An accessible, reliable public transport network plays a huge part in every community, and last year, the UK's Department for Transport recognised the crucial role rail can play to ease isolation for many, and released a comprehensive Community Rail Strategy to find out how rail services can be improved to tackle loneliness.

This month also marks the start of a network-wide ban on junk food advertising across all Transport for London services, which prompted us to ask: what's the relationship between the transport operator and advertising?

We also look at recycling and upcycling efforts from across the industry, inspired by initiatives such as Amtrak's line of tote bags produced from upcycled seat covers.

Finally, we round up the last remaining signalling boxes in the UK, and profile Italy’s first high-speed rail freight service. 

Read on for all this and ­­­­join the conversation on Twitter.

Eva Grey, editor