Does Anybody Know Of A Covid Travel Consultancy?
There are a few places in Europe, that I’d like to go for a couple of days.
I can book all the train tickets and hotels myself, but what I would like is someone to review my route for a fee and send me a pack of all the things I need to do and take.
Countries, I would like to visit include France, Germany, Hungary and The Netherlands.
Six Operators Award Joint Contract For Up To 504 Tram-Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These are the first three paragraphs.
A consortium of six German and Austrian transport bodies has awarded Stadler a framework contract for the supply and maintenance of up 504 tram-trains worth €4bn, the largest contract in the Swiss company’s history.
The VDV TramTrain framework contract was awarded on January 14 by Karlsruhe’s VBK and AVG, Saarbrücken’s Saarbahn Netz, Schiene Oberösterreich, the Land of Salzburg and Zweckverband Regional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb.
It includes a €1·7bn firm order for the supply of 246 Citylink tram-trains over 10 years from 2024, and the provision of 16 years of maintenance. There are options to order up to 258 more vehicles and to extend the maintenance to 32 years.
That will keep the factories running for a few years.
Note that all these Stadler Citylink tram-trains are similar to the Class 399 tram-trains, that run between Sheffield and Rotherham.
More Stadler Citylink tram-trains will start running in the next couple of years in Cardiff.
I can also envisage these tram-trains being used on the following projects in the UK, if they were to go ahead.
- Reopening The Don Valley Section Of The Former Woodhead Line Between Stocksbridge and Sheffield Victoria To Passenger Services
- Beeching Reversal – South Yorkshire Joint Railway
- Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield
- Plans To Reopen The Brentford To Southall Railway
- Tram-Trains To Hale Station
- Manchester Metrolink To Gorton And Glossop
- Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Tram-Trains Between Sheffield And Doncaster-Sheffield Airport
- Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Renewal Of Supertram Network
- Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Tram-Train Route To A New Station At Waverley
- Could There Be A Tram-Train Between Ipswich And Felixstowe?
- Could A Class 399 Tram-Train With Batteries Go Between Manchester Victoria And Rochdale/Bury Bolton Street/Rawtenstall Stations?
Note.
- Six are extensions to the Sheffield Supertram network.
- Three projects are extensions to the Manchester Metrolink.
- These are possible orders, that if the projects go ahead would likely have Stadler Citylink as the first choice of tram!
- All the tram-trains would be of a similar design.
How many other projects are under discussion in Europe?
Conclusion
Stadler have designed a tram-train that everybody likes and that generates orders.
I think Stadler will soon need to increase production of these Citylink tram-trains.
Equipmake & Beulas Join Forces With Go-Ahead London: In-Service Trials Of New Double Deck Electric Bus To Begin Q1 2022
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release on the the Equipmake web site.
I was alerted to the bus by an item on BBC Breakfast this morning. It was before seven, so it should be easy to find on iPlayer.
These two paragraphs describe the bus.
Designed and developed in the UK, Equipmake’s Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) offers operators three modular battery pack options of up to 543kWh – the largest capacity battery of any two-axle double decker electric bus in the world. This delivers an unmatched electric driving range of up to 300 miles, which is more than sufficient to ensure the Jewel E can easily complete an entire duty cycle without the need to stop and recharge. Equipmake’s modular design enables operators the flexibility to scale the amount of battery throughout the life of a bus future-proofing it for a range of routes and distances.
The Jewel E is set to be manufactured in 2022 at an all-new facility in Norfolk. The vehicle body is produced by Beulas in Girona, Spain, a company with more than 87 years of experience in the sector. The vehicle chassis has been specifically designed for the Equipmake Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED) by Agrale in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a leading truck and Bus chassis manufacturer established in 1962.
Apparently, there’s a lot of Formula One expertise in the design.
Lithium In A California Lake Could Help U.S. Gain Energy Autonomy
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on NBC News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The ingredient crucial to electric car batteries is found in the brine of the Salton Sea, a once-busy recreation spot that fell into decay because of toxic runoff.
So where is the Salton Sea?
This Google Map shows the Salton Sea in the middle of the Californian desert.
It looks like a rather bleak hot place to me.
But if we can extract lithium out of little Cornwall, surely the Yanks can extract it from a dying lake.
The Anonymous Widower 