Covered in tiny structures known as dermal denticles, the ribbed pattern of shark skin reduces drag across their surface, allowing some species to swim at 50km/h. Others can dart forward even faster over short distances. Such a …
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Friday Reads – 1 November 2024
• End of “Euston Rush” as train companies improve boarding announce times (Ian Visits) • TfL seizes 1,400 vehicles from drivers who ignore Ulez fines (Guardian) • Local businesses want all of Soho to be …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 21 October 2024
• Possible Scope of Sadiq Khan’s plans for Oxford Street (On London) • TfL Invites Bids for New London Trams Fleet (Rail Technology) • The Rise, Fall, & Rise Again of the Leeds Tram (Railway …
Continue readingHow sustainable are aviation biofuels really? (Anthropocene)
Jet biofuels are not necessarily less carbon intensive than fossil fuels, say researchers. In a side-by-side comparison of emissions, they found some grasses performed best. Two types of perennial grasses offer the greatest global potential …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 2 September 2024
• Unusual London Overground trip via Primrose Hill is possible this coming weekend (Ian Visits) • York’s original railway station to open to public for one Oct weekend only (The Railway Hub) • Heathrow Rail …
Continue readingPlanes still bad: Modern carbon-efficient models worse for climate change than older types (E+T)
A study has found that even though modern commercial aircraft emit less carbon than their predecessors, they could be contributing more to climate change due to their longer-lived planet-warming contrails. Contrails, or vapour trails, are …
Continue readingThe first US airline to launch automated tag for mobility devices (AmericanAirlines)
American Airlines is the first U.S. airline to launch an automated tag for mobility devices, part of an ongoing commitment to improve wheelchair and mobility device handling across its network. Developed in-house by American’s Technology …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 23 August 2024
• ScotRail peak fares to return as Scottish Government scraps pilot (STV News) • Ministers approve London City Airport passenger expansion despite climate concerns (E+T) • Union dispute shuts down Canadian freight rail amid fears …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 19 August 2024
• Riding the rails: a visual guide to the latest stretch of the Sydney Metro (The Guardian) • Thousands to be refunded after rail fare evasion convictions declared void (LBC) • New developer funding found …
Continue readingRail’s Market Share against Air: A Global Review (HotRails)
It has long been recognised – at least as far back as 1988, during planning for the Channel Tunnel – that the market share achieved by a rail service against an airline serving the same …
Continue readingNetwork Rail’s Eye in the Sky: Podcast (RailTechnology)
Head of Air Operations at Network Rail, Bradley Sparkes, and National Aerial Survey Specialist, Sean Leahy offer some fascinating insight into how Network Rail patrols the British railway from the sky, identifying faults on helicopter …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 27 May 2024
• Why journeys from the UK are about to become much trickier (The Guardian) • c2c’s oldest trains to get major refurbishment (Ian Visits) • What’s really going on with high-speed rail in the US? …
Continue readingCarcroft Common agreed as site to build Airlander 10 airship (TheEngineer)
Carcroft Common in Doncaster has been agreed as the site for Hybrid Air Vehicles to build Airlander 10 aircraft at a rate of up to 24 units per year. Hybrid Air Vehicles will now work …
Continue readingSpain may create a short-haul flight ban: Here’s how to avoid France’s ban’s gaps (JonWorth)
France managed to make a huge splash by banning some short haul flights earlier this year. It managed to gain the country’s government massive positive publicity. Now in the talks to form a new coalition in …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 13 November 2023
• The Most Dangerous Spots for Cyclists in London (Bloomberg CityLab) • Edinburgh to be first Scottish city to ban pavement parking (BBC) • Modernizing New York Commuter Rail (Effective Transit Alliance) • Russia said …
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