Bala Lake Railway in North Wales will run two Santa steam trains on 12–13 December 2026. Pre-booked passengers will travel from Llanwchllyn to Bala Pen-y-Bont and visit Santa’s Grotto; children receive gifts and adults get a hot drink or cherry.
Premium PSU will present its full auxiliary and services power conversion range for rolling stock at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, including AC/DC supplies, DC/DC converters, inverters, VFDs and DC-UPS. The products are engineered to EN 50155 and related railway standards and built in Barcelona.
Schneider National will shift its primary eastern US intermodal rail service from CSX to Norfolk Southern under an agreement announced on 29 October 2026. Freight is expected to move in November 2026, and Norfolk Southern says it has been preparing terminal capacity and track adjustments for the added traffic.
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.
UIC Statistics Platform plenary meeting held on 19 Nov 2026 from 09:30 to 16:00.
CFL multimodal launched an intermodal rail service between Bettembourg-Dudelange and Wrocław on 20 October 2026, operating four round trips per week. It also increased its Bettembourg–Lübeck service from three to four weekly round trips after recent operational disruption.
Danish State Railways awarded ELL a EUR 26.35 million lease contract for up to 12 Siemens Vectron AC locomotives for regional and long-distance passenger services. The contract includes maintenance, spare parts and availability support, with initial entry into service expected from December 2026.
Malaysia and Singapore held a joint emergency response exercise for the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link on 27–28 October 2026 at RTS Wadi Hana Depot. The drill tested firefighting, medical triage, casualty evacuation, and cross-border coordination by agencies from both countries ahead of passenger service start.
Bachmann Europe announced its winter 2026 model railway releases, led by an OO-scale exclusive of LNER A2 No. 60532 Blue Peter in Express Blue. The range also includes new N and OO scale locomotives, wagons, coaches, buildings and accessories.
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.
The Watercress Line in Hampshire will run Steam Illuminations from 27 November 2026 to 2 January 2027, featuring a steam train with synchronised LED lights, music, interactive activities, and festive station attractions.
Lappa Valley Railway in Cornwall held sold-out Fireworks Spectaculars on 30 and 31 October, attracting thousands. The railway said the 2026 event was its most successful yet and that tickets for the next event, expected in 2027, will go on sale later in the summer.
Transport for Wales has proposed a Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro with new stations, extra services, a new platform at Swansea, track links and signalling-related enabling works. Phase A and Phase B plans are open for public feedback until 13 December 2026, with funding still to be secured.
Severn Valley Railway will host Class 55 Deltic D9015 Tulyar from 13 to 16 May 2027 during its Spring Diesel Festival, marking 40 years since the line’s first diesel gala. The locomotive returned to passenger service in 2026 after a 30-year restoration.
Indian Railways reported higher coal and overall freight loading in October, CONCOR ordered 12 rakes of container wagons from Golden Rock Workshop, DP World expanded double-stack services from JNPA, and the Rowghat iron ore line was commissioned. A new East-West dedicated freight corridor is under study.
Poland’s rail freight market grew 2.7% in the first nine months of 2026 to 164.99 million tonnes, with tonne-kilometres up 6.7%. Intermodal traffic rose strongly, while mining-related freight fell. PKP Cargo remained the largest operator, and freight punctuality weakened in Q2.
Llangollen and Corwen Railway is seeking volunteers from North Wales for customer-facing roles during its Christmas Santa Special services. The appeal covers roles such as stewards, greeters, Welsh-speaking volunteers and Santa’s elves, with festive operations starting on 28 November 2026.
An opinion piece says the ECRL is nearing a defining moment in Malaysia, with passenger service due to start on 12 December 2026. It highlights expected travel-time savings, dynamic fare pricing, concessions and the importance of first- and last-mile connectivity around stations.
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.
Amtrak has launched its Winter Wanderlust sale, offering up to 30% off fares on U.S. routes for travel between 1 December 2026 and 14 March 2027. The sale runs until 12 November and applies to Coach and Acela Business Class bookings.
GB Railfreight has appointed Jude Winstanley as CEO from 2 November 2026. John Smith will stay on in an advisory role on UK rail reform. The company says it continues investing in locomotives, maintenance facilities and depots, including Class 99 bi-mode locomotives.
GMRC has invited bids for the ₹197.14 crore development and construction of the Gyaspur Depot for the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project in Gujarat. The package covers depot infrastructure, an Operations Control Centre, and associated electrical and mechanical works. Bid submission closes on 20 November 2026.
Transport for Wales has opened consultation on Swansea Bay Metro proposals, including a possible new Cockett station, a reopened platform at Swansea, and more frequent services between Swansea, Pembrey & Burry Port, and possibly Ammanford via Neath. Comments are open until 13 December 2026.
Network Rail has issued travel advice for Manchester Christmas Markets, which open on 6 November 2026 and are expected to draw heavy crowds on Northern and TransPennine Express services. Passengers are advised to plan ahead, use earlier return trains, and expect extra staff at Manchester Piccadilly.
India’s first indigenous bullet trainset, B28, is taking shape at BEML’s Bengaluru facility for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor. The train is designed for a maximum test speed of 280 km/h, with rollout expected by end-2026 or early 2027 and a tentative inaugural run on the Surat–Vapi section in August 2027.