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Brussels has set out the most far-reaching overhaul of European rail ticketing in more than a decade, proposing rules that would force operators to offer single-ticket bookings for journeys spanning multiple carriers and borders. The European Commission's "Passenger Package", unveiled on 13 May, bundles three legislative proposals: a regulation on rail ticketing, a regulation on multimodal booking, and a revision of existing rail passenger rights rules. The reforms, champione

Europe's rail supply industry has called on the European Union to ring-fence proceeds from its emissions trading system to help finance an estimated €546bn expansion of the bloc's high-speed network, in the latest sign that European policymakers are struggling to close a yawning gap between climate ambition and infrastructure funding. UNIFE, the Brussels-based association representing manufacturers including Alstom, Siemens Mobility and Stadler, published its financing propos

Italo, Italy's largest private high-speed rail operator, is preparing a €3.6bn push into Germany that would mount the most ambitious challenge yet to Deutsche Bahn's grip on Europe's largest long-distance passenger market. Chief executive Gianbattista La Rocca has confirmed the carrier intends to launch services in mid-2028, deploying an initial fleet of 26 Siemens Velaro trainsets across roughly 1,300km of network linking 18 German cities. An option for a further 14 trains s

London-based infrastructure investor John Laing has reached financial close on a roughly €800 million transaction to finance 61 Siemens Mobility battery-electric trains for regional services in north-west Germany, marking the firm's return to the country's rolling stock market and one of the largest private investments in European zero-emission rail this year. John Laing has taken an 89 per cent equity stake alongside specialist asset manager Rock Rail, with MetLife Investmen

Cargounit, Central and Eastern Europe's largest independent rolling-stock leasing company, has taken delivery of its 50th Siemens Vectron MS multi-system locomotive, marking a milestone in a procurement programme that could ultimately exceed 150 units and reshape the region's cross-border freight market. The handover of the latest unit, named "Ignacy", was confirmed by the Polish lessor at the start of May. Cargounit has more than 60 additional Vectrons on firm order with Sie

Alstom shares closed at €16.36 on Wednesday, holding near 52-week lows, as investors brace for full-year results on 13 May that have become a defining test for new chief executive Martin Sion. The Saint-Ouen-based rail group has shed nearly 36% of its market value over the past three months, taking its capitalisation to around €7.5bn, after Sion used a hastily convened analyst call on 16 April to abandon a €1.5bn three-year free cash flow target that had been central to the c

Paris, 28 April. Alstom's new chief executive Martin Sion is preparing the French rolling stock manufacturer for what he has described as a deeper operational reset, after a sharp market reaction wiped close to a third off the company's value earlier this month. Shares in the Paris-listed group were trading around €16.30 on Monday, little changed since the 28 per cent slide on 17 April that followed the release of preliminary results for the 2025/26 financial year. The stock

Germany has moved to salvage its lagging deployment of the European Train Control System, launching a dedicated coordination office as the bloc's largest rail market concedes it has fallen behind on digital signalling commitments. Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder announced the ERTMS Coordination Office on 17 April, with the body taking effect immediately under public-sector consultancy PD Berater der öffentlichen Hand. The unit will act as a single point of contact for th

Spanish rolling-stock manufacturer Talgo faces the potential collapse of a €350 million contract to supply up to ten Avril high-speed trainsets to French private operator Le Train, after state-backed Renfe shelved its planned expansion into the French market, removing the only live pathway to certifying the fleet north of the Pyrenees. The Basque manufacturer's 2023 preliminary agreement with Le Train, which aims to launch high-speed services in western France, was explicitly

Alstom has taken the rail hydrogen fuel-cell business of Cummins in-house, concluding a deal that underscores how Europe's flagship alternative-traction programme is shifting from a growth story to a maintenance commitment. The French train manufacturer confirmed on 2 April that it had acquired the engineering, product and support operations supplying fuel cells for its Coradia iLint trains, including the Herten assembly site in north-west Germany and the Hydrogenics entity t

Germany's state rail operator books a second consecutive billion-euro loss, with no quick fix in sight Deutsche Bahn ended 2025 with a net loss of 2.3 billion euros, widening from 1.8 billion euros the previous year, as decades of underinvestment in Germany's rail network continued to erode the group's finances and test the patience of its passengers. The headline figure was heavily shaped by a 1.4 billion euro impairment charge at DB Long-Distance, reflecting reduced revenue

Germany's state railway is carrying more passengers than ever and losing money at scale. Deutsche Bahn posted a net loss of €2.3 billion for 2025, the company confirmed in late March, a result that lays bare the tension at the heart of one of Europe's most ambitious infrastructure programmes. Group revenues rose 3% to around €27 billion and operating profit returned to positive territory at €297 million, but those headline figures were overwhelmed by a €1.4 billion writedown