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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.

Stadler has begun commissioning the first RBe 546 FLIRT EMU for Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn in Switzerland. The 17 three-car units were ordered in September 2024, with type testing in 2027 and commercial service planned from May 2028.

Opinion piece argues that ECRL’s high cost, loan burden and limited ridership or cargo capacity make its financial return doubtful, and says its value should be judged by wider economic spillovers rather than operating profits.

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.

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.

MRT Corp awarded a RM2.69 billion civil main contract to a CCCC-TRC Construction-Ufuk Semarak joint venture for the Penang LRT Mutiara Line cross-sea extension from Macallum to Penang Sentral. The 5.5km package includes a 3.05km bridge and is targeted for completion by December 2031.

Kia Sales Malaysia said three future models for Malaysia will use a turbocharged petrol hybrid powertrain. The Sportage facelift is confirmed as one, while the Carnival is likely another and the K4 sedan/fastback may be the third.

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

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.

EBRD will fund €50 million for rehabilitation of Montenegro’s 39 km Golubovci–Bar railway section, including track, stations, bridges, signalling, telecommunications and power upgrades. Separately, ŽPCG and Stadler are progressing discussions on the design of three new electric multiple units.

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.

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.

Hanoi has signed EPC turnkey contracts for five driverless metro lines, Lines 1, 2, 8, 10 and 14, totalling about 253.5 km. The programme targets GoA4 automation, CBTC, depots, and digital delivery tools, with completion planned for 2030.

Hitachi Rail marked the opening of the first operational section of Chennai Metro Phase II, a 15 km, 11-station elevated corridor powered by its CBTC signalling for GoA4 driverless operation. The wider Phase II signalling contract, awarded in 2023, covers 119 km of metro lines.

Hitachi Rail opened its new Canadian headquarters in Scarborough, Toronto, to serve its signalling and systems business. The company is delivering the Ontario Line and Hazel McCallion Line, and modernizing TTC Line 2 signalling after a $400 million contract award in July.

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.

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.

Freightliner has introduced a new logo after CMA CGM completed its acquisition of the UK intermodal business on 29 January 2026. The deal covered rail and road operations, inland terminals and the Freightliner brand, while heavy haul, Rotterdam Rail Feeding, and operations in Poland and Germany were excluded.

UIC has released IRS 30345, a new non-binding standard for procuring new rolling stock with harmonised environmental specifications. It replaces UIC Leaflet 345 and sets guidance on energy use, emissions, noise, air quality, and circularity, including raising component recyclability targets from 85% to 95%.

Spanish infrastructure manager Adif has awarded the operation of the Vitoria-Jundiz intermodal terminal to Terminal Intermodal Jundiz, a consortium led by Medlog Spain Logistic with port and regional partners. The terminal covers 55,000 m² and is expected to grow from 4,723 ITUs in 2025 to 60,000 annually from year three.