Welsh MPs have warned that the Great British Railways (GBR) Bill, which centralises rail planning and operations under a new GBR body, fails to address Wales’s specific infrastructure and funding needs. They argue that the legislation does not correct historic underinvestment in Welsh rail, where enhancements such as electrification and capacity upgrades on key corridors like the South Wales Main Line lag behind those in England. For civil engineers, the dispute signals continued uncertainty over long-term funding envelopes and governance for major Welsh rail renewals and enhancements.

US Representative John Moolenaar is pressing the State Department over what he calls “well-documented” links between Ivanhoe Atlantic and Chinese state-owned enterprises, citing CITIC and Zijin Mining’s combined 39.5% stake in related company Ivanhoe Mines as of 2020 and a $1.8 billion Ivanhoe Mines–Liberia rail rehabilitation deal for Guinean iron ore. Ivanhoe Atlantic insists it is a separate entity from Ivanhoe Mines and says its Guinea iron ore project will supply only US and allied markets, avoiding China’s Trans-Guinean Railway. The dispute signals closer US scrutiny of indirect Chinese stakes in African iron ore and copper logistics.

CITB is cutting several training grants from 8 January 2026 after a 36% rise in demand for services over four years outstripped static levy income, including removal of the short course training grant, ending funding for level 7 qualifications and long-course attendance, and standardising all non-apprentice achievement grants at £600. Employer networks will shift to 50% match funding with a narrower scope, and from 1 April 2026 large employers will move to a single funding offer and lose access to employer networks. Civil engineering and specialist contractors such as MB Roche, Balfour Beatty and Gypsum Limited warn the changes will hit SMEs’ ability to navigate grants and maintain skills pipelines in an already tight labour market.