Rail News
4 November 2025. United States. New York’s MTA finalizes $1.5bn contract for new subway cars
Kawasaki Rail Car will begin manufacturing and delivering the cars in autumn 2028, with all units to be handed over by 2030. New York State’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board has approved a contract valued at $1.507bn for the purchase of 378 new R268 subway cars, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul. The procurement will be funded through the MTA’s $68bn 2025-2029 Capital Plan, which was fully financed in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Enacted Budget in agreement with the State Legislature.
Source: Railway Technology
4 November 2025. India. Titagarh awarded Mumbai metro train contract
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has awarded Titagarh Rail Systems a Rs24·8bn contract to design, supply, and maintain 132 metro cars, communication-based train control, telecoms, platform screen doors, and depot equipment for the Line 5 project. The 24·9 km, 16 station elevated Line 5 or Orange Line is being developed in two phases, with Phase 1 to run from Kapurbawdi to Kasheli and Dhamankar Naka, and Phase 2 extending this to Bhiwandi and Kalyan APMC. The driverless metro trainsets for Line 5 will feature stainless-steel bodies
Source: Railway Gazette International
The railway has reopened between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings, and between Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings following the completion of a £9 million programme of essential improvement works. Passengers using the railway between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings and between Bexhill and Hastings have been thanked for their patience while the work took place between Saturday, 25 October and Sunday 2 November 2025. Engineers used the time to deliver a wide range of essential upgrades to improve the safety and performance of the railway.
Source: Rail UK
3 November 2025. Bulgaria-Serbia. Hitachi Rail to Upgrade Signalling on Bulgaria-Serbia Rail Link
Hitachi Rail, in partnership with CERB, has secured a contract from Bulgaria’s National Railway Infrastructure Company (NRIC) to implement the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on the Voluyak–Dragoman railway line. The project continues Hitachi Rail’s ongoing collaboration with NRIC and extends its experience in modern railway signalling in Bulgaria and Europe. The contract covers the installation of European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 1 trackside equipment and GSM-R communications along the 35-kilometre double-track section between Dragoman and Voluyak.
Source: Railway News
3 November 2025. China. Track-Laying Begins on the Xi’an–Ankang High-Speed Railway
Track-laying work is officially underway on the Xi’an–Ankang High-Speed Railway in Shaanxi Province, China, marking a significant step in the project’s construction. The line will run approximately 171 kilometres between Xi’an, the provincial capital in the north, and Ankang, a major city in southern Shaanxi. Designed for a maximum operating speed of 350 kilometres per hour, the new route is scheduled to open to passenger services in 2026. Once completed, it will shorten the current rail journey between the two cities from about three hours to under one hour.
Source: Railway News
The new facility is designed to manufacture and test up to 12 high-speed train sets each year. Türkiye has started construction work on a domestic electric high-speed train manufacturing and testing facility in Sakarya, according to an announcement from Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. This development is said to represent a step towards increasing local capacity in rail vehicle production and supporting the national transport technology ecosystem. According to Uraloğlu, the factory will employ around 250 people.
Source: Railway Technology
3 November 2025. Australia. One of Melbourne’s longest rail tunnels nears completion
Major works are wrapping up on the extension of the Hurstbridge Line tunnel between Grimshaw Street and Elder Street in Watsonia – one of Melbourne’s longest rail tunnels. Today marked the end of the 30-day construction blitz between Heidelberg and Eltham stations. Crews worked around the clock to rebuild and widen the Grimshaw Street Bridge and extend the rail tunnel as part of the M80 Ring Road Completion project. With works now complete, trains will resume for passengers on the Hurstbridge Line.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
3 November 2025. United States. California High-Speed Rail Completes Its Ninth Structure in 2025
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has completed the Hanford Armona Road grade separation in Kings County, opening the structure to traffic less than a year after work began. The project marks the ninth structure completed in 2025 and the third in Kings County alone, contributing to a total of 58 completed structures across the Central Valley. Located east of Hanford between State Route 43 and 7th Avenue, the new bridge carries vehicles over the future high-speed rail corridor. Measuring 209 feet in length and 80 feet in width.
Source: Railway News
Job of the Week
Product Manager, Bangkok, Thailand
Job ID#: 15246
Discipline: Engineering
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is seeking a Product Manager to report to the Head of Fastenings Systems, Engineering & Quality.
The Main Purpose of the Job
Responsibility for technical product support and selling activities relating to all clients tracking fastening products in the Asia-Pacific region. Supervision of development activities relating to specialist anti-vibration fasteners on an 'as required' basis for specific rail contracts.
Key Areas of Activity and Responsibility
- Act as first line Product support specialist and demonstrate the benefits of clients tracking fasteners to general railway customers, senior track engineers, railway design consultants, and other railway engineering specialists throughout SE Asia.
- Research, prepare, and give technical papers and presentations of company products to customers, interest groups, and at international conferences globally. Write detailed technical literature, reports, and prepare specifications, and act as a company professional in all matters relating to support of the product.
- Comprehend complex acoustic principles and advise railway clients how this relates to their product specifications. I'd like you to work closely with acoustic consultants, designers, contractors, and other rail experts to advise on the most effective methods for using high-performance track support products.
- Provide product and other technical support for the entire client range throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Have a good working knowledge of all clients' products for Railways.
- Liaise with all clients' departments to ensure product designs and technical responses are delivered according to the application and within deadlines. Conduct design and compliance review as necessary.
- Provide product support in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and other SE Asian markets where clients have a strong presence. Make regular visits and provide full engineering support to ensure that clients remain a strong supplier and are highly regarded as technically superior to competitors.
- Keep up to date with developments and technology of all other clients' main product lines including ATW, SRS, bonded baseplates, and others as required. Liaise with the company's European research centres, ensuring an engineering focus remains the main strength of the company image for customers.
Job Requirements:
- An engineering degree and preferably post-graduate qualifications with a high level of computer literacy.
- Have an in-depth knowledge of railway track design technology and show understanding of complex issues and the ability to solve difficult technical issues.
- Experience in the design, installation, and performance of vibration attenuating systems in a practical engineering environment.
- Strong experience and knowledge of the rail industry and particularly of metro railway track installations and maintenance.
- Strong knowledge of the Southeast Asian rail industry, maintaining a network of relevant contacts in the region, including consultants, engineers, designers, and other specifiers in the industry.
- Ability to communicate at all levels outside the company, demonstrating the ability to describe technical issues to a lay audience.
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
