EU backs €175m upgrade of Bar–Golubovci line
The European Union will invest €175 million to modernise the Bar–Golubovci railway line in Montenegro. The project targets higher speeds, improved capacity and better reliability on a key TEN-T corridor.
The European Union will invest €175 million to modernise the Bar–Golubovci railway line in Montenegro. The project targets higher speeds, improved capacity and better reliability on a key TEN-T corridor.
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have formally applied to merge their rail networks, seeking approval from the Surface Transportation Board. The proposed transaction would create the first coast-to-coast freight railroad in the United States.
PKP Cargo has sharply reduced its share capital as part of its ongoing restructuring. The move is aimed at covering accumulated losses and restoring balance-sheet flexibility.
Germany’s rail infrastructure manager DB InfraGO invested more than €19 billion in network renewal and modernisation in 2025. The year was marked by a high construction workload alongside ongoing rail operations.
The first construction phase of the large-scale overhaul on the Hamburg–Berlin railway line is nearing completion around five months after works began. Focus is now shifting from track renewal to signalling systems and station upgrades.
Czech logistics provider MIB Logistics is focusing on shifting freight flows from road to rail, offering end-to-end rail transport, siding services and last-mile solutions. The company targets a wide range of commodities while responding to ESG and sustainability requirements.
Czech Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik has called for a European debate on the future of rail freight, arguing that current EU policies are accelerating its decline. In an interview with the Czech News Agency, he points to high electricity prices and distorted competition with road transport as key issues.
Germany and Poland have launched a new EuroCity corridor linking Leipzig with Wrocław, Kraków and Przemyśl near the Ukrainian border. The service expands cross-border long-distance rail between the two countries by 50%.
Vietnam is moving forward with its first high-speed rail projects after VinSpeed and Siemens Mobility signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement. Siemens is expected to act as technology partner for rolling stock, signalling and core rail systems.
ÖBB has launched a new, faster Railjet connection between Vienna and Trieste following the opening of the Koralmbahn. The route significantly reduces journey times and strengthens rail links between Austria and Italy.
Koleje Mazowieckie has ordered 11 additional FLIRT electric multiple units from Stadler, completing the largest rolling-stock investment programme in the operator’s history. The framework agreement now covers a total of 75 trains.
Belgium has completed the nationwide rollout of ETCS, upgrading its rail network to European interoperability standards. The project positions the country among the first in Europe to deploy ETCS across a complex, live network.
Lineas and FS Logistix have launched Modalink, a joint venture managing Antwerp Mainhub Terminal to strengthen intermodal services between Belgium and Italy. The initiative aims to increase capacity on one of Europe’s busiest North–South freight corridors.
Diesel locomotives continue to dominate rail freight operations despite growing interest in alternative drives, according to a new study by SCI Verkehr. High costs and complex approval procedures are slowing the transition, particularly in Europe.
Ivan Bednárik, a senior rail executive with experience across freight, passenger and infrastructure management, is expected to become the next Czech transport minister. His career spans leadership roles at ČD Cargo, České dráhy and Slovakia’s infrastructure manager ŽSR.
Stadler has signed a contract with Mount Rigi Railways for four additional rack-and-pinion trains. The order extends the modern fleet to the Goldau–Rigi Kulm line, following earlier deliveries on the Vitznau route.
ÖBB and Austrian Post are launching a programme to install roughly fifty 24/7 parcel lockers at railway stations across Austria. The rollout includes the first off-grid lockers powered by roof-mounted photovoltaic modules.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Eurostar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore a direct high-speed service between London and major German cities such as Cologne and Frankfurt, with operations targeted for the early 2030s.
České dráhy (ČD), the Czech national railway carrier, will introduce a new night service from Prague to Przemyśl from 14 December. The route offers direct access to southeastern Poland and coordinated onward connections to Ukraine.
The supervisory board of DB InfraGO has approved a major restructuring of the organisation from 1 January 2026, reducing the number of board divisions from eight to six. Several new executives have been appointed to lead key infrastructure and station-related portfolios.
Hitachi Rail has entered a new technical collaboration with Google Cloud to accelerate digitalisation, deploy advanced AI systems and support the long-term shift toward autonomous and energy-efficient rail operations.
Wabtec has finalized its acquisition of Frauscher Sensor Technology Group, expanding its footprint in train detection and signalling. The Austrian-based company will join Wabtec’s Digital Intelligence division.
A new SCI Verkehr study shows that Europe’s freight-rail crisis has reached the rolling-stock maintenance sector. While the global MRO market continues to grow, European workshops serving locomotives and freight wagons face structural pressure.
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group has added two new TransFER connections, linking Tuzla with the port of Rijeka and launching a new non-stop route between Budapest and Curtici. Both services strengthen end-to-end transport chains in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
The EU has issued a €15 million tender under the Ukraine FIRST programme to prepare priority reconstruction projects across Ukraine. The 48-month contract includes major transport and rail infrastructure.
Agrofert company, owned by likely future Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš, is acquiring OCI Ammonia Holding B.V. for €290 million. The deal includes Rotterdam’s ammonia import and storage terminal and a Europe-wide distribution platform.
Siemens Mobility has secured a major contract to deploy ETCS Level 2 and its new Signaling X platform on 87 km of rail lines in Chile. It is the country’s first-ever ETCS Level 2 project and the first Signaling X deployment in Latin America.
Nymwag has completed construction of a new freight-wagon plant in Kolkata, developed through a joint venture with Texmaco. Trial production starts in November 2025.
Jiří Svoboda, CEO of Správa železnic (SŽ) — the Czech state-owned manager of national and regional rail infrastructure — has gone on leave after police found more than CZK 80 million (€3.2m) in cash at his home. Transport Minister Martin Kupka called the step necessary following the revelations.
Škoda Group has completed the first of 25 new electric units for Bulgaria, just 14 months after contract signing. The order includes 15 years of servicing.
Zabrze will gain a modern intermodal terminal. CLIP Terminals has signed a contract with the TorKol consortium (the lead contractor), Poleko Budownictwo and GFS Engineering to implement the project at a cost of €27.5 million.
Czech police investigators (NCOZ) carried out searches at the headquarters of Správa železnic, the Czech state-owned manager of national and regional rail infrastructure. According to Odkryto.cz, the case concerns large railway construction contracts.
PKP Cargo has confirmed its strong position in Poland’s intermodal market, reaching 19.1% by mass and 18.6% by transport performance in H1 2025. The results come during the company’s restructuring process.
MBC has ordered two additional hybrid metre-gauge locomotives from Stadler for future freight operations on the Bière–Apples–Morges line. The new units are scheduled for delivery in late 2028.
Leading companies and associations have launched the 'Save Combined Transport' initiative, warning that current rail network disruptions in Germany risk pushing freight back onto the roads. The sector calls for stable conditions, workable diversion routes and fair pricing.
The Hitachi Rail–Sistem consortium has secured a €126.5 million contract to install signalling and traffic management systems on the Talayuela–Plasencia section of the Madrid–Extremadura High-Speed Line. The deal also includes four years of maintenance.
Ten European partners have launched the Pioneer DAC Train (PioDAC) project in Copenhagen, setting up the first large-scale commercial testing of the Digital Automatic Coupler. VERS will manage installation and maintenance monitoring.
Rock Rail has ordered 35 Siemens Mireo units for the Elektronetz Nord-Magdeburg network, supporting Deutsche Bahn’s fleet renewal in Saxony-Anhalt.
China has used an AI system to determine the construction method for a new high-speed rail tunnel in Hubei — a world-first in rail engineering.
ČD Cargo has appointed Jiří Horáček as its new Director of Sales, reinforcing its commercial team as part of ongoing restructuring.
This morning, an express train and a regional passenger train collided in the south of the Czech Republic (in the South Bohemia region), near the city of České Budějovice, leaving around 40 people injured. Five people in a serious condition.
NS has ordered 36 new FLIRT units from Stadler to boost capacity and comfort across its growing commuter network from 2030.
Prices in European road freight rose again in Q3 2025, according to the new Upply–IRU–Ti benchmark. Because road and rail cargo often compete for the same flows, the outlook on trucking costs is a crucial factor for rail freight operators planning their 2026 strategies.
An explosion destroyed part of the Warsaw–Lublin railway line on Sunday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed. Authorities are treating the incident as sabotage, according to reports from Novinky.cz and Reuters.
Siemens Mobility and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have signed a framework agreement for the large-scale digitalisation of signalling systems across Switzerland, paving the way for more efficient and resilient rail operations.
East Midlands Railway (EMR), in partnership with Transport UK, has confirmed that the first unit from its new £400 million train fleet, branded as the Aurora fleet, will begin operating during December.
Siemens Mobility unveils Velaro high-speed train and Desiro HC regional fleet at TransMEA 2025, advancing Egypt’s 2,000 km HSR project.
The new arrangement is intended to reduce the number of truck journeys into Zurich by approximately 58,000 annually.
From May 2026, passengers will once again be able to travel directly by train from Prague to Copenhagen. České dráhy has opened advance ticket sales for the new cross-border service operated jointly with DB and DSB.
A-Train AB, the company operating Sweden’s Arlanda Express service, has selected SISCOG’s integrated planning software to streamline train and staff operations on the Stockholm–Arlanda Airport route.