Coronavirus news
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Metro Report InternationalPromoter defends Montréal REM cost escalation
CANADA: Despite ‘extraordinary circumstances and exceptional technical challenges’, the construction costs for Montréal’s REM automated light metro have been kept ‘within a very competitive budget compared with other similar major transportation projects around the world’, according to project promoter CDPQ Infra. The first 17 km section ...
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NewsAuckland’s City Rail Link seeks more funding as pandemic drives up costs
NEW ZEALAND: Cross-Auckland rail tunnel project promoter City Rail Link Ltd has submitted a formal request for more funding from the government and Auckland Council, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on construction works, the supply chain, resourcing, materials and labour costs. The cost of ...
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NewsVR wins Swedish operating contract tendered after SJ agreed early exit
SWEDEN: The Finnish national operator’s local subsidiary VR Sverige has won a contract to operate passenger services on nine routes radiating from Borlänge and Västeräs, replacing SJ which is exiting the current contract early because of the coronavirus pandemic. The contract to operate services was tendered by ...
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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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NewsFreight 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 UKSoutheastern 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 InternationalTransport 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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NewsGo-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 InternationalStill 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 UKRidership 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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NewsRolling 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 InternationalApp 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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NewsState 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 InternationalTransport 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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NewsEU 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 UKReal-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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NewsWarning 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 InternationalSimulation 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 InternationalTransport 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 depthJapan: 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.