All things Rail

Union Station

David — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:15:33 +0000

Got myself one of those mini-HD cameras. I assume at some point YouTube will add the “HD” button next to the vid. Anyway, this is my first effort. Posted in US Rails, Video

Britain’s first high-speed commuter line

David — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:51:29 +0000

Cutting almost an hour off the journey to Ashford, Kent, Britain unveiled it’s first high-speed commuter line on its only high-speed rail line. Whilst not exactly a revolutionary day for UK commuters – up to 508 passengers per train will benefit from a limited service until the full service commences in December – it is [...]

The Italian AGV

David — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:48:17 +0000

The recently opened line between Milan and Naples will soon be seeing a new fleet of Red AGVs hurtling along it’s length thanks to a new private rail company using the Open Access initiative being applied to Europe’s rail lines. They will be competing with Italy’s national rail operator, Ternitalia, providing services on the 560km [...]

High Line, New York

David — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:48:44 +0000

Urban rail projects have their ups and down (and ups again); once seen as unfashionable and no longer in keeping with “modern” thinking, rail lines are abandoned, forgotten, dismantled. In 1930s New York, on the Western side of Manhattan, an elevated rail line was built as part of a regeneration project aimed at removing rail [...]

Japan’s longest rail crossing closed

David — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:15:07 +0000

In order to have had the moniker “Japan’s longest railway crossing” it makes you wonder what is now the longest crossing and whether there is a World’s longest railway crossing… The 130-meter-wide crossing in Akishima, Tokyo, was located near Haijima Station, which is served by several Japan Railways and Seibu lines. Upon the completion of a [...]

High Speed USA

David — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:32:22 +0000

Some news stories that grabbed by eye in the past few days. One interesting comment is that the NY Times article suggests that the Obama administration put 13Billion into high speed rail development; this would contradict other reports suggesting 8billion had been earmarked. Additionally, it is interesting to read in the latter two articles that [...]

British Railways WW2 posters

David — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:43:41 +0000

British Railways posters reminding the public not to travel. It would be all too easy to suggest that they haven’t exactly tried to change this message in recent years, but I will resist the temptation. BBC News Posted in British Rail, Routes & Nostalgia

Spain’s AVE in review

David — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:08:37 +0000

The Wallstreet Journal has written an aricle, that coincides with the US launching it’s official launching of high-speed rail in US, observing the development of high speed rail in Spain. It touches on the point that before the rail network was started the Spanish didn’t travel much around the country. Now with an expanding rail [...]

Early Monorails

David — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:31:46 +0000

Dark Roasted Blend Posted in Monorails

US High Speed rail plan

David — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:29:05 +0000

As much as I believe the US needs this, and as much as I would love to see it happen, I can’t help thinking that the money put aside by the federal government wouldn’t actually get anything done. It would probably cost that much to improve the commuter line West of Chicago (where I currently [...]