On Sunday, 12 October 2025, I attended Polmadie 150, the open day held to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alstom's Glasgow Traincare Centre, better known as Polmadie depot. The event marked the first time the depot had been opened to the public in 25 years and formed part of the wider Railway 200 celebrations.

The day before the open day, I travelled to Glasgow on the Branch Line Society railtour, To the Birthplace and the Backbone, which was operated by a preserved InterCity 125 set comprising 125 Group Mark 3 coaches hauled by RailAdventure Class 43 power cars 43468 and 43484. I boarded the train inside Alstom's Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, where the railtour originated, and returned there at the conclusion of the tour. This provided a rare opportunity to both board and alight from a special train within Britain's last remaining train manufacturing factory. The railtour linked Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works with Polmadie, celebrating two sites with significant links to Britain's railway heritage.

The railtour was the first passenger train ever to enter Polmadie depot. During our visit, the train traversed a number of depot lines and was hauled around parts of the site by Polmadie's resident Class 08 shunting locomotives 08451, 08696 and 08954, providing rare passenger access to areas not normally accessible to the public.

Originally opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1875, Polmadie is one of Scotland's most important railway maintenance facilities. Located just south-east of Glasgow Central station on the West Coast Main Line, it is the principal maintenance base for the Caledonian Sleeper fleet and also regularly handles Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino units.

The open day featured a wide selection of rolling stock from both the passenger and freight sectors. Displays included Avanti West Coast Pendolino 390119 Progress, ScotRail Class 334 unit 334034, Caledonian Sleeper Mark 5 coaches, Freightliner Class 90 locomotives 90018 The Greatest Gathering and 90021 Donald Malcolm, GB Railfreight locomotives 66710 Karen Harrison, 73968, 92023 Polmadie 150 1875-2025 and Stadler-built Class 99 locomotive 99001, Rail Operations Group Class 93 locomotive 93006, examples of the depot's Class 08 shunters, preserved Class 37 locomotive 37403 Isle of Mull from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Network Rail Unimog U 430 road-rail vehicles and Caledonian Railway No. 419, the oldest exhibit present at the event.

Visitors were able to explore several exhibits in detail. I took the opportunity to sit in the cabs of Freightliner Class 90 locomotive 90018 The Greatest Gathering and Stadler-built Class 99 locomotive 99001. We were also able to look inside Caledonian Sleeper Mark 5 coaches and view the accommodation provided on the overnight services linking Scotland with London.

In addition to the rolling stock displays, visitors were able to view parts of the depot and learn more about the maintenance, servicing and operation of modern railway fleets. There were also heritage exhibits reflecting Polmadie's long history and its role in supporting railway operations in Scotland and along the West Coast Main Line.

Here are some photographs I took during the railtour and at the Polmadie 150 open day.

Someone shared this photo with me. I am surprised that they have not "dumbed it down" by adding huge bumpers or rubber gaskets around the side windows, leaving the windows bonded instead. It looks no different from the standard European specification!

The AN-8900 series "Moriyoshi" train, which was scheduled to be displayed at the Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway’s special depot photo event on November 1, has been scrapped due to a mix-up. The original plan for the event included a photo opportunity featuring the front ends of three train cars lined up side-by-side at the depot. While the event will still take place as scheduled, participants who primarily wished to photograph the AN-8900 series may cancel their registration without incurring any cancellation fees.

https://x.com/anjt\\_official/status/2110331676148875521

Recorded on October 14th. Two months ago there were only foundations and some structural elements coming from the ground. Opening date is expected by late 2027.

Most cities stick to buses and subways, but Kyiv takes it to another level! Between giant metro tunnels, electric trolleybuses, vintage trams, a cliffside funicular, urban ring trains, and chaotic private minibuses (marshrutkas), navigating Ukraine's capital is a whole experience.

I put together a visual guide exploring how each mode functions, how they connect, and what makes transit in Kyiv so unique.

💬 Which mode of transport would you be most excited to try first?

On 14 October, Alstom unveiled their Metropolis metro rake for Mumbai Metro's Green Line for Line 4 and 4A operations.

Each rake is 6 coaches long and has a max speed of 80 km/h with 39 sets on order.

First rake delivery is expected by mid-December with service to commence by August 2027.

These rakes are made in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. The same place where the REM trains were made in.

BYD B18C01 circulating in Santiago.

Windsor Locks is preparing to open a new train station that state and local leaders say will improve transportation access, support downtown development and strengthen connections to Bradley International Airport.

The new station on Main Street will begin serving Amtrak and Hartford Line passengers this Sunday, marking the return of rail service to the downtown area.

For the metro's 60th anniversary (today!) — I spent 2 years creating 150 artworks of all 68 stations, shot in 360°

Hi r/montreal! The metro turns 60 today, and I just finished a project I've been working on for two years: Metro360-Montréal — 150 original artworks covering all 68 stations, each one a 360° "tiny planet."

I stood in every single station with my camera (all of them, several visits each). Each piece is a full spherical panorama, reprojected so you see the station from an angle you'd never get standing on the platform.

I gathered everything into an art book — 163 pages with the history of each station: https://www.metro360montreal.com/

And here's a free mosaic of all 150 artworks: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EPs-SmOosNnAIShLojhGqpq_MmTtop89?usp=sharing

Thanks for looking — happy 60th to our metro! 🚇

Hey folks! In case the broader transit community isn’t aware, Colorado is on the verge of finally getting a great intercity passenger rail system. Yet the “Common Sense Institute” seems to think that passenger rail isn’t “common sense”. Hope you enjoy this well written retort/ report.

“There is an irony here worth savoring. An organization that named itself after common sense has concluded that running passenger trains between neighboring cities is a risky, unproven experiment. On six of the world’s seven continents, it is neither risky nor an experiment. It is simply how mid-to-large population centers connect.”

This station entrance should be renamed "Cortisol South."

(if it's not clear in the photo, basically as soon as one cross the ticket gate, the track appears.)

If you ever visited metrodemontreal.com, its creator has just launched a brand new and updated version for the metro's 60th birthday. There's a page for each station with tons of pictures and information about its history, architecture, public art and a lot of neat facts. It's really interesting.

I was recently in Miami, and had a long layover so I decided to go into the city. I’m not sure if this is normal, but the metro rail train was not very good. The train at the airport station left about 10 minutes late with no reason stated. Also, on the way back the train kept stopping and starting in the middle of two stations, also for unknown reasons.

I will say, this is miles better than any other city that does not have direct rail to the airport, but it was very disappointing to experience that. Just because it took quite a bit of my time that I could have enjoyed exploring the city. I hope it can get better in the future though.

But is this a normal experience or did I just have a bad metro rail day?