The largest construction project in Switzerland’s history – the New Rail Link – is set to come to fruition at the end of 2020. After the construction of three massive new railway tunnels through the Alps, we ask; what will this historic expansion mean for the region?

Also in this issue, we take a look at measures for mitigating air pollution in railway stations, speak to the leader of the University of Birmingham’s ongoing HydroFLEX project about the potential of hydrogen-powered locomotives and ask how Scotland might stand to benefit if it were included in the UK’s High Speed Rail 2 route.

We also investigate the reasons behind the success of China’s New Silk Road during the Covid-19 crisis, map out Europe’s ongoing Trans-European Transport Network projects, and find out why retrofitting existing locomotives with greener technologies will be the best short-term option for reducing rail’s carbon output.

Finally, we have a gander at the latest designs for Paris’s Saint-Denis Pleyel station, which is being built not only to accommodate incoming travellers for the 2024 Olympics, but also to bring a new cultural area to the suburb of Saint-Denis.

Joe Baker, editor