Everything we read, routed to your cluster

Singapore will revamp its Rail Academy from November, partnering five educational institutions and consolidating training from LTA, SMRT and SBS Transit into a common curriculum. The scheme will create clearer pathways for rail workers to earn formal diplomas, degrees and new sector certifications, with WSQ certification starting in early 2027.

Renfe named Siemens Mobility the winner of a tender for up to 40 high-speed trains in Spain, with a rendering shown of the Velaro Novo design.

Singapore will expand the Singapore Rail Academy’s role from November with standardised training, wider eligibility, and new certification pathways for engineers, technicians and operations staff. The changes, developed with LTA and rail operators, are meant to support MRT network expansion, upgrades and future technology adoption.

The Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway in Middlesex will run Santa Specials on 12-13 and 19-20 December, with tickets booked in advance. The article also notes the railway won a 2023 HRA Infrastructure Award for a new coach shed and maintenance facility.

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.

LNER unveiled Azuma 801214 named ‘Remember’ at Newcastle Central Station as a Remembrance tribute to Armed Forces service members. The livery includes images of veterans from past and recent conflicts, with input from Reveille, Imperial War Museums curators and the UK Ministry of Defence.

Freightliner renamed locomotive 90040 as The Railway Mission at a ceremony in Crewe. It is the first locomotive to carry Freightliner’s refreshed branding after the CMA CGM takeover, and Freightliner also donated £1,000 to Railway Mission.

BBG Infrastructure won a ₹137.93 crore DMRC contract to design and construct seven elevated metro stations and a foot overbridge for Delhi Metro Phase 4. The tender had two bidders, but only BBG qualified technically. The work period is 660 days.

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.

Southeastern held its annual Remembrance Service in Dover on 4 November, with veterans, cadets and railway colleagues attending. The operator also reminded veterans, serving personnel and bereaved family members that they can travel to Remembrance services for free.

ScotRail will add extra carriages and staff, and manage queuing at Haymarket, for the Scotland v New Zealand rugby international at Murrayfield on 7 November 2026. Services on several routes are expected to be very busy, and passengers are advised to buy tickets in advance.

Trilogical Technologies CEO Eyal Trichter said railway telematics is shifting from data collection to operational decision support. The company is investing in sensors, firmware, software and cloud analytics for freight wagons and passenger rolling stock, with APIs for integration into operators’ existing fleet systems.

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.

East Midlands Railway says the Derwent Valley Line between Derby and Matlock will close from 14 to 22 November 2026 for £3m of Network Rail upgrade works, mainly track renewals at Whatstandwell, Cromford and Matlock Bath. Over 3,500 sleepers and 6,400 tonnes of ballast will be installed.

Alstom said first-half revenue rose 3% to €9.3 billion and orders rose to €11.0 billion, but it cut its 2026/27 outlook. The company cited technical issues and testing requirements on the Coradia Max platform and revised margins on selected rolling stock projects.

A World Bank Kenya Economic Update says the Mombasa–Nairobi SGR could have saved up to US$900 million if built at Tanzania-like costs. The report cites procurement irregularities, land speculation and corruption, and says governance weaknesses have raised public spending and borrowing costs.

ZSSK plans to invest €43.9 million in six battery-electric shunting locomotives for Bratislava and Žilina, with delivery planned by end-2030. Slovakia’s finance ministry recommends battery traction over diesel on lifecycle-cost grounds, ahead of ETCS-only operation on key corridors from 2031.

Hitachi Rail signed a contract to supply railway signalling systems for the T26 tunnel and Bilecik depot on Turkey’s Ankara–Istanbul line.

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.

India’s Railway Board granted conditional clearance for a 16-car Vande Bharat Chair Car trainset built by RCF Kapurthala with Alstom propulsion, allowing operation up to 160 km/h subject to technical conditions. The Board raised issues on displays, protection, cabling, equipment mounting and traction motor rating.

Alstom cut its 2026/27 outlook after production delays and technical issues on the Coradia Max platform and other German projects. First-half adjusted EBIT margin was about -4%, free cash flow was negative EUR 1.25 billion, and full-year rail vehicle production guidance was reduced to about 4,000.

FS Logistix ordered six more CZ LOKO EffiShunter 1000 diesel-electric locomotives for Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal. The four-axle Class D744 units will be used for shunting at ports and terminals, freight on non-electrified lines, and rescue duties. The group already operates earlier EffiShunter orders.

Indian Railways freight loading rose 8.32% year over year to 145.07 million tonnes in October 2026, the best October on record. Growth was led by food grains and domestic coal. April–October freight loading reached 978.78 million tonnes, up 4.67% from a year earlier; passenger traffic also increased.

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.

Modal Group and Dunkerque-Port opened a EUR 25 million intermodal terminal at Loon-Plage in Dunkirk, with four 750-metre rail tracks and services to Lyon. The terminal handles containers, semi-trailers and swap bodies, and a Lyon–Piacenza extension is planned for 2027.