Network Rail is using pioneering technology to keep passengers on the move during this week’s spell of extremely cold weather by using thermal imaging drones. The drones, which are now used routinely on the West …
Continue readingCategory: Aerial
Monday’s Friday Reads – 23 December 2024
• No Tyne & Wear Metro service south of River Tyne due to highway flyover fault (BBC) • New Berlin-Paris high-speed rail service epitomises Europe’s thirst for train travel (RFI) • New York State Governor …
Continue readingShark-style skins are cutting aircraft fuel use, could be applied to high speed trains (IMechE)
Covered in tiny structures known as dermal denticles, the ribbed pattern of shark skin reduces drag across their surface, allowing some species to swim at 50km/h. Others can dart forward even faster over short distances. Such a …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 1 November 2024
• End of “Euston Rush” as train companies improve boarding announce times (Ian Visits) • TfL seizes 1,400 vehicles from drivers who ignore Ulez fines (Guardian) • Local businesses want all of Soho to be …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 21 October 2024
• Possible Scope of Sadiq Khan’s plans for Oxford Street (On London) • TfL Invites Bids for New London Trams Fleet (Rail Technology) • The Rise, Fall, & Rise Again of the Leeds Tram (Railway …
Continue readingHow sustainable are aviation biofuels really? (Anthropocene)
Jet biofuels are not necessarily less carbon intensive than fossil fuels, say researchers. In a side-by-side comparison of emissions, they found some grasses performed best. Two types of perennial grasses offer the greatest global potential …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 2 September 2024
• Unusual London Overground trip via Primrose Hill is possible this coming weekend (Ian Visits) • York’s original railway station to open to public for one Oct weekend only (The Railway Hub) • Heathrow Rail …
Continue readingPlanes still bad: Modern carbon-efficient models worse for climate change than older types (E+T)
A study has found that even though modern commercial aircraft emit less carbon than their predecessors, they could be contributing more to climate change due to their longer-lived planet-warming contrails. Contrails, or vapour trails, are …
Continue readingThe first US airline to launch automated tag for mobility devices (AmericanAirlines)
American Airlines is the first U.S. airline to launch an automated tag for mobility devices, part of an ongoing commitment to improve wheelchair and mobility device handling across its network. Developed in-house by American’s Technology …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 23 August 2024
• ScotRail peak fares to return as Scottish Government scraps pilot (STV News) • Ministers approve London City Airport passenger expansion despite climate concerns (E+T) • Union dispute shuts down Canadian freight rail amid fears …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 19 August 2024
• Riding the rails: a visual guide to the latest stretch of the Sydney Metro (The Guardian) • Thousands to be refunded after rail fare evasion convictions declared void (LBC) • New developer funding found …
Continue readingRail’s Market Share against Air: A Global Review (HotRails)
It has long been recognised – at least as far back as 1988, during planning for the Channel Tunnel – that the market share achieved by a rail service against an airline serving the same …
Continue readingNetwork Rail’s Eye in the Sky: Podcast (RailTechnology)
Head of Air Operations at Network Rail, Bradley Sparkes, and National Aerial Survey Specialist, Sean Leahy offer some fascinating insight into how Network Rail patrols the British railway from the sky, identifying faults on helicopter …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 27 May 2024
• Why journeys from the UK are about to become much trickier (The Guardian) • c2c’s oldest trains to get major refurbishment (Ian Visits) • What’s really going on with high-speed rail in the US? …
Continue readingCarcroft Common agreed as site to build Airlander 10 airship (TheEngineer)
Carcroft Common in Doncaster has been agreed as the site for Hybrid Air Vehicles to build Airlander 10 aircraft at a rate of up to 24 units per year. Hybrid Air Vehicles will now work …
Continue reading