The UK government has announced this morning that it will support the passenger network for at least the next 18 months. This means that it is officially renationalising the railways, doing away with the franchising …
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Make old railheads serve future freight needs (RailFreight)
Passenger terminals and former smoke-stack sidings provide the clean, green alternative to city-wide congestion. An economical way to answer the needs of modern freight operations might be to dual-purpose passenger assets and recycle former facilities, …
Continue readingPortland competition to repurpose old light rail vehicles (ProgRail)
The competition grew out of an idea to find a way to repurpose 26 Type 1 light-rail vehicles and keep them from becoming scrap. Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design tomorrow will select the …
Continue readingEurostar not reopening Ashford or Ebbsfleet Int’l before 2022 (RailBusinessD)
Eurostar has revealed it will be reducing its timetable next year and will not be reopening Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International stations before 2022. The move comes following an unprecedented fall in demand, with bookings …
Continue readingUK Very Light Rail vehicle prototype started (MetroReport)
A prototype battery-powered carbon fibre and metal Very Light Rail vehicle is under construction at NP Aerospace’s plant at Foleshill in Coventry. The VLR project to develop low-cost technologies which would make light rail a …
Continue readingCleaning the rail head – 4 new technologies (RailEngineer)
Every Autumn, Network Rail runs Rail Head Treatment Trains (RHTT) to clean leaf debris from the rails. These trains blast the leaf debris, which by now has been firmly rolled onto the rail head by …
Continue readingCharging electric buses under catenary (UrbanTransport)
Various charging concepts for electric buses are currently in use around the world. However, although certain standardizations could be achieved, there is up to the date when this report was written no widely accepted, predominantly …
Continue readingManchester trams could carry more than just passengers (RailFreight)
With news that freight trials are under consideration in Karlsruhe, could British tram operators follow their German counterparts and carry more than passengers on their light urban rails? Would frustrated business owners welcome the opportunity …
Continue reading6 operators start joint tram-train tender (UrbanTransport)
German and Austrian tram train operators have defined the tram train of the future together with the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). It will enable to carry on the success story of the Karlsruhe …
Continue readingPhiladelphia transit agency recovering from cyberattack (StateScoop)
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority [SEPTA] is recovering from a reported cyberattack that resulted in the Philadelphia-area transit agency shutting down its real-time bus and rail information for two weeks, exasperating customers returning to the service’s …
Continue readingUK firms take EV charging underground to de-clutter kerb (GreenBiz)
As demand for electric vehicles continues to surge, the race to provide requisite charge points to cater for the growing number of battery car models coming to market is also heating up, as two novel …
Continue readingCycle parking standard: call for interest (TransportXtra)
Although there are some excellent cycle parking products being supplied to the UK market, there are also other products which fall well below the standard required for safe and comfortable usage and/or bike security’. This …
Continue readingLondon bus garage becomes largest vehicle-to-grid site (Electric&Hybrid)
A North London bus garage is set to become a ‘virtual power station’, generating electricity from buses when not in use. Following a transformation to garage nearly 100 new zero-emission electric buses, Northumberland Park is …
Continue readingSolving electric bus design problems (Electric&Hybrid)
A number of European cities have committed to securing only zero-emission buses by 2025. However, to achieve this objective, manufacturers must make bold design choices, radically changing bus componentry, systems, and bodywork. Here, it looks …
Continue readingLogistics giant to link 100+ UK trains to cargo bikes (CyclingIndustry)
InterCity RailFreight has announced a significant expansion of its same day logistics services, which in tandem with its high use of EVs and electric cargo bikes, brings forward an 100% electric supply chain to a …
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