Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), part of the MSC Group, has converted its ferry Splendid into a floating hospital equipped to assist patients suffering from Covid-19 in Genoa, Italy, along with those convalescing from the illness. …
Continue readingCategory: COVID
Friday Reads – 17 April 2020
• The Social Distancing Machine for pedestrians (PriceTags) • New Zealand first to fund pop-up bike lanes & widened sidewalks (Forbes) • Climate Safe Streets: life without cars in 10 years (TransportXtra) • Rail station …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 13 April 2020
• Vauxhall bus station set for demolition (IanVisits) • Underground tubes used for WWII bunker (Xenophon) • Photos to vector diagrams of public spaces (UrbanNext) • Manchester rethinking zebra crossings (CityMetric) • World cities turn …
Continue readingHeritage railways ready to provide manpower (RailBusiness)
Heritage railways across the UK are on standby to provide experienced staff to Network Rail, to fill key worker shortages expected to be caused by Covid-19 (coronavirus). In response to a call from Network Rail, …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 10 April 2020
• Survey of city actions to support walking, cycling during COVID (PedBikeInfo) • Coronavirus reveals transit’s true mission (CityLab) • Free rail travel to those fleeing domestic abuse during lockdown (RailDeliveryGroup) • We need to …
Continue readingIndia converting sleeper trains to bed wards (Quartz)
Indian Railways has offered to join the fight against coronavirus. On March 28, railway minister Piyush Goyal said his team could convert coaches of some trains into isolation wards. Following a nation-wide lockdown that began …
Continue readingMail returns to West Coast Main Line (RailFreight)
Britain’s commercial backbone railway is carrying everything vital to the continued economic activity of the UK. That includes the Royal Mail. With greatly reduced passenger services now running, freight has become far more visible on …
Continue readingBART shifts to station work during slowdown (ProgRailroading)
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crews are taking advantage of a 90 percent drop in ridership and early station closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic to work on capital improvement projects. BART moved 200 maintenance and engineering …
Continue readingCOVID-19 prompts more robot usage (RobotReport)
The novel coronavirus has increased interest in robots, drones, and artificial intelligence, even as some testing of autonomous vehicles pauses on public roads. These technologies can help deal with massive staffing shortages in healthcare, manufacturing, and …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 3 April 2020
• Victoria Embankment and cholera – urban form & disease (Guardian) • The fashionable history of social distancing (TheConversation) • Dirty air, tailpipes & COVID-19 (TransportWeekly) • The Congestion Con: more lanes means more traffic …
Continue readingTitanium dioxide proven for disinfecting trains (RailTech)
Titanium dioxide has proved its efficiency for cleaning and disinfecting trains. It reduces the number of bacteria inside the carriages up to 99 per cent. The tests have been carried out by the Polish regional …
Continue readingFree EBike loan for London health workers (TheVerge)
Key National Health Service (NHS) workers in London are being offered a three-month e-bike loan to help them commute to work while social distancing. There are currently 20 Gocycle GS loaner e-bikes available, with more …
Continue readingSNCF deploys hospital TGV for COVID (RailwayGazette)
SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 30 March 2020
• Manchester Metrolink opens Trafford Park line (MetroReport) • The longest ever individual load on rails (RogerFarnworth) • Budapest’s busy tram network (TheUrbanist) • Toronto & Vancouver look into closing roads for social distancing (Globe&Mail) …
Continue readingMore robots assisting railways (RailTech)
The spread of coronavirus around the world and particularly in Europe has made the use of unmanned technologies more vital. In this regard, robots could be a solution for cleaning and disinfecting trains or stations. Where …
Continue reading