In his Informed Sources column in the August 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, Roger Ford has a section with the same sub-title as this post. He discusses what is to happen to the Class 22x …
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Crash resistant glazing developed after Croydon tram crash (RailBusinessD)
A new form of window glazing featuring a lightweight polymer with an advanced scratch-resistant coating has been installed on the Coventry Very Light Rail vehicle, and could be used in other means of public transport. …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 23 August 2021
• Leicester installs bee-friendly green bus shelters (CitiesToday) • Travelling on Trains & Tubes art show (MallGalleries) • The psychological benefits of commuting to work (Atlantic) • Canada invests more in first Indigenous railway (RenewCanada) …
Continue readingWorld’s steepest funicular railway (BBC)
The world’s steepest funicular railway has opened to the public in Switzerland. Specially constructed cylindrical carriages have been used to ensure that passengers can stay upright on the incline. The floors tilt, adjusting to the …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 20 August 2021
• Mott’s £6m plan approved for Hammersmith Bridge (ConstructIndex) • What is the City, Greenwich, & Lewisham railway? (Variably) • The future of electric buses is its own past (RidersBloc) • Former EV leader Toyota …
Continue readingWhy aren’t there solar cars (and trucks)? (Forbes)
To set the stage, let’s consider several events within the first half of 2021 which should have naturally led the masses to the doorstep of solar cars. For starters, in January the Atomic Scientists read …
Continue readingJurassic train: DB revives old Stegosaurus wagons (RailFreight)
Covered steel wagons – codenamed BYA and probably dormant since prehistoric times, have been brought back to life by scientists at DB Cargo UK, working in their secret facility deep in the tropical jungles of …
Continue readingDelivery drones a failing business, even DHL’s & Amazon’s (TechRadar)
Delivery drones have long been thought of as a reasonable next step towards humanity’s robot-filled future. Not quite as ambitious as flying cars but leagues ahead of the humble mailman, cargo-carrying quadcopters once seemed an …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 16 August 2021
• Is TfL proof that public transport should be run by local government? (CityMonitor) • The hidden tunnels beneath King’s Cross station (LTMuseum) • Motor City Birmingham to throttle short car journeys (Forbes) • Inside …
Continue readingTurning coffee waste into car parts (GreenBiz)
One for the road: Ford and McDonald’s to turn coffee waste into car parts Waste coffee from McDonald’s is to be turned into new, lightweight car parts under a new partnership announced between the fast …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 13 August 2021
• Race to save Underground from flooding (Wired) • How safe do women feel travelling in London: prelim survey results (LondonTravelWatch) • New Highway Code: motorists to cede priority to pedestrians & cyclists (Forbes) • …
Continue readingBacteria can help to recycle EV batteries – AirQualityNews
Researchers at the University of Coventry have established a new method to use bacteria to recover precious metals from electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The method, called bioleaching, also known as bio-mining, uses microbes to oxidise metals …
Continue readingReconnections’ Miscellany: Codes for Living – August 2021
What do those Underground station codes mean? Every LU station room, lobby, corridor and stairway has small blue Station Identification Demarcation (SID) signs with white lettering in the following format level/number: Numerators 1 to 13 …
Continue readingIn Motion Charging for buses: Knowledge Brief (UITP)
Battery electric trolleybuses with In Motion Charging (IMC) are highly effective technology with huge economic and environmental potential: with passenger capacity, an infinite range, uninterrupted 24/7 operation, the flexibility of off-wire service and energy-efficient emission-free …
Continue readingNetwork Rail digital headset trials successful (RailTechnology)
Network Rail and The Central Railway Systems Alliance (CRSA) have successfully finished trialling brand new digital headsets which will help to log data, paving the way for future frontline maintenance teams. The test was carried …
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