USA: Eagle Railcar Services has agreed to acquire five wagon workshops along with around 400 employees from Rescar. This will take Eagle Railcar Services’ network to 10 sites employing almost 1 200 full-time staff, and according to the company will make it the largest full-service provider of wagon repair and

INNOTRANS: A new addition to the Public Transport section of the InnoTrans 2020 trade fair in Berlin will be Mobility+,  an area of the exhibition focusing on the increasingly important ‘last mile’ of passengers’ journeys. Mobility+ will provide exhibitors with the opportunity to highlight shared mobility including electric scooters, hire bicycles

EUROPE: The EU Agency for Railways has issued its first vehicle authorisation, three weeks after becoming the European authorising entity for rail traffic in the EU on June 16. ERA said the authorisation covering conformity-to-type of 30 wagons for operation in multiple countries was an ‘historic step to break down barriers

STEAM specials were operated between Ealing Broadway and High Street Kensington as part of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of London’s District Line on June 22-23.  The event was also billed as the final opportunity to see the ‘Steam on the District’, because of planned signalling upgrades that make

AUSTRIA: The Land of Oberösterreich and Austrian Federal Railways have agreed an €725m programme of route modernisation, station upgrading and electrification works for 2019-30. This agreement includes the retention of all branch lines, and the roll-out of new singalling and safety systems. ÖBB is to retain ownership of all lines in the region,

Government urged to electrify more railways as well as carsTHE government has announced investment of £37 million in electric vehicle charging points, but the Campaign for Better Transport has responded by calling for more investment in rail electrification as well. The group’s chief executive Darren Shirley said: ‘We welcome the

SWITZERLAND: Beijer Group company Westermo has acquired 100% of Neratec Solutions, which supplies wireless communication products for on-train and trackside applications. Bubikon-based Neratec has 25 employees and recorded sales of SFr6·5m in 2018. ‘The acquisition of Neratec will strengthen Westermo’s offering to the rail industry to include a strong wireless portfolio that

Have you ever wondered how the Harry Potter rail scenes were made? There are events which have a profound effect on one’s life or business — from West Coast Railway’s point of view, the Harry Potter film is one of them.  My mobile rang early one morning in June 2000

BRAZIL: São Paulo suburban operator CPTM ran two test trains in late June on the São Paulo – Santos route as part of assessments ahead of the possible launch of a passenger service.The test trains ran on June 18 and 27, and form part of CPTM’s preparations to launch a

VIRGIN Rail Group is investigating the opportunities offered by the high speed rail market in Spain, after its bid with Stagecoach and SNCF for West Coast Partnership was disqualified by the Department for Transport in April amid disagreements over the amount of risk franchise-holders are expected to take, particularly in