Tuesday Brief: FS launches London advisory unit to deepen UK push
Plus: EU adopts single binding ruleset for rail data sharing / Hungary maps up to 82 EMUs and 88 coaches in fleet push
FS launches London advisory unit to deepen UK push
Italy’s state-owned rail group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has set up a London-based consultancy unit, FS Advisory, as it expands its UK-facing footprint.
FS says the unit will advise governments, investors, operators and project developers on transport and infrastructure programmes, positioning the offer as advice backed by implementation experience.
The move adds an advisory capability alongside FS’s operating ambitions in the UK, where the group has also kept a 2029 Paris–London high-speed launch plan in play.
EU adopts single binding ruleset for rail data sharing
The European Commission has published binding EU rules to harmonise rail data sharing, setting common requirements for exchanges between infrastructure managers, operators and authorised third parties.
The act establishes one unified Telematics TSI specification, replacing the previous split between passenger and freight telematics regimes.
Hungary maps up to 82 EMUs and 88 coaches in fleet push
Hungary’s government has set out a programme to add 50,000 passenger seats on mainline services, pointing to a major fleet expansion across long-distance and suburban traffic.
A 5 February decree outlines a potential scope of up to 82 electric multiple-units and 88 passenger coaches, with funding tied to EU-linked sources alongside loans and leasing.
The decree is not a tender, but it moves the story from whether funding happens to how procurement is packaged, sequenced and financed.
Three countries line up joint upgrade bid for Balkans corridor
Bulgaria, Greece and Romania say they are moving toward a joint approach to modernising the Thessaloniki–Sofia–Bucharest rail corridor, aiming to shift from parallel national projects to a coordinated corridor plan.
The three governments say they will pursue a joint funding application, as the route remains held back by uneven standards, slow sections and border-related delays.
Winter break: As many across the sector take a short winter pause, we will do the same and temporarily pause regular publishing.
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