Coronavirus news
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In depthInterview: Rail can address Europe’s societal challenges
From tensions with Russia to the climate emergency, rail has a role to play at the heart of Europe’s response to the biggest questions of the age, believes CER Executive Director Alberto Mazzola. But he tells Nick Kingsley that more investment is needed to boost both capacity and capability.
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News
Freight operator looks to grow after the third year of industry crisis
AUSTRIA: Rail Cargo Group has ambitious plans for expansion in 2023 despite the extraordinarily crisis-ridden year the rail freight sector has faced in 2022, according to ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä.
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Rail Business UK
Southeastern scraps first class in timetable revision to meet changed demand
UK: Southeastern has announced that it is to abolish first class travel with effect from December 11 2022, as part of timetable changes which aim to provide a ‘simpler, more reliable’ service and reflect the way people now travel following the pandemic. First class seating is ...
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Metro Report International
Transport for London funding agreed to 2024
UK: The government and Transport for London have reached agreement on a funding settlement running until March 31 2024. This includes just under £1·2bn of base funding and a revenue support mechanism, although there is still a funding gap and TfL is required to consider pension ...
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News
Go-Ahead operating contract revised for post-pandemic world
NORWAY: Go-Ahead Group’s contract for the operation of Lot 1 Sør passenger services has been renegotiated to include a revenue support scheme as a result of the pandemic. The contract awarded by national rail authority Jernbanedirektoratet began in December 2019. It covers inter-city services on the ...
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Metro Report International
Still no long-term funding deal for Transport for London
UK: Transport for London’s current extraordinary funding agreement with the Department for Transport has been extended to July 13. The extension was announced in the late afternoon of June 24, hours before the agreement in place since February 26 was about to expire; this was the ...
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Rail Business UK
Ridership doubles year-on-year but still down on pre-pandemic levels
UK: The Office of Rail & Road reports that 990 million rail journeys were made in Great Britain between April 1 2021 and March 31 2022, more than double the 388 million journeys in 2020-21 when the pandemic caused figures to fall to the lowest levels ...
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News
Rolling out a digital workspace
ALSTOM: During the pandemic DXC Technology implemented digital workspaces from Citrix to provide Alstom’s engineers with secure and reliable remote access to essential apps. These include a critical in-house CAD tool that requires powerful graphics workstations and a low-latency, high-performing local network. ‘The cost of an ...
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Metro Report International
App shows London Underground station usage in near real time
UK: Intel’s Mobility-as-a-Service technology business is using open data feeds from Transport for London to tell Moovit app users how busy London Underground stations are, enabling them to opt to travel at quieter times. Users can view the displayed ‘busyness’ data in Moovit’s Station Details screen, ...
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News
State aid for Italy’s long-distance train operators approved
ITALY: The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €687m Italian government package intended to compensate operators of commercial long-distance passenger rail services for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic over the period between July 1 2020 and April 3 2021. The decision ...
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Metro Report International
Transport for London considers government funding proposal
UK:·Transport for London has asked for time to consider a funding deal proposed by the government, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said on February 21. ‘We have provided TfL with a deal that both supports London’s transport network and is fair to taxpayers across ...
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News
EU pandemic relief measure for rail extended
EUROPE: Members of the European Parliament have voted to extend a Covid-19 relief measure that allows rail infrastructure access charges to be reduced, waived or deferred.
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Rail Business UK
Real-time access to freight locomotive CCTV
UK: Journeo has equipped GB Railfreight’s fleet of almost 100 Class 66 locomotives with forward-facing CCTV and a connection to a cloud-based data portal, providing the control room with real-time access to train location, status and condition monitoring data. Staff have immediate ...
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News
Warning of long-term effects of EU railways’ €50bn revenue hit during the pandemic
Railway companies in European Union member states lost €27bn of revenue in 2020 and €23bn in 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker.
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Metro Report International
Simulation identifies most effective measures to reduce Covid-19 risk on metro trains
UK: Metro train passengers are at a low risk of being exposed to the coronavirus, but mitigation measures can further lower the risk, according to simulations undertaken by the universities of Leeds and Manchester and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory. The Transmission of Virus in ...
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Metro Report International
Transport for London gets another short-term funding extension
UK: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for ‘good faith’ negotiations on a long-term funding deal for Transport for London after the government agreed a two-week extension of the current funding settlement on the day the previous agreement expired. Funding is now in place from ...
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In depth
Japan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
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Rail Business UK
Rail industry responds to end of Plan B coronavirus restrictions
UK: Rail industry organisations have responded to the government’s announcement that coronavirus ‘Plan B’ restrictions in England will be eased from January 27, with the removal of the legal requirement for people to wear a face covering on public transport unless they have a reasonable excuse ...
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In depth
Market trends: Cautious builders eye slow recovery
While existing contracts have sustained the global rolling stock industry through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, future prospects will be determined by the pace of recovery in rail travel over the next few years.
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In depth
Interview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
