The blankets have been delivered to the Carreau du Temple covered market, which has been temporarily repurposed to assist the homeless, where they will be distributed.
New Zealand: Transport minister, Mr Phil Twyford, has announced that advance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects vital to the country’s Covid-19 economic recovery.
“The decision to bring payments forward will provide financial relief through the four-week lockdown period to enable suppliers to retain their workforces, ensuring they can quickly re-start work and be in a strong position to respond to any future government infrastructure packages,” he says.
Finland: National operator VR has suspended overnight services in Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi until at least May 24, due to a significant drop in passenger numbers and the government’s advice against leisure travel.
Kolari overnight services and Russian connections have already been suspended.
VR will cut back its total passenger services by 40% between May 4 and 24, up from the 15% reduction in place from April 14.
Russia: More than 2000 Moscow Metro staff are cleaning more than 900,000m2 of surfaces daily, including 413,000m2 of platforms, as well as floors, stairs, escalators, handrails, and doors.
Surfaces regularly touched by passengers such as door handles, turnstiles, escalator handrails, and ticket vending machines are also disinfected every one-and-a-half to two hours.
Moscow Metro has also disinfected 211 ventilation shafts, using hot air generators, and is replacing air filters twice as regularly.
Sweden: SJ has reduced the working hours of more than half its 3000 employees in an effort to cut costs while still retaining staff in order to be ready to relaunch services after the coronavirus pandemic.
The cutbacks are one of a number of measures which SJ is undertaking to adapt to the major decrease in passenger numbers during the coronavirus pandemic.
SJ will use the government's support package to ensure staff wages are not reduced as severely as their work hours.
Germany: German Rail (DB) and the DB Foundation have assembled an aid package for the Stations Missions charity to support those most in need.
DB is providing all Station Missions with hygiene items such as disinfectant, masks, and gloves to protect employees and those being cared for. Several hundred food rations will also be delivered and served by volunteers from DB in Berlin from Good Friday.
The DB Foundation has launched a coronavirus emergency aid programme, which will allow Station Missions around Germany to access up to €100,000 to purchase supplies such as food, hygiene or protective items or equipment including clothing, sleeping bags or backpacks.
More than 10,000 chocolate rabbits have also been handed over to the Station Missions as Easter gifts.
Belgium: Private freight operator Lineas has unveiled a locomotive with a white livery in recognition of those fighting the coronavirus as well as those in essential work.
“This is our way of thanking all the people at the frontline of this crisis,” says Lineas director - assets and network operations, Mr Jeroen Spruyt. “Medical staff in the first place of course, but also people in other critical sectors such as supermarkets, pharmacies and transport.
“At Lineas, we have hundreds of people who work hard every day to transport critical supplies such as food, medicine and disinfectants. We are all in this together and we hope this locomotive will boost the spirit of everyone who sees it.”
Spain: Spanish infrastructure manager Adif and high-speed infrastructure manager Adif AV are set to extend rental subsidies for property and land used by self-employed workers, SMEs and other companies which have been impacted by closures to stations and other railway property due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rents will be postponed for up to two years or until the end of the contract with negotiations set to take place on a case-by-case basis.
