“Testing has finally begun on the UK’s first tram-train vehicles which are expected to be rolled out onto the network in 2018. The pilot scheme marks the first count of tram-trains in the UK and …
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Microgrid electricity rail network backup (Microgrid Knowledge)
“Amtrak is running ahead of schedule. The Washington, D.C.-based national train giant is one of the first transit systems to plan a community microgrid so that it can keep its operations running during power outages. …
Continue readingFriday Reading List – 31 March
As anyone looking to properly understand London’s transport needs and network knows, context, background and best-practice are important. As readers might imagine, behind the scenes here at LR Towers we thus spend a lot of …
Continue reading£6.5m on ill-fated tube-cleaning trains (Engineering & Technology)
“More than £6.5 million was spent by Transport for London (TfL) on its doomed tunnel-cleaning train project, it has been revealed. The scheme was first mooted six years ago by then Mayor of London Boris …
Continue readingTfL looking for South Ken tube refurb partner (Rail Technology Mag)
“The station, described as a “gateway” to one of London’s key cultural quarters, will receive a makeover, as commercial and retail units will be restored to enhance its heritage. Funding will also be provided to …
Continue readingElectrification completed on Crossrail route (Rail Technology Mag)
“Crossrail took a step forward this week as Network Rail (NR) announced that electrification work had been completed on the 12-mile stretch of railway from Maidenhead to Stockley Junction. The project of electrification will allow …
Continue readingCompanies competing over-aggressively for rail franchises
“National Express Group boss Dean Finch says slowdown in UK rail growth is likely to present significant financial challenges for many operators “Dean Finch has emphasised his belief that transport companies are facing significant and …
Continue reading£2m funding for composite tube door production (Rail Technology Magazine)
A £2m funding package for the recently launched Rail Supply Growth Fund (RSGF), managed by Finance Birmingham, has been announced, allowing company Penso to push forward with innovating work on new composite designs for train …
Continue readingNew golden age of airships? (Spears Wealth Management)
Airships are coming back into fashion, and their business case appears to be more than mere hot air, according to this report. A new breed of lighter-than-air craft is taking to the skies. Independent aviation …
Continue readingFriday Reading List – 24 March
As anyone looking to properly understand London’s transport needs and network knows, context, background and best-practice are important. As readers might imagine, behind the scenes here at LR Towers we thus spend a lot of …
Continue readingOpulent Japanese sleeper train design (Smart Rail World)
Train Shiki-shima, or the ‘Island of Four Seasons’ is a hybrid sleeper train operated by East Japan Railways. The ten coach train consists of six sleeping cars, a lounge car, a dining car and observation …
Continue readingVivarail begins testing new battery train (Rail Technology Magazine)
Vivarail has some good news: its new test car, operated as a battery train, has completed its first successful run. The company began building a new test car at its Long Marston base, the first …
Continue readingGreat Britain records 10 years without train accident fatalities (Railway Gazette)
“February 23 2017 marked 10 years since the last passenger or staff fatality in a train accident on Great Britain’s national rail network. While there have been fatalities from other causes including trespass and suicide …
Continue readingWorld’s first modular glass-fibre reinforced plastic bridge installed over railway line in Oxford (The Construction Index)
“The post-tensioned footbridge system has been designed by Arup, with Mabey becoming the first licensed distribution partner. The bridge is designed to be assembled in hard to reach sites where large cranes or heavy machinery …
Continue readingFriday Reading List – 17 March
As anyone looking to properly understand London’s transport needs and network knows, context, background and best-practice are important. As readers might imagine, behind the scenes here at LR Towers we thus spend a lot of …
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