In The News: 8th April

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Bombardier Transportation UK has revealed it is to restart operations in the UK next Tuesday.

Work had temporarily stopped last month at its rolling stock production site in Derby, heavy maintenance in Ilford and component refurbishment and overhaul facility in Crewe.

The company says work is restarting after it had successfully begun trialling new working practices which complied with social distancing requirements.

The full statement can be found here.

Rail journeys in the UK are at just 5% of normal levels, according to the latest government figures.

That’s according to an article in the Guardian which is reporting what the transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris, told the Commons transport select committee.

He said it shows the public was heeding calls to stay at home, to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Construction companies in Scotland have been told to close unless they are essential to the health and welfare of the country.

That was the message from the country’s Economic Secretary Fiona Hyslop, who says the Scottish Government’s priority is saving lives and fighting COVID-19.

She says this guidance offers clear and comprehensive advice on how the industry should respond in these unprecedented and difficult times.

Finally, and Network Rail’s station teams are inviting the public to send them home-made pictures of rainbows with a railway theme which will be displayed at Bristol Temple Meads, Reading and London Paddington.

It is hoped that displaying railway-theme rainbows will lift the mood of station teams and those passengers who can’t work from home and are still relying on the railway to get to and from work.

Photo credit: Network Rail

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