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Holmatro says it has developed and supplied rerailing hydraulic systems for trains, metros and trams over the past decade, with deployments in countries including the Netherlands, Australia, the United States, Spain, China and Thailand. It highlights lighter aluminum components, remote control, and safety features for faster recovery after derailments.

UIC held a webinar on 3 November 2026 on rail’s role in suicide prevention, covering effective interventions, means restriction, staff training, data sharing and new technologies such as fencing, lighting, CCTV and real-time track intrusion alerts.

UIC’s Global Level Crossing Network met in London on 28 October 2026 to share research and measures on level crossing safety, including youth risk perception, pedestrian fatalities, enforcement using drones, and human-factors assessment on low-frequency lines. UIC said a consolidated IRS on level crossing safety will be published by early 2027.

Berlin-based Rail Unit received a Stadler EuroDual and an Alstom TRAXX MS3 in October 2026 as it expands from railway personnel services into its own freight operations in Germany. The locomotives were leased from European Loc Pool and Northrail, following the company’s railway undertaking licence and safety certification.

SRI Rail Invest ordered a Vectron Dual Mode locomotive for delivery in late 2027 or early 2028. In a separate deal, it arranged financing for Projektbahn to acquire former ICE 2 vehicles from DB Fernverkehr.

African rail updates include a EUR 355 million Wabtec support agreement for Transnet locomotives, TAZARA’s five-year recovery plan, Ghana opening Tema–Mpakadan to private freight operators, TransNamib revising fleet renewal plans, and Algeria inviting bids for a 310 km railway section.

Robin Hood Line Community Partnership published its 2025 annual report, covering community engagement, rail safety education, station adoption, active travel, and local projects on the Nottinghamshire line. It also noted an award-winning Fusion Learning initiative and various community events and school visits.

Tracsis says predictive rail asset maintenance is moving from concept to operational use by combining remote condition monitoring data with machine learning. The company is testing a field-deployable predictive platform with selected client partners on busy rail networks to refine model accuracy and reliability.

UIC Rail System Forum held a plenary in Paris on 22 October 2026 to update its governance and work programme. Members agreed to a new architecture from 2027, with greater focus on rolling stock and energy strategies, stronger safety integration, and more member-driven priorities.

The article says ETCS timeline changes should be managed through connected asset data, scenario planning and workbank updates so infrastructure, fleet and renewal plans stay aligned. It argues that planning tools can help identify affected assets, compare sequencing options and track assumptions as delivery milestones move.

Opinion piece on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), saying the project is approaching a defining moment in Malaysia’s infrastructure development and discussing benefits for passengers.

KORAIL won the 2026 UIC Sustainability Impact Awards’ Modal Shift category for its “Love Regional Rail Travel” initiative, which promotes rail tourism with local partners and a 50% fare discount. The programme launched in August 2024 and had about 470,000 passengers by July 2026.

Australia’s ARTC reported faster Sydney–Melbourne freight times after network maintenance works. Inland Rail started track laying on the Illabo–Stockinbingal section, Queensland Rail announced freight incentives from January 2027, Western Australia advanced legislation to buy back its freight network, and Transport for NSW opened an EOI for new electric multiple units under the Future Fleet programme.

Amorim Cork Solutions supplied under ballast mats for a railway infrastructure project in Pampilhosa do Botão, Portugal, to help control vibration in a track transition zone beside a bridge. The mats were selected for their elastic support and ability to reduce vibration transmission under repeated train loading.

UIC describes rail-related climate work under COP action plans on freight modal shift, urban transport, and infrastructure resilience. It cites a new study on National Adaptation Plans showing rail is often mentioned but rarely backed by costs or funding, and says COP31 discussions will address green freight corridors and carbon markets.

BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz will haul quartz sand between Hohenbocka and Schwarzheide for Captrain subsidiary RBB using its industrial railway, locomotives and staff. BASF also plans to use spare rail capacity for further third-party freight contracts.

Maersk is launching a twice-weekly intermodal rail service between Haparanda on the Swedish-Finnish border and APM Terminals Gothenburg, with plans to increase frequency to six round trips per week. The electric rail link will move containerised freight from northern Sweden and Finland to Gothenburg for onward ocean connections, including Asia.

UIC said it will participate in COP31 to promote rail’s role in climate action, focusing on carbon-credit methodologies and including rail in national adaptation planning. It also highlighted the MoveCredits Coalition and joint work with UITP and Alstom on rail and public transport climate finance and resilience.

PKP PLK is considering converting some existing Polish electrified main lines from 3 kV DC to 2×25 kV AC. The programme has two phases through 2045, with consultations planned in November 2026 and a final programme expected by year-end, subject to financing.

Porterbrook will supply 56 new box wagons to GB Railfreight, with the wagons built by WH Davis in Nottinghamshire. The fleet is due to start completion in September 2027 and will be used to move recycled material to 7Steel’s Cardiff site for UK steel production.

Network Rail has appointed Hawkins\Brown, working with 5th Studio, to lead a masterplan for Oxford station. The plan will assess new entrances, improved onward travel links and capacity upgrades as passenger numbers rise, driven partly by East West Rail and other service increases.

Alstom announced the first ETCS Level 2 passenger service in Romania, using a Traxx Passenger electric locomotive and ETCS Level 2 trackside infrastructure between Buftea and Brazi on the Bucharest–Budapest line. The service began after the locomotives entered passenger operation in September 2026.

UIC Rail Expert Group meeting 2026 will be held on 18–19 November 2026 in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by DB InfraGo.

The Vale of Rheidol Railway has completed its acquisition of the Brecon Mountain Railway in Wales. The two heritage narrow-gauge railways will keep their separate identities and locomotive fleets, while sharing engineering knowledge, maintenance, restoration work and facilities at Aberystwyth.

At InnoTrans 2026, Vossloh launched new fastening systems for conventional, high-speed and urban rail, and added TrackStability software functions for track-buckling risk. The company also won about EUR 60 million in rail fastening contracts for two high-speed lines in Shandong, China, with deliveries from 2027.