Something I love about rail travel (in the US) is that you see the backside of every town and city. The highway shows you the front they dress up for company. The railroad shows you the real place, history, neglect, weeds, and all.
I grew up in a railroad town, a place that exists because the railroad needed a stop there. Riding through these towns, it's like seeing my hometown turned inside out.
Looks like the #Northumberland Line is becoming quite popular despite some stations not yet being completed…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74nq19w100o
Italy's new high-speed rail looks to lift the south.
Italy's high-speed railway is finally pressing into the heart of the underdeveloped south in the hope that the new network will help reverse years of depopulation and lift the lacklustre economy.
The 145km line will connect the cities of Naples on the Mediterranean coast to Bari on the shores of the Adriatic in just two hours, against four at present.
Alessandra Migliaccio scrive che il #mezzogiorno si definisce come l'Italia a sud di Napoli. L'Aquila, Campobasso, Benevento e Barletta promosse sul campo (di Telese Terme).
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-04-11/italy-train-travel-new-naples-to-bari-link-connects-south-with-europe (https://archive.ph/NPV4g#selection-1427.29-1427.115)
Complimenti al genio che l'ha venduta a Bloomberg News, ma mi viene qualche dubbio sull'affidabilità del resto dell'articolo dove si cantano le lodi della linea ad alta capacità Napoli-Bari e dei tunnel di base di 27 km.
HS2 boss urges patience amid uncertainty over station timeline
Today's historic photo of the day: Exactly 40 years ago today, Adelaide Redhen diesel railcar no 436 runs an Adelaide-bound trip from the Hills line (Belair or Bridgewater), at Keswick, SA, April 9 1985.
The Redhens (300 class single enders and 400 class double enders) were introduced by the South Australian Railcars between 1955 and 1971 to run broad gauge suburban Adelaide passenger #rail services. They were versatile, able to run as single units (as here) or in trains of up to 6 cars.
Italian rail operator reveals a €1bn investment to tackle Eurostar's monopoly.
Italian railway group Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) has revealed plans to launch a high-speed rail service between Paris and London.
Set to be launched by 2029, the service will challenge Eurostar’s long-running monopoly on the route.
The project would be carried out in partnership with Spanish firm Evolyn.
I guess it doesn't come as a big surprise. (But it's important to quantify, don't get me wrong!)
Could you reach an evaluation of the weekly distance travelled with/without #telework, given that frequency decreases but distance increases? And will the increased distance+reduced frequency also lead to changing #transportation mode? (ideally #car → #rail, but could be #bike → #car too…)
This short video about the sunsetting of "A Box" at Wellington Railway Station is well worth a watch. As a bittersweet window into the working lives of the otherwise invisible KiwiRail workers who keep our rail systems running smoothly;
https://peertube.nz/w/fx4Sfge5mPAWQyC4aQBAet
But also as a snapshot of how little development our rail systems have had since most of it was corporatised in 1991, and renationalised in 2008. Some of the gear in A Box is almost a century old.
(1/2)
The £5 million "First of a Kind" (FOAK) competition, launched on 7 April 2025, aims to enhance the passenger #rail experience through cutting-edge technology. Funded by the government and managed by Innovate #UK, the competition focuses on accessibility, safety, #AI, and #sustainability. It supports projects that improve passenger experience, such as level boarding, AI-driven sustainability, and tools for reporting anti-social behaviour, particularly addressing issues like violence against women. The competition also aims to boost rail efficiency and reduce waste. Previous winners, like #Trains with Brains and One Big Circle, have already improved safety and efficiency on the #railways. Applications are open until 28 May 2025, with an online briefing on 8 April. The initiative supports economic growth and aims to make rail travel safer, more accessible, and reliable.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/passenger-experience-put-first-in-multimillion-pound-competition-driving-rail-innovation
Go-ahead for plans to convert historic York building welcomed by railway bosses
Great Central Railway showcases heritage preservation project - BBC News
Fantastic video here by @alanthefisher on how America once led the world at train electrification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nym3sQhkhww #train #rail #railways #railway
Northumberland rail line restoration to get £255k to fix bridge - BBC News
Rail Transit and Population Density in 250 Cities
To look at this, we’ve created maps of major #rail #transit lines and stations (rapid transit, regional rail, LRT) overlaid onto population density for 250 of the most populated #urban regions around the globe.
By the percentage of population within one kilometer of rail transit, Hong Kong, Osaka, and Madrid ranked highest. With NYC coming in the highest in North America.
https://schoolofcities.github.io/rail-transit-and-population-density/
