ÖBB’s Brenner cross-border regional trainsets take shape

EUROPE: Tirol’s Regional Minister for Mobility, René Zumtobel, and his Alto Adige counterpart Daniel Alfreider have visited Alstom’s Savigliano plant to inspect progress on the production of ÖBB’s new cross-border regional trains that will operate across the Brenner Pass. The two regions have jointly ordered a fleet of 21 six-car Coradia Stream electric multiple units.…

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‘A gateway for African trade’: work starts on latest phase of Tanzania’s standard gauge line

TANZANIA: President Samia Suluhu Hassan has officially marked the start of construction on the sixth phase of the country’s Standard Gauge Railway by laying a foundation stone in Kigoma. Valued at TSh7.5tr (€2.5bn), the Lot 6 contract covers the construction of the Tabora – Uvinza – Kigoma section, which will extend the strategic Central Corridor…

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Istanbul metro turnouts and crossings delivered

TURKEY: Czech turnout manufacturer DT – Výhybkárna a Strojírna has supplied 14 turnouts and three crossings for use on new and existing metro lines in Istanbul. Construction company CFG Çelikler ordered 10 turnouts with manganese steel crossings for use on metro line M14 between Altunizade and Bosna Bulvarı, which is now under construction. The second…

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Transport Scotland working group explores options for international Caledonian Sleeper services

The Scottish government’s delivery body Transport Scotland has begun exploring the possibility of launching direct overnight passenger services to and from destinations in continental Europe, in line with a commitment made by the government in its most recent election campaign. Transport Scotland announced on August 4 that a working group had met for the first…

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High speed levy proposed to protect France’s socially desirable TGV services

FRANCE: The government has confirmed that it favours the introduction of financial incentives and cross-subsidies to support the continued operation of high speed passenger trains which are considered socially desirable but are not commercially viable. Faced with the prospect of increasing competition for the most profitable passenger services, and growing concern from incumbent state-owned operator…

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High speed levy proposed to protect France’s socially desirable TGV services

FRANCE: The government has confirmed that it favours the introduction of financial incentives and cross-subsidies to support the continued operation of high speed passenger trains which are considered socially desirable but are not commercially viable. Faced with the prospect of increasing competition for the most profitable passenger services, and growing concern from incumbent state-owned operator…

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Work starts to deliver a second route between Zürich and Winterthur

A groundbreaking ceremony has launched work to create a more direct rail link between Zürich and Winterthur under the MehrSpur programme. As well as construction of a 9 km double-track tunnel, the project will see grade separated junctions built to support more S-Bahn and long-distance passenger traffic, while boosting freight reliability. Toma Bačić reports. Civil…

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JR Hokkaido gets ready to renew diesel shunter fleet

JAPAN: JR Hokkaido is preparing to test the first of a batch of modern diesel shunting locos to provide a raft of capabilities across the northern island’s network of non-electrified routes. On July 27, JR Hokkaido announced that the first of the fleet of three DD200-501 locos were to be shipped on July 29 from…

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Urban rail industry news round-up

This week’s round-up of news from the global urban transport sector. Modertrans Poznań has delivered all 12 Moderus Gamma 100% low-floor, 32 m long bidirectional trams to Szczeciń that were due under contracts signed in December 2024 and February 2025. Bank card and mobile payments were launched on Manila light metro line LRT2 on July…

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Trenitalia trials heat-mitigating window films on Frecciarossa fleet

ITALY: Trenitalia has begun testing heat-mitigating window films on its Frecciarossa fleet in a trial aimed at improving energy efficiency and passenger comfort during the summer months. The work is being carried out at the Napoli Gianturco rolling stock maintenance depot, Trenitalia’s largest facility dedicated to high speed trains and the principal maintenance base for…

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Stadler submits revised Montevideo tram network proposals

URUGUAY: Private-sector proposals for the development of a five-route tram network linking Montevideo and Canelones have been presented to the government by a Stadler-led consortium. The plans submitted to the Uruguayan presidential board on July 15 envisage the network being developed through a public-private partnership. The first phase would see two lines built at an…

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EU rules standardise transport emissions calculations from 2030

A European Union regulation establishing a single, harmonised methodology for calculating transport greenhouse gas emissions officially entered into force in June and will apply from 2030. This will require rail operators to use standard rules for emissions calculation when disclosing environmental data. The new EU framework, known as CountEmissionsEU, covers all major transport modes, including…

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Melbourne’s next generation of trams enters service

AUSTRALIA: The first of 100 Next Generation Trams being built for use in Melbourne have entered service on routes serving the northwest of the city. Ordered by the Victoria state government under an A$700m contract awarded in 2022, the G class trams are being built at Alstom’s Dandenong plant with more than 65% local content.…

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Romania appoints consultants to develop integrated national timetable

ROMANIA: The Authority for Railway Reform signed a timetable development contract with TTL Planning and Systra on July 10, paving the way for development of regular-interval passenger services across the country. The 10.5m lei (€2.1m) contract has an implementation period of 24 months and is being co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under Romania’s…

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Belgium commits to rail liberalisation with phased post-2032 transition

BELGIUM: The federal government has formally committed to liberalising the subsidised passenger rail market from 2033, approving a phased transition to competitive tendering after SNCB’s current public service contract expires. The federal cabinet approved the reform strategy on July 18, resolving a question that successive Belgian governments had spent years studying without choosing a firm…

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Custom-designed Stadler trains enter service around Mount Vesuvius

A fleet of custom-made Stadler trainsets has begun entering service on the Circumvesuviana railway as part of custom-oriented modernisation strategy, newly-appointed head of regional transport operator EAV Pietro Diamantini tells Toma Bačić. The first of Stadler’s custom-built ETR300 electric multiple-units entered commercial service on regional transport operator EAV’s 950 mm gauge Circumvesuviana network on July…

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Study looks at options to upgrade the Hudson Bay Railway to unlock northern economic opportunities

CANADA: Systra has been commissioned to undertake a study of potential enhancements to the Hudson Bay Railway to support plans to develop the remote northern line as a strategic national transport corridor and make the port of Churchill a key export gateway. The study has been commissioned by the Arctic Gateway Group partnership of 29…

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Drought-related electricity crisis forces Hungary to restrict rail operations

HUNGARY: The shutdown of Hungary’s only nuclear power plant due to drought has forced a cancellation of freight trains in the evening, while national operator MÁV is also to impose energy-saving measures. Historically low water levels in the River Danube have caused a nationwide electricity crisis, as the nuclear plant supplies nearly half the country’s…

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SNCF restores rail services south of Bordeaux after six-day fire closure

FRANCE: Rail traffic has gradually resumed south of Bordeaux after wildfires forced a six-day suspension of services. SNCF and freight operators have restarted operations on the affected routes towards Arcachon and Bayonne following extensive track inspections. The Bordeaux – Arcachon and Bordeaux – Morcenx lines reopened to passengers on August 1. Trains had been suspended…

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Québec tramway rail systems contract agreed

CANADA: The Connexion Capitale consortium of AtkinsRéalis and Siemens Mobility has confirmed that it has been selected to supply the railway systems for the TramCité light rail project in Québec City. The first line of a planned 33 km tram network would run for 19 km from Le Gendre to Charlesbourg, via Sainte-Foy, Université Laval,…

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Leo Express launches daily overnight train from Frankfurt to the Ukrainian border

EUROPE: Renfe-backed Leo Express has launched an overnight train in co-operation with Ukrainian state operator UZ between Frankfurt am Main and the Polish city of Przemyśl, near the border with Ukraine. The service initially began operating between Frankfurt and Bohumín on June 25, but Leo Express temporarily deployed buses for the Polish section. This was…

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Bergamo T2 tramway meets EU funding deadline, clearing way for 2026 opening

ITALY: The T2 tram line from Bergamo to Villa d’Almè has entered the final phase of construction. Main civil works were completed by the June 30 deadline attached to Italy’s EU-funded PNRR investment programme, clearing the way for testing and pre-operational trials ahead of opening by the end of 2026. The 11·5 km route will…

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Railway Gazette International – August 2026

Read the current issue here

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Orbital metros come of age

The advent of GoA4 full automation in the last decade or so has released the potential of the orbital metro line to provide connectivity between suburbs and take the pressure off congested central interchanges. Click on age km stations to see representation of the data in the radial chart below, and float over a line…

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Investment in people and control systems aims to boost TAZARA performance

TANZANIA: The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and railway modernisation PPP concessionaire CCECC have begun construction of a training centre and operations control centre in Dar es Salaam. TAZARA Managing Director & CEO Bruno Ching’andu said the two facilities would address the critical requirements for operating a modern railway: skilled people and effective operational control. The Chinese…

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Comment: Capacity battle hots up

As Europe’s railways run out of spare capacity, the debate is shifting from how to grow traffic to who gets access to the remaining train paths, our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley says. That many of Europe’s networks are facing a growing capacity shortfall is not news. Across the continent, every path on the principal corridors…

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Poland: CPK shifts focus from ‘hub and spoke’ to integrated network

A changing geopolitical and policy landscape in Poland means the Port Polska high speed rail programme is now being seen as the cornerstone for a much broader transport investment strategy. Mike Bent reports. Long heralded as one of Europe’s most significant infrastructure programmes, the Port Polska scheme to develop a new hub airport for Poland…

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Renegotiated High Speed 2 civil works construction contracts signed

Project promoter HS2 Ltd has signed renegotiated commercial contracts with two of its civil works contractors for the London to Birmingham high speed line as part of the ‘reset’ of the troubled programme. HS2 Ltd said on July 31 that the signing of the new contracts with the EKFB and Align joint ventures was ‘a…

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Portugal’s parliament backs Corgo Line reopening

PORTUGAL: The national parliament has backed a resolution recommending that the government reopen the metre gauge Corgo Line northeast of Porto, on which services have been suspended for more than a decade. The initiative stems from a public petition launched in 2024, which was submitted to parliament the following year. Although the parliamentary resolution approved…

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First N700ST ‘platypus’ high speed trains en route to Taiwan

The first of 12 new-generation N700ST high speed trains being built for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp by the Hitachi Toshiba Supreme Consortium has been unveiled, and is expected to arrive in Taiwan during August.  The consortium announced on July 30 that it had completed the manufacturing of the initial 12-car trainset at Hitachi’s Kasado…

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