The Department for Transport’s Science Advisory Council has made a number of recommendations in response to a Rail Safety & Standards Board analysis of air quality onboard trains. The council notes that the methodology makes it difficult …
Continue readingCategory: Pollution
The filthy truth about subway air (Wired)
Levels of particulate matter in the world’s metro systems far exceed recommended limits—and the deeper you go, the worse it gets. THERE ARE PEOPLE in this world who, out of sheer curiosity, carry around scientific instruments …
Continue readingDfT undersells modal shift: Air passenger CO2 impact 60 times more than rail (RailEngineer)
In 2021, the Department for Transport (DfT) published transport and environmental statistics for various journeys which included Glasgow to London. However, the true carbon impact of these journeys, considering actual energy consumption, shows the DfT …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 14 April 2023
• Aviation industry awarded £18Bn in public finance since the Paris Agreement (DeSmog) • West London Orbital Overground line likely to get approval (IanVisits) • East Lancs Railway faces accusations in sacking of 10 year …
Continue readingElectric truck subscription could quickly clean up polluting ports (CityLab)
Diesel drayage freight trucks are a major source of toxic emissions. Forum Mobility replaces them with electric models for a monthly fee. Every day, dozens of heavy-duty diesel trucks rumble into a freight yard lined with shipping …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 13 February 2023
• Expanded ULEZ cut toxic NOx pollution across London by 23% report finds (Guardian) • Vancouver testing accessibility app to help sight challenged better navigate transit (MassTransit) • The best rapid transit in the US …
Continue readingDfT’s route to Net Zero assumptions look quite off (TransportXtra)
Last month a Freedom of Information release was finally made by the Department for Transport with details of the calculations underpinning the Government’s transport decarbonisation plan. Professor Greg Marsden fought long and hard to get …
Continue readingNYU researchers confirm air quality degrades in subway stations near river crossings (MassTransit)
New research from New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine found subway stations near river tunnels can have significantly higher concentrations of potentially dangerous particles in what they call a “river-tunnel effect.” Concentrations of …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 13 January 2023
• The world’s most congested cities: London is #1 (CityLab) • New European Sleeper train will start between London & Berlin from May (Seat61) • New York’s plan to pedestrianise Fifth Avenue, w/ bus & …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 6 January 2023
• Govt blocks release of CO2 road transport emission figures (Guardian) • TransPennine Express launches British Sign Language departure boards (RailUK) • ‘Lift & shift’ bridge installed at Shropshire rail crossing (BBC) • Berlin tries …
Continue readingFirst US pollution rule for heavy-duty trucks in 2 decades (Grist)
Cleaner trucks will mean better air and health for overburdened communities. Communities that have long borne the brunt of vehicle pollution are one step closer to breathing cleaner air after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized stricter …
Continue readingIncreasing Thames freight deliveries could cut traffic & pollution (CitiesToday)
A new report from the UK’s Thames Estuary Growth Board has touted the untapped potential for freight deliveries on London’s primary river, the Thames. The report, Light Freight on the River Thames, claims the river can be better utilised …
Continue readingStudy finds London Underground air contains ultrafine metallic pollution (IanVisits)
A study into pollution levels on the London Underground has found ultrafine metallic particles small enough to end up in the human bloodstream, although the study also notes that it’s not clear whether these particles pose a …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 17 October 2022
• London’s success in lowering air pollution (CityLab) • Paddington Elizabeth Line station architecture, featuring cross-sections (ArchDaily) • History & inside look at Britain’s Royal Train: video (MarkFelton) • Is Cambridgeshire’s new metro all it’s …
Continue readingRailcars capturing CO2 could make rail carbon neutral (RailTech)
Capturing CO2 from the air while running a train: it could even make diesel-fuelled train operation nearly carbon-neutral, according to new research. US-based startup CO2Rail Company, together with researchers from the University of Sheffield, are …
Continue reading