This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.
Siemens Mobility displayed a Velaro high speed train at the TransMEA 2025 transport and logistics exhibition in New Cairo on November 9. The 250 km/h trainset is adapted for Egypt’s desert conditions, with robust filtration systems and enhanced cooling. On the same day, a 160 km/h Desiro HC regional EMU completed its first run on newly constructed tracks near the 6th of October Depot to the west of Cairo. ‘The inaugural ride of the Desiro regional train and the arrival of the Velaro marks a defining moment in Egypt’s transport modernisation strategy’, said Minister of Transport Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir. ‘This high speed train project will help redefine passenger experience, reduce travel times and boost connectivity between cities. It reflects our commitment to building a modern, safe, and sustainable rail network that serves our people and supports Egypt’s economic growth for generations to come.’
Turkey’s Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure has announced the start of construction of an inter-city train production plant near the existing Türasaş factory in Sakarya. The plant will have the capacity to assemble and test up to 12 trains per year, capable of reaching speeds of up to 225 km/h. Production of a prototype is planned for 2026.
Systra has acquired BG&E, a multi-disciplinary engineering company working in the transport infrastructure and complex building sector which has offices in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and the UK. Systra said the strategic transaction marks a significant step in its development in Australia and New Zealand.
On October 31 the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development announced a sovereign-guaranteed loan of up to €42m to Serbian operator Srbija Voz to finance the purchase of 12 new sleeping cars. These will replace obsolete vehicles on the route between Beograd and Bar in Montenegro, and to support plans to introduce new international routes to neighbouring EU countries.
Several hundred executives from 110 Indian suppliers to the rail and commercial vehicle industry attended Knorr-Bremse‘s Supplier Summit India 2025 in Chennai on November 12, which focused on ’Procurement in India for the global market’. Knorr-Bremse said establishing a strong supplier network in India is an important part of its future strategy, and the Rail division is making its supply agreements more efficient, harmonised and consistently aligned with market and customer needs. It added that ‘with regards to the geopolitical context, Knorr-Bremse is further expanding its independence, flexibility and delivery capability by strengthening its supplier relationships in India’.
Hyundai Rotem is to use Wind River‘s Studio Developer to modernise and automate its railway system software development environment. ’With Wind River, Hyundai Rotem can modernise its software development practices without compromising safety, security, or quality. This enables faster innovation, improved efficiency, and reduced costs while delivering secure, compliant, and reliable edge systems’, said Javed Khan, EVP & President of Software, Advanced Safety & User Experience atr Wind River.
The Cross Product’s Regression at Scale for Railway Tracks add-in for Bentley Systems’ OpenRails Designer is now available for use. Developed as part of Bentley Systems’ iTwin Activate Programme 2024, this can generate alignments from existing geometry in a few clicks, processing thousands of kilometers of track in a few minutes.
Overhead electrification specialist SPL Powerlines UK has entered the UK and Ireland’s energy infrastructure market. This was ’a natural evolution’, said Managing Director Martin Hawley. ‘Having developed our expertise in one of the most tightly regulated sectors — rail — we’re well placed to apply that same discipline, safety focus, and technical capability to energy.’
Built environment consultancy Arup has appointed of John Fagan as Global Business Leader for Rail. He has worked projects including the UK’s Transpennine Route Upgrade and High Speed 2, has been a strategic adviser to the Department for Transport on its rail reform programme. He has also advised rail operators and owning groups on business planning and operating concession bids in the UK, Australia, Europe and UAE.