Coronavirus news – Page 5
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Rail Business UKGWR to make extra stops to serve vaccination centre
UK: Great Western Railway is to stop 17 extra London Paddington – Bedwyn trains a day at Newbury Racecourse from February 8, to help people access a coronavirus vaccination centre there. This will be in addition to the current hourly timetabled service between Newbury and Reading. ‘Rail ...
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Rail Business UKPay freeze looms as rail staff declared public sector employees
UK: Industry speculation regarding a pay freeze for railway staff was confirmed when Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps spoke to the Transport Select Committee on February 3. ‘There will need to be pay freezes outside of things like healthcare, and I think most people ...
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Rail Business UKFranchise termination negotiations run on past deadline
UK: Negotiations over the termination of passenger franchise contracts are proving difficult, with some payments yet to be agreed and direct awards still being discussed.
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NewsTicket gates check body temperature, face masks and reservation status before allowing access to stations
ARGENTINA: As part of Trenes Argentinos’ coronavirus measures, Indra has integrated body temperature measurement, face mask control and QR code ticket reservation validation into an initial 350 station ticket gates in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. Access is prevented when a passenger ...
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NewsInnoTrans to launch mobility podcast this month
INNOTRANS: The first InnoTrans podcast will be launched on streaming portals at 10.00 Berlin time on February 9. Due to be issued at monthly intervals, the 20 min long broadcasts will be devoted to discussing the latest developments and challenges in the transport sector. ‘Together with our ...
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NewsEU railway revenue down €26bn owing to Covid-19 crisis
EUROPE: Railways in the European Union lost a total of €26bn in revenue in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data collected by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies.
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NewsCall for Eurostar trains to be made available to support on-rail competition
EUROPE: The ALLRAIL association of new entrants to the rail market has said any government support which might be offered to Eurostar during the coronavirus pandemic should be accompanied by conditions designed to facilitate cross-Channel competition.
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NewsUK government called on to support Eurostar during the pandemic
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has called for financial support of the kind which has been offered to airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that without government funding ‘there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar and the green gateway to Europe’.
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Rail Business UKTransport for Wales to reintroduce lockdown timetable
UK: Transport for Wales is to reintroduce a reduced timetable from January 25, following the latest imposition of tighter restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. TfW said the aim was to balance the safety of people who do need to travel, the safety of staff and ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail makes changes to reflect reduced demand
UK: ScotRail is to reduce the length of some trains from January 18, reflecting the significant reduction in demand as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions as well as staffing shortages caused by the pandemic. Further changes may be implemented following a more thorough review of demand, ...
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Rail Business UKIt’s right to change timetables in ‘a challenging environment’, says GWR MD Hopwood
UK: The need to adapt timetables to cope with reduced demand as well as increased staff absences as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is creating a ‘very challenging environment’, Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood has told Rail Business UK. ‘Normally as an industry ...
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Rail Business UKTemporary train service reductions aim to provide deliverable and resilient timetables
UK: Passenger train operators are to reduce services in response to the latest coronavirus lockdown, but a different approach is being taken to last year. Service levels will be approximately 72% of pre-pandemic levels, down from the 87% operated since the government’s announcement of the latest lockdown ...
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In depthPolicy: Passenger rail in the age of coronavirus
The rail sector continues to grapple with the implications of a drastic drop in ridership and the need to deploy extensive Covid-19 mitigation measures. However, the passenger experience is not uniform around the world: Mike Bent presents a snapshot of reports from Japan, Spain and Poland.
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Metro Report InternationalAdditional support for Edinburgh Trams and Glasgow Subway
UK: The Scottish Government has announced a further £8m of emergency funding for the Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the on-going financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The third tranche of funding announced on December 23 runs until the end of March. An initial ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central suspends services until March 1
UK: Following the government’s announcement of a third national lockdown in England, London to West Yorkshire and Sunderland open access operator Grand Central said it would be suspending all its services from January 9 until March 1. ‘It is hugely disappointing for us to be starting 2021 ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains suspends services for a third time
UK: East Yorkshire to London open access operator Hull Trains is to temporarily suspend all services from 00.01 on January 9, following the government’s announcement of a third coronavirus lockdown in England. As an open access operator, FirstGroup subsidiary Hull Trains is not eligible for the financial ...
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NewsFinnish passenger services secured as VR monopoly ends
FINLAND: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has awarded national operator VR a public service obligation contract for the provision of loss-making but socially-desirable passenger trains during 2021. The agreement takes into account the drop in ticket revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The €30·6m ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail offers free ticket refunds after coronavirus rule changes
UK: ScotRail is to offer free refunds on unused tickets bought on or before December 20, following the Scottish Government’s announcement of more travel restrictions over the Christmas and New Year period. In order to claim the fee-free refund, customers must keep hold of their tickets and ...
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Rail Business UKCash refunds to be offered for Christmas rail tickets
UK: Cash refunds will be provided for people who had booked tickets for rail or coach journeys in England during the December 23-27 ‘Christmas travel window’ but who are now unable to travel as a result of the latest changes to the government’s coronavirus restrictions. ...
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Rail Business UKLaunch of Merseyrail’s new trains delayed by pandemic
UK: Challenges arising from the coronavirus pandemic mean that the phased introduction of Merseyrail’s fleet of Stadler Class 777 electric multiple-units will not begin this year, transport authority Merseytravel has confirmed. The pandemic has affected a number of manufacturing and testing workstreams and disrupted critical European supply ...