Keith Barrow

If these men really believe in peace they should have their first meeting in The Hague.

DB Cargo UK has agreed to sell 25 Class 66 diesel locos to Romanian rail freight operator Grup Feroviar Român. The first loco, 66014, is due to leave the UK at the end of January and all 25 locos will be delivered to Romania by mid-2028.
Photo: DB Cargo

Unfortunately this remains the pervasive orthodoxy in the Treasury, and UK cities have suffered greatly for it.

Irish Rail has placed a €173.9 million order with Alstom for 20 additional 5-car X'Trapolis EMUs to replace the ageing 1500 V DC 8100 Class EMUs on Dublin's DART suburban network.
An article on the expansion of the DART network will be published in the February 2026 issue of Today's Railways Europe.

The first of 22 Stadler FLIRT regional multiple units for CP has arrived in Portugal. Designated Class 2700, the fleet of 12 EDMUs and 10 EMUs are the first new trains to be delivered to CP for nearly two decades. The units are expected to enter passenger service from the second half of 2026.

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) Class RABe 501 Giruno trainsets took over Hamburg–Basel EuroCity services from 14 December, replacing loco-hauled trains formed of SBB stock and further reducing duties for DB Fernverkehr's Class 101 electric locos.

Photo: DB AG/Volker Emersleben

Austria's Koralmbahn was inaugurated on 12 December, with public services on the 130 km high-speed line from Graz to Klagenfurt commencing on 14 December. The centrepiece of the €5.9 billion project is the 32.9 km Koralm Tunnel, Austria's longest railway tunnel.

These being the only four European countries Trump can name. And he would've called one of them Australia.

Dutch start-up GoVolta has launched ticket sales for its new open-access passenger services from Amsterdam to Berlin and Hamburg, which will begin operating in March 2026. The trains will be worked by a Vectron MS locomotive and formed of ex-SNCB Type I10 coaches.

Tomorrow the new blue, red & white GBR livery & brand will be launched. The new design will be displayed on digital displays at a number of major stations. The DfT says the livery will appear across already publicly owned train operators from spring 2026, with the roll-out being gradual. 📷DfT

Bayern passenger rail authority BEG has unveiled a new standardised livery design for regional trains, which will be introduced gradually from the end of 2028. The livery will only be applied to new stock ordered as part of future tenders, starting with the new S-Bahn EMUs for München.

Eurostar and DB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore options for the joint operation of services between London and major German cities such as Köln and Frankfurt. The two companies say they aim to launch services in the early 2030s using Eurostar's new Celestia double-deck trains.

Great to be on the first East Midlands Railway “Aurora” to enter passenger service this morning - 810010 working the 07.00 Sheffield-St Pancras as its first train. More on the 810s in the next TR UK

New Škoda battery-electric trainset for ZSSK, Slovakia.

Slovakian state-owned passenger operator ZSSK has awarded a consortium of Škoda Group and ŽOS Trnava a framework contract worth up to €332 million to supply up to 36 battery-electric multiple units. ZSSK plans to order the first 16 trains at a cost of €144 million in 2026.

Front cover of December 2025 issue of Today's Railways Europe magazine.

In the December 2025 issue of Today's Railways Europe OUT NOW: Double-deck trains for Eurostar, 60 years of Class M62 diesels in Hungary, the end of SNCF steam 50 years on, Harz narrow gauge future in doubt, plus 28 pages of news from across Europe. Subscribe today and save: bit.ly/3JV0XtD

Into Swansea earlier this evening. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander comments today, cancelling any further electrification works - reminds me why I find the route into Swansea depressing.

Protests outside of Paris Est this evening - with news of the Nightjets to Vienna and Berlin potentially being axed due to reduced funding from SNCF, it would seem the community’s come together to send them a message… @seatsixtyone.bsky.social

You really should reconsider that headline.

Also California, Derby

Is it the Fowler at Erwood?

It's very difficult to keep track of the locations that can still be used and sometimes new ones open up. Penzance - Cardiff will be split at Exeter St Davids with 175s in the west and IETs on Exeter - Cardiff. Some of the IETs will therefore be freed up for inter-city services.

Nice shots Dominic. Vegetation growth is a constant challenge for railway photography in Cornwall. When the Class 175s enter service with GWR there will be fewer IETs on regional services in Devon and Cornwall (and no HSTs).

It's preserved, based at CMCF in Oignies. No idea what it's doing in Lille.

Shame there isn't quite as much enthusiasm on the French side.

"Soaring bung" would be more appropriate.

The Baltic States could also teach the US a thing or two about press freedom.

1/ An ongoing crisis at Russian Railways is deepening, with a 50% cut on payments to employees and such a severe shortage of personnel that some divisions of the company are down to 40% of their intended staff numbers. Despite this, it has imposed a ban on hiring. ⬇️

There has been a lot of modernisation in recent years but still plenty of loco haulage, especially on EC/IC trains and Railjets. These are usually Class 1116/1216 Taurus locos but 1144s still work some ICs and regional trains (usually in push-pull mode with a driving trailer).

Agree 100%, every kit in my stash is there because I want to build it. The appeal is in bringing the contents of the box to life and getting acquainted with the subject through the build.

Early 90s for me, just after the last of the 1044.2s entered service. Still love to get a bit of 1144 haulage, but lots of new EMUs on the way in Austria so it'll be very different in a few years.