A groundbreaking British project is using artificial intelligence to give locomotives the once-over. The aptly named DepotMATE (Multi-sensor Automated Train Examination) project, which has been backed by the Department for Transport, is developing a system …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Hitachi tests modular battery hybrid train as potential rail decarbonisation pathway (RailBusinessUK)
A Class 802 electro-diesel inter-city trainset which has been retrofitted with a battery in place of one of its three engines is being tested by Hitachi Rail, operator TransPennine Express and leasing company Angel Trains. The battery will provide top-up power …
Continue readingPrague bringing trolleybuses back, inaugurates line to airport amongst others (SustainableBus)
Prague Transport Company has 13 other urban bus lines in various stages of project preparation and, in cooperation with the Central Bohemian Region, the first suburban bus line, which will gradually be converted to trolleybuses …
Continue readingWhat is Incrementalism in Railway Infrastructure? (PedObservations)
The American conversation about high-speed rail has an internal debate that greatly bothers me, about whether investments should be incremental or not. An interview with the author of a new book about the Northeast Corridor reminded me …
Continue readingSodium-ion batteries in the USA – Beating China at their own game: Video (JustHaveAThink)
China has cornered the market in green energy transition technologies in recent years, and very effectively gained control of raw material supply chains so any other country has to go through them to get things …
Continue readingThe Hurb Is the Pop-Up Package Hub NYC Needs & Hates (Curbed)
You may have encountered this situation lately in Manhattan while making your way down a sidewalk already crowded with trash bags, pedestrians, sidewalk sheds, and the odd parked police car. A big truck or two is parked …
Continue readingPlans for London’s largest rail freight logistics hub (RailTechnology)
Network Rail Property has submitted a plan to regenerate 30 acres of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard in East London. The scheme will deliver London’s largest integrated rail freight logistics hub and will create a …
Continue readingA Visual Survey of North American Elevated Rail Viaducts, from the elegant to the grotesque (CityBlock)
Elevated rail has a bad name; urban rapid transit requires full grade separation. These two facts are inconveniently opposed to one another. Is there a future for elevated rail in urban and suburban areas? Cheaper …
Continue readingWork starts for deep D-walls at ‘complex’ Rome metro station (GroundEngineering)
Construction work has started on diaphragm walls that will be up to 85m deep and will form the perimeter of the new Piazza Venezia museum-station in Rome. Piazza Venezia will be a new station on Rome’s …
Continue readingWires Becoming Charging Infrastructure For In Motion Charging Trolleybuses (UITP)
State-of-the-art in motion charging (IMC) trolleybuses are embracing a new technology for a new era of flexible yet high-capacity public transport. These electric buses charge dynamically while operating via an overhead contact network and can …
Continue readingAmount of copper needed to build EVs ‘impossible for mining companies to produce’ (E+T)
Copper cannot be mined quickly enough to keep up with current policies requiring the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), according to a University of Michigan study. Copper is fundamental to electricity generation, distribution and storage. …
Continue readingMultiModX Workshop: A Milestone in Seamless Air-Rail Integration (UIC)
On 20 February 2024, the first MultiModX EU project workshop, arranged with the support of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, took place at UIC HQ in Paris, bringing together approximately 50 experts representing the airline, airport, …
Continue readingMuch ado, or not to do, about Level Boarding on Network Rails: Part 2
We just looked at TfL’s efforts to expand step-free access on its network. Level access is definitively patchy on TfL’s network, and the same goes for the Network Rail. Whilst the London Underground is famous …
Continue readingWhat are Hearing Loops, & how do they help the hard of hearing in rail stations? (AccessibleLink)
Hearing loops are vital technology designed to enhance the listening experience for people who use hearing aids. By transmitting sound directly into hearing aids or cochlear implants, hearing loops eliminate background noise, allowing users to …
Continue readingQuantum train location testing on London Underground (Metro Report)
Researchers are using a London Underground train to test whether quantum inertial navigation systems could be used to provide accurate location information for condition-based monitoring, train control and signalling applications without needing satellites or lineside equipment. This …
Continue reading