Coronavirus news
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Rail Business UKReal-time loading information provided as Hull Trains restarts
UK: Hull Trains emerged from its three-month ‘hibernation’ as English coronavirus restrictions were eased on April 12, and has begun publishing real-time information on how busy its services are. The technology developed in-house by First Rail uses data supplied by onboard staff to show how ...
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Metro Report International
Manchester tram airflow helps to limit coronavirus risk, study finds
Photo: Tony Miles UK: The constant circulation of air by the ventilation system on Greater Manchester’s light rail vehicles helps to limit the risk of aerosol transmission of viruses, an independent study has found. Transport for Greater Manchester commissioned Arup to undertake computational fluid dynamics ...
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Rail Business UK
TravelSpace app aims to help get passengers back on the trains
UK: Beta test partners are being sought for live trials of the TravelSpace app, which aims to use up-to-date passenger loading data to help passengers find the least busy trains and assist operators in managing capacity to facilitate social distancing. The app can also be ...
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News
RENFE sees Covid-19 recovery
SPAIN: Passenger traffic on the national rail network has recovered to around 50% of pre-pandemic levels, RENFE Present Isaías Táboas has reported, adding that RENFE is anticipating that the figure would reach 70% by the end of 2021. Citing operations in Andalucía as an example, ...
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News
Italian support packages approved
ITALY: Two packages of Italian government support provided to the rail sector during the coronavirus crisis have been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. One was a €270m measure to reduce track access costs for freight and commercial passenger operators between ...
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Metro Report International
English urban rail services get financial support extension
UK: Further government funding has been agreed to ensure the continued operation of English urban rail services while ridership is severely reduced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On March 20 the Department for Transport announced a further £33m to support operations in Birmingham, ...
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News
Metra to install enhanced air filters on Chicago commuter fleet
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra has selected Transitair Systems for a $6·6m contract to provide new air filtration and purification systems for nearly 700 coaches which are not due to be replaced by the Alstom cars which it has recently ordered. The equipment is designed ...
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Metro Report International
DfT proposes extension of Transport for London support package
UK: The Department for Transport has proposed a short-term extension of Transport for London’s coronavirus pandemic emergency funding and financing support agreement, known as the H2 Funding Package, through to May 18. The H2 package agreed last year currently covers the period from October 18 ...
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Metro Report International
Tokyo Metro improves train crowding data
JAPAN: Following successful trials, Tokyo Metro has decided to roll-out the use of stereo depth cameras to provide real-time information on train occupancy. The system developed with Ueno Green Solutions and Cyber Core uses cameras with two closely-spaced sensors a known distance apart, and software ...
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Metro Report International
Antiviral surface protection for public transport
GERMANY: Hübner Group has entered into a co-operation agreement with Airdal for the distribution of antiviral surface protection products in the public transport market. ‘Regional transit companies are encountering major challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic’, said Helge Förster, General Manager of Hübner ...
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Rail Business UK
Train used as Covid-19 testing centre
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has set up three Covid-19 rapid testing centres for its staff, including one on a Class 313 electric multiple-unit which has been fitted with curtains and screens and positioned at Brighton station. GTR is offering twice-weekly rapid ...
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Rail Business UK
ScotRail looks to extended Emergency Measures Agreement
UK: With its existing Emergency Measures Agreement due to expire at the end of March, ScotRail has confirmed that is currently in discussions with the Scottish Government about a third agreement. Support of around £108m has been provided under the current agreement which runs from ...
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Rail Business UK
Redundancy-hit Hull Trains to resume operations in April
UK: Vowing to ‘build the business back up’ having made around a quarter of its staff redundant, Hull Trains Managing Director Louise Cheeseman announced on March 1 that the open access operator would restart services between London and East Yorkshire from April 12.
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Rail Business UK
Grand Central plans restart date and Hull Trains to monitor demand
UK: Following the government’s February 22 announcement of a proposed timeline for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England, open access operators Grand Central and Hull Trains have confirmed that they are to remain in ‘hibernation’ for the time being. Unlike franchised operators, the open access ...
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News
Swedish ticket offices to close
SWEDEN: National passenger operator SJ is to close its remaining travel centres at the main stations in Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö from March 1. Customer service staff will instead be deployed around the stations to provide information and assist passengers with using ticket machines, digital purchases and rebooking.
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Rail Business UK
Union calls for suspension of on-train ticket checks during lockdown
UK: The RMT trade union has written to the government calling for a suspension of on-train revenue protection and ticket inspection duties at all Train Operating Companies for the duration of the coronavirus lockdown. Current guidance from the Department for Transport and the Office of ...
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News
Introduction of Dutch services postponed
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS has postponed by at least a year its plans to introduce a fast IC Direct service from the southwest to the northeast of the country via Rotterdam Central, Amsterdam Zuid and Almere. The service had been expected to launch in ...
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Rail Business UK
High speed line contractor to deploy social distancing helmets
UK: High Speed 2 central area civil works contractor EKFB has awarded PLINX a contract to supply 1 500 helmet-mounted devices designed to help maintain social distancing at work sites during the coronavirus pandemic. The devices use wireless technology to monitor how close workers are ...
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News
Turning passenger counts into actionable data
SPAIN: CAF has developed a vehicle occupancy data management platform which enables rail operators to track the number of passengers per train, coach, location, time and service, and to analyse historical data to forecast passenger demand more accurately. The number of passengers can be estimated ...
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Metro Report International
Filters deployed and UV on test, but robot struggles to disinfect metro trains
USA: San Francisco’s BART is ‘actively evaluating many different technologies’ that could potentially be used to combat the coronavirus, according to Chief Safety Officer Jeff Lau. Following a six-month pilot, BART has approved the installation of denser filters in the heating and air conditioning unit underneath ...
