Coronavirus news
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Rail Business UKTrain operators launch voluntary severance scheme
UK: Train operating companies opened the industry-wide voluntary severance scheme to staff at midday on October 13, as part of a Department for Transport-led cost reduction initiative launched in response to expected changes in passenger demand in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mirroring a similar ...
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News
Impact of the pandemic on rail remains ‘dire’, says CER
EUROPE: The September update of the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker shows signs of improvement for passenger train services, but none for freight and a worsening of the financial situation for infrastructure managers.
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Rail Business UK
Passenger occupancy analytics partnership follows successful trial
ANALYTICS: Icomera and Glimpse Analytics are to co-operate to offer ‘robust’ video analytics software for the real-time monitoring of passenger loadings, enabling operators and passengers to make more informed decisions based on train occupancy. The partnership agreement follows successful trials on South Western Railway services from ...
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News
Leisure travellers return to rail as bank holiday traffic exceeds pre-pandemic level
UK: Provisional statistics released by the Department for Transport show rail journeys reached a high of 66% of pre-pandemic levels this summer, driven by increased leisure travel. Meanwhile, industry data shows that leisure journeys to seaside destinations over the August bank holiday weekend surpassed pre-pandemic levels. ...
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News
KiwiRail announces freight service ‘to keep New Zealand moving’
NEW ZEALAND: National railway KiwiRail is to launch a weekday freight service between Auckland and Christchurch from October, boosting capacity between the North and South islands in time for the peak season and while the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting other modes. There will ...
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Metro Report International
Berlin S-Bahn runs vaccination train
GERMANY: A special coronavirus vaccination train ran on the Berlin S-Bahn’s ring line on August 30, with people over 18 who had not been vaccinated able to get the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine onboard. The Class 484 trainset made three anti-clockwise circuits on Route ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail emissions down as services reduced during pandemic
UK: The reduction in train services during the coronavirus pandemic unsurprisingly led to a reduction in network-wide diesel and electricity consumption in 2020-21, although the collapse in ridership meant an increase in CO2 equivalent per passenger-km. The Office of Rail & Road has published its latest ...
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News
Calls for cross-industry support as coronavirus state aid approved
GERMANY: State aid measures to support the rail freight and long-distance passenger sectors and reduce track access charges during the coronavirus pandemic have been approved by the European Commission. However, private operators’ association Mofair is calling for further funding proposed by the government to be ...
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Metro Report International
Real-time loading information through Google Maps
USA: MTA Long Island Rail Road passengers can now obtain real-time information about seat availability through Google Maps. The technology was developed in-house by the operator. ‘LIRR continues to innovate and develop cutting-edge technology to allow riders to plan their trip right down to the train ...
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In depth
Central & Eastern Europe: Rail at heart of recovery package
Railways across central and eastern Europe stand to benefit as member states submit their national post-Covid recovery plans to the EU in order to access temporary stimulus funds. Toma Bačić provides a snapshot of proposals from five countries.
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Metro Report International
English light rail networks get final tranche of Covid-19 funding
UK: The government has announced £56m of funding to support the operation of Manchester Metrolink, Tyne Wear Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Nottingham Express Transit, West Midlands Metro and Blackpool Tramway services from July 20 to April 2022. The funding announced on July 16 is ...
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News
Covid Impact Tracker shows continued losses for rail in 2021
EUROPE: The economic situation for EU railways shows very little sign of improvement, according to the Community of European Railway Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker. Revenues from January to May 2021 were lower across the board than in the second half of 2020, the association reported. ...
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Metro Report International
Wi-fi used to estimate station usage
UK: Transport for London is using aggregated and depersonalised data from its wi-fi network to provide real-time information on how busy London Underground stations are at any particular time of the day. TfL has previously used ticketing data to understand travel patterns, with its estimates ...
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Metro Report International
Street theatre to raise vaccine awareness at metro construction sites
INDIA: Delhi Metro Rail Corp has organised street theatre performances at construction sites to raise awareness of the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination. The shows performed by film, television and web actors use the rural dialects and folk songs of many of the construction workers. ...
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Rail Business UK
Industry and unions agree principles for making the rail industry more financially sustainable
UK: The Rail Industry Recovery Group, which was formed to bring together industry and trade union representatives to identify ways to make the industry more financially sustainable in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, has agreed common principles and focus areas for ‘meaningful discussions’ to address ...
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Rail Business UK
Welsh rolling stock strategy evolves as three-phase post-pandemic recovery envisaged
UK: TfW Rail has again revised its fleet strategy as it seeks to ensure passenger services can be improved despite the financial constraints caused by Covid-19, Managing Director Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde tells Rail Business UK.
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Rail Business UK
Government plans new rail pass to boost domestic tourism
UK: Plans for a new rail pass designed to help the tourism sector recover following the coronavirus pandemic and encourage sustainable domestic holidays have been announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media Sport. The rail pass is one of the measures in ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail journeys in Great Britain lowest since at least 1872
UK: Rail passenger journeys in Great Britain in 2020-21 were the lowest since records began in 1872, according to the latest statistics from the Office of Rail Road. The regulator said the ‘unprecedented’ fall in usage could be attributed entirely to the coronavirus pandemic, ...
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Metro Report International
Driverless train study required under latest Transport for London support deal
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed a further funding package for Transport for London, with government conditions including studies for the possible conversion of two Underground lines to driverless operation. The deal reached on June 1 covers the period from May 29 to December ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail needs to be ‘relevant and wanted’ in an era of changed travel demand
UK: ‘How we go about our daily lives and conduct our businesses has changed for a lot of people’, said Steve Montgomery, Managing Director of FirstGroup’s First Rail business at the TransPennine Express RE-Connect 2021 conference. Before the coronavirus ‘we were seeing customer numbers at ...
