Monthly Archives: February 2024

Friday Reads – 9 February 2024

• Battery traction trial ahead as TransPennine Express fortunes improve (Railway Gazette) • New £2bn Edinburgh tramline to be put to public consultation (New Civil Engineer) • History of psychological tricks TfL trialed to make London’s tube faster (Wired) • Mind the Gap: Underknown Underground Mapmakers revealed (Bryars & Bryars) • Debunking the Bus that Does Not Stop (BusAndTrainUser) •…

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Off To University (5)

Ecgbald’s Town** : A Bit Posh … … and largely under the control of the Calthorpe family who gave the land for the University. The family did not permit industrial development on their land, so it became a haven for the wealthier strata of Birmingham Society. ** Today we call it Edgbaston. Trams, transport for the “lower orders” did not…

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‘They wouldn’t be seen dead on a bus’

  There are times in the bus sector when some organisations and individuals appear embarrassed to be associated with bus travel   It’s rare to stumble across a business or sector where you get that disconcerting vibe that those at the helm would deep down rather not be doing what they’re doing and would prefer to be elsewhere. One example…

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Let’s have some detail from Labour

  While Labour’s intention to repeal the minimum service levels legislation is clear, not much else is. We’ve heard little of substance  Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the duopoly at the top of Labour   I see that Germany has been hit by a wave of strikes by 90,000 transport workers affecting rail, bus and air services. Workers are demanding…

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Why AI isn’t a silver bullet for buses

The true measure of success of the latest transport technologies lies in the hands of the people who know the industry best  Bus systems are influenced by a myriad of real-world factors  BY Brian O’Rourke From self-driving cars to artificial intelligence (AI) – we’ve been through the tech hype cycles that were big news when they broke, and then just…

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Building a more diverse team

At First Bus we are helping to futureproof the industry with a diverse apprenticeship programme  Maddi Simmons joined First Bus’s engineering programme after her daily bus commute to and from college sparked an interest in the sector   From the granite streets of Aberdeen right down to the Cornish coast, First Bus is proud to be one of the UK’s…

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Ukrzaliznytsia and its ‘iron people’

On a recent visit to Ukraine I was inspired to meet so many brave, committed and talented people, who believe in the power of rail  This shell-damaged wagon was carrying civilian evacuees  BY David Brown I recently had the honour of visiting Ukraine as part of an international delegation working with the Global Ukraine Rail Taskforce in partnership with the…

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‘Tap-in, tap-out’ train travel trial for 2025

Over 90 rail stations in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester will be included in ‘pay as you go’ schemes, moving towards a London-style system  Stations across the West Midlands and selected routes in Greater Manchester are to participate in the trial   Rail users in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester will benefit from simpler, more flexible travel from…

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Out now: Issue 306 of Passenger Transport

Issue 306 of Passenger Transport is published on February 9. Contents include:    LEAD STORY ‘Tap-in, tap-out’ train travel trial for 2025 Over 90 rail stations in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester will be included in ‘pay as you go’ schemes, moving towards a London-style system  NEWS Mayoral precept to be invested in buses Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority…

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