Dear Readers
We are pleased to be supporting RailwayTech Indonesia 2026 which will be held from 28-30 July 2026 at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Returning in its 8th edition, Railwaytech Indonesia 2026 will be hosted by MASKA (Indonesia Railway Society) and supported by Indonesian Ministry of Transportation. As a global B2B and B2G railway event, the exhibition will be the golden opportunity for professionals to interact with pioneering industry players, discuss business matters, and find the latest information in the relevant industry.
For more information and to register to attend, visit: https://www.railwaytech-indonesia.com/
Our Job of the Week this week is in Algeria where we are looking for a Head of Mission to work on the Laghouat–Ghardaïa–El Menéa railway project.
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
3 June 2026. Singapore. Singapore receives the first Cross Island Line train
Singapore has received the first train for the upcoming Cross Island Line (CRL), marking a key milestone in the development of one of the country’s largest Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) projects. The train arrived on May 31, 2026, and will undergo testing at the Singapore Rail Test Centre before entering passenger service as part of the CRL network. The Cross Island Line is being developed as Singapore’s eighth MRT line and is expected to significantly expand east–west connectivity across the island.
Source: Southeast Asia Infrastructure
2 June 2026. United States. California High-Speed Rail Authority Awards Track and Systems Contract
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has approved an American-led consortium to deliver track and systems installation for the state’s high-speed rail programme. This milestone marks a transition from civil engineering works to rail systems installation on the Central Valley alignment. The consortium, comprising Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck and Herzog, will install electrified track infrastructure, overhead contact systems, signalling, train control and communications equipment across the 119-mile section of guideway currently under construction.
Source: Railway News
2 June 2026. United Kingdom. Historic Farewell Looms for Tyne and Wear Metro’s Original Train Fleet
The Tyne and Wear Metro is preparing to say a historic goodbye to its original trains, with the final weeks of guaranteed passenger service now confirmed.
Metro operator Nexus announced today, Tuesday 2 June, that the original fleet of Class 599 Metrocars is nearing complete withdrawal after more than 46 years at the heart of everyday life across the region.
Source: Rail Technology Magazine
2 June 2026. Australia. Alstom to Supply First Mainline ETCS System for The Wave Project
Alstom has secured a contract to design, supply, test and commission its ONVIA Control ETCS Level 2 trackside signalling system for Sector 1 North along Queensland’s new Sunshine Coast line. The contract, which has been valued at 69 million EUR (114 million AUD) and is the first tranche of a larger 214 million EUR (354 million AUD) contract, was awarded to Alstom by the Queensland Government, and pertains to Stage 1 of The Wave project.
Source: Railway-News
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project has achieved another major milestone with the breakthrough of its third mountain tunnel in Maharashtra. Engineers completed the excavation of the tunnel at Ambesari village in Dahanu taluka of Palghar district. The breakthrough marks significant growth on one of the most challenging stretches of India’s first high-speed rail corridor, where the alignment passes through hilly terrain between Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Source: Metro Rail News
Hyundai Rotem has signed a 491bn won contract with Vietnam’s multi-sector industrial holding company THACO for the supply of three-car driverless metro trainsets for Ho Chi Minh City metro Line 2. Hyundai Rotem and THACO have also signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of the signalling system for metro Line 2.
Source:Railway Gazette
1 June 2026. United Kingdom. West Midlands passengers thanked after major HS2 viaduct installation
Passengers are being thanked for their patience after a three-day closure of the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, allowing HS2 engineers to complete a major milestone in building Britain’s new high-speed railway. West Midlands Railway services resumed this morning (Monday 1 June) on the northern section of the Cross City line after a closure between Friday 29 May and Sunday 31 May, which allowed engineers to install a new 150-metre-long viaduct deck close to the site of the future Curzon Street station.
Source: Rail UK
29 May 2026. Australia. Works ramp up on Airport Rail Stage 1
Works on Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1 are continuing to ramp up, with crews carrying out site investigations in Tottenham ahead of major construction works later this year. The project will untangle six kilometres of track between West Footscray and Albion and deliver two new platforms at Sunshine Station, helping transform the station into a major transport hub capable of supporting up to 1,000 trains a day, including future airport rail services and electrified Melton services.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
Job of the Week
Head of Mission, Ghardaia, Algeria
Job ID#: 15423
Discipline: Civil
Language: French, English
Job Description:
Our client has been shortlisted to bid for the consultancy services for a railway project in Algeria. The mission is to control and monitor all phases of the work on the new LAGHOUAT / GHARDAÏA / EL MENIA railway line, including signalling, telecommunications and energy work.
They are seeking suitably qualified and experienced candidates for the role of Head of Mission.
Laghouat – Ghardaïa – El Ménéa railway line is located in the southern region of Algeria.
It constitutes an essential link in the central railway corridor which provides the major connection between Algiers and Tamanrasset, and will extend to the Algerian-Nigerien border. The Consultant's mission is divided into three (3) phases: before the start of the work (phase 1), during the work (phase 2), and after the acceptance of the work (phase 3).
The anticipated start date for the work is set for July 2026 and the contract execution period will be 54 months, including warranty periods.
The performance of services is planned as follows:
• 30 months for the execution period of the works, which are the subject of the contract;
• 12 months for the warranty period for infrastructure works;
• 24 months for the warranty period for signaling, telecommunications and energy works.
Job Requirements:
Engineer (Bac+05) or Master's degree in Civil Engineering or Public Works or railway, or any other equivalent degree, with a minimum of ten (10) years of professional experience in the field of infrastructure, including five (05) years as mission manager or project manager (BCS or AMO) of railway projects.
Candidates should be fluent in French and English.
Contact: David Hyland (davidh@railpersonnel.com)
