Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of NFI of Winnipeg, is partnering with Big Rig Manufacturing to make 50 electric double deckers a year at a Las Vegas plant The UK’s largest bus manufacturer, Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of Winnipeg-based NFI Group Inc., is jumpstarting production on a line of zero-emission double decker buses in North America as demand surges. Late last…
Reconnections’ Miscellany: Technical Plots – October 2023
More Autonomous People you’ll meet in Transport BDSM – Buses do so much BESS – battery energy storage system Comment Colonels – Armchair experts ready to comment to the death on their favourite topic, armed with nothing more than gusto and dodgy references. ETHEL – Electric Train Heating Ex-Locomotive, an old loco placed behind a steam engine to provide heat and light…
Simething Old, Something New (1)
The Council Says It Is Wonderful! The centre retains some of its market town charm. But The Council was talking about the improved (?) bus services from this coming Sunday. Changes are being implemented to the Daventry Stagecoach bus services to improve the work, leisure and shopping transport links for residents. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been working with Stagecoach to improve…
Zero Emission 08e shunter for sustainable depot operations launched (RailUK)
Positive Traction has launched the UK’s first re-engineered battery powered shunting locomotive – the 08e. Free from carbon, NOx and particulate emissions the 08e can fulfil day-to-day operating needs as well as meet the demanding ESG requirement of shareholders, customers, employees and neighbouring communities. Invited guests from the Railfreight sector & facility operators, UK government & local authorities as well…
Suited for Success Hits the Road
Get on board the new bus bringing free employment services to West Midlands communities Suited for Success, an award-winning Birmingham charity dedicated to empowering unemployed individuals with confidence-boosting interview skills and clothing, is proud to announce the launch of its new initiative: the Suited for Success Employment Bus. The new pop-up employment bus is the next step in the charity’s…
Not The Best Tuesday Ever
It Started Badly Whilst fbb and his Mrs were enjoying their morning mugga in bed (prepared by fbb with consummate culinary skill) all the power went off. Investigation showed that the “kitchen sockets” circuit was tripping the RSA circuit breaker (PQR, CSO, PSU???) – which sounded serious. First task was to get a separate unbroken feed to the fridge freezer…
Ex-fighter pilot, now researcher, challenges autonomous vehicle safety (BusinessInsider)
In 2021, an engineer named Missy Cummings drew the ire of Elon Musk on the social network then called Twitter. A professor at Duke University, Cummings had conducted research on the safety of self-driving cars, and the findings led her to issue some stark warnings about Tesla’s driver-assistance tech. The cars, she wrote, had “variable and often unsafe behaviors” that required more…
Technology For Turning A Train!
Inspired By The Corris Railway! Apart from a very few modern examples, it is no longer necessary to think about turning trains round. They come as a close coupled unit usually with power spread throughout the carriages. So gone are the days when a mildly interested passenger asked “what is on the front”? What’s on the front could also be…
Health effects of transport noise (TransportReviews)
The relationship between transport noise and health outcomes is complex, in part because of the large number of factors involved as well as the range of health impacts, both direct and indirect. To enable the reader to come to grips with the complexity, we have divided the health outcomes into groups: those that are more directly linked to transport noise…
Monday’s Friday Reads – 23 October 2023
• TfL & Google Maps collaborate to make cycling better for Londoners & world (TfL) • Glasgow Subway services could soon run later (Glasgow Live) • ULEZ already raising air quality at 144 more London schools (OnLondon) • German cities offering free public transport to drivers turning in their licence (EuroNews) • East West Rail construction progress, incl. Great Central Ry segment…