All coronavirus articles – Page 9
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Rail Business UKAventra EMU reaches Liverpool Street
UK: The first of the Class 720 Aventra EMUs which Bombardier Transportation is supplying for Greater Anglia’s commuter services has completed its first test run into London Liverpool Street station. As part of the testing programme, the EMU is expected to run over all of ...
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Rail Business UK
Use data to tailor coronavirus timetables to current needs, says Zipabout
UK: Passenger data systems supplier Zipabout says train operators should revise their emergency timetables based on passenger behaviour and real-time demand data, to ensure their reduced services can meet the needs of key workers during the coronavirus pandemic. ‘The necessary reduction in ...
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Rail Business UK
UK railway news round-up
LNER ’s daily return service between Hull and London King’s Cross has been reinstated with effect from March 31. It had been temporarily suspended as part of the coronavirus-related service reductions, but was reinstated after Hull Trains announced that it was suspending all of its services. The ...
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Rail Business UK
£40m support package for Wales & Borders services
UK: The Welsh Government’s Minister for Economy Transport Ken Skates has announced a £40m package of support to ensure the continued operation of a skeleton Wales Borders rail service during the coronavirus pandemic. The Welsh Government is working with Transport for Wales ...
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Rail Business UK
RSSB offers membership fee payment delay
UK: Rail safety and standards body RSSB has offered its members with an annual turnover below £10m the chance to defer payment of their 2020-21 membership levy for until later in the year. The measure affects more than half of RSSB’s members, who can continue ...
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Rail Business UK
Grand Central commits to revised timetable, but Blackpool launch likely to be delayed
UK: Asked whether Grand Central was planning to follow the other East Coast Main Line open access operator Hull Trains in temporarily stopping operations because of the coronavirus pandemic, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on March 30 ‘we remain committed to ...
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News
World rail freight news round-up
Dutch rail freight industry body RailGood has called on the government and infrastructure managers to ensure round-the-clock operation of at least one rail corridor to and from all seaports, multimodal hubs and industrial complexes during the coronavirus crisis. It also called for a temporary suspension of ...
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Rail Business UK
Hull Trains suspends services ‘to protect long-term future of business’
UK: Open access operator Hull Trains announced on March 29 that was temporarily suspending services with effect from midnight, in a move which it said aimed to ‘safeguard the future of the business’ in the ‘unprecedented circumstances’ of the coronavirus pandemic. Arrangements have been made for tickets ...
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News
International Transport Workers’ Federation calls for action to protect staff from Covid-19
Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases INTERNATIONAL: The International Transport Workers’ Federation of almost 700 trade unions representing nearly 20 million people in 150 countries has issued a list of five areas where it believes governments and employers must take action to protect employees ...
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Urban news
Moscow Metro disinfects tunnels
RUSSIA: Moscow Metro has been using modified infrastructure inspection vehicles to spray all its tunnels with liquid disinfectant. The disinfecting programme aims to tackle the coronavirus. As well as all tunnels used by revenue services, the scope includes tunnels which are used ...
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News
RENFE ticket offices go cashless
SPAIN: National operator RENFE stopped accepting cash payments for tickets at booking offices with effect from March 27, citing hygiene reasons. The measure will last as long as the duration of coronavirus lockdown, now prolonged at least until mid-April. Credit and debit cards are now the ...
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Rail Business UK
UK rolling stock manufacturers suspend production
UK: Bombardier Transportation, CAF and Hitachi Rail have temporarily put the production of rolling stock at their UK plants on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘In the current unprecedented circumstances, we want to protect our people from Covid-19, support the government’s efforts to ...
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News
Polish operator tests titanium dioxide disinfectant
POLAND: Koleje Śląskie is testing the use of TitanSolid, a titanium dioxide based product used in hospitals and food production plants to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. The substance integrates with the surface it is applied to, creating an active coating that uses photocatalysis to destroy bacteria, fungi ...
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Rail Business UK
Infrarail rescheduled to take place alongside Railtex 2021
UK: The Infrarail 2020 railway infrastructure trade fair has been rescheduled because of the coronavirus outbreak. It will now be co-located with the Railtex 2021 exhibition of railway equipment and services, which is due to be held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on May 11-13 ...
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News
SNCF deploys hospital TGV
FRANCE: SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the hospitals are saturated to regions which have spare capacity in their ...
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Urban news
Edinburgh tram extension site works on hold during pandemic
UK: Edinburgh Council has instructed contractors Morrison Utility Services and Sacyr Farrans Neopul to cease site works for the construction of the tramway extension from York Place to Newhaven. The contractors are to make the construction sites safe by the end of the week before shutting ...
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News
Brightline suspends services
USA: Miami to West Palm Beach inter-city train operator Brightline temporarily suspended its services on March 25. The private-sector operator said the decision had been taken to help slow the spread of the coronavirus to a rate which healthcare systems can cope with, ‘and with the ...
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Rail Business UK
Crossrail work suspended
UK: Crossrail Ltd announced on March 24 that work on the cross-London rail project would be suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The organisation said it was working with its Tier 1 contractors to safely close down sites at the earliest opportunity. The announcement came amid ...
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News
UK train operators offered management contracts or nationalisation
UK: The Department for Transport has given the franchised passenger train operators it is responsible for the opportunity to move to temporary management contracts. On March 23 DfT said it would temporarily suspend existing franchise agreements and transfer all revenue and cost risk to the government ...
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Rail Business UK
Transport Select Committee to question Shapps on coronavirus implications
UK: The House of Commons Transport Select Committee is to question Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps about the impact of coronavirus on transport at 14.30 on March 25. As the situation changes daily, the Committee will be asking how the Department for Transport is ...
