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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.

Ukraine’s ministry, Ukrzaliznytsia and the PPP Agency signed a memorandum to prepare two railway projects in Zakarpattia: a 1,435 mm standard-gauge electrified line from Uzhhorod to the state border via Pavlovo, and modernisation of the Korolevo–Khust route. The work will be supported by the World Bank PREPARE programme.

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.

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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Pune Metro Line 3 (23 km) and laid the foundation stone for Pune Metro Phase-II projects worth about ₹13,500 crore. The new phase covers four corridors: Lines 2A, 2B, 4 and 4A, aimed at expanding metro connectivity across Pune.

Network Rail has advised passengers to plan ahead for heavy festive travel in Birmingham. Christmas markets and events are expected to increase use of Birmingham stations, with staff available at New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill, while some services to New Street will be suspended from 24 to 28 December 2026.

Parsons, with Systra and Egis in the RMTC joint venture, has been awarded project and construction management services for the Riyadh Metro Red Line Extension in Saudi Arabia. The 8.4-km extension will add five stations and connect King Saud University to Diriyah South.

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.

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.

TfL and Time Out released London After Dark, a report on how the Night Tube has supported London’s night-time economy. The study found 88% of surveyed Londoners stayed out later because public transport was available, and London was ranked first among 26 European cities for nightlife and public transport.

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.

A Kuala Lumpur feature shows Sivabalan Arumugam creating intricate kolam art grain by grain with rice grains.

UIC’s 2026 Asia-Pacific Web Meeting Series will run sessions on topics including advocacy, sustainability, resilience, security, passenger, infrastructure, rolling stock and energy, freight, and UIC publication tools. The programme aims to connect Asia-Pacific members more directly with UIC technical departments and working groups.

At IRSC Lisbon 2026, UIC presented work on safety culture, cyber resilience, risk assessment harmonisation, wayside monitoring, AI for level crossings, and safety management for Portugal’s future Lisbon-Porto high-speed line. The conference highlighted international cooperation on railway safety and innovation.

Jupiter Wagons said it won about EUR 138 million in new business in India for 2,583 freight wagons for Indian Railways and 405 ACT2 automobile carriers for GATX India and Chetak International. The Ministry of Railways also issued a separate tender for 5,800 BOBRN wagons, with no award yet announced.

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.

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.

ČD has launched a tender to sell six Taurus locomotives, offered individually or as a package with spare parts. The three-system units were built in 2007–2011, reach 230 km/h, and are approved for several Central European countries; two have ETCS, while two have Polish SHP equipment.

UIC will hold its 9th Zero Waste Workshop in Paris and online on 19 January 2027 on critical raw materials and rail resilience. The event will discuss rail supply-chain dependencies, circular economy approaches, and draft EU Agency for Railways findings on circular economy in rail.

Siemens Mobility and Lufthansa Technik Defense have proposed a medical evacuation train for more than 150 patients, including intensive-care cases. The concept uses Vectouro coaches and a Vectron X locomotive, with a dual-mode option under consideration, for cross-border use on Europe’s standard-gauge network.