What happens when you put salesmen and government staffers in the same room with billions of dollars at stake? We’re about to find out. The most telling moment of the day came early on Thursday …
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London buses could be powered by coffee grounds (Engineering & Technology)
London buses could be powered by discarded coffee granules in the future under a new project which converts them into fuel. Londoners typically drink over 20 million cups of coffee a day collectively, leading to …
Continue readingIndian Railways launches first solar auxiliary power train (Economic Times)
Indian Railways on July 14 launched first solar-powered DEMU (diesel electrical multiple unit) train from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi. The train will run from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Farukh Nagar in Haryana. …
Continue readingFriday Reads – November 17, 2017
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s lineup: • Is London’s hopper fare encouraging Londoners onto buses? (CityMetric) • Harry Beck’s Imperial Airways map (Tube Map Central) • Millenium Falcon found on Earth, next to …
Continue readingMoscow Metro moving to fare chip baubles (CityLab)
The history of subway systems is one long string of attempts to improve the way riders pay fares. First there were tickets, then tokens. Magnetic swipe cards sped things up in their day, and tap-in …
Continue readingCloud tech to improve safety by direct passenger communication (SmartRailWorld)
Smartphone technology is being used on the Melbourne rail network in a way not yet seen anywhere else in the world to measure passenger traffic and send messages direct to phones in a bid to …
Continue readingTerror and traffic spurring more interest in bollards (Fast Co)
The twin spectres of terror and traffic are spurring more interest in bollards to stop weaponized cars… But the humble bollard is rapidly gaining attention after Sayfullo Saipov drove a car onto a Manhattan bike …
Continue readingHow Strava, the App for Athletes, Became an App for Cities (Fast Company Design)
Strava built a popular social network for millions of runners and cyclists. But more than 100 cities and states are quietly working with the app, too. Every 40 days, a million people join Strava. It’s …
Continue readingFriday Reads – November 10, 2017
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s lineup: • TfL is pedestrianising Oxford Street & rerouting the buses (CityMetric) • New TfL consultation on new walking/cycling river crossing between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf (IanVisits) • …
Continue readingDon’t Believe the Microtransit Hype (CityLab)
Minibus startups like Chariot aren’t succeeding. But transit shouldn’t be judged on whether it turns a profit. In 1914, during a streetcar strike in Los Angeles, a motorist in a newfangled private car began giving …
Continue readingHow tech firms are helping train companies (Guardian)
Startups such as Seatfrog and Ticketclever aim to make rail travel cheaper and improve customer experience. It’s one of the last remaining modes of transport that has been relatively untouched by innovation. The UK rail …
Continue readingReport on building Homes over railway lines in London (Engineering and Technology)
A quarter of a million new homes could be built in London if provisions are made to allow developers to build on top of railway lines, according to a new report. The report, Out of …
Continue readingTfL offers open data expertise through new consulting arm (City AM)
Transport for London (TfL) has shed more light on the role of its consultancy arm in the works, saying today that it is exploring new commercial avenues through releasing open data. The transport body makes …
Continue readingFriday Reads – November 3, 2017
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s links lineup: • Next generation Santander Cycles roll into London (London Assembly) • Turn off your mind, relax and take the Tube upstream (BoingBoing) • River Bus pier …
Continue readingTfL to sell travelers’ attention & WiFi data for £322m (BoingBoing)
Since late 2016, the Transport for London has been running a pilot scheme, providing wifi to passengers while logging and retaining all the wifi traffic coming in and out of its access points, compiling a …
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