Most public transport journeys start and end with a walk. In fact, walking can constitute half the time spent on multimodal trips and can be the main element of what people remember afterwards. Despite this …
Continue readingCategory: Design
Composites can accelerate rail’s decarbonisation journey (TheEngineer)
According to the Department for Transport (DfT), trains are one of the least emissions-intensive modes of passenger transport[1]. However, it’s important to note that these calculations predominantly focus on ‘direct emissions’ – the physical burning …
Continue readingHow to make stations lively hubs for citizens & public transport users (UITP)
The role of stations in our cities is evolving, and it is important to ensure that they are designed and developed to meet the changing needs of society. With this in mind, UITP in 2022 …
Continue readingA Visual Survey of North American Elevated Rail Viaducts, from the elegant to the grotesque (CityBlock)
Elevated rail has a bad name; urban rapid transit requires full grade separation. These two facts are inconveniently opposed to one another. Is there a future for elevated rail in urban and suburban areas? Cheaper …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 26 April 2024
• TfL running shorter DLR trains to keep the fleet running (IanVisits) • Calls for answers after train on fire rolls through downtown London, Ont. (CBC) • History of British Rail Symbols: Video (Jago Hazzard) …
Continue readingBritish Steel wins contract to provide materials for Egypt’s Green Line freight railway (E+T)
British Steel has won a contract to supply around 9,500 tonnes of rail track for Egypt’s Green Line, which will be produced in Scunthorpe. Once complete, the Green Line will be the country’s first fully …
Continue readingLA Union Station overhaul plan scaled back as costs soar (Urbanize)
Since acquiring the Union Station in 2011, Metro has sought to overhaul the historic passenger rail terminal’s appeal as both a transit hub and a real estate asset. The planned makeover – called Link Union Station – …
Continue readingParis Metro stations equipped with accessible real-time information panels (IntelligentTransport)
With features such as enlarged fonts, enhanced colour contrasts and improved audio announcements, the real-time information panels introduced by Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP in Paris metro stations will cater to diverse passenger needs. Île-de-France Mobilités …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 11 March 2024
• New report reveals dramatic improvements in London’s air quality since 2016 (London City Hall) • Embark on a quirky commute through TfL’s history (TfL Corporate Archives) • Designer sought for St Pancras International growth …
Continue readingMuch Ado about Level Boarding: TfL & UK Urban Rail (Part 1)
In February 2024, TfL announced its Equity in Motion plan to create a fair and inclusive transport network, with over 80 measures to make London transport more accessible. The plan sets out how the transport …
Continue readingBuilding Out of a Tight Spot: One way to build right next to elevated rail (UrbanOmnibus)
We first met Rachel Ehrlich while exploring some of the new buildings squeezing into New York City’s churchyards and around its elevated train tracks. The work of the architect, who specializes in affordable and supportive housing at Dattner Architects, is …
Continue readingThe Big Split: Overground Line Names
As the Overground has grown, calls have increased to provide its sub-lines with clearer identities of their own. Behind the scenes, TfL have been working to do just that. Those new identities have now been …
Continue readingThe Explosion in Costs & Timelines for US Transit Projects: Video (Nandert)
Costs have been rising and timelines lengthening to infuriating extremes for transit projects in the US. What’s causing this, and how can it be solved?
Continue readingCovenants, Easements & Wayleaves: Mind the Gap of London Infrastructure Knowledge (Part 3)
This series has revealed a hitherto unknown complex and often murky relationship between London’s underground railways and its environment. Unsurprisingly in the twenty-first century, with so much of London having been tunneled, excavated, bombed, developed, …
Continue readingNightjet of the new generation: Video (AccessibleLink)
Nightjet of the new generation – a new travel experience. With modern design, more privacy and greater comfort, the new train makes overnight train travel even more pleasant and takes you to many European cities …
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