TURKEY: Plans to extend the Marmaray suburban rail service to Çerkezköy 75 km west of Istanbul have been announced by Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

UK: The first QTS Rail Skills Academy to be run in East Kilbride has equipped 11 young people to join the industry, covering employability and core skills, health and safety, track safety and track induction and the SQA Level 4 Practical Skills for Employment qualification.

News from the world rail freight market.

CANADA: Cando Rail & Terminals has acquired the AWP Industries wagons storage and transload terminal at Enterprise in the Northwest Territories.

AUSTRALIA: The Australasian Railway Association has launched a Professional Certificate in Rail which is designed to equip both new starters and experienced rail staff with up to-date knowledge directly applicable to real-world projects and operations.

USA: Class I railroad Norfolk Southern Corp is to convert two diesel prime movers to hybrid operation through a partnership with Alstom.

UK: British Steel has opened a £10m rail stocking facility at its Scunthorpe steelworks where the vast majority of rail laid in the UK is made.

PORTUGAL: The national rail discount pass launched by the government on October 21 has seen strong uptake in the first month.

UK: Open access operator Grand Central has formerly applied to industry regulator the Office for Rail & Road to extend its current track access rights which run to 2027 until 2038 to ensure its long-term future.

This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.

USA: The Governor of California has signed legislation designed to accelerate electrification by exempting zero-emission railway projects on existing lines from requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, which can lead to legal delays.

EUROPE: The rail industry has finally reached a ‘turning point’ which will facilitate the launch of new international passenger train operators competing with Eurostar on routes to the UK.

AUSTRALIA: Australian Rail Track Corp has completed the Narrabri to Turrawan Line Upgrade project ahead of what it expects to be one of the largest grain harvests in years for farmers in northwest New South Wales.

THAILAND: South Korean company LS Electric has awarded Hitachi Rail a contract to supply ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment as part its work to renew signalling and telecoms on two State Railway of Thailand main lines.

UK: Transport for London has selected the GTS Rail Operations Ltd joint venture of rail and bus operator Go-Ahead Group (65%), recently part-privatised operator Tokyo Metro (17·5%) and diverse Japanese business group Sumitomo Corp (17·5%) for the next concession to operate Elizabeth Line services.

UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is testing digital 3D maps designed to help passengers, and particularly those who are disabled, gain more confidence in navigating its stations.

PERU: Lima municipality is to launch a commuter train service on the railway between Callao on the Pacific coast and Chosica in the capital’s eastern suburbs in 2025, using a fleet of diesel locos and double-deck coaches withdrawn from service by California’s Caltrain.

UK: Rail Forum and the International Institute of Obsolescence Management have signed of a memorandum of understanding to bring experience from other sectors to rail.

SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and its local subsidiaries Thurbo and RegionAlps have formally unveiled the first of the Stadler Flirt Evo electric multiple-units being supplied under a large framework order. The procurement is intended to standardise the regional train fleet to provide more efficient maintenance and operation.

Road transport provider CMAC has been working with Eurostar to provide taxi, bus and coach services, which enable the pan-European operator to manage disruption better and support pre- and post-shift travel for its traincrew.