Your smartphone is utterly packed to the brim with sensor of all kinds. Some of those are out in the open, like the cameras our phones use to image their surroundings, while others are hidden …
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Project to utilise muons to assess integrity of aging transport infrastructure (TheEngineer)
Glasgow University’s Dr David Mahon has received £459,000 from UKRI’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to support the project, which aims to reduce the cost and environmental impact of repairs to road and rail bridges by enabling …
Continue readingYes, AI really can be used to tackle potholes, efficiently (JamesO’Malley)
… Potholes vs AI The way that your local authority currently maintains the roads is probably pretty torturous. Typically, the council employs a team of highway safety inspectors, whose job it is to go out …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 20 January 2025
• TfL aims to use more AI to improve platform safety (BBC) • UK’s 20mph speed limits ‘are cutting car insurance costs’ (The Guardian) • Underfunded and Overwhelmed: The Struggle for Public Transit Funding in …
Continue readingThermal imaging keeps trains on the move during cold snap (RailUK)
Network Rail is using pioneering technology to keep passengers on the move during this week’s spell of extremely cold weather by using thermal imaging drones. The drones, which are now used routinely on the West …
Continue readingVery Light Rail – VLR – an update on 2 train designs (RailEngineer)
Revolution VLR Malcolm Dobell described the Revolution VLR (RVLR) in Issue 193 (Nov-Dec 2021). Design of this demonstrator vehicle started in 2018, construction in 2019, and the vehicle was completed in 2021. It was then …
Continue readingNovel software to assess TfL train platform interface clearances (RailwayGazette)
TfL is a longstanding client of D/Gauge engineering and consultancy services, and is now also using the Cloud-based gauging platform which has been configured to suit its clearance standards, reporting outputs, and vehicle models. As well …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 6 December 2024
• TBMs prepare to bring HS2 to London Euston (Rail Advent) • Does TfL owe you money? (London Centric) • Google Street View has added London’s tube stations to its maps (Ian Visits) • Prosecuting …
Continue readingBlocking the Bus Lane? Cities Are Using AI To Find & Fine You (NextCity)
Transit agencies in America’s biggest cities are working with startup Hayden AI to catch drivers blocking the bus by deploying cameras on buses. Think you can pull over and park in a bus lane to …
Continue readingShark-style skins are cutting aircraft fuel use, could be applied to high speed trains (IMechE)
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 …
Continue readingMunicipal Speeding Reduction of 64% in Intelligent Speed Assistance Trial (CityOfNewYork)
The New York City Intelligent Speed Assistance Pilot Evaluation report found that speeding incidences were reduced by 64% compared to pre-ISA testing. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) in partnership with the U.S. Department …
Continue readingŠkoda operates autonomous driverless tram in Finnish tram depot (RailAdvent)
Škoda Group has carried out a demonstration in Finland of a tram being driven autonomously without a driver. Škoda’s breakthrough took place at a tram depot at Tampere Finland, with a tram fitted with its Smart Depot …
Continue readingKorea Great Train eXpress metro installs transparent OLED window displays (OLEDInfo)
LG Display announced that Korea’s newly launched Great Train eXpress (GTX) subway service has installed the company’s 55″ transparent OLED displays in the cabin windows. This is the first subway service in Korea to install …
Continue readingNetwork Rail AI projects tackle ‘ever changing’ risks to trains & passengers (IMechE)
Trains face countless risks across the almost 16,000km of track in Great Britain. From misuse of level crossings to overhanging trees, Network Rail works with partners across the network to protect passengers from a wide …
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 …
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