Network Rail’s Wales and Western region has developed a new type of sleeper which unlocks new environmental benefits. The region worked with Network Rail’s Technical Authority to create ‘hedgehog’ sleepers – so called because the design looks …
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Novel software to assess TfL train platform interface clearances (RailwayGazette)
TfL is a longstanding client of D/Gauge engineering and consultancy services, and is now also using the Cloud-based gauging platform which has been configured to suit its clearance standards, reporting outputs, and vehicle models. As well …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 13 December 2024
• Live travel information to be displayed on Euston screen after passenger feedback (Rail UK) • Roger Ford looks at next steps & the challenges facing Great British Railways: Podcast (Parallel Lines) • Sudbury & …
Continue readingSubways, Buses, & Bike Lanes Scored Billions in Local US Ballot Wins (SupplyChainBrain)
While most of the country was transfixed by the presidential vote earlier in November, voters in Nashville quietly supported a major transit plan by a 2-to-1 margin after roundly rejecting a similar one in 2018 …
Continue readingFormer Severn Tunnel track gets new lease of life (RailAdvent)
The track removed from the Severn Tunnel during its recent upgrade will be repurposed as sidings at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE). Instead of discarding the track from this year’s renewal, Network Rail …
Continue readingAmtrak Doubles Down on False Claims to Attack Penn Station Through-Running (PedestrianObvs)
Amtrak just released its report a week and a half ago, saying that Penn Expansion, the project to condemn the Manhattan block south of Penn Station to add new tracks, is necessary for new capacity. …
Continue reading£1 billion London Gateway Investment Announced but More Needed for Rail (RailMag)
Global logistics giant DP World has unveiled a significant £1 billion investment to expand London Gateway, solidifying its position as the UK’s largest container port. The expansion will see the addition of two new shipping …
Continue readingPublic Transport Issues in Converting Retail Barns to Housing (TransportForNewHomes)
One trend we are happy to see is the conversion of large obsolete car dependent out-of-town retail barns to new uses. Although the policy looks good on paper, we have identified some issues from a …
Continue readingHS2 trial to replace cement with baked clay (ConstructionEnquirer)
The HS2 Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture has secured extra funding to trial repurposed London Clay as a low carbon alternative to cement. The JV is working with Arup, Tarmac, the University of Leeds and …
Continue readingThe Meaning, & Analysis, of Construction Costs Per Rider (PedestrianObservations)
I’ve written a lot about urban rail construction costs per kilometer, but from time to time, my colleagues and I have been asked about what happens if we compare costs, not per kilometer, but per rider. …
Continue readingTunnel widening system enables railway lines to be electrified (ConstructionIndex)
German railways are using a new system that allows tunnels to be widened while keeping the trains running through. Herrenknecht, better know for its tunnel boring machines, has developed a tunnel widening system (TES) to …
Continue readingIndian cabinet approves construction of eight new railway lines (RailwayGazette)
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved eight new line projects which are intended to improve connectivity, minimise logistics costs, reduce oil imports and lower CO2 emissions. The projects approved on August 9 include 64 …
Continue readingStation Dwell Times, Anglosphere Incuriosity, & NYC’s Penn Station’s Expansion Proposal (PedestrianObservations)
This is the second part of my series about the Regional Plan Association event about expanding capacity at Penn Station. Much of the presentation, at least in its first half, betrays wanton ignorance, with which area power …
Continue readingHigh Wages and Baumol’s Cost Disease (PedestrianObserations)
The Baumol effect is a mechanism for how the real costs of goods and services can rise over time: wages rise due to economy-wide productivity growth, including in sectors with no productivity growth, and this raises their …
Continue readingSpatial impacts of a massive rail disinvestment program: The Beeching Axe (JUrbanEconomics)
This paper investigates the reversibility of the effects of transport infrastructure investments, based on a programme that removed much of the rail network in Britain during the mid-20th century. We find that a 10% loss …
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