• Paddington station’s new Elizabeth to Bakerloo transfer tunnel (IanVisits) • Prepare yourself for the negative levels of Crossrail (DiamondGeezer) • London Transport after Ashfield: Post-War Chairmen 1948-87: video (LTMFriends) • Ireland to progress with …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
The future of tunnelling: clients share safety info (NewCivilEng)
Safety guidance and training for tunnellers can boost efficiency and reduce costs. It has been a busy time for tunnelling projects. Tunnelling work on London’s 25km Tideway super sewer officially finished in April. The two …
Continue reading€338m Madrid high speed line connector tunnel opens (RailwayNews)
Adif has commissioned a new tunnel and southern entrance to connect high-speed rail services through Madrid. Both projects were technically challenging as they involved connecting signalling systems from three high-speed lines that were built at …
Continue readingHigh speed train wheel now digitally monitored live (RailUK)
Hitachi Rail is installing its cutting-edge live monitoring solution across Great Western Railway’s high-speed fleet of 93 intercity trains, in a world-first for digital maintenance. This technology will boost fleet availability by over 100 days …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 4 July 2022
• New powers for TfL to fine motorists caught in cycle lanes (Zag) • Video exploring the Northern Line Extension (NetworkNathan) • HS2 develops modular pre-fab tunnel arches (AnonWidower) • Long environmental assessments delay much …
Continue readingLondon Underground seeks renewable electricity contract (MetroReport)
London Underground has called tenders for a long-term contract for the supply of electricity from renewable sources, as part of a wider scheme for the Greater London Authority group to move to renewable energy by …
Continue readingWebinar & Conference Reads
Free and low cost online rail and transport webinars, as well as interesting conferences, listed (& regularly updated) from around the world. Updated 20 December 2025. • The UIC is hosting the webinar Europe’s Rail …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 1 July 2022
• 9 more abandoned rail schemes receive funding toward restoration (NewCivilEng) • Northern line Night Tube to return July 2 (RailUK) • Paris beltway to swap traffic lanes for green space (CityLab) • Rotterdam rooftop …
Continue readingWhy rail giants are battling it out in North America: video (RMTransit)
Not only are European train operators looking to expand to North America, global train manufacturing companies are looking to expand their markets there. This video looks into some of the recent trends in North America, …
Continue readingUS Postal Service testing delivery by e-cargo bike (Electrek)
I recently wrote an opinion piece about how the United States Postal Service (USPS) could look to solve its gas-guzzler truck problem by following Europe’s example of delivering mail with smaller electric cargo bikes. As it turns …
Continue readingReconnections’ Miscellany: Good & bad transport language – June 2022
This month on Reconnections’ Miscellany: Bacronym Retronyms BUS – Bi-level Underground Substitute ESCALATOR – Electric Stair Case (Ascending/Lowering) Allowing Travellers Onward Routing OMNIBUS – Overland Metropolitan New Innovative Bi-level Underground Substitute DRIVERS – Defect-Responsive Independently-Verifying …
Continue readingIstanbul low cost lessons from 3 yrs, 300 km of heavy rail build (TransitCosts)
Based on our study of Turkish rail construction, we found that there were four primary factors that kept construction costs low and the processes efficient. First, there was an ongoing political commitment spanning different administrations …
Continue readingFuture of modular: HS2 & East West Rail collab on bridge kits (NewCivilEng)
High Speed 2 and East West Rail are sharing knowledge to help develop modular bridges in a unique collaboration. A kit of parts approach that enables greater efficiency in bridge design and construction is taking the …
Continue readingCost of repairing TfL’s bridges & tunnels to top £35m (NewCivilEng)
Transport for London (TfL) has forecast further cost increases related to patching up the Capital’s ageing surface transport assets. In total, TfL spent a record £2.9M on implementing interim measures for its road tunnels and …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 27 June 2022
• TfL advances plans for DLR & Overground extensions (NewCivilEng) • Wales stops funding north-south air route in favour of rail (Railway-Technology) • Lyon announces light rail express line instead of metro (IntlRailJ) • Lausanne …
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