#electrification pop quiz: somewhere in South London there is a section of rigid bar overhead electrification in amongst all of the third rail. (Trams don't count)
Nothing sums up the madness of current UK rolling stock policy better than a 7 year old 125mph bi-mode express EMU running on a local commuter route (Bristol to Gloucester) with no electrification and a speed profile that doesn't touch 100mph. Meanwhile my connecting express train to/from London is another 5 car like this one instead of a 10 car; and thus is rammed solid with people #railways
A red plaque at Queen Street Station in Glasgow marking the opening of Scotland's first inter-city passenger rail service in 1842 between here and Haymarket Station in Edinburgh.
Well, well, well... if you were wondering where the state-support for the #railways was going (as it certainly hasn't been driving down fairs), it would seem that the train-leasing sector is have a very good time.
Kevin Farnsworth has a term for this: 'corporate welfare' - the funnelling of taxpayers money into #corporate pockets with little regard for the impact on #voters interests....
Where there's a subsidy, there's a firm capturing it for their shareholders.
This is "Times of Progress", a #city builder set during the industrial revolution where you produce, transport and manage resources while keeping your population happy.
Laying out #railways is a key part of increasing the efficiency of your city.
É muito frequente passar por uma qualquer localidade em Portugal sem comboio e encontrar uma estação de comboio 🤡
Ramal de Montemor-o-Novo que ligava à L. Alentejo, fechado em 89
We're approaching the end of the #Railways and #OpenTransport devroom at #FOSDEM. Now in the stage is Mikolai from the #transportr app. Next up: Nils talking about heritage railways and a call to the software community.
Make sure to be there a few minutes earlier, the room is still fully crowded!
Great start into the day! The #Railways and #OpenTransport devroom was already full before the programme started. We kick off the devroom with a talk about the open standards and open data in the transportation sector.
The upcoming talks will have a closer look at passenger simulation and long- and short-term planning before we go into the daily operations from different perspectives, especially the community.
Budapest to Lyon: Why I chose to take a night train with my 6 year-old son instead of a flight
It was my six-year-old son who figured out a way to make that happen. Engrossed in a picture book about trains, he came across one that depicted a family sleeping peacefully in a couchette.
An old photo from the 1950s of an unguarded railway crossing in Washington NE England. Brought nearly up to date courtesy of Google Streetmap and GIMP.
(The bus which stopped outside my house in the 1960s used to terminate here :) )
Brady Square in Washington (Now Tyne and Wear)
(Original photo: W.R.E. Lewis courtesy J.W. Armstrong Trust.
New Image: Google Streetmap) #TimeTravel#1950s#GIMP#Washington#England#NEEngland#Durham#Railways
'The way you make [disruption] less costly in the long run is by spending more money upfront to build a more robust & resilient system in the first instance.... But the do-nothing option costs a lot more money over a longer period'!
Welcome to another #RailwaysExplained thread... a while back I asked for ideas and @DiegoBeghin suggested something on AC versus DC electrification. So here goes!
#UK#Railways#Trains#Privatization#Austerity: "Similar things happen throughout our depleted public sector, whether it’s run by private companies or the tattered remains of the state. By letting flood defences crumble, the government’s balance sheet looks better, but much greater costs are passed to households and their insurers. By triggering, through austerity, a crisis in special educational needs provision, the Tories dump untold misery on families, in some cases forcing parents to give up their jobs to care for their children. By allowing the water companies to cut corners, the government ensures that swimmers and surfers are poisoned and tourism and hospitality businesses go under.
There are no savings from austerity and privatisation, just a wholesale shifting of costs. The rich pay less tax and the public service companies in which they own shares make greater profits. The rest of us pick up the bill."