About 2,500 drivers in New York are organizing to create what they say is a better deal for drivers than what the ride-hailing giants offer. For years, Uber and other ride-hailing companies offered the promise of …
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Friday Reads – 4 June 2021
• Could pantographs make a return to London’s buses? (IanVisits) • Get on your e-bike: ‘have a go’ scheme proposed for England (Guardian) • Sweden converting street parking to community space (WorldEconForum) • Can Lebanon’s …
Continue readingGSM-R failure cripples Dutch rail network (IntlRailJ)
GSM-R failure cripples Dutch network. An investigation into the cause is underway. Much of the Dutch railway network came to a standstill at around 14.00 on May 31 following the failure of the GSM-R network. …
Continue readingHS2’s new piling innovation will benefit construction industry (RailBusiness)
HS2 Ltd has revealed a new vacuum excavation technique for piling which could have massive benefits for the wider construction industry in the UK and abroad. The innovation, developed by specialist contractors working on HS2, …
Continue readingWhat does Great British Railways mean for infrastructure investment? (NewCivilEng)
The Williams Review, chaired by former British Airways boss Keith Williams, was launched in May 2018 and triggered by chaos created by timetable changes that year and the failure of the East Coast franchise. The …
Continue readingLondon installs tech to prioritise pedestrians over cars (TrafficTechToday)
Transport for London (TfL) has announced it is to introduce pedestrian priority technology at more crossings in the city as part of a drive to become the world’s most walkable city. A total of 18 …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 31 May 2021
• Uber’s GMB union deal doesn’t mean its battles are over (Wired) • Finally a new rail tunnel under Hudson River is to be built (NYTimes) • The planning that goes into Amtrak livery designs …
Continue readingCitymapper may need to sell its data to save itself (Wired)
When city navigation app Citymapper launched a crowdfunding campaign earlier this month, it was a resounding success. The initial £1 million target was smashed within hours and the campaign had to close after just one …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 28 May 2021
• Plans to improve rail freight on London’s railways (IanVisits) • Airlander airship city hops could cut flying CO2 emissions by 90% (Guardian) • Schematic rail network map of France (Inat) • World’s largest model …
Continue readingWhat led to the revival of night trains (RailTech)
Will the Year of Rail be remembered as the year of new night trains? That’s what one might think looking at all the projects announced in recent weeks. Let’s take a look at the developments …
Continue readingVehicle Design is an Inside Job ft. New Tube for London
Aeronautical designers have a saying, ‘Pretty works’. That is to say, an elegant and aerodynamic aircraft generally has excellent handling characteristics and good speed (the Spitfire and Concorde come to mind). London Transport’s Lord Ashfield …
Continue readingMassless energy storage: the next step in battery technology (AZOCleanTech.com)
In this environmentally conscious world, fossil fuels are being shunned in favor of renewables for electricity generation and transportation. Due to their periodic nature, excess energy generated by renewables is frequently stored in batteries. However, …
Continue readingSir Michael Holden on the Williams Review (Freewheeling)
After – finally – discovering what the Williams Shapps Plan for Rail actually said, I got together with Sir Michael Holden to discuss it. After all, who better to pick it apart than someone who’s …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 24 May 2021
• Crossrail’s West End station status review (DiamondGeezer) • Rail Alphabet 2: NR’s sequel wayfinding signage – Pt 1 (BeautyOfTransport) • The 5 irrational motivations in transport (Freewheeling) • Aboard the new Paris T9 tram …
Continue readingEurostar secures financial support package (RailBusiness)
Eurostar has announced that it has reached a refinancing agreement with its shareholders and banks. The refinancing package of £250m1 mainly consists of additional equity and loans from a syndicate of banks2 guaranteed by the shareholders: SNCF, …
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