Test running starts on Panama Canal monorail
PANAMA: Metro de Panamá has started test running on the 25 km monorail line in Panama City that is to link the two sides of the Panama Canal. The double-track route with 14 stations will link the Albrook terminus of metro Line 1 to Ciudad del Futuro in the western hinterland. Test running is taking […]
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp unveils ‘platypus’ trainset
TAIWAN: Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp has unveiled the first of 12 N700ST trainsets ordered from the Hitachi Toshiba Supreme Consortium to boost capacity. THSRC Chairman Shih Che travelled to Japan to inspect and unveil the first trainset on April 30. Deliveries are scheduled to run from August 2026 through the end of 2028, with […]
DB awards Alstom contract to roll out ETCS on Rhine-Alpine Corridor near Düsseldorf
GERMANY: DB InfraGO is pressing ahead with the ETCS rollout along Germany’s Rhine-Alpine Corridor, commissioning Alstom to equip a further 43 km of the key line near Düsseldorf by the end of 2029, the French supplier’s first call-off under DB’s €6.3bn digital signalling framework. The Alstom order targets 43 km between Ratingen West and Immigrath […]
Dublin automated metro procurement launched
IRELAND: Transport Infrastructure Ireland has launched the tendering process for the M500 contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the planned MetroLink automated metro line. It will run 18.8 km through Dublin from Swords in the north to Charlemont in the south. TII said this is a significant milestone, marking the progression from planning […]
Eurostar, SBB and SNCF to plan direct Switzerland to London train services
EUROPE: International high speed train operator Eurostar, Swiss Federal Railways and French national passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate to develop plans for direct train services between Switzerland and London. On May 11 the three operators said they see strong customer demand for a direct rail connection to the […]
First major contact for the Hamilton LRT project awarded
CANADA: Greater Toronto area transport agency Metrolinx has selected the Hamilton Transit Alliance to undertake the first major package of work for the Hamilton LRT project to develop a 14 km tram light rail line. An alliance model is being used for the Civil & Utilities contract, with Metrolinx as the project owner, Aecon leading […]
Urban rail financing risks being sidelined by flexible rules, EU parliamentary scrutiny ‘pivotal’
EUROPE: As the EU restructures its transport budget for 2028–2034, rail and public‑transport stakeholders warn that ‘unfettered flexibility may leave local and urban rail underfunded while favouring large‑scale projects with strong lobbying power’. A study commissioned by the European Parliament stresses that parliamentary scrutiny is ‘pivotal’ to ensure investments remain climate-aligned. The European Union is […]
Direct Oslo–Berlin train will be back in 2028 after 20-year hiatus
EUROPE – From summer 2028, travellers will be able to board a direct train from Oslo to København, Hamburg, and Berlin for the first time in over 20 years. The new service is the result of a cross-border collaboration between Norway’s Vy, Denmark’s DSB, and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB), the companies announced on May 9. […]
France: Free trams help drive modal shift
France’s sixth-largest city has seen a significant increase in ridership after making its public transport free for residents, as Montpellier’s Vice-President for Transport & Mobility Julie Frêche explains to Jérémie Anne. Unlike most cities in France which continue to charge fares for their public transport, the country’s fifth-largest metropolitan area has opted to follow a […]
Signalling: Delivering low-cost obstacle detection to support København’s S-Bane automation
National operator DSB is working on a pioneering programme to equip København’s S-bane for fully automated operation without using platform edge barriers. Contracts are due to be let later this year for an obstacle-detection system that could pave the way for cost-effective GoA4 applications worldwide, as Executive Vice President for Strategy & Rolling Stock Jürgen […]