• London not Top 10 of world’s most crowded transit lines (SmartCitiesDive) • HSTs for London parcels trains? (RailMag) • Or HSTs to alleviate CrossCountry overcrowding (RailMag) • Flight-shaming is now a thing (RailwayTechnology) • Moscow Metro map design evolution (CityLab) • The ill-fated United Technologies Turbo train (Spacing) • Walkable neighbourhoods attracting investment over burbs (StreetsBlog) How Uber operates in London and why it is being banned On Our Line ...

With the aim to leverage renewable energy and reduce its carbon footprint, Network Rail has collaborated with Riding Sunbeams to use solar panels to power trains in south-east England and launched the first pilot scheme. On a sunny Wednesday morning on 17 July, commuters passing through Aldershot station witnessed something unusual on the platform. Passengers were greeted by  representatives from South Western Railway service and Riding Sunbeams, a project set up to deliver solar powered ...

• Rolling bridge proposed for Lea River crossing (IanVisits) • Dutch Railways looking to build homes above train tracks (NLTimes) • Berlin’s big push to improve its public transit (UrbDeZine) • Portland studies tunnel LRT East-West under downtown chokepoint (HumanTransit) • Goat herd clears California trackside vegetation (PeninsulaMoves) • No-one likes new doubled up BART fare gates (SFist) • How Vancouver changed its streetcars to right hand traffic (UBC) How Uber operates in ...

There is a European Union vehicle category for four-wheeled vehicles which are not technically cars. These are called “quadricycles”. The framework was developed in 2002 and further stipulates Light (L6e) or Heavy (L7e) categories. Curiously, these vehicles are covered by the same rules as mopeds(!) Micromobility/Service vs Automobility/Product Micromobility is minimalist mobility and as such it implies sharing — ownership is complexity.  Automobility is maximalist mobility and it ...

Although a number of new train fleets have been introduced onto the British rail network in recent years, with more still to come, they haven’t all met with universal passenger approval. Some have described the seats as “ironing boards”, a reference to their comparative hardness. Others have observed that the initial impressions might lead one to think that the seats are hard, but in fact they remain comfortable after a long journey. After a safe and punctual train, seats are probably the ...

Berlin-based company GEFERTEC has developed an innovative process that allows Deutsche Bahn to print heavy metal components for the first time. This will drastically reduce delivery times. To allow the company to produce a spare part at the push of a button, DB is creating construction templates for 3D printing from existing drawings and scanned objects. Deutsche Bahn started 3D printing – additive manufacturing – in 2015. It produced a simple, light grey coat hook made of plastic. There are ...

• UK cities pollution warning over car tyre & brake dust (BBC) • Utrecht transformed its bus stops into bee stops (BrightVibes) • Judge orders reinstatement of Madrid’s LEZ (CitiesToday) • Could Seattle build light rail faster? (SeattleTimes) • ‘Speed’ plot more plausible at 9mph (TransfersMag) • Railway station floorplans & sections (ArchDaily) • Slime on the line in Japan (Guardian) How Uber operates in London and why it is being banned On Our Line Podcast #8: ...

• ScotRail launches app for deaf passengers (RailTech) • Berlin considering Vienna’s euro-a-day public transport model (Guardian) • Banks steering maritime shipping toward climate goals (GreenBiz) • VW cheating scandal payback is funding US ebuses (Crosscut) • Fear of missing out is not good transport policy (CityLab) • St Louis MetroLink LRT carries record crowds (ProgressiveRailroad) • SF avoids fare integration at all costs (StreetsBlog) How Uber operates in London and why it ...

Amsterdam city transport operator GVB has called tenders for the supply of a collision warning system for its fleet of 155 Siemens Combino trams, saying this would assist tram drivers, help improve road safety in the increasingly busy city and reduce damage to its vehicles. GVB envisages that cameras or radar systems on the front of a vehicle would provide an audio and visual warning if there were a risk of a collision with another road user or an object on the line. Keep reading

Under a new European Union requirement that took effect on July 1, all new four-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) must be outfitted with a device that mimics the sound of an engine, reports the BBC.  The acoustic vehicle alert system has to turn on when the car reverses or drives below 12 mph, when the car is most likely to be near pedestrians. Some disability advocacy groups have argued the noise should be required at all speeds. The US will institute a similar requirement for new EVs ...

The Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC) uses the industrial internet of things and artificial intelligence to develop new predictive rail maintenance and performance management technologies. Passenger rail services in Japan have become a byword for efficiency, and the network spanning more than 27,000km remains one of the most utilised, punctual and least subsidised in the world. Ensuring that operations and maintenance (O&M) work is carried out in a timely fashion is central to this success. ...

• Hammersmith Highline best and winning entries (HydeParkNow) • 1845 graphic train schedule & tool (SandraRendgen) • Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs (PriceTags) • Billions spent in US highway boondoggles (CityLab) • Portland takes step backward to highway (StreetsBlog) • Sydney shifting highway spending to mass transit (SydneyMorning Herald) • Delhi’s eRickshaw system (UITP) How Uber operates in London and why it is being banned On Our Line Podcast #8: ...

The car brands in the Volkswagen Group–VW, Škoda, SEAT and Audi–are promoting last-mile ‘micromobility’ solutions including e-scooters. Why? Because the car era is coming to an end, at least for cities. That is the obvious conclusion from a July 3 posting from the group which states: “Answers are needed to avoid the threat of traffic collapse on the one hand and to meet the changing demands of modern mobility on the ...

• Seven colour blind Tube maps (BrilliantMaps) • SF Salesforce Transit Centre retake (Dirt) • The first org chart was by a railway (SandraRendgen) • Confessions of an electric scooter (McSweeneys) • When they used to crash trains for fun (AtlasObscura) • Changing gender perceptions in the rail industry (SmartRailWorld) How Uber operates in London and why it is being banned On Our Line Podcast #8: Talking Uber, Lyft and Mobility disruption You Hacked – Cyber-security and the ...

Battery-powered Stadler Flirt trains will operate in Schleswig-Holstein, with a range of 150 km under optimal conditions, although the longest non-electrified route they will operate on is around 80 km. The batteries will be recharged from the existing 15 kV 16·7 Hz overhead electrification. The CEO of Stadler Germany has this to say about the economics of battery trains: It makes us very proud that with the battery-powered Flirt we have not only managed to find an ecological and innovative ...