Coronavirus news – Page 4
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Metro Report InternationalEnglish 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, Blackpool, ...
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NewsMetra 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 to ...
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Metro Report InternationalDfT 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 2020 ...
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Metro Report InternationalTokyo 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 which ...
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Metro Report InternationalAntiviral 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 Group ...
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Rail Business UKTrain 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 lateral ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail 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 January ...
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Rail Business UKRedundancy-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 UKGrand 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 operators ...
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NewsSwedish 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 UKUnion 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 Rail ...
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NewsIntroduction 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 December ...
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Rail Business UKHigh 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 to ...
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NewsTurning 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 from ...
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Metro Report InternationalFilters 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 each ...
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NewsWestbahn cutbacks in prospect as public service contract ends
AUSTRIA: More than half of Westbahn’s inter-city passenger services between Wien and Salzburg may be withdrawn within the next few days, unless agreement is reached to continue the interim support provided by the government for operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Affecting both Austrian Federal Railways and ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders rail franchise taken into public ownership
UK: The Welsh Government took Wales & Borders passenger services into public ownership on February 7, insisting that the move which had been announced in October would provide longer-term financial stability to ‘protect services, safeguard jobs and deliver infrastructure improvements in light of the ongoing challenges of coronavirus.’
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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.