Have your Thursdays been feeling hollow of late? Like there is some kind of gaping void gnawing away at the day? It’s probably because we haven’t run a Road & Rail Wrap for a few weeks.

Rail Europe & Aeronology announce global distribution deal

Melbourne-based travel technology business Aeronology has signed a global distribution contract with Rail Europe.

The arrangement provides Aeronology’s travel agent customers with the ability shop, book and transact point-to-point train bookings via Rail Europe’s new reservation service.

Rail Europe’s new state of the art reservations system Easy Rail Access (ERA), will provide travel agents instant e-tickets for European trains.

Mary Valley Rattler champions accessibility in tourism with launch of new ‘all access’ carriage

Paralympians Steven Elliott and Hannah Dodd aboard the new all-access carriage Mary Valley Rattler

Two highly-credentialed para-athletes who qualified for next year’s Paralympic Games have launched the Mary Valley Rattler’s new ‘all access’ carriage, providing special facilities for wheelchair and other assisted-access passengers.

Steven Elliott and Hannah Dodd were meant to have been returning from the Tokyo Paralympics at this time, after representing Australia in the Rollers and Gliders wheelchair basketball teams, but COVID-19 resulted in the postponement of the Paralympics to August 2021.

The railway carriage dates back to 1924 and required extensive renovation and upgrading by expert Gympie crafts-people to make it rail-worthy.

While built originally to house up to 90 passengers on crossbench seats in nine compartments, the new configuration is a far more spacious 56 seats, with four dedicated and fully-equipped wheelchairs spaces. The restoration was undertaken in the Old Gympie Workshops by a local carpenter, with the assistance from a wide range of volunteers.

The introduction of the new all-access carriage has attracted local sponsorship from the Gympie Motor Group, a long-term supporter of the Mary Valley Rattler and the Gympie community.

Sealink scored contracts for bus services in Singapore

SeaLink Travel Group wholly owned subsidiary Tower Transit Singapore has today been informed by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore that it has been awarded the PT217 Contracts to operate both the Bulim package and the Sembawang-Yishun package of public bus services in Singapore.

The contracts are for the combined operation of a total of 56 bus routes and the maintenance of more than 700 buses, two depots, five interchanges and a terminal. The combined operation will be staffed by over 1,700 employees and results in a doubling in scale of Tower Transit Singapore’s current operations and its market share.

Rosapark shows smart alternative to traffic jams with Ouigo’s new high-speed train line

France’s low-cost, high-speed train service TGV Ouigo has joined forces with Rosapark to launch a new campaign to celebrate the inauguration of its new Paris-Lyon line.

Since August 10, motorists taking the road between Paris and Lyon might have come across an unusual new activation, created by OUIGO’s agency Rosapark, on the back of one of 200 trucks. A new outdoor campaign that aims to surprise and playfully pokes fun at drivers stuck in traffic jams, while calling attention to Ouigo’s low prices. The communication campaign also popped up in cars through messages relayed on Waze.

To accompany the operation, Ouigo and Rosapark released a new film on 10 September which once again relies on a universal insight: that moment of frustration that exacerbates all the headaches of driving.

With the film, Ouigo humorously demonstrates that the train is also an option to consider, and points out that Paris and Lyon are only two hours apart.

Check it out below:

Victorian Caravan and Camping show goes virtual

With overseas travel off the agenda for some time to come, Victorians are re-connecting with caravanning and camping. But COVID-19 is set to change the way the caravan industry goes to market this year.

With around 100,000 people normally visiting the physical show, the Victorian Caravan and Camping Virtual Show, which kicked off yesterday, will play a vital role in continuing to help Victorians bring their Australian holiday ambitions to life.

The campaign launched in digital, video, social and radio media on 6 September:

Asia’s first private driving club the Magarigawa Club scheduled to open late 2022 in Tokyo 

Cornes & Company Ltd. started construction on the Magarigawa Club this past spring in Chiba Prefecture’s Minamiboso.

In creating the club, which is scheduled to open late 2022, Cornes envisions a unique driving club, road course, and destination that will offer experiences unattainable at other racing circuits.

Located 60 minutes from the Tokyo metro area, Tokyo International Airport, and Narita International Airport, the exclusive driving club allows members to enjoy an unparalleled driving experience and spectacular views of Mt Fuji and Tokyo Bay.

In addition to its distinctive 3.5-kilometre driving course, The Magarigawa Club features a restaurant, bar and lounge, fitness centre, hot spring baths, spa facilities, a family lounge for members with small children, and many other facilities and amenities.

Complete with an outdoor play area, dog run, and hiking trails, the club offers recreational options for everyone – not just car enthusiasts. The first round of applications for membership has already sold out.