Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Thursday, 09 April 2020

Government

• Letter from the Rail Minister to the Rail Delivery Group on maintaining accessibility during the COVID-19 outbreakOpen letter to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) asking the rail industry to continue to ensure that rail travel is accessible during the coronavirus outbreak.

BBC News

• Coronavirus: Transport workers 'must not work' without measuresThe union's advice follows the deaths of 14 workers in London and others elsewhere in the UK.

Get Surrey

• Guildford train station closure for engineering works to go ahead as planned despite coronavirus outbreakNetwork Rail says it will be the biggest upgrade at the station for 40 years

Other Regional Press

• “Essential journeys only” advice from train companyWest Midlands Railway is reminding passengers that only essential journeys are permitted this Easter weekend as coronavirus travel restrictions continue.
• First look at new £63m stationThis artist's impression shows the scale of a railway station destined to be built in the middle of a £170 million peninsula development.

Christian Wolmar

• Rail 900: Has the franchising question been answered at last?Things are too busy and exciting in the rail industry to spend the whole of this column looking back but it is certainly a worthwhile exercise. History may never quite repeat itself, but there are always lessons to be learnt, and a look at franchising is rather timely given recent events.

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail workers laid off by Balfour Beatty ‘not eligible’ for government helpApproximately 30 Balfour Beatty workers laid off at the Crossrail Whitechapel station will not not qualify for the government's Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme, as the redundancies are "not related" to the coronavirus.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Railway Rainbows needed for displays at railway stations Network Rail’s station teams are inviting the public to send in home-made pictures of rainbows with a railway theme, which will be displayed at Bristol Temple Meads, Reading and London Paddington. The railway rainbow-themed images are hoped to boost morale for station teams and passengers...
• Rail Minister publishes open letter to Rail Delivery Group Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, has published an open letter to RDG asking the industry to proceed in their work ensuring that rail travel continues to operate throughout the coronavirus outbreak. He opened the letter by thanking them for their regular updates throughout the outbreak and the...

Railnews

• Government issues urgent PPE requirements request to rail industry RAIL businesses which need anti-virus personal protection equipment for their staff are being urged to send details of their requirements to the Department of Health and Social Care today (8 April). The Department said all requests will be considered against ˜clinical criteria™.

Transportxtra

• Rail minister urges sector to maintain an accessible service during pandemicCoronavirus: Heaton-Harris writes to Rail Delivery Group after complaints by disability campaigners

Other News Sources

• Grand Central and Hull TrainsMick Whelan, general secretary, has called on the government to help two open access operators – Hull Trains and Grand Central – which are furloughing rail staff.