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• The end of the new UK roads? (Michael Dnes)
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• 12 of England’s regional mayors back plan for ‘national active travel network’ (Guardian)
• New York subway now has platform barriers at more than 50 stations (Trains)
• Berlin to decide between mega buses & tram expansion (Urban Transport Magazine)
• Rail Advocates Say Brightline’s Shocking Safety Numbers Are Part of a Bigger Problem (Streetsblog USA)
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“The end of the roads?” – no chance at all, I’m afraid, not whilst the unwanted & unbelievably expensive Lower Thames Crossing is in progress & zero money for a desperately-needed freight (& passenger ) enhancement at Ely, with a Benefit/Cost ratio of over 4.5 is panned.
AND – courtesy of “Branch Line News” – did you know we now have a government Minister “For the Future of Roads” { Lillian Greenwood / Nottingham South }
Meanwhile, several electrification projects are “paused” – which wastes even more £millions, even if said projects are re-started.
Underground cooling has been discussed repeatedly. The Piccadilly car cooling will heat the tunnels. How can the tunnels be cooled? The infrastructure was not designed to be weatherproof so could it be compatible with an overnight cooler train spraying a coolant?
There is a sump system but just cold water would drain away too quickly. The cast iron rings are good conductors so attaching radiator pipes containing a refrigerant circuit would be effective routed to the extractor vents with heat exchangers.
Alek & others
Long ago, I suggested cold-water “radiators”, “fuelled” by London Artesian water, but no-one seemed to think it practical, so …..
Going back to a simple solution, used in the collieries of the NE, back in C19th – used there, to ensure “fresh” air got drawn down the mine, right?
Drill or bore a suitably sized shaft or shafts from platform-level up to ground { Note that said shaft does not have to be vertical, though the steeper the angle, the better } … when you reach ground-level, you the erect a simple “chimney” above the bore, rising to ( I would guess ) at least 10 meters up, & preferably higher than that.
Simply stand back, the “warm” air will automatically rise up the shaft & draw down considerable quantities of cooler air through the normal access-routes, such as escalator shafts.
You might have to install a large-volume, low-speed fan in the riser, just to make sure, maybe.
Greg T – Making Lilian Greenwood the “Minister for the Future of Roads” shows that someone in the Cabinet Office has a pretty black sense of humour. She’s one of the few MPs who knows and cares about UK rail, fought tirelessly for MML electrification only now to see it now cancelled – again! Worth reading her thoughts on Corbyn’s “management” style here: https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2016/07/lilian-greenwood-mp-jeremy-corbyn-continually-undermined-me-job-i-loved