The Government yesterday announced a £5m programme to provide open data for the rail sector. This is excellent. Open data liberates firms and app developers to find solutions to customers’ problems that won’t otherwise be …
Continue readingAuthor: Long Branch Mike
Electric bus fleet projects around the world (SustainableBus)
Electric bus adoption in public transport urban fleet is growing all over the world. It started in China, and it has taken a few years for other regions to start the transition. But now Europe is …
Continue readingEversholt Rail unveils first Swift Express freight train (RailAdvent)
Yesterday, Eversholt Rail invited RailAdvent to see the unveiling of their Class 321 Swift Express Freight Train. The conversion took place at Wabtec’s Doncaster Facility and saw a Class 321 passenger train, No. 321344, previously …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 5 July 2021
• There’s still lead in London’s air 20 years after fuel ban (IMechE) • National Trust High Line plans for Manchester (ArchitectsJ) • Complete streets lead to better car crash coverage (Streetsblog) • The joy …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 2 July 2021
• The evolution of Piccadilly line trains from 1891 to 2025 (RailEngineer) • Sleeper trains gaining as Continent aims to cut carbon emissions (Bloomberg) • Istanbul’s massive metro & tram expansion forges ahead (MetroReport) • …
Continue readingLuxury car EV converter Lunaz making EV trucks (ThisIsMoney)
Having established its reputation as a world-leader transforming luxury classics such as Range Rovers 4X4s, Bentleys and Rolls-Royce limousines and Jaguar sports cars to run as zero-emissions – at a cost of between £240,000 and …
Continue readingReconnections’ Miscellany: Transport Laws – July 2021
Roger Ford’s Informed Sources Laws First Law – Never assume railways are rational organisations. Second Law = You can’t have too many spanners. Third Law = Always distrust schedules based on the seasons. Fourth Law …
Continue readingDB reactivating 20 decommisioned routes (RailTech)
Deutsche Bahn will revive 20 lines with a total of 245 kilometers of track. “Every kilometer of track is active climate protection”, says DB Network Board Member Jens Bergmann. Deutsche Bahn presented its plans on Tuesday …
Continue readingA cheaper, cobalt-free battery? (Hyperdrive)
I’m going to geek out here. Let’s talk battery chemistry. Automakers and battery suppliers are in an R&D race to come up with the next low-cost battery. The one move that is increasingly seen as …
Continue readingGB Railfreight brings abandoned Midlands terminal back to life (RailFreight)
An abandoned steel works site and a long disused rail terminal have finally been brought back to commercial life. GB Railfreight and a consortium of business interests have collaborated to bring operations back to Stanton …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 28 June 2021
• Mobile phone coverage coming to Underground tunnels (IanVisits) • Euston Station goes live with British Sign Language screens (Railway-Tech) • Barcelona accelerating link to connect tram networks (Tramways&UrbanTransit) • Grand by design: History of …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 25 June 2021
• More details on Oxford Circus pedestrianisation plans (IanVisits) • Can removing highways fix America’s cities? (NYTimes) • The many different tunnels under Washington DC (CityLab) • Sankay Flows show transport still 2nd largest use …
Continue readingThe Hierarchy of Infrastructure Needs (Transportist)
The figure [below] shows the “Hierarchy of Infrastructure Needs”. It offers a useful organizational tool for considering the priorities of transport investment. Borrowing from Abraham Maslow, it suggests that the first priority, at the base of …
Continue readingSeaglider all-electric flying-ferry concept for Brittany (ElectricHybrid)
Seaglider: All-electric ‘flying ferry’ concept unveiled – A new all-electric craft concept has been unveiled that foils like a hydrofoil and flies like a plane – all with the comfort and convenience of a ferry. …
Continue readingELASTIC project stretches tram sensor tech (MetroReport)
Three trams and three tram stops in Firenze have been equipped with sensing, computation and communication capabilities as part of the Software Architecture for Extreme-ScaLe Big-Data AnalyticS in Fog CompuTIng ECosystems project to develop autonomous …
Continue reading