, stations, depot, park‑and‑ride, control centre and related...
Direct Oslo – Berlin Train Will Be Back in 2028 After 20-Year Hiatus
A direct Oslo‑Berlin train service will launch in summer 2028, ending a 20‑year hiatus. The route, a joint venture between Norway’s Vy, Denmark’s DSB and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, will run twice daily on Talgo ICE L trainsets with restaurant, family and...
Urban Rail Financing Risks Being Sidelined by Flexible Rules, EU Parliamentary Scrutiny ‘Pivotal’
The European Parliament’s transport study warns that the EU’s 2028‑2034 Multiannual Financial Framework could sideline urban rail by granting member states broad flexibility over Cohesion Policy funds. While the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is set to grow to €51.5 billion (≈$56.6 billion),...
Grand Est Cross-Border Régiolis Fleet Enters Service
Grand Est has placed the first of a 30‑train Régiolis fleet into service on the Strasbourg‑Offenburg corridor, marking the launch of a new cross‑border rail offering between France and Germany. The four‑car units, built by CAF in Reichshoffen, can operate...
Stadler Trains Ordered to Make the Dublin – Belfast Enterprise ‘a True Flagship Service’
The €698 million ($760 million) contract signed on May 7 will see Stadler deliver eight dual‑mode Flirt trainsets for the Dublin‑Belfast Enterprise service, funded by the Northern Ireland and Irish transport departments plus €165 million ($180 million) from the EU PeacePLUS programme. Delivery is slated...
Thailand Opens up Rail Network to Private Operators
Thailand will open its national rail freight and passenger network to private operators within the next two years, following the Rail Transport Act BE 2568 that took effect in March. The State Railway of Thailand will retain ownership of the...
Adif Signs for Mermec Track Inspection Railcar for Spain’s Narrow-Gauge Network
Spain’s rail infrastructure manager Adif has awarded MerMec España a €14.1 million (≈$15.5 million) contract for a custom‑designed 80 km/h track inspection railcar for its metre‑gauge network. The vehicle will carry advanced geometry, catenary, dynamics, vision and clearance‑measurement equipment, and will be supported...
Stadler Delivers First Flirts From Record Order for Poland’s Capital Region
Stadler has delivered the first nine of a 75‑unit Flirt electric multiple‑unit order to Warsaw‑area operator Koleje Mazowieckie, with service slated to begin this month on routes to Dęblin and Skierniewice. The five‑car trains, built at Stadler Polska’s Siedlce plant, seat 582...
Thai Domestic Regional DEMU Under Development
Thailand's Rail Technology Research & Development Agency (RTRDA) announced at the Asia Pacific Rail 2026 conference that it is developing a domestically produced diesel‑electric multiple‑unit (DEMU) for regional services. The prototype, designed by Italy’s Blue Engineering, is slated for completion...
Urban Rail Industry News Round-Up
The Austin Transit Partnership appointed a Kiewit‑Austin joint venture to design‑build its light‑rail operations depot, marking a key construction milestone. Hong Kong’s MTR teamed with The Conservancy Association to produce a low‑carbon children’s e‑book and animated series. Chile’s national railway...
Battery Trains and Military Mobility: Belgium Approves Four Rail Investments
The Belgian federal government approved an addendum to Infrabel’s €68.1 m multi‑annual investment plan, earmarking €27.5 m (≈$30 m) for battery‑train infrastructure on four non‑electrified lines and €21.5 m (≈$23 m) to boost military rail mobility. Additional funds include €15.6 m for a second track between...
US Army Wagon Tracking and Monitoring Contract Awarded
The U.S. Army Transportation Command has awarded AssetLink Global a Rail Car In‑Transit Visibility contract to equip Department of War wagons with real‑time tracking and remote monitoring. The solution incorporates load, impact, temperature and door‑entry sensors, delivering granular condition data...
Den Haag Wants International Passenger Links Back Before Dutch EU Presidency
The Hague is pushing to restore a direct passenger rail link to Brussels by 2029, timed with the Netherlands’ EU Council presidency. The city’s report proposes either extending the existing NS‑SNCB Brussels‑Rotterdam service or launching an open‑access operator, with a...
World Rail Freight News Round-Up
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern submitted an amended merger application that relies on 100 % actual traffic data from all six Class I railroads, a first in merger history. A Stop the Rail Merger Coalition, including major shippers, unions and competing railroads,...
Interrail Expands the Ability to Book Passholder Fares and Seat Reservations
Interrail has teamed up with Distribusion, a ground‑transport ticketing technology specialist, to make passholder fares and seat reservations available through its platform. The collaboration initially launches with one carrier and will roll out to additional rail and ferry operators in...
Oradea Tram-Train Receives EU Funding as Vehicle Tenders Called
Romania’s Bihor county secured roughly $306 million in EU non‑reimbursable funding to build a 33.4‑km tram‑train system around Oradea, with an additional $12 million contributed locally, bringing the total project value to about $318 million. The programme will upgrade and electrify 24.2 km of...
First Phase of ‘World’s Longest’ Orbital Metro Line Opens in Wuhan
On May 1, Wuhan inaugurated the 35.3 km first phase of Line 12, a 23‑station segment that forms the southern half of a future orbital loop. The line operates driverless, GoA‑4 six‑car Type A trains capable of 80 km/h and carrying up to 1,836 passengers....
Light Rail Project Aims to Revitalise Toronto’s Eastern Waterfront
Toronto’s Waterfront East Transit light‑rail line is moving into detailed design, with 60% of the work completed. The $2.2 bn project, funded equally by federal, provincial and city governments, will serve the Port Lands redevelopment and a new island at the...
KAI, SURGE, and HUAWEI Sign Strategic Tripartite MOU to Accelerate 5G+AI Innovation in Indonesia’s Railway System
Indonesia’s national railway operator KAI, digital‑infrastructure firm SURGE, and Huawei have signed a tripartite MOU to fast‑track 5G‑enabled Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) and AI solutions across the country’s rail network. The agreement covers ICT backbone upgrades, 5G‑based signaling...
Railway Supply Industry News Round-Up
Rail Baltica’s construction accelerated this week, with 107 km of track and the Ülemiste terminal under way in Estonia, a 30 km priority segment and upgrades at Riga’s central station and airport in Latvia, and 8.8 km of track laid in Lithuania as...
Mexico City Airport Link Opens to Mark Latest Milestone in National Passenger Rail Revival
Mexico’s federal government inaugurated a 23.7‑km double‑track rail link between the Tren Suburbano and the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport on April 26. The line, branded Tren Felipe Ángeles, offers 15‑minute headways, a 60‑minute end‑to‑end trip (targeting 43 minutes) and...
Swiss 200-Train Framework Contract Signed After Legal Challenge Dropped
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) signed a framework contract with Siemens Mobility on April 30 to supply up to 200 six‑car Desiro double‑deck EMUs, valued at roughly US$2.2 billion. The firm order includes 95 units for Zürich S‑Bahn service from 2031, 21...
Transport Expansion Plans Included in Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build
The Canadian federal and Ontario governments have pledged a combined C$8.8 billion (about $6.5 billion USD) over ten years to boost infrastructure, with a significant share earmarked for public‑transport projects. Under the GO 2.0 initiative, the partners will study expanding GO Transit commuter...
Bohr Electronics Introduces Ultrasonic Locomotive Fuel Monitor
Bohr Electronics has launched the P/N F3661 Fuel Monitor, an ultrasonic in‑tank sensor that delivers real‑time, supplier‑agnostic fuel‑level data for locomotives. The device mounts externally, requires no modifications to existing systems, and feeds measurements into Bohr’s LEAM/LEAR event recorders. Integrated inertial...
Tight Deadline Looms over Italo’s Plan to Enter German High Speed Rail Market
Italian private rail operator NTV (Italo) must secure a German operating licence and finalize a €1.2bn (≈$1.3bn) train purchase by the end of May to keep its $3.9bn high‑speed entry plan on track for a 2028 launch. The company has...
Delhi Metro International Ltd Formed to Target Global Markets
Delhi Metro International Ltd (DMIL) has been created to commercialise the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) expertise in planning, building, operating and maintaining metro systems worldwide. Sanjay Jamuar, a former Indian Railway Traffic Service officer with experience in India, the...
University Collaboration to Support Railway Research and Skills Development
Italian rail and infrastructure specialist Tesmec has signed a five‑year strategic collaboration with the University of Bergamo. The agreement creates a joint Technical‑Scientific Committee to coordinate teaching, advanced training, internships and joint research projects. It aims to turn Bergamo into...
FS Group and Europe’s Rail Showcase GoA4 Automation Progress in Bologna
FS Group wrapped up a series of GoA4 autonomous‑train trials on an ETCS‑Level 2 test ring in Bologna, demonstrating automatic, remote and obstacle‑detection capabilities. The trials used a Hitachi‑built Blues tri‑mode unit supplied by Trenitalia and were witnessed by European rail...
Hitachi Rail to Upgrade Taiwanese EMU Train Protection Equipment
Hitachi Rail has secured a €37 million (~$41 million) contract from Taiwan Railways Corp to replace the automatic train protection system on 63 EMU500 commuter trainsets. The upgrade will install Hitachi’s ELO signalling solution, aiming to reduce faults and improve operational efficiency....