The Ontario government has confirmed the arrival of the first of three new Northlander trainsets, a step in preparations for restoring passenger rail services between Toronto and Northern Ontario.
Railway officials stated that about a dozen Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are expected to be built and introduced into service by the end of 2026, with additional trains under construction and planned for deployment on other long-haul corridors.
The service between Brussels and Paris started operations on 19 December 2024.
Series of announcements from US transport authorities illustrate differing approaches to commuter and regional rail services, ranging from record ridership growth to service restructuring and major operating contract procurement.
Tallinn–Tartu–Riga connection introduced and electric trains start running to Tapa.
VR has expanded its rail operations in Sweden following the start of new traffic contracts in both the southern and northern parts of the country.
Germany’s long-distance rail services reached a historic low in punctuality in 2025. According to figures reported by BILD, only 60.1% of Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance trains arrived on time, marking the weakest annual result on record.
Passenger rail services in the Île-de-France region will see further changes in 2026, with adjustments to service levels and continued fleet renewal on several corridors.
The latest introduction forms part of the wider Arterio rollout that is reshaping capacity on weekday peak services.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have presented plans for a high-speed electric passenger railway connecting their two capitals, Doha and Riyadh.
The scope of the contract includes the supply of the trainsets, maintenance services for each vehicle over a period of 30 years, and the delivery of a dedicated technical maintenance facility.
The accident occurred on Line Z near the community of Nizandá, in the municipality of Asunción Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca.
On Friday evening, 19 December, two Akiem locomotives, BB75326 and BB75330, departed from Paris Gare de Lyon to haul the first night train of the winter season serving Alpine destinations. The service operated to Moûtiers, Aime – La Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
The agreement covers 33 trains for long-distance services and 14 for shorter routes on the Mexico City–Querétaro–Irapuato and Saltillo–Monterrey–Nuevo Laredo corridors.
Commercial passenger services on the Dakar–AIBD section are planned before the end of the first half of 2026, subject to completion of testing and safety certification.
The daily return service is scheduled to start on 25 June 2026.
Germany and Poland have launched a new EuroCity corridor linking Leipzig with Wrocław, Kraków and Przemyśl near the Ukrainian border. The service expands cross-border long-distance rail between the two countries by 50%.
The RER D has expanded operations of its RER NG rolling stock to a second route, while Île-de-France Mobilités has announced the creation of a new Y line for southern Essonne, separating the Dourdan and Saint-Martin-d’Étampes branches from the RER C to improve service reliability.
ÖBB has launched a new, faster Railjet connection between Vienna and Trieste following the opening of the Koralmbahn. The route significantly reduces journey times and strengthens rail links between Austria and Italy.
Czech private operator RegioJet has cancelled 1,080 train services in Poland just days before their scheduled departure, citing staff shortages.