Wincanton backs £762m takeover offer from GXO amid bidding war Bosses at logistics giant Wincanton have agreed to the latest takeover offer from a US suitor following a battle to buy the firm. On Thursday, GXO Logistics – a US-based logistics group – revealed it had made a 605p-a-share cash offer for Wiltshire-headquartered Wincanton, valuing it at around £762 million.…
• Could ‘Great British Railways’ finally build up a head of steam? (The Guardian) • Go as you Please exhibition explores rail travel & disability (National Railway Museum) • Mini-Holland’ projects in London pay for themselves 10 times over (GCN) • Give my regards to… Broad Street’s final days (London Rail) • 280 million ebikes & mopeds are cutting demand…
But First, A Heathrow Pod Did you note that it runs on “roads’” controlled by lasers that guide the pods using the roads:’ kerbs. Simple? But The Paris Pod? It looks like a straightforward cable car but with no wire from which to dangle. But it is hauled by wire as in this example from Russia. Imagine, say, a cable…
Confused.com (2) Now fbb reckons that he is fairly well knowledgeable in matters ferroequinological even if the dates and detail fade into the depths of the cerebral coal measures. But the above picture baffled the old bloke. It was captioned BR class 37 with condensing tender. Most of us know about Metropolitan Railway tank locos with “condensing apparatus”, namely a big…
Confused.com (1) One of the delights of the interwebnet is that it throws up a huge amount of unexplained “stuff”. One such is the picture above which was simply captioned Carlisle Pier. Now fbb has done a bit of work in a past life for Cumbria council which necessitated spending some time in Carlisle. There is Carlisle … … and…
Hitachi Rail to deliver new generation trains for Naples Metro Line 6 in €200m deal The order will be carried out at Hitachi rail’s factories in Naples and Pistoia. Hitachi Rail has been awarded a contract to supply new generation trains for Naples Metro Line 6 by the Municipality of Naples. The €200 million contract will see Hitachi Rail manufacturer…
Strategic partnership announced between e-power ® and Commercial Fuel Solutions® A strategic partnership between Commercial Fuel Solutions Limited and European generator manufacturer e-power ® has been announced. The official agreement places responsibility on Commercial Fuel Solutions Limited to operate as the exclusive distributor for the Belgian manufacturer’s range of Hydrogen electrical power generators within the UK and Ireland. Recognised for…
• Rail Reform Bill: Too little too late (Rail Engineer) • Rail demand to exceed capacity under any scenario, says Steer (Rail Business UK) • TfL announces half-price travel for vulnerable young adults leaving care services (Ian Visits) • Transport in Île-de-France: a new year retrospective (Fabric of Paris) • Kolkata Line 3 extension trial runs begin (Metro Rail Guy)…
Freight Is The Future – Maybe Not? The future of freight, opines Richard Beeching, the Great and Good Doctor who, despite the misplaced opprobrium of railway enthusiasts, probably saved Britain’s railways from annihilation. He came up with the concept of “Liner” trains carrying container “boxes” One of the early Freightliner terminals to open was at Dudley on the site of…
Nostalgia Nuggets? An 1835 nap (above) shows the early Dudley next to a blob of parkland on top of which (a strip of red) is Dudley Castle. The castle was once a Motte and Bailey establishment (remember from school day history) which was later rebuilt, burnt down, rebuilt and left to become a ruin. And here is the castle hill…