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Rescue workers gather around damaged carriages during search for survivors at the accident site on Saturday. With the rail routes still blocked, family members of deceased passengers are having to find their way by other means to the crash site, to help identify the dead. India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. An ambitious National Rail Plan, announced in 2021, envisages that all major cities in north, west and south India should be connected by high-speed rail.

Persons: –, Ashwini Vaishnaw, ”, Dibyangshu Sarkar, Jaya Varma Sinha, ” Sinha, Mansukh Mandaviya, Mandaviya, Naveen Patnaik, Patnaik, “, Narenda Modi, Narendra Modi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Fumio Kishida, Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, Modi, Modi’s, Albright Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Howrah, Bangalore . Rescue, Getty, Jaya, India’s Health, Sunday, Odisha’s, Public Relations Department, Indian, Rapid, Force, British, United Nations, National Crime Records, Group, Rail Plan, Bharat Locations: New Delhi, London, Hong Kong, Balasore, Odisha, Indian, Kolkata, Chennai, Bazar, Bangalore, AFP, Tamil Nadu, Russian, India, Jammu, Kashmir

CNN —One of the worst train accidents in India’s history is raising questions over the safety of the country’s massive and outdated rail network, as the government invests in its modernization. India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. India has seen several similar deadly incidents involving train accidents in recent decades. The same year, Modi announced huge investments in India’s railway system aimed at improving safety and connectivity.

Persons: Rafiq Maqbool, Odisha, Narendra Modi, Modi’s, Albright, Modi, ” Mamata Banerjee Organizations: CNN, AP Authorities, Howrah, National Crime Records, Group, Indian, Rail Plan, India, Bharat Locations: Odisha, Shalimar, Chennai, Yesvantpur, India, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Deadly Indian rail crash shifts focus from new trains to safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

State monopoly Indian Railways runs the fourth largest train network in the world. It transports 13 million people every day and moved nearly 1.5 billion tonnes of freight in 2022. 'GOOD SAFETY RECORD'Indian Railways maintains that safety has always been a key focus, and points to its low accident rate over the years. “Some malfunction has happened and that the inquiry will reveal,” he said, referring to Friday’s crash. “This accident brings out the need to focus more on these aspects,” he said.

Persons: Long, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Prakash Kumar Sen, ” Sen, Sen, ”, ” Srinand Jha, ” Jha, Mark Potter Organizations: Indian Railways, India, Kirodimal Institute of Technology, Workers, International Railway Journal, YP, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Odisha ., India

☆ Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Elaine Glusac | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +27 min

Illustration by Yukai Du Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer With the travel season in full swing, we compiled a guide to help you navigate the year’s most hectic time in the skies. If you don’t care which beach, shop around.” If you haven’t booked summer flights, do it now. For one, avoiding the airports with the highest levels of delays and cancellations last summer may be a good idea. They’re also getting longer inside airport lounges, longtime havens from the masses clogging the terminals at peak times. Standard membership in Priority Pass, a network of 1,300 airport lounges, starts at $99 a year, with each visit costing $35 at that level.

Persons: Yukai Du, we’ve, haven’t, Hopper, What’s, ”, Laura Lindsay, Ted Rossman, Priceline, Mr, Rossman, Charlotte Douglas, Toronto Pearson, it’s, “, Carter Langston, Rhonda Lawson, C.B.P, you’ve, you’re, You’ll, Lawson, Emmanuel Macron, Tomasz Pawliszyn, Jamie Larounis, Larounis, they’re, SITA —, They’re, Eric Goldmann of Atlanta Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Google, Miami, JetBlue, Heathrow Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, Gatwick, Air Canada, Labor, Newark Liberty International, La Guardia Airport, Kennedy Airport, Reagan, Miami International, Orlando International, Boston Logan International, Charlotte Douglas International, Toronto Pearson, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington , D.C, Customs, Western, Gulf, Phoenix, Transportation Security Administration, Global, Border Protection, Clear, PreCheck, Heathrow, Air, SNCF, U.S . State Department, Smart, Union, Travelers, New Tech, Airlines, Lufthansa, Siemens, Alaska Airlines, KLM, U.S . Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Apple, The Department of Transportation, American, Venture, Dallas Fort Worth International, JPMorgan Chase, Club, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Americas Locations: Europe, United States, Asia, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Fla, Miami, London, Amsterdam, U.S, La, New York, Washington, Charlotte, N.C, Newark, Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, Jakarta, Frankfurt, Munich, Heathrow, Washington ,, States, Denver, Seattle, Reno, Nev, Gulf Coast, Atlantic, Houston , New Orleans, Atlanta, Luton, T.S.A, ’, noncitizens, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Berlin, Dutch, Swiss, Delta, United, Hong Kong, Dallas, Boston, North, Central, South America, Dallas , Newark

☆ These maps show how far China's freight railways are stretching across Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — In the last two years, China has announced the opening of new freight train lines, while cross-border railways have become a feature in President Xi Jinping's meetings with regional leaders. Here's a look at where the rail lines are being built across the Asian continent. In the last six months, China also opened freight train lines to Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, according to state media. Those freight lines are in addition to China's relatively older rail network through central Asia — connecting Yiwu in eastern China to London. While it's difficult to verify how operational all the rail lines are, official reports offer a glimpse at how China's Belt and Road ambitions are panning out.

☆ China's May Day holiday spending exceeds pre-pandemic levels for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Holiday spending during China’s Golden Week has surged past pre-pandemic levels for the first time in three years, in a sign the country’s travelers have fully emerged from the depths of Covid-related restrictions and are eager to live large to make up for lost time. Alipay, the country’s biggest digital payment app, reported a 200% increase in online holiday spending from a year earlier. “The fact that domestic tourism spending is now back to 2019 levels suggests that the reopening boost to consumer spending has largely run its course,” said Capital Economics analysts in a Thursday report. “The swift recovery in in-person services has been the major driver of China’s post-Covid recovery this year,” they said. However, “the lackluster property recovery, a global slowdown and rising geopolitical conflict remain major challenges for China’s recovery to be sustained.”

[1/5] Passengers wait to board trains at Shanghai Hongqiao railway station ahead of the five-day Labour Day holiday, in Shanghai, China, April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Aly SongBEIJING, April 28 (Reuters) - China is bracing for a record-high travel rush over the Labour Day holiday, with popular sightseeing spots selling out of tickets and some cities warning would-be visitors away as domestic tourism rebounds after Beijing ended COVID curbs. Authorities are expecting 19 million trips to be made across China's vast railway network on Saturday, the first day of the five-day holiday, which would be the highest number of rail trips made in a single day in the country's history. Over the 40-day Lunar New Year travel period in January-February this year, 348 million trips were made in total, or about 8.7 million trips a day on average, according to the National Railway Administration. China's aviation authority said it expects air passenger trips to reach a total of 9 million over the five days.

☆ German union announces nationwide transport strike for Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Germany's EVG union announced on Wednesday a nationwide transport strike for Friday, with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn among the companies impacted. The strike will affect 50 companies and run from 3 am (0100 GMT) until 11 am (0900 GMT), the railway and transport union said. The Verdi union has also called on security control workers to strike at three airports on Thursday and Friday. The EVG, which is negotiating on behalf of 230,000 workers, is seeking a 12 % wage increase or at least an additional 650 euros per month. The state-owned Deutsche Bahn has offered 5% more and one-off payments of up to 2,500 euros.

☆ Three German airports empty as transport strikes begin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 20 (Reuters) - Airports in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne Bonn were virtually empty on Thursday in the first of another round of strikes called by Germany's Verdi trade union over the cost of living crisis. Nearly 100,000 people will be affected by aviation security worker strikes on Thursday and Friday at the three airports, airport association ADV said, with around 700 departing flights to be cancelled. "The situation in the terminals today is the same as previous Verdi strikes this year: departure terminals are empty, the situation is calm," a Hamburg airport spokesperson said in a statement. Germany's EVG union has also called for a nationwide transport strike on Friday, with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn among the companies impacted. The strike will affect 50 companies and run from 3 a.m. until 11 a.m. (0100 GMT-0900 GMT), with significant disruption expected, the railway and transport union said.

☆ FedEx is on the cusp of a seismic shift — and it will forever change the company as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"We will be consolidating our operating companies into one unified organization," FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam told investors Wednesday. The shift will make FedEx's operational strategies more like competitors UPS and DHL. Regulatory risk brings up an old questionThere may also be some risks coming to the new, integrated FedEx from outside the company. In a stark difference between UPS and FedEx, UPS falls under the National Labor Relations Act and FedEx Express under the Railway Labor Act. Betting the future on slower servicesThe third risk analysts raised was market share.

☆ FedEx is rolling out the biggest transformation in its 50-year history. The potential reward is huge, but so are the risks.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

☆ Another cultish cost-saving formula gets off-track
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Despite its multiple interpretations and approaches, success is widely gauged by a railway’s operating ratio, a simple measure of how much it spends to make a buck. Union Pacific’s peers improved similarly, indicative of the antiquated ways the industry had been deploying resources. Union Pacific also found itself unable to bring back enough furloughed workers in areas where they were most needed. “In a significant departure from the railroad industry's recent past, we deliberately moved away from a singular focus on operating ratio,” he told lawmakers. “If we wanted to drive [operating ratio] lower over time, we could,” the board wrote in a letter to shareholders in late 2021.

☆ Europe is trying to move from planes to trains. Here's how that's going
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Miquel Ros | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Aviation emissions in Europe increased an average of 5% year-on-year between 2013 and 2019, according to the EU. Not surprisingly these moves have set alarm bells ringing in the aviation industry. “For many decision-makers, banning short-haul flights and showing support to the rail industry is an easy win to gain favor with the public, especially in Europe,” Montserrat Barriga, the ERA’s director general, told CNN. “Governments continue ignoring the biggest source of aviation emissions – long-haul flights, that remain unpriced and unregulated,” says T&E’s Dardenne. Better connectivity between intercity rail and airports would also reduce the need for short-haul flights.

☆ Logistics Giant Kuehne + Nagel Seeks Expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Paul Berger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Kuehne + Nagel CEO Stefan Paul. Photo: Kuehne + NagelAs a forwarder, Kuehne + Nagel helps companies move freight around the world by ocean, air and land and is a dominant player in the automotive, industrial, retail, aerospace, healthcare and high-tech industries. What do you see as potential growth areas for Kuehne + Nagel in the contract logistics space? Does that make it easier for a company like Kuehne + Nagel to jump in? How would that affect Kuehne + Nagel?

Air France said about 20% of short-haul flights would be canceled, but long-haul services would be maintained. The reforms will gradually increase the age at which most French citizens can draw a state pension to 64, from 62. A record 1.3 million people took part in demonstrations on January 19, which brought the country to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising. The legislation is currently before French lawmakers, with a vote on the final version of the text expected later this month.

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport authorities said on Sunday. Some unions, such as the hardline CGT, called for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD. It is up to him to withdraw this reform," he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron. RATP, the public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris, also said metro lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some metro lines only running at peak hours.

☆ Norfolk Southern and Other Freight Railroads Agree to Join Federal Close-Call Reporting System
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Esther Fung | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment has led to more scrutiny of railroad safety practices. Norfolk Southern Corp. and its rivals said Thursday they have agreed to join a federal system that lets employees confidentially report close calls, a program the biggest freight railroads had refused to join for years. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday had asked the chief executives of the seven so-called Class 1 railroads— Union Pacific Corp., Norfolk Southern, BNSF Railway, CSX Corp., Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., Canadian National Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern—to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s close-call reporting system.

☆ Turkish families shelter on a train after earthquake shatters cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Eloisa Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Filed: March 2, 2023, 8 a.m. GMTSabriye Karan’s late husband worked for the Turkish national rail company for 32 years and her daughter Nehir grew up riding trains. After powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and damaged her home, she and Nehir moved into one. “We never imagined we would live here,” said Sabriye, who has been sharing a two-bed sleeper cabin with 13-year-old Nehir for the past 18 days. “Normally, it’s a joy to travel on the train. Survivors have been sheltering in tents, container homes, hotel resorts and even train carriages in Iskenderun, a port city in the province of Hatay, badly hit by the earthquakes.

☆ Biden nominating Julie Su as next US labor secretary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Julie A. Su, nominee for deputy secretary of Labor, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen Building on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he planned to nominate Julie Su, the current deputy and former California official, as his next labor secretary, replacing the departing incumbent, former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Su, a civil rights attorney and former head of California's labor department, was central to negotiations between labor and freight rail companies late last year, working to avert an economically debilitating strike. If confirmed by the Senate, Su would also be the first Asian-American in the Biden administration to serve in the Cabinet at the secretary level. Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai are of AAPI descent but don't lead a Cabinet department.

☆ Union Pacific shares rise after CEO Fritz to step down amid investor pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Shares of Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) surged nearly 10% before the bell on Monday, a day after the U.S. railroad operator announced that its Chief Executive Lance Fritz would step down this year amid pressure from investor Soroban Capital Partners. The gains came after some Wall Street analysts backed the leadership change at the company, which has struggled with labor shortages and service issues. Union Pacific's shares have dropped more than 25% over the past 10 months. Other analysts said a new leadership has the potential to improve the company's operating ratio — a key profitability metric. In its most-recent quarter, the company flagged higher operating expenses caused by operational inefficiencies and the current economic environment hitting its revenue growth.

☆ How Ukraine's 'lifeline' railway runs even as Russia bombs it, according to a man fighting to keep the trains on time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Alexander Kamyshin, CEO of Ukrainian Railways, explained to Insider how the operation keeps going. "Some people say that railways is the lifeline of Ukraine," Kamyshin said in a recent interview with Insider. Kamyshin oversees Ukrainian Railways, the state-owned company that has kept Ukraine's economy and people moving through a brutal year of war. AP Photo/Leo CorreaBut even with the burdens of war, Ukrainian Railways also managed to innovate and expand during 2022. We want to keep growing, to keep constructing, and to keep doing new projects even during the war," Kamyshin said.

This is causing flight delays and cancellations. We regret the inconvenience this is causing our passengers,” Lufthansa said on Twitter. Lufthansa owns carriers Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss. In a separate statement on its website, Lufthansa recommended that passengers in Frankfurt avoid traveling to the city’s airport. Passengers with domestic flights can switch to Deutsche Bahn — Germany’s national rail service — for free until Sunday, the airline added.

☆ Fans irate as FIFA moves Club World Cup match to Tangier
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RABAT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Club World Cup third-place match between Brazil's Flamengo and Egypt's Al Ahly planned to be held in Rabat before the final on Saturday has been moved to Tangier, FIFA said on Thursday. "Fans who have bought tickets for the double-header will be informed shortly," FIFA said in a statement. "Special travel arrangements will be organised by ONCF, Morocco's national railway operator, enabling those who want to watch the third-place match in Tangier to be able to do so. "Ticket holders will be able to exchange their current tickets for new ones for the third-place match, or have the option to apply for a refund of existing tickets." "FIFA's decision left the fans in lost in translation," Tatiana Ribeiro, from travel agency Ribeiro Viagens, told Reuters.

Paris/London CNN —French schools and transportation networks were heavily disrupted Tuesday for the second time this month, as unions staged another mass strike against government plans to raise the retirement age for most workers. Strikes that day brought the transportation network to a standstill and shuttered the Eiffel Tower to visitors. Air France (AFLYY) canceled 10% of short-haul flights but said strikes would not affect long-haul services. On Sunday, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said raising the retirement age was “not negotiable,” during an interview on domestic television station France Info. Raising the retirement age to 64 will keep France below the norm in Europe and in many other developed economies, where the age at which full pension benefits vest is 65 and increasingly moving towards 67.

☆ TSX ends lower for second day as industrials slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) ended down 29.95 points, or 0.2%, at 20,599.60, adding to a small decline on Tuesday. "We expect them to be on pause for quite a while," said Tom O'Gorman, director of fixed income at Franklin Templeton Canada. Industrials fell 2.1%, with Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) down 4.7% after the company forecast lower 2023 earnings. U.S. crude oil futures settled 2 cents higher at $80.15 a barrel after a smaller than expected build in U.S. crude inventories. Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) was a bright spot, rising nearly 11% after the e-commerce company updated its pricing plan.

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