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VIA Rail has completed a C$310 million modernization of its Toronto Maintenance Centre, adding expanded heavy-maintenance facilities and a Vehicle Equipment Measurement System for early fault detection. The federally funded project supports VIA’s new Siemens Venture Corridor fleet and existing trains.

Network Rail completed nine days of work to renew and strengthen Saxmundham junction on East Suffolk Line, converting it from manual to powered operation and upgrading signalling and infrastructure. The improvements support increased freight traffic to the Sizewell C construction site and resumed Greater Anglia services between Halesworth and Ipswich.

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 will spend £1.75m to renew 1,300 metres of track, sleepers and ballast on a bridge between Rishton and Accrington in East Lancashire. The East Lancashire line will close on 22, 28 and 29 November, with rail replacement buses operating during the work.

Services between Leeds and York resumed after a nine-day closure for TransPennine Route Upgrade works. The works included replacing Common Lane Bridge at Church Fenton, installing new power lines for future electrification, and other track, overhead line and drainage upgrades on the East Coast Main Line.

Network Rail will replace the 160-year-old Selhurst railway bridge in London over the Christmas period. The old bridge will be removed using self-propelled modular transporters, and Selhurst Road will be closed from 12 December to 10 January while the station remains open.

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.

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.

The Polar Express train ride will return to South Devon Railway from 27 November to 23 December, with themed journeys, characters, entertainment, and visits to Father Christmas. Tickets are expected to sell quickly.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority approved Siemens’ contract to supply three AP220 high-speed trainsets, spare parts and 10 years of maintenance. The deal is worth USD 772.1 million, with options for up to 19 more trainsets. Initial manufacture and testing will be in Germany, with California testing planned from 2030.

VIA Rail will provide free train travel for young patients and families to six children’s hospitals in Ontario and Quebec under a three-year partnership with Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations. The program builds on a similar London, Ontario collaboration launched in April 2026.

Network Rail will replace a substandard railway bridge over Agbrigg Road in Wakefield for £5m over the Christmas period. The work will require a line closure between Doncaster and Leeds and road closures near Sandal and Agbrigg station.

Transport for Greater Manchester will start redeveloping Bury Interchange later this month in two phases. The first phase includes a new footbridge, lift access to Metrolink platforms, platform resurfacing, canopy replacement, and upgrades to lighting, signage, CCTV, passenger information displays and ticketing facilities.

Belgian freight operator Lineas has extended lease contracts with Ermewa for about 4,000 freight wagons across its European network. The renewal continues a sale-and-leaseback arrangement first agreed in 2021 and comes as Lineas works through financial restructuring after government rescue support.

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.

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.

A rear-end collision between an Iryo train and a Renfe AVE train on Spain’s Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line near Toledo killed at least 50 people and injured about 179. Adif suspended traffic on the corridor while emergency response and investigation work continued.

A coal train derailed near Otira on New Zealand’s Midland Line, damaging the track and rolling stock and prompting a TAIC investigation. TranzAlpine passenger services are cut back to Arthur’s Pass with bus connections to Greymouth until an estimated Nov. 20.

Paul Middleton returns with a new five-episode Steam Train Diaries series on More4 from 12 November. The programme visits several heritage railways, including North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where bridge repairs are under way and locomotive Omaha is being converted from coal to oil.

A collision near Urda on Spain’s Madrid–Seville high-speed line is under investigation after an LZB control failure and an alleged decision to let one train resume normal running. The line remains closed while Renfe runs replacement services.

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.

Alstom says the new-generation TGV, known in France as TGV M, has entered commercial service. It is the first train based on Alstom's Avelia Horizon very high-speed platform and builds on the company's long history in high-speed rail.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said a train not in service hit the buffers at London Liverpool Street on 15 October 2026 at about 7 mph, derailing the first three carriages and damaging the train and buffer stop. A safety digest will follow.

Network Rail completed drainage renewal and related maintenance on the East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire after two weekend possessions. The programme included 300 metres of drainage at Chapman’s Bridge near Shipton, work on track, power lines and points, vegetation management, and a new bridge at Church Fenton for overhead line preparation.

A Scottish fatal accident inquiry found that an off-design drain, missing as-built records, and maintenance and weather-management gaps contributed to the 2020 Carmont derailment. The inquiry said building the drain to its approved design might realistically have prevented the crash. No new recommendations were made.