USA: The Gateway Development Commission held a celebration at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen on September 29 to mark the start of boring work for the Hudson Tunnel project to excavate a second pair of railway tunnels between New York and New Jersey. Final testing of the first tunnel boring machine is expected to be…

SENEGAL: Dakar’s Train Express Régional service was extended 19 km to Blaise Diagne International Airport on September 28. The opening comes shortly before the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Minister of Land Transport & Air Transport Serigne Abdoul Ahad Ndiaye, Minister of Infrastructure Déthié Fall and Minister of Employment…

INNOTRANS: ‘It is essential for the future talent pipeline to involve youth now’, 16-year-old InnoTrans ambassador Adam El Rafey told the 2026 Railway Influencer Festival. The UAE’s youngest university student emphasised that digital content creators’ knowledge of young audiences could help the railway industry understand what excites the next generation. Speaking about his personal journey…

UKRAINE: Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Oleksandr Pertsovskyi told European rail leaders at innoTrans 2026 in Berlin that Ukraine’s experience should be a warning for their own long-term resilience strategies. Pertsovskyi reported that Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s railway have entered a new phase, with increasingly precise strikes targeting moving trains, with more than 360 locomotives hit in…

EUROPE: FlixTrain is to install more than 40 000 Vela Pax seats from Polish manufacturer Recaro Rail across its existing fleet and new trains. The first series deliveries began this year, and the programme runs until the end of 2028. An ergonomically designed backrest was developed to meet the operator’s specific needs while continuing to…

VIETNAM: Siemens Mobility has signed a €1bn contract with the VinSpeed High Speed Railway Investment & Development Joint Stock Co for the supply of 10 Velaro Novo trains, ETCS Level 2 signalling with ATO, telecommunications, and electrification systems for two high speed lines. The turnkey contract for rolling stock and railway systems was announced on…

This week’s round-up of news from the global urban transport sector. Construction of the underground metro station at Manila‘s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and connecting tunnels was launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on September 16. The work forms part of Contract Package 109 for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MRT9) which is currently…

This week’s round-up of news from the global urban transport sector. Construction of the underground metro station at Manila‘s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and connecting tunnels was launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on September 16. The work forms part of Contract Package 109 for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MRT9) which is currently…

USA: Florida inter-city operator Brightline has announced a financial restructuring of its parent holding company aimed at securing the future of its Miami – Orlando passenger service. The private sector operator announced on September 25 that ‘certain entities associated with the company’ had entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement, which would ‘significantly deleverage Brightline’s balance…

SWEDEN: Västra Götaland regional transport authority Västtrafik has exercised an €350m option for Alstom to supply a further 35 Avelia Stream Nordic X80 electric multiple-units. This takes the total number ordered under the existing framework contract to 80 units, the first of which entered service this year. ‘With these 35 new trains, we are taking…

INNOTRANS: Stadler presented four cars of a Flirt Nordic Express long-distance trainset it is supplying for Norwegian state-owned rolling stock company Norske Tog at InnoTrans 2026. The four cars from the Type C daytime configuration were on show. These included a bistro car, a family/play saloon and two passenger cars with standard and reclining seating.…

INNOTRANS: Italian manufacturer Bertolotti presented one of its e² Formula battery shunting locomotives at InnoTrans 2026. The vehicle is one of the eight locos being supplied to Milano metro operator ATM for shunting and rescue operations. The manufacturer told Railway Gazette International that the loco was completed in early September. The locomotive was built with…

One year after Europe launched its high speed rail action plan, industry leaders at InnoTrans 2026 said demand and investment are not the main barriers to expansion; from certification and testing capacity to fragmented standards and network access, uncertainty remains the key constraint. ‘We can find the money’, said FS International CEO Luigi Corradi: ‘The…

One year after Europe launched its high speed rail action plan, industry leaders at InnoTrans 2026 said demand and investment are not the main barriers to expansion; from certification and testing capacity to fragmented standards and network access, uncertainty remains the key constraint. ‘We can find the money’, said FS International CEO Luigi Corradi: ‘The…

DENMARK: Three bidders have pre-qualified to bid for the Transport Systems contract for the København metro Line M5 project. The contract will cover the supply of 14 automated metro trainsets, traction power, SCADA, radio, signalling and passenger information systems, platform screen doors, as well as delivering a control centre and maintenance depot at Prøvestenen. The…

SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has decided to purchase 21 high speed trainsets for international passenger services, with options for a further 20, as demand for rail travel to neighbouring countries continues to grow. The decision announced on September 25 reverses a previous plan to procure up to 40 high speed trainsets through a 15-year operating…

SWEDEN: InfraRed Capital Partners has agreed to acquire 100% of Hector Rail from Ancala in a deal which values the largest private rail freight operator in Scandinavia at SKr2.61bn.  The transaction announced on September 28 is subject to customary third-party consents and is expected to close by late 2026. Stockholm-based Hector Rail is a full-service…

CANADA: Alstom has established a research partnership with Université Laval, Université du Québec à Montréal and École de Technologie Supérieure to advance the use of artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technologies to improve the quality, efficiency and performance of manufacturing in rail design and manufacturing. Research will focus on welding procedures, augmented reality support for…

INTERNATIONAL: Quectel Wireless Solutions says it is investing early to ensure its customers have a reliable path to migration from GSM-R to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System, with the launch of an Land Grid Array version of its RG660Qx 5G communications module which is designed to enable FRMCS evaluation and testing. The RG660Qx series…

NORTH MACEDONIA: Construction of a rail link between Skopje and the international airport at Petrovec is planned to begin in spring 2027, Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski has announced. He said the planned service would cut the journey between central Skopje and the airport terminal to between 8 and 11 min. Wider programme The airport link…

After decades of underinvestment, Portugal is repowering its railway research capabilities, with new courses and working groups emerging at major institutions in Porto and Lisboa. This progress is reflected by Portuguese participation in the recent IMechE Railway Challenge competition, as Diogo Ferreira Nunes reports. There was a time when university students learned about the railway…

INNOTRANS: The 30th anniversary InnoTrans ‘was an InnoTrans of superlatives’ that broke numerous records, according to Dirk Hoffmann, Chief Operating Officer of trade fair organiser Messe Berlin. The preliminary numbers include: 175 000 trade visitors from more than 120 countries, up 5 000 on 2024; 3 190 exhibitors from 59 countries, up 200 on 2024;…

INNOTRANS: Outlining the Italian state railway’s international strategy at InnoTrans, the head of FS International Luigi Corradi said that high speed rail is key to its growth. ‘There is nobody that can do it as we can do’, he said. ‘We want to create an export of our Italian capability.’ Speaking in Berlin on September…

POLAND: Leasing company Alpha Trains has sold 11 Bombardier Transportation Talent diesel multiple-units to Public Transport Service and Modertrans Poznań, and says it could make up to 50 similar DMUs available to the Polish market, subject to customer demand. The closing of the sale was marked at InnoTrans 2026, and follows an agreement announced at…

AUSTRIA: Austrian Federal Railways and Siemens Mobility unveiled a Mireo electric multiple-unit with the Railjet M configuration designed for inter-regional Alpine routes at InnoTrans 2026. Siemens is supplying a total of 100 Mireo EMUs to ÖBB under a 2023 framework contract. This includes 31  Railjet M units. Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter said Railjet M…

GERMANY: BeNEX placed an order for Siemens Mobility to supply 56 electric multiple-units for use on Mainfranken services during InnoTrans 2026. BeNEX is to operate the Frankfurt – Würzburg – Nürnberg/Bamberg regional services from December 2030 to December 2042 under a contract awarded in July by Bayern railway authority BEG and Rhein-Main transport body RMV.…

INNOTRANS: Hyundai Rotem presented design concepts for a 400 km/h train for the international market and a 220 km/h hydrogen fuel cell multiple-unit at InnoTrans 2026, where it also reported progress with the production of a hydrogen freight locomotive. Hyundai Rotem is working on the production of a prototype hydrogen freight locomotive. The company told…

INNOTRANS: The Railway Influencer Festival at InnoTrans 2026 was twice the size of the inaugural event in 2024, and InnoTrans PR Manager Simon Pausch told social media influencers that this was ‘a great indicator that you are becoming a more and more important part of the show’.  The Railway Influencer Festival offers opportunities for networking by…

INNOTRANS: Leasing company Railpool signed an order for 100 locomotives from Siemens Mobility’s recently-launched Vectron X family at InnoTrans 2026, while RDC Deutschland Gruppe has ordered two. Vectron X is Siemens Mobility’s new software-defined locomotive platform, intended as an open digital platform with the driver’s cab as a connected workplace. An ‘App Store’ enables operators…

SAUDI ARABIA: Progress Rail and Saudi Arabia Railways announced an order for 33 EMD SD70ACS heavy-haul diesel locomotives at InnoTrans 2026, along with a memorandum of understanding focused on localising rail capabilities and lifecycle services. The latest order will increase SAR’s fleet to more than 150 EMD locomotives to support growing freight demand. The SD70ACS…

SAUDI ARABIA: Progress Rail and Saudi Arabia Railways announced an order for 33 EMD SD70ACS heavy-haul diesel locomotives at InnoTrans 2026, along with a memorandum of understanding focused on localising rail capabilities and lifecycle services. The latest order will increase SAR’s fleet to more than 150 EMD locomotives to support growing freight demand. The SD70ACS…

This week’s global railway supply chain news from Railway Gazette International. Eurofima has provided Serbia’s national passenger operator Srbijavoz with a EUR 12m 10-year financing package to support the acquisition of six Siemens Vectron A17 multi-system electric locomotives for use on international rail services operated under a public service obligation contract. They will be certified…

INNOTRANS: Alpha Trains and Wabtec’s Dellner subsidiary have signed an agreement to enter into negotiations on a long-term framework agreement for the overhaul of couplers used on the leasing company’s regional passenger train fleet. The planned agreement is intended to establish a long-term approach to the technical and commercial co-ordination of overhauls. It will enable…

INTERNATIONAL: South Korea’s Woojin Industrial Systems has signed a contract to supply Seoul Metro with 376 metro cars, the manufacturer confirmed to Railway Gazette International at the InnoTrans 2026 trade fair in Berlin. Woojin was the sole bidder for the 593.4bn won contract signed in August, which covers 184 cars for Line 6 and 192…

SOUTH AFRICA: Vossloh is to supply Railway Corporation (Pty) Ltd with a VTM-compact rail milling machine and a smart HSG-city grinding machine which will be used to maintain lines carrying coal, iron ore and other raw materials. The smart HSG-city is being specially designed for South Africa’s 1 067 mm gauge. It will combine the…

EUROPE: ‘To state clearly: we generally welcome competition under fair and transparent conditions’, Dr Michael Peterson, Deutsche Bahn board member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport said at InnoTrans 2026.  ‘When that is the case, the offering for rail passengers can indeed be improved.’  But in DB’s view, ‘an efficient cross-border long-distance traffic is currently best delivered…

INNOTRANS: As part of its strategy to support multiple train protection systems on its software-based ETCS onboard unit, Škoda Group subsidiary The Signalling Company announced at InnoTrans on September 23 that it was adding a PZB application to its portfolio. Emphasising TSC’s philosophy of ‘simplicity, speed and scalability’, Managing Director Alexandre Bétis explained that it…

KYRGYZSTAN: A contract for Wabtec to supply 10 diesel freight locomotives to national railway KTJ was announced during a visit to the USA by President Sadyr Japarov on September 21. Wabtec told Railway Gazette International the latest TE33AC locomotives would help support the growth of Kyrgyzstan’s internal and transit freight volumes while contributing to the…

After years of calling for greater political support, rail is entering a period of increased investment, with many European governments placing the sector at the centre of wider policy priorities. Yet speakers at the InnoTrans Rail Leaders Summit warned that the harder challenge now is turning political ambition and funding into a railway that works.…

INNOTRANS: Freight operator TX Logistik and Greenbrier Europe have signed an agreement for the production and leasing of NIK (Neutral Intermodal Key, formerly NiKRASA) lifting cradles, which enable non-craneable road semi-trailers to be transported by rail. Greenbrier Europe will manage production and leasing of the NIK platforms, while TX Logistik will continue to lead commercial…

INNOTRANS: One of the trams being built for Würzburg by HeiterBlick is on show at InnoTrans 2026, where the manufacturer told Railway Gazette International that it continues to act as an standalone company after its acquisition by Pesa. Poland’s Pesa acquired 100% of HeiterBlick in the beginning of this year. ‘We stay under the name…

INNOTRANS: Henkel Adhesive Technologies has launched Teroson MS 940, an adhesive and sealant formulated without isocyanates for demanding elastic bonding in rolling stock applications including windows, doors, window frames, panels and other structural and semi-structural components Henkel says train manufacturers are under increasing pressure to use products formulated without isocyanates, but elastic bonds in rail…

Read the current issue here Railway Gazette International October 2026

GERMANY: Alstom and Northrail have signed a framework agreement for the supply of up to 100 Traxx Shunter locomotives. The leasing company said this paves the way for the production of a new generation of medium to heavy duty shunting loco. Northrail CEO Dr Volker Simmering said ‘with the new Traxx Shunter, we are bringing…

Alstom is trying to cut through the AI boom by focusing on where the technology can deliver real value, with teams proposing new applications being asked first whether they ‘really need AI’. At InnoTrans 2026, the company’s senior AI specialists set out where that approach is already paying off, including applications capable of generating ‘millions…

EUROPE: ‘Our mission is to make overnight rail travel something you look forward to, not something you need to get through’, Nox Mobility co-founder Thibault Constant said when the night train start-up unveiled its first coach at InnoTrans and announced that it is to launch services between Hamburg and München on March 23 2027.  The…

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Railways and Hitachi Rail have signed a contract for the modernisation of the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro line in Makkah. The line is unusual because it only operates during the Hajj season, when it carries vast numbers of pilgrims for a short period. The journey between the holy sites in…

AUSTRIA: A joint procurement process has been launched seeking narrow gauge electric and battery-electric multiple-units to modernise the fleets operated by the Zillertalbahn, Pinzgauer Lokalbahn and Murtalbahn. This aims both to decarbonise the railways and to improve their attractiveness for commuters and tourists. The joint procurement is intended to generate economies of scale in both…

INNOTRANS: The first of 70 tailor-made S-DT8.16 light rail vehicles that Stadler is supplying to Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen has been unveiled at the InnoTrans 2026 trade fair in Berlin. The vehicle ‘came straight out of our plant. We will start the internal commissioning and testing process after InnoTrans, and will deliver it to the customer afterwards,’…

INNOTRANS: Full-scale mockups of the ALISA concept for a fully-accessible double-deck sleeping car designed to transform European overnight travel are on show at InnoTrans 2026. Project initiator Olaf Schulz told Railway Gazette International ‘now that the research project is finished, we hope that we can find companies to make it a reality’. ALISA (from the…