High speed rail industry news
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NewsAgreement to cut Californian rail project red tape
USA: The California State Transportation Agency and California High-Speed Rail Authority have renewed a 2019 agreement under which the state has taken on the Federal Railroad Administration’s environmental review responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act. California is the only state with NEPA assignment for rail ...
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Rail Business UKCancellation of HS2 Phase 2 may force demand management on trains north of Birmingham, NAO says
UK: The cancellation of Phase 2 of High Speed 2 means the programme will now not address the capacity issues on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham, according to the National Audit Office. The NAO warns that improving existing infrastructure may be expensive and ...
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Rail Business UK‘TBM in a can’ plan makes progress at HS2 site in west London
UK: Construction of HS2 Ltd’s Green Park Way ventilation shaft at Greenford in west London has entered a crucial phase, as preparations ramp up ahead of the arrival and subsequent recovery of four tunnel boring machines at the site. The TBMs are excavating the 13·5 km ...
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Rail Business UKInnovation funding supports sustainable decommissioning of HS2 worksites
UK: HS2 Ltd is to work with SMEs Infinitive Group Ltd and Material Index as part of its efforts to sustainably ‘deconstruct’ worksites along the 225 km of high speed railway being built between London and the West Midlands. The two companies will work with the ...
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In depthEurope: Rail Baltica makes progress despite cost increase
Construction of the long-planned 1 435 mm gauge north-south rail corridor through the Baltic States is ramping up rapidly, despite a near-trebling of the forecast cost and continuing uncertainty over some sections of the route. Toma Bačić reports from Tallinn.
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NewsUIC World Congress on High Speed Rail to be held in Beijing
CHINA: The International Union of Railways and China Railway have announced that the 12th World Congress on High Speed Rail will take place in Beijing on July 8-11 2025, with the theme of ‘High speed rail: innovation and development for a better life’. The event is ...
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NewsStudy looks at how to increase international capacity at London St Pancras
EUROPE: High speed line concessionaire HS1 Ltd has appointed ‘experience design’ agency Active Thinking to undertake an in-depth study into expanding passenger capacity at London St Pancras International station to cope with increased demand for international travel and the potential arrival of competitors to Eurostar. Eurostar ...
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NewsAustralasian rail industry study tour to visit London and Paris
INTERNATIONAL: The Australasian Railway Association is organising a study tour to London and Paris the week before InnoTrans, to provide delegates with insights into topics including interoperability, high speed rail, sustainability, infrastructure development and operations, as well as networking opportunities with industry leaders. The London leg ...
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NewsPoland recommits to CPK high speed rail programme
POLAND: Prime Minister Donald Tusk has recommitted his government to implementing the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny high speed rail and airport programme. When the current government came to power at the end of last year it quickly initiated a review of the previous administration’s plans for the ...
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NewsCalifornia high speed line track and electrification design contract awarded
USA: The California High-Speed Rail Authority has appointed a joint venture of Systra and Typsa to design the track and overhead electrification for the initial section of the line. The contract has an initial value of up to $131·2m. It covers the production of high-level designs ...
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NewsUlm – Augsburg new line alignment identified
GERMANY: DB InfraGO has selected its preferred option for reconstruction of the Ulm – Augsburg section of its Stuttgart – München main line.
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NewsLow-cost high speed train operator Ouigo aims to double ridership
FRANCE: National passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs is aiming to double ridership at its low-cost subsidiary Ouigo to 50 million passengers/year by 2030, and to increase Ouigo’s share of the domestic high speed rail market from 20% to 30%.
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NewsUzbekistan signs South Korean high speed train order
UZBEKISTAN: Hyundai Rotem’s first order to export high speed trainsets was amongst several co-operation agreements signed during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on June 14. Plans for the 270bn won order for Hyundai Rotem and South Korean operator Korail ...
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NewsHow to launch a US high speed rail project
USA: The US High Speed Rail Association has published a ‘first-of-its-kind action plan’ designed to equip advocates with practical tips, realistic expectations and strategic support as they work to launch new projects for 300+ km/h railways. High-Speed Rail Project Initiation: A Roadmap for Advocates focuses on ...
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NewsSNCF Voyageurs plans to launch open access high speed train services in Italy
ITALY: French national passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs has announced plans to launch open access high speed train services within Italy from 2026, with the target of obtaining a 15% market share by 2030. SNCF Voyageurs Italia has applied to infrastructure manager RFI for access rights for ...
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In depthAustralia: Sydney – Newcastle plan marks another high speed attempt
Australia’s High Speed Rail Authority has been tasked with drawing up proposals for a new line between Sydney and Newcastle, as the first step in developing a 1 750 km route linking urban and regional centres along the East Coast corridor.
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In depthAir-Rail Links: Better connectivity would benefit southeast Asia
A report by the Aviation Studies Institute of Singapore University of Technology & Design recommends replacing short-haul air routes by high speed lines in southeast Asia to improve sustainability. It also finds that airport-rail links in the region are less common than elsewhere and that better rail connectivity would yield benefits.
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NewsHigh speed train start-up Proxima announces €1bn launch plan
FRANCE: High speed rail start-up Proxima has announced a €1bn plan backed by investor Antin Infrastructure Partners to acquire 12 Alstom trainsets and launch open access services from Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Angers to Paris. Proxima has been established by former Voyages SNCF CEO Rachel Picard, ...
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Rail Business UKLiverpool – Manchester Railway Board created to push for construction of new line
UK: A Liverpool – Manchester Railway Board has been launched by the two cities’ metro mayors and other stakeholders to lead the development of proposals for a high speed line between the conurbations. The government has said that up to £17bn is to be made available for the new line ...
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In depthCzech Republic: Ostrava link leads revised core network plan
With limited progress being made on the planned new line between Praha and Dresden, Czech infrastructure manager Správa Železnic is taking forward an initial section of high speed line in the east as part of plans to develop a 400 route-km high-performance backbone. SŽ’s Deputy Director for High Speed Lines Jiří Merta explains the state of progress to Benjámin Zelki.