Friday Brief: Freight starts on Hungary’s Chinese-financed Budapest–Kelebia line
Plus: Alicante port in Spain to gain standard gauge / Greece launches live train movement data platform
Freight starts on Chinese-financed Budapest–Kelebia line
HUNGARY: Regular freight traffic has begun on the rebuilt Budapest–Kelebia rail line, putting Hungary’s section of the Chinese-financed Budapest–Belgrade corridor into regular use.
Freight services started on 27 February from Budapest’s Ferencváros yard, marking the first commercial use of the upgraded route. The line forms the Hungarian section of the wider modernisation programme linking the capital with Serbia.
The project has been largely financed through Chinese state-backed lending under a bilateral agreement outside standard EU funding structures. The reopening embeds the Hungarian section in live north–south freight operations.
Alicante port to gain standard gauge
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager Adif has launched a contract to implement standard gauge access to the port of Alicante, extending the 1,435 mm network along the Mediterranean corridor.
The works cover the 75 km Alicante–La Encina section and will integrate the port into Spain’s standard-gauge freight network.
Once completed, Alicante will offer direct 1,435 mm access alongside Barcelona and Valencia, consolidating the Mediterranean corridor’s interoperable spine.
Platform publishes live train movement data
GREECE: The transport ministry has launched a platform providing public access to real-time train movements and operational network data.
The website, which went live on 25 February, allows users to track train positions and routes via an interactive map.
The move formalises public visibility of live operations following recent scrutiny of network management and safety oversight.
Rail manager SŽ to cut over 120 jobs
CZECHIA: Správa železnic (SŽ) will reorganise from April, centralising selected specialist functions and eliminating more than 120 posts in a management overhaul.
The restructuring merges specialist units and clarifies responsibilities across planning and investment preparation.
Management expects recurring savings as SŽ continues delivering major infrastructure programmes across the national network.
Two Intercités routes from Paris put out to tender
FRANCE: The transport ministry has opened a competitive process for the operation of two long-distance Intercités routes from Paris.
The 419 km Paris–Clermont-Ferrand and 713 km Paris–Limoges–Toulouse corridors will move from direct incumbent operation into competitively awarded public-service contracts.
The tender fixes minimum service levels and stopping patterns, redefining the governance framework for these long-distance routes.
Regular Channel Tunnel rail freight resumes
UK: Regular rail freight services through the Channel Tunnel have resumed under a revised operational framework aimed at restoring stable cross-Channel flows.
The restart follows a period of disruption and changes in terminal control arrangements.
The revised structure restores scheduled freight access through the fixed link between the UK and continental Europe.
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