Construction of a new integrated ticket hall at Elephant & Castle station has been completed to basement level five while preparation for new passenger tunnels is underway. The London Underground station currently has two separate …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Monday’s Friday Reads – 16 October 2023
• ‘Managed decline’: the uncertain future for British rail after cuts to HS2 (Financial Times – £) • TfL ‘no longer able to commit the funding’ to long-promised extension of tram to Sutton (New Civil …
Continue readingRenfe aims to build solar plants to power trains (RailTech)
Spanish railway operator Renfe plans to build a 20 MW solar panel facility to power its trains, after which many will follow. Most of the generated electricity will be used for train traction, with any …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 13 October 2023
• The last of Britain’s railway slip coaches: Video (TimDunn) • Barcelona visual system for tactical urbanism + wayfinding (AraunaStudio) • Maya Lin’s Eclipsed Time removed from LIRR Penn Station concourse (UrbanOmnibus) • Silicon Valley …
Continue readingThe delicate balance between escalator speed, capacity, & safety (CityMonitor)
If we want to increase escalator capacity, why don’t we just run them faster? Well, here’s why. On long escalators, the vast majority of people don’t want to walk. Thus, huge queues build up at …
Continue reading€2m funding for trolleybuses of the future (Trolley:Motion)
Oliver Luksic, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, today handed over a funding commitment of over 2 million euros to the LibroDuct AAO consortium. The research team is working on …
Continue readingUK researchers start using AI in air traffic control model (FT)
Project Bluebird is looking at how artificial intelligence could reduce the environmental impact of aviation. UK researchers have produced a computer model of air traffic control in which all flight movements are directed by artificial …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 9 October 2023
• The Assassination of HS2 by the Coward Rishi Sunak (S.Y. LEE) • Sunak’s ‘scorched earth’ slashing of HS2 means further legs will never be built (NewCivilEng) • France to launch German-style cut-price monthly rail …
Continue readingIlluminating cities with safety, pedestrian, & traffic data (TheStar)
By adding smart sensors to street lights, Halifax [Canada] company Liveable Cities provides municipalities with information to help tackle everything from congestion and noise levels to air quality and pedestrian safety. Cities can be like …
Continue readingTransport models are a fantasy: Here’s why, in plain English (Transportist)
Transport planning plays an outsized role in shaping the future of our metropolises. Land use and the daily activities of residents depend on transport and the access it provides. Transport only exists to serve activities …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 6 October 2023
• HS2 being scrapped means fewer trains and higher rail prices, experts warn (inews) • The new housing case for extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet (JamesO’Malley) • Chemical attraction: Hackney Wick Overground station (BeautyOfTransport) • Northern …
Continue readingBreakthrough in tram driver fatigue detection (UKTram)
A wearable device that’s been designed to detect the onset of fatigue in tram drivers has delivered remarkable results in independent testing commissioned by UKTram. The organisation representing the light rail sector reports that the …
Continue readingAutonomous battery-powered wagons begin testing in US (RailTechnology)
American rail operator, Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) is planning on piloting the use of autonomous battery-powered wagons on two short lines in Georgia. Using technology from Parallel Systems, the vehicles could be used to transport containers to …
Continue readingColas Rail trials HVO fuel for a loco, crane, & tampers (RailBusinessUK)
Colas Rail is trialling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil as a more sustainable alternative to diesel for fuelling a Class 56 freight locomotive, four tampers and a Kirow crane. HVO is produced from cooking …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 2 October 2023
• The war on motorists: The secret history of a myth as old as cars themselves (Guardian) • RMT tube strike to cause severe disruption to the London Underground next week (IanVisits) • The history, …
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