Almost exactly five years ago, the scooters came. That’s when Bird, the first unicorn in this once sizzling startup sector, launched its inaugural scooter-sharing service. The company, founded by former Lyft and Uber executive Travis VanderZanden, touted itself as a solution …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Five modern bridges pushing the bounds of engineering (MITTechReview)
Bridges are becoming safer, more durable, and longer than ever before. Bridges haven’t really changed much for many years, says Anil Agrawal, a professor of civil engineering at the City College of New York. And it …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 19 September 2022
• London’s mainline railway stations to stay open overnight for the State Funeral (IanVisits) • Inside the Battersea Turbine Hall at end of the Northern Line Extension (Sounds&Visions) • NYC considering congestion charge, sales tax …
Continue readingCombined rail-road-terminal transport data exchange established (RailwayGazette)
Hupac, Kombiverkehr, Hoyer, Paneuropa, Lokomotion and Kombiterminal Ludwigshafen have formed DX Intermodal to develop a data hub connecting combined transport companies including rail and road operators and terminal managers. The system is based on the …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 16 September 2022
• The need to replace the Royal Train (ModernRailways) • TfL gardens opening on disused platforms & spaces (IanVisits) • Liège finally gets its tram line (UrbanTransport) • Battery equipped trolleybuses are a great, green …
Continue readingExtra trains, some overnight, in service to help people pay tribute to Queen (ModernRailways)
Overnight trains planned by some operators – Britain’s railway started running extra trains from 12 September to carry passengers wanting to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In Scotland, ScotRail ran an hourly …
Continue readingCities’ incentives to coax residents to swap cars for e-bikes (Axios)
Cities, states, and major companies are racing to give people incentives to switch to electric bikes for their work commute or gadding about town — experiments they hope will reduce car traffic and improve people’s …
Continue readingFinland rejects European Commission regauging proposal (RailwayGazette)
Finland’s Minister of Transport & Communications Timo Harakka has described as ‘unreasonable’ the European Commission’s proposal to require the use of 1 435 mm gauge throughout the TEN-T rail network, arguing that Finland should be regarded …
Continue readingÖBB & Siemens unveil next-gen NightJet sleeper train interior (RailTech)
ÖBB [Austria’s national railway] and Siemens Mobility presented the next generation of Nightjet sleeping and couchette cars on Tuesday. The new rolling stock will be entered into service towards the end of the summer of 2023. By …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 12 September 2022
• The Queen’s final journey should be by Royal Train: Wolmar (Spectator) • Busy rail travel expected for the Queen’s Lying in State (IanVisits) • Forgotten parts of Paris’ Petite Ceinture (PlacesJournal) • Void uncovered …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 9 September 2022
• Grimshaw wins Waterloo Station masterplanning commission (ArchitectsJ) • Bond Street Elizabeth line station tour preview video (HiddenLondonHangouts) • Railway Guardian app reports transport harassment & violence to BTP (RailInsider) • Germany’s 27-year struggle to …
Continue readingDfT to identify multi-modal National Freight Network (NewCivilEng)
The Department for Transport (DfT) will identify a National Freight Network (NFN) across road, rail, maritime, aviation, inland waterway and warehouse infrastructure, with a long-term goal of removing barriers to allow a seamless flow of …
Continue readingUS railroad crisis threatens supply-chain chaos, chicken cannablism (Wired)
Federal regulators and the White House have been scrambling to prevent poor service and a possible strike from jamming up a vital but often overlooked network. EARLY THIS SUMMER, farmers worried that millions of chickens in …
Continue readingCould New York’s transport funding system resolve TfL’s financial woes? (CentreForCities)
This final blog of the TfL series focuses on New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA may sound like a strange candidate: pre-pandemic ridership was already declining the system suffers frequent delays and difficulties improving its infrastructure. In 2017, the New …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 5 September 2022
• Off-peak Heathrow Tube fares scrapped, but there’s a workaround (DiamondGeezer) • Amazon’s e-cargo bikes to replace 1,000s of London van deliveries (Guardian) • Work starts to finally connect Barcelona tram networks (Barcelona) • European …
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