AFRICA: A contract has been awarded for construction of an electrified standard gauge railway from Tanzania into Burundi, giving the land-locked east African country rail access for the first time.

NETHERLANDS: A larger and more modern terminal for UK-bound Eurostar passengers has opened at Amsterdam Centraal station.

Tim Mulligan is heading up a newly created rolling stock programme office at New York MTA, tasked with widening and deepening the relationship between the authority and its supply chain. He explained the plans to Nick Kingsley.

EUROPE: CargoBeamer has raised up to €65m in a combination of equity and debt financing from Orion Infrastructure Capital to support the growth of its activities which enable the transport of non-craneable semi-trailers by rail.

THAILAND: The second phase of a high speed line that will connect Bangkok with the existing line between Laos and China was approved by the Thai cabinet on February 4.

INNOTRANS: More than 85% of the exhibition space at InnoTrans 2026 has already been booked, according to organiser Messe Berlin.

EUROPE: Travelling planning app company Moovit has partnered with Distribution Technologies to offer its users the option to buy tickets for long-distance travel. Its rail, bus and ferry operators in 40 countries, including Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, RENFE, Trenitalia, Italo, RegioJet and Eurostar.

GERMANY: The introduction of freight trams in Berlin could be feasible, an interim report has found, and further studies will be undertaken once there is greater clarity on the legal requirements.

GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded four long-term framework contracts which are designed to ensure the stable supply and deployment of digital signalling systems including interlockings, ETCS and control systems.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Track component manufacturer DT-Výhybkárna a strojírna has launched a three-year research project aimed at developing an ‘autonomous turnout’ which can monitor its own condition and predict any problems before they can cause a failure.

FRANCE: Passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs is to expand its use of Wabtec’s KinetiX automated inspection technology. This will add TreadView, WheelView and BrakeView lineside inspection systems to the existing axle maintenance and acoustic bearing monitoring used at 13 depots.

UK: Network Rail has completed the modernisation of Skerne Road level crossing at Driffield on the Hull to Scarborough line, including installation of an operating system which is the first of its kind outside a trial site on the Anglia route.

AUSTRIA: Austrian Federal Railways has awarded Siemens Mobility a firm order to supply a further 30 Mireo electric multiple-units for use on commuter and regional services from 2029.

USA: Sierra Northern Railway has acquired the assets of diesel-battery hybrid and genset locomotive supplier RailPower, which it will use to develop hydrogen locomotives for short line and industrial applications.

SPAIN: A Basque consortium has submitted an offer to acquire a 29·8% stake in Talgo, and the Polish state investment fund which owns Pesa Bydgoszcz is to submit a separate proposal to acquire 100% of the Spanish rolling stock manufacturer. Indian group Jupiter Wagons is also reported to be interested ...

CZECH REPUBLIC: ABB is to supply Škoda Group with its newly introduced Pro Series traction batteries for installation in a fleet of battery-electric multiple-units being produced for Czech national operator České Dráhy.

UK: King Charles III has awarded DB Cargo UK a new warrant for the operation and maintenance of the royal train.

MEXICO: President Claudia Sheinbaum has set out plans to extend Mexico’s 1 477 km Tren Maya network to Belize and Guatemala, adding approximately 300 km of new lines.

AFGHANISTAN: Acting Minister of Public Works Mohammad Issa Sani has signed five contracts for domestic companies to produce detailed designs for a 737·5 km railway from Herat to Kandahar.

UK: Direct Rail Services and PD Ports have launched a trial rail freight service between Teesport and Manchester Trafford Park using ultra-low IDA wagons which can transport 9 ft 6 in high cube containers across the Pennines without requiring gauge enhancement works.