Mass Transit

Bus or train? World’s first ‘dual-mode vehicle’ to begin operating in Japan – ET Auto

January 9, 2022

The train wheels lift the front tyres off the track while the rear wheels stay down to propel the DMV onto the railway.

TOKYO – It’s a bus, it’s a train, it’s a DMV! The world’s first dual-mode vehicle, equally at home on road and rail, is set to make its public debut on Saturday in the town of Kaiyo in Japan’s Tokushima prefecture.

The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tyres on the road. But when it arrives at an interchange, steel wheels descend from the vehicle’s underbelly onto the rail track, effectively turning it into a train carriage.

The train wheels lift the front tyres off the track while the rear wheels stay down to propel the DMV onto the railway.

The CEO of Asa Coast Railway company, which operates the DMVs, said the vehicles could help small towns like Kaiyo with an ageing and shrinking population, where local transport companies struggle to make a profit.

Energy, Environment, Green Friendly, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News

EGEB: Germany builds the world’s first hydrogen train filling station

August 21, 2020

Hydrogen trains in Germany

Germany breaks ground on the world’s first hydrogen filling station for passenger trains.

The town of Bremervörde in Lower Saxony, Germany, has broken ground on the world’s first hydrogen filling station for passenger trains. Chemical company Linde will construct and operate the hydrogen filling station for the Lower Saxony Regional Transport Company.

The station has a daily capacity of approximately 1,600kg of hydrogen, and it will replace the current mobile filling station, according to Railway Technology.

Construction is expected to start in September, and the station’s completion is planned for mid-2021.

Continue reading… “EGEB: Germany builds the world’s first hydrogen train filling station”

Alternative Transportation, Elon Musk, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News, Transportation

The Boring Company: Elon Musk shares stunning station image and bus details

August 2, 2020

The Boring Company founder Elon Musk shared the image with the caption “coming soon.”

The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s tunnel-digging venture, is getting ready to unveil its first public tunnel.

On Wednesday, Musk shared a new image with his 37 million Twitter followers. The new concept render appears to show one of the three stations planned for the Las Vegas Convention Center project. The two tunnels are designed to take 4,400 attendees per hour in one of two directions over a distance of nearly a mile. The work is part of a planned redevelopment of the center, and the tunnels are expected to be ready for the annual Consumer Electronics Show early next year.

Continue reading… “The Boring Company: Elon Musk shares stunning station image and bus details”

Inventions, Mass Transit, New Inventions, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Indian Railways to soon introduce these 20 in-house Made-in-India innovations

July 24, 2020

On the list is also a system to monitor real-time CCTV footage on board trains

The Western Railway has developed natural water coolers, with zero electric consumption, each at a cost of ₹1.25 lakh.

The North Central Railway has developed a vehicular system for ultrasonic flaw detection of rails.

The Railway Board has decided to implement 20 innovations by its employees to make train journeys safer and improve passenger comfort – such as a bell warning to alert travellers minutes before a train departs, real-time CCTV monitoring inside coaches, printing of unreserved tickets through mobile applications – on a mass scale.

While most of the 20 innovations are aimed at technical improvements to boost safety, some of the innovations are also directed at passenger comfort.

Continue reading… “Indian Railways to soon introduce these 20 in-house Made-in-India innovations”

China, Electric Vehicles, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News

Chinese electric buses roll out across Latin America

July 15, 2020

Cities across Latin America are cleaning their transport networks with Chinese electric buses – some quicker than others

If 2019 was a watershed year for Chinese electric buses in Latin America, in 2020 they became mainstream.

Latin American countries are moving towards cleaner public transport in their most populated cities. In the process, they have overcome existing entry barriers to the widespread rollout of the technology – driven globally by China – including scarcities of national financing models, charging points and trained personnel.

Manufacturers of Chinese electric buses stand out as the largest providers to the region. Adalberto Maluf, president of the Brazilian Association of Electric Vehicles and marketing director of Chinese maker BYD, said: “BYD sold 1045 buses last year in Latin America. This shows that the market is growing. It is not the size of the European market, or the US, but it’s already very close.”

In total, Latin America has 1229 electric buses in operation in 10 countries, including 563 ordinary buses, 624 trolleybuses and 41 midi e-buses, according to the new E-Bus Radar project led by the Sustainable Mobility Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Continue reading… “Chinese electric buses roll out across Latin America”

Automation, Driverless vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News

Taipei to start uncrewed bus road testing in May

March 23, 2020

DRIVERLESS: Autonomous vehicles are a solution to a shortage of nighttime bus drivers, officials said, with tests being conducted on Xinyi’s dedicated bus lanes

The Taipei Department of Transportation yesterday announced that it would start road tests for autonomous buses in May and allow city residents to take part in the trial services beginning in September.

The city government is looking to automated buses as a solution to the shortage of nighttime public vehicle drivers, officials from the transportation and information technology departments told a news conference.

Following the signing of a letter of intent between the city government and Turing Drive Co last year, the company submitted to the Ministry of Economic Affairs its “trial project for uncrewed vehicles with innovative technology.”

Continue reading… “Taipei to start uncrewed bus road testing in May”

bicycle, Latest Trend, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Study: Bike-share programs affect transit ridership

March 11, 2019

Introducing bike-share to a city correlates with an increase in light and heavy rail ridership, but a drop in bus ridership, according to a study from researchers at the University of Kentucky.

The study found a 1.8% decrease in bus ridership. In addition, heavy rail ridership experienced a decrease of 1.3% per year after ride-hailing services entered a market, while bus ridership saw a decrease of 1.7% per year. But the data found that bike-share had a positive effect on subway ridership, increasing it by 6.9%, and light rail ridership saw an uptick of 4.2%.

The study examined data from 2002-2018 in seven large U.S. cities: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, DC. It primarily relied on data from the National Transit Database as well as supplementary data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

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Aviation, Mass Transit, Transportation, Travel

The wild new passenger jet with no middle seats, ever

December 7, 2018

Fast and fierce: The Embraer E190-E2, nicknamed the Profit Hunter, is part of the E2 family of regional jets, which encompasses the E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E.

(CNN) — There’s a shark on the runway.

No, it’s not some nightmare scenario brought about by severe flooding, but a real-deal Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, painted up in a special great white shark livery.

In recent months, this ferocious flier has been turning heads and starring in travel Instagrams from the Maldives to South Africa while on a world tour and in October, it was spied at Nepal’s Kathmandu-Tribhuvan International Airport following a fly-past of Mount Everest.

Nicknamed the Profit Hunter, this is the show plane for Embraer’s E2 family of regional jets, which encompasses the E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2, and it’s stealing some of the attention that’s lately been lavished on its competitor, the Airbus A220.

Continue reading… “The wild new passenger jet with no middle seats, ever”

Business, Mass Transit, Transportation

Virgin Trains USA to start running through Florida

November 26, 2018

Brightline’s Miami-West Palm Beach link will be rebranded in 2019

Sir Richard Branson is extending his rail empire across the Atlantic. Virgin Group has announced that it will take a minority share in Brightline, a start-up train operator in Florida.

Brightline launched express services earlier this year from Miami via Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, with an extension to Orlando under construction and plans for a line to Tampa. It also intends to build a link between Las Vegas and southern California.

Continue reading… “Virgin Trains USA to start running through Florida”

Environment, government, Latest Trend, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News, Transportation

This country is the first in the world to offer free public transit

October 21, 2018

“There’s no doubt that we not only cover the costs, but also come out with a surplus.”

Estonia made waves in 2014 for becoming the first country to offer digital citizenship and for using blockchain technology to transform civic life.

Now the country is improving the physical experience of being a citizen by offering free public transportation.

After providing free public transportation for five years in the capital city of Tallinn, the Estonian government is ready to expand the service to the entire country, according to Pop-Up City.

Once that happens, anyone who has a “green card” can ride buses, trains, and ferries whenever and wherever — without charge.

The announcement makes Estonia the first country in the world to offer the service.

Continue reading… “This country is the first in the world to offer free public transit”

Ecological Products, Electric Vehicles, Mass Transit, Transportation

The world’s first hydrogen train is now in service

September 21, 2018

Two Coradia iLint trains have begun running a line in northern Germany.

The world’s first (and second) hydrogen-powered trains have entered service in northern Germany, marking the start of a new era for sustainable travel. Two Coradia iLint trains, made by Alstom, have begun working the line between Cuxhaven and Buxtehude just west of Hamburg. Until now, the nearly 100km-long line has been serviced by diesel trains, but will now play host to near-silent engines.

Continue reading… “The world’s first hydrogen train is now in service”

Alternative Transportation, Electric Vehicles, Mass Transit

Bombardier unveils a new battery-powered train

September 18, 2018

Once actually somewhat common, battery-powered trains, especially full-size ones, are less common these days as third-rail-powered and diesel trains have gained in popularity.

Bombardier is unveiling a new battery-powered train in Berlin this week – “the first of its kind to enter passenger operation in Europe in over 60 years.”

Continue reading… “Bombardier unveils a new battery-powered train”