Railway electrification news
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Rail Business UKMuch-delayed Class 810 fleet enters service on the Midland Main Line
UK: After a heavily delayed production process, the first of 33 Hitachi Rail Class 810 bi-mode trains has entered service with East Midlands Railway. Tony Miles reports from Derby.
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Rail Business UKScottish government scales back electrification ambition to focus on fleet renewal
UK: The Scottish government has issued a revised rail decarbonisation plan that shifts the focus away from electrification to emphasise a reduction of rolling stock emissions.
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In depthAustralia: Melbourne’s Suburban Loop reaches lift-off
Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop is ultimately expected to add 90 km of 1 435 mm gauge automated rail service to the city’s rail mix, but project promoter SRLA is currently focusing on delivering the first 26 km section. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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Rail Business UKMidland Main Line electrification to the north ‘not affordable’
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander says the government’s approach to rail investment ‘will be guided by securing value for taxpayers’ by ‘only supporting projects that are fully costed and affordable’.
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NewsColombian rail revival backed by development bank
COLOMBIA: Latin America and Caribbean development bank CAF has approved a loan of up to US$300m to support the Railway Reactivation, Sustainable Mobility & Logistics Efficiency programme which aims to transform Colombia’s transport infrastructure.
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In depthBaltic States: Co-operation and competition drive network development
While Rail Baltica moves slowly towards its planned opening in 2030, the national railways in the three Baltic States are continuing to invest in modernising their broad gauge networks and integrating their domestic and international operations into the wider European network, as Vladimir Waldin explains.
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NewsDirect Busan – Mokpo services start as Southern Coast corridor completed
SOUTH KOREA: Revenue services have commenced on a new line linking Mokpo in the southwest of the country with Boseong.
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NewsCalifornian electric train operator Caltrain to be paid for regenerated power
USA: Californian commuter operator Caltrain is to be paid for the power its electric trains return to the grid from April 2026, after regenerative braking was classified as a renewable generation facility.
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NewsLithuania’s first Flirt electric train delivered to LTG Link
LITHUANIA: The first of the Flirt electric multiple-units ordered by national passenger operator LTG Link was delivered to Vilnius on the night of October 12-13, arriving from Stadler’s Polish factory by road because of its wide profile and 1 520 mm gauge.
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Rail Business UKChiltern Railways unveils MkVa push-pull trainset and looks to battery power
UK: Chiltern Railways has unveiled the first of its future MkVa push-pull trainsets as it prepares to bring them into service between London Marylebone and Birmingham in early 2026.
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Rail Business UKElectric trains now running daily on the Coryton and Penarth lines
UK: Services on Transport for Wales Rail’s Coryton and Penarth lines are now being worked by Stadler Class 756 tri-mode electric-diesel-battery multiple-units following the completion of work to install discontinuous electrification on the routes.
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News‘Highly complex’ Rail Baltica electrification contract signed
EUROPE: The COBELEC consortium and the Rail Baltica project promoters have ceremonially signed the €1·77bn design and build contract for electrification of the future standard gauge corridor.
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NewsDSB’s first IC5 trainset arrives in Denmark
DENMARK: The first of the Alstom IC5 multiple-units order by national passenger operator DSB as part of its plans to switch to a fully-electric fleet by 2030 has arrived in Denmark for testing, with entry into service now expected from 2027. The ...
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NewsRomania awards contract to electrify line to Ukrainian border
ROMANIA: Infrastructure manager CFR SA and the RailEC consortium of Alstom and A&S Turism Construct have signed a contract for electrification of the 30 km line from Dărmănești to the Ukrainian border.
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Rail Business UKBattery train sets 320 km distance record as GWR explores alternatives to diesel traction
UK: Great Western Railway has set a world record for the furthest distance travelled by a battery-electric train on a single charge. The operator said this demonstrates the capability of battery trains as it looks to replace its ageing diesel fleets.
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NewsBucurești to Bulgaria railway modernisation contract awarded
ROMANIA: Infrastructure manager CFR SA has awarded the Asocierea RailWorks consortium of Arcada and Alstom a €450m contract to modernise the line from București to the Bulgarian border.
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NewsGraz-Köflacher Bahn launches electric trains to Wies-Eibiswald
AUSTRIA: Graz-Köflacher Bahn has begun electric operation of S-Bahn Steiermark service S6 from Graz Hbf via Hengsberg and Wettmannstätten to Wies-Eibiswald.
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NewsChinese company to electrify Iranian railway to boost freight capacity
IRAN: A Chinese company will electrify 1 000 km of Iran’s strategic east-west corridor connecting the Turkmenistan and Turkey borders, with partial double-tracking to triple freight capacity to 15 million tonnes annually.
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Rail Business UKElectrification pause shows a lack of whole system thinking, rail industry groups say
UK: Rail industry groups have expressed disappointment at the decision to pause the Midland Main Line electrification programme.
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Rail Business UKNext stage of Midland Main Line electrification ‘paused’
UK: The next phase of electrification of the Midland Main Line has been ‘paused’, the government has announced.