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 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 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 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 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 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 …
Continue readingCrossrail is a £21B test of virtual modeling (IEEESpectrum)
Every component in Crossrail, London’s new underground train network, will be digitally tracked via an intricate 3-D model. As the River Thames meanders eastward through London, it horseshoes around a lobe of land called the Isle of …
Continue readingIndia to Finland rail alternative to Suez Canal (RailFreight)
The corridor from Russia to India was supposed to be the rail alternative to shipping via the Suez Canal. What happened to this International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC)? Is it finally complete? In this latest …
Continue readingHS2 concrete printing technology (RailwayTech)
The 3D concrete printing removes the need to develop logistical plans that are usually expensive. HS2’s London tunnels contractor Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture (SCS JV) is set to deploy on-site 3D reinforced concrete printing …
Continue readingWill Lane Rentals solve roadworks congestion? (Freewheeling)
I was talking to a regional bus company MD recently and they told me that their roadworks log typically stacks up 1,000 entries every year. Roadworks are bad for drivers but terrible for buses. Where …
Continue readingAssessment of crosswind risk on high speed trains (UIC)
In 2018, UIC published a White Paper on railway aerodynamics produced by the Railway System Department’s TTI Sector (https://www.shop-etf.com/fr/train-track-interaction-sector-aerodynamics). This field of study has been driven largely by the increasing speeds of high-speed passenger trains. …
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