Franchise News

Qbuzz, a subsidiary of Italian state-owned rail operator Trenitalia, is to operate the regional railway line between Geldermalsen and Dordrecht in South Holland.

Hitachi has announced that work has begun on TransPennine Express' new fleet of intercity trains.

Mitsui and the East Japan Railway Company arrive on the UK franchise scene with different backgrounds but both hope to carve out a reputation on one of the world's busiest railways.

Incumbent rail operator Arriva Trains Wales has informed Transport for Wales that it intends to withdraw from the bidding process for the next Wales and Borders rail franchise.

Click here for the top five most read stories from Global Rail News this week.

Abellio, East Japan Railway and Mitsui have announced that the London Northwestern brand is to replace London Midland's West Coast services - a nod to the London and Northwestern Railway.

Public transport operator Keolis Group has been awarded two new contracts totalling €1.2 billion in France.

The UK's Department for Transport has released its third 'Rolling Stock Perception' strategy which details the challenges of the market and what the government is doing to tackle them.

Czech Republic-headquartered Leo Express has become Poland's first private rail operator following permission to run services on the Krakow - Prague route.

Bombardier will manufacture 36 three-carriage and 45 five-carriage Aventra trains at its Derby site, while CAF will produce 12 two-carriage and 14 four-carriage Civity trains.