Network Rail has withdrawn a planning application for rail infrastructure works in Manchester, Rail Minister Huw Merriman confirmed during a visit to the city on May 25. The plan included additional through platforms 15 and 16 …
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Friday Reads – 2 June 2023
• A train ride makes everything better, there are always people you can talk to: Video (GeoffMarshall) • Why the revolutionary Rotodyne failed in city centre transport: Video (Mustard) • The painful consequences of liking …
Continue readingThe Bus Rapid Transit – BRT – Standard & Scorecard (ITPD)
This scorecard shows the criteria and point values that make up the BRT Standard, including a description of each category. THE BRT BASICS (38 points) Dedicated Right-of-Way Busway Alignment Off-board Fare Collection Intersection Treatments Platform-level …
Continue readingFirst Volvo electric double decker buses enter service in Cambridge (BusNews)
Volvo has delivered 30 new Volvo BZL Electric double-decker buses to Stagecoach East in Cambridge, UK. These vehicles are the first of their kind to be delivered in the UK and will operate across multiple …
Continue readingAlstom’s Chinese partner demonstrates new generation traction system (RailAdvent)
Alstom‘s Chinese joint venture, Alstom NUG Propulsion System Co. Ltd has recently demonstrated a train in China powered by a new generation of silicon carbide and a permanent magnet motor propulsion system. The train was demonstrated with passengers on …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 29 May 2023
• Is renationalising more UK train services a viable strategy? (FutureRail) • Politicians’ cries of ‘The War on Cars’ fails to move voters (NewStatesman) • Brussels’ Good Move mobility plan cuts tram & bus delays …
Continue readingElectric buses outsell diesels in Europe for first time (ICCT)
For well over one hundred years, the internal combustion engine has reigned supreme over our roads. For one small but significant transport sector, the humble city bus, its reign has neared its end. The most …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 26 May 2023
• England rail passengers could lose WiFi access in DfT cost cuts (Guardian) • How train WiFi works & why it’s under threat in England (Guardian) • Effect of UK sustainable mobility policies on urban …
Continue readingWhy not cover ugly parking lots with solar panels? (Wired)
In France, a plan to cover swaths of asphalt with photovoltaics will bring renewable energy even closer to urban areas where it’s needed. A BACKLASH AGAINST industrial-size solar farms is brewing. At least 75 big solar …
Continue readingPoem on the Opening of the Elizabeth line: First Anniversary
With thanks to Jonathan Baggs MCIPR for this poem and allowing us to republish it on the anniversary of the final stage opening of the Elizabeth line 24 May 2022. Twas the Night before Crossrail, …
Continue readingNYC’s anti-speeding tech could be a road safety breakthrough (Bloomberg)
As US cities and states grapple with surging traffic deaths and underperforming Vision Zero programs, their leaders face a challenge. Although they can take steps like implementing road diets or (if they’re fortunate) installing automatic safety cameras, there is one risk factor that …
Continue readingZero & low emission locomotive: Global roundup (RailwayAge)
By 2050, in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement, zero-emission locomotives may have completely replaced conventional diesel-powered equipment on the railways of the world. Current development of zero-emission switcher locomotives, combined with practical operating experience, increases …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 22 May 2023
• Tuesday is last day to save Day Travelcards (Bus&TrainUser) • Plans for Great British Railways have been watered down by No 10 (TheTimes) • Crossrail tunnel detailed engineering cross-section explained: pg 5 (MottMacDonald) • …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 19 May 2023
• Progress at HS2 Old Oak Common station site as 1st base slab poured (RailUK) • Plans submitted for snaking Silvertown ped & cycle bridge (ConstructionEnq) • France developing next generation, double decker TGVs (CNNTravel) …
Continue readingTransport vs other catastrophic risks: the Farmer’s diagram (RiskEngineering)
Farmer’s diagram, or F-N curve – Represent society’s degree of catastrophe aversion. Overview An F-N diagram, also called a Farmer diagram after the name of the first author to have used this representation, is a graphical representation of …
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