• TfL cleaners, caterers, & security to get free London transport (Guardian) • London noise map (NoisyCities) • Lamplight design of the Thames Embankment (TheTidalThames) • Norway wants people to park their EVs & ride …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Network Rail installing trial ‘request-stop’ station kiosk (RailInsider)
For many of us, flagging down a train as you would a bus would seem a little odd. But for some, those who use around 150 of the most remote stations throughout the UK, it …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 23 September 2022
• Queue Theory: How to design the perfect queue (Wired) • London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Byford to leave TfL, again (RailUK) • Free public transport in Europe: It hasn’t reduced traffic (EuroNews) • We have …
Continue readingGet him on the Blower!: The origins of Pneumatic Railways
Telegraphs were the internet of the Victorian Age. News of political and business developments could be sent around the world in near real time. However, the mass of telegrams converging on the network hub in …
Continue readingHitachi Rail unveils tri-mode battery hybrid train (RailUK)
Hitachi Rail has unveiled its new ‘Blues Train’ at InnoTrans 2022. Built for Trenitalia, the cutting-edge battery hybrid train will reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption by 50% and has the ability to arrive at …
Continue readingHow railways can phase out diesel with HVO & possibly hydrogen (RailTech)
HVO fuel and a future hydrogen combustion engine will both play a role in reducing rail emissions. “We can replace old vehicles with new sustainable trains, however we also need to do something to reduce …
Continue readingVCs invested billions on e-scooter startups: Markets think they aren’t worth it (Crunchbase)
Almost exactly five years ago, the scooters came. That’s when Bird, the first unicorn in this once sizzling startup sector, launched its inaugural scooter-sharing service. The company, founded by former Lyft and Uber executive Travis VanderZanden, touted itself as a solution …
Continue readingFive modern bridges pushing the bounds of engineering (MITTechReview)
Bridges are becoming safer, more durable, and longer than ever before. Bridges haven’t really changed much for many years, says Anil Agrawal, a professor of civil engineering at the City College of New York. And it …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 19 September 2022
• London’s mainline railway stations to stay open overnight for the State Funeral (IanVisits) • Inside the Battersea Turbine Hall at end of the Northern Line Extension (Sounds&Visions) • NYC considering congestion charge, sales tax …
Continue readingCombined rail-road-terminal transport data exchange established (RailwayGazette)
Hupac, Kombiverkehr, Hoyer, Paneuropa, Lokomotion and Kombiterminal Ludwigshafen have formed DX Intermodal to develop a data hub connecting combined transport companies including rail and road operators and terminal managers. The system is based on the …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 16 September 2022
• The need to replace the Royal Train (ModernRailways) • TfL gardens opening on disused platforms & spaces (IanVisits) • Liège finally gets its tram line (UrbanTransport) • Battery equipped trolleybuses are a great, green …
Continue readingExtra trains, some overnight, in service to help people pay tribute to Queen (ModernRailways)
Overnight trains planned by some operators – Britain’s railway started running extra trains from 12 September to carry passengers wanting to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In Scotland, ScotRail ran an hourly …
Continue readingCities’ incentives to coax residents to swap cars for e-bikes (Axios)
Cities, states, and major companies are racing to give people incentives to switch to electric bikes for their work commute or gadding about town — experiments they hope will reduce car traffic and improve people’s …
Continue readingFinland rejects European Commission regauging proposal (RailwayGazette)
Finland’s Minister of Transport & Communications Timo Harakka has described as ‘unreasonable’ the European Commission’s proposal to require the use of 1 435 mm gauge throughout the TEN-T rail network, arguing that Finland should be regarded …
Continue readingÖBB & Siemens unveil next-gen NightJet sleeper train interior (RailTech)
ÖBB [Austria’s national railway] and Siemens Mobility presented the next generation of Nightjet sleeping and couchette cars on Tuesday. The new rolling stock will be entered into service towards the end of the summer of 2023. By …
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