International tensions, supply chain issues and pandemics have done little to stem the flow of container traffic. Just this week, Felixstowe has berth its biggest ever single-ship load. It’s the third time in two months …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Zero emission electric train to use gravity to recharge batteries (Springwise)
The world’s heavy industries remain vital to the global economy yet are very difficult to decarbonise. One factor contributing to the sector’s emissions is the energy needed to transport large quantities of heavy raw materials …
Continue readingComposite masts to reduce cost of electrification (NewCivilEng)
Engineering consultancy Furrer+Frey will this week unveil its innovative composite masts for rail electrification, which could revolutionise the way that rail electrification is undertaken. Development of the mast brought together public transport electrification engineers Furrer+Frey …
Continue readingHS2’s huge carbon savings with modular viaduct design (RailUK)
HS2 today revealed the final designs for the Thame Valley Viaduct and the pioneering pre-fabricated construction methods that will see the 880m long structure slotted together like a giant Lego set, cutting its carbon footprint …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – April 11 2022
• Russians gone, Kyiv revives, including transport system (NYTimes) • Jubilee night Tube May return, more lines to follow (RailUK) • Moving San Francisco: evolution of its public transport video (PBS) • New Zealand fully …
Continue readingInterior design of Amtrak’s next generation Acelas (RailwayGazette)
Amtrak and Alstom have unveiled the interiors of the 28 Avelia Liberty trainsets ordered for use on Acela Express services on the 735 km Northeast Corridor between New York, Washington DC and Boston. Formed of …
Continue readingFriday Reads – April 8 2022
• UK govt to provide £7B to overhaul buses outside of London (IntelTransport) • DfT looking at Kent-Essex under Thames tram network (NewCivilEng) • Scotland takes railway back into public ownership (RailFreight) • Southminster station …
Continue readingPlans to restore passenger services to Kent freight line (FreightTracks)
A plan to restore passenger service to a line in England’s south-east that lost it 54 years ago will work to integrate new services on the freight-only line. The line is located on the Hoo …
Continue readingTfL testing chemical-free wayto eliminate Japanese knotweed (IanVisits)
Transport for London (TfL) has been carrying out a trial of a method of killing Japanese Knotweed infestations using electricity instead of chemicals. Japanese knotweed is an invasive species introduced to the UK in the …
Continue readingAutomatic sliding steps on Tyne & Wear Metro’s new trains (Nexus)
An automatic sliding step that will transform accessibility on the Tyne and Wear Metro’s new trains can be revealed for the first time this week. The sliding step is a key feature of the new …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – April 4 2022
• Berlin’s €9 monthly public transport ticket vs Russian oil (NextWeb) • Behind the scenes & pics of Bank station’s huge capacity upgrade (IanVisits) • Motorway without exit gets junction that goes nowhere (Roads) • …
Continue readingPriestmanGoode designs accessible interiors for VIA Rail (Dezeen)
Industrial design studio PriestmanGoode has created the interiors for a fleet of trains in Canada, which have a focus on accessible design. The London-based studio designed the interiors for a fleet of trains called Corridor that is run by …
Continue readingFriday Reads – April 1 2022
• TfL’s restricted briefing note on funding (OnLondon) • A brief history of the Crossrail branches evolution (RailwayNews) • New Exchange Square public space above Liverpool Street’s tracks (Dezeen) • The prescience of Ray Bradbury’s …
Continue readingSignalling Explained video: UK, Europe, & NA (RMTransit)
Featuring Tyson Moore, railway signalling & communications engineer, and safety-critical systems analyst. Tyson is a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. As part of the teaching team for railway signalling and control, he coordinated …
Continue readingNudging public transport – Transport for Humans Book Review
Behavioural sciences, more commonly known as ‘nudges’, have only recently been applied to public transport. We review a new book by some experts in this new field, Transport for Humans, in which they describe the …
Continue reading