• The evolution of Piccadilly line trains from 1891 to 2025 (RailEngineer) • Sleeper trains gaining as Continent aims to cut carbon emissions (Bloomberg) • Istanbul’s massive metro & tram expansion forges ahead (MetroReport) • …
Continue readingYear: 2021
Luxury car EV converter Lunaz making EV trucks (ThisIsMoney)
Having established its reputation as a world-leader transforming luxury classics such as Range Rovers 4X4s, Bentleys and Rolls-Royce limousines and Jaguar sports cars to run as zero-emissions – at a cost of between £240,000 and …
Continue readingReconnections’ Miscellany: Transport Laws – July 2021
Roger Ford’s Informed Sources Laws First Law – Never assume railways are rational organisations. Second Law = You can’t have too many spanners. Third Law = Always distrust schedules based on the seasons. Fourth Law …
Continue readingDB reactivating 20 decommisioned routes (RailTech)
Deutsche Bahn will revive 20 lines with a total of 245 kilometers of track. “Every kilometer of track is active climate protection”, says DB Network Board Member Jens Bergmann. Deutsche Bahn presented its plans on Tuesday …
Continue readingA cheaper, cobalt-free battery? (Hyperdrive)
I’m going to geek out here. Let’s talk battery chemistry. Automakers and battery suppliers are in an R&D race to come up with the next low-cost battery. The one move that is increasingly seen as …
Continue readingGB Railfreight brings abandoned Midlands terminal back to life (RailFreight)
An abandoned steel works site and a long disused rail terminal have finally been brought back to commercial life. GB Railfreight and a consortium of business interests have collaborated to bring operations back to Stanton …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 28 June 2021
• Mobile phone coverage coming to Underground tunnels (IanVisits) • Euston Station goes live with British Sign Language screens (Railway-Tech) • Barcelona accelerating link to connect tram networks (Tramways&UrbanTransit) • Grand by design: History of …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 25 June 2021
• More details on Oxford Circus pedestrianisation plans (IanVisits) • Can removing highways fix America’s cities? (NYTimes) • The many different tunnels under Washington DC (CityLab) • Sankay Flows show transport still 2nd largest use …
Continue readingThe Hierarchy of Infrastructure Needs (Transportist)
The figure [below] shows the “Hierarchy of Infrastructure Needs”. It offers a useful organizational tool for considering the priorities of transport investment. Borrowing from Abraham Maslow, it suggests that the first priority, at the base of …
Continue readingSeaglider all-electric flying-ferry concept for Brittany (ElectricHybrid)
Seaglider: All-electric ‘flying ferry’ concept unveiled – A new all-electric craft concept has been unveiled that foils like a hydrofoil and flies like a plane – all with the comfort and convenience of a ferry. …
Continue readingELASTIC project stretches tram sensor tech (MetroReport)
Three trams and three tram stops in Firenze have been equipped with sensing, computation and communication capabilities as part of the Software Architecture for Extreme-ScaLe Big-Data AnalyticS in Fog CompuTIng ECosystems project to develop autonomous …
Continue readingLignin supercapacitor ‘game changer’ for electric transport (TheEngineer)
Scientists from Imperial College London and University College London (UCL) have used lignin to create a new generation of low-cost, high-energy supercapacitors to power electric vehicles. The cheaper, more sustainable and energy-dense electrode material could …
Continue readingNetwork Rail develops composite, sculptural footbridge (ConstructionIndex)
Network Rail has developed a new footbridge design, made from plastic and quicker to install. Network Rail says that the innovative circular bridge is set to ‘revolutionise’ the way footbridges are built over the tracks. …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 21 June 2021
• This is not an Oxford Circus tube station upgrade (Variably) • Deciphering The Stratford Diagram (DiamondGeezer) • Can this electric hydrofoil save Venice from sinking? (Electric&Hybrid) • Bringing the Park back to Park Avenue, …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 18 June 2021
• Oxford Circus to be part pedestrianised (IanVisits) • Manchester Victoria’s Telpher (RogerFarnworth) • The last Zeppelin flight: the 1939 spy mission (MarkFelton) • Ememem’s (not that one) street mosaics (MyModernMet) • Vancouver’s Broadway SkyTrain …
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