Honda’s NSX Factory Is Shifting To Plug-In Hydrogen CR-V Production
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article on Road and Track.
Passengers Of Reduced Mobility And The Elizabeth Line
I took these pictures at Whitechapel station and they show the preferred wheelchair entry point to the Class 345 train and the central car of the train, which has four wheelchair spaces.
Note.
- The well-signed wheelchair entrance to the train.
- Thw four wheelchair spaces are in the middle car of the train.
- There is no step into the train.
- The roundels also have directions to other lines and the way out.
The car also has longitudinal seating and lots of vertical grab rails.
I do find it strange that London is very much alone in the UK in using this seating design.
Is This Normal Behaviour Of Lizzie Line Passengers?
Suppose I’m using the Lizzie Line to go between Moorgate and Brentwood, I might get on the first train, if the one I need is not the first.
I will then change to the train I need at an intermediate station.
It’s just that the seats in the trains are more comfortable than those on the stations. My journey time will be the same, but my bottom will be pleased!
These are typical hard steel station seats.
And these are upholstered ones on a train.
In today’s weather the trains were also a bit warmer!
Do other passengers do this?
Hyperion XP-1 Hydrogen Car Unveiled With 1,000-mile Range
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the specification of the hydrogen-powered Hyperion XP-1.
- 1,000 mile range.
- No batteries as it uses supercapacitors.
- Five minute refuelling time
- All-wheel drive
- 221 mph top speed
- 0-to-60 mph in 2.2 seconds
- Weighs just over a tonne
- Carbon-titanium monocoque
- Outrageous styling
Unbelievable!
Wrightbus Hydrogen Fleet Cover 1,5 Million Miles
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Central.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Leading bus manufacturer Wrightbus’s fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell buses have travelled a staggering 1.5 million miles since first entering service.
This latest milestone from the Ballymena-based firm means the hydrogen fuel-cell fleet has prevented 2,366 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions entering the atmosphere compared to journeys made by an equivalent diesel bus.
It does appear that the company is on the road to a much needed recovery.
Dartmoor Line Passes 250,000 Journeys On Its First Anniversary, As Rail Minister Visits To Mark Official Opening Of The Station Building
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.
These three paragraphs talk about the Dartmoor Line’s reopening.
Just over a year after the Dartmoor Line reopened to regular passenger trains, journey numbers on the line have passed 250,000 this Monday morning [28 November], with the arrival of an extra special visitor, Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, to officially open the renovated station building.
The line reopened on 20 November 2021, restoring a regular, year-round service for the first time in almost 50 years following more than £40m of Government investment.
The previously mothballed rail line, which runs between Okehampton and Exeter, was restored in just nine months and delivered £10m under budget, becoming the first former line to reopen under the Government’s £500m Restoring Your Railway programme.
I have a few thoughts.
A Well-Managed Project
It does appear that Network Rail upped a gear or two to fulfil this project. The press release puts it like this.
Reinstatement of the Dartmoor Line was made possible by Network Rail’s team of engineers who worked tirelessly to deliver a huge programme of work including laying 11 miles of new track and installing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast in a record-breaking 20-day period.
But it does appear that over recent months Network Rail seems to do things a lot better and quicker.
I do wonder, if on the construction side, Network Rail have been able to bring in new working practices, that they are still trying to get lots of their other workers to accept.
A Quarter Of A Million Journeys
The press release says this about passenger numbers.
In the same week as it celebrated its one-year anniversary, the Dartmoor Line also saw its 250,000th journey, showing an incredible patronage on the line and more than double the demand originally forecast.
But they still can’t get the forecasts right.
Passenger Numbers Are Still Rising
The press release says this about rising passenger numbers
Since Great Western Railway (GWR) increased services to hourly in May 2022, passenger use has continued to rise, with over 500 journeys starting at Okehampton every day and a further 300 travelling into the town from across the rail network.
Is There Still Growth To Come?
There are several zero-carbon trains under development, so why not have a civilised shoot out, with each manufacturer given say four weeks in which to show off their products in passenger service.
This would hopefully indicate, if there was more growth to come and what would be the best trains to use.
Conclusion
The Dartmoor Line has been shown to be a success so lets repeat the dose.
Rolls-Royce And easyJet Set New World First
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
These three paragraphs explain what the two companies have done and are planning to do.
Rolls-Royce and easyJet today confirmed they have set a new aviation milestone with the world’s first run of a modern aero engine on hydrogen.
The ground test was conducted on an early concept demonstrator using green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power. It marks a major step towards proving that hydrogen could be a zero carbon aviation fuel of the future and is a key proof point in the decarbonisation strategies of both Rolls-Royce and easyJet.
Both companies have set out to prove that hydrogen can safely and efficiently deliver power for civil aero engines and are already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests.
The test today was carried out at Boscombe Down and are shown in this picture from Rolls-Royce.
Note that the green hydrogen produced using Orcadian winds and tides.
We live in desperate times and I predict that a hydrogen-fuelled and Rolls-Royce-powered easyJet plane, will fly sooner than anybody thinks.
As with athletes, engineers love to be first!
Morley’s New Accessible Station Set To Open In Summer 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.
These paragraphs outline the work to be done to create the new Morley station.
A new, fully accessible station is set to open in Morley, Leeds in summer 2023 to make way for longer trains, more seats, and better journeys as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
As a multi-million-pound investment, the new station will boast longer platforms to provide space for faster, more frequent, greener trains with more seats available for passengers travelling between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
The new, remodelled station will sit 75 metres away from the existing station and be fully accessible, with a footbridge and lifts connecting the two platforms.
Moving the station opens up opportunities to transform the platforms and track layout while installing the overhead wires needed to power electric and hybrid trains in the future. It also means that the current station can largely remain open for passengers whilst the new one is built.
It is not often, that a station upgrade, is such a comprehensive demolish and rebuild of a not very large station as this.
But rarely have I seen such a long list of problems as the one in this section in the Wikipedia entry for the station.
It looks like the Government is having a go, at levelling-up Morley.
Network Rail seem to be attempting to do the rebuild in under a year.
AVL RACETECH Builds Hydrogen Combustion Engine For Motorsport
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Hydrogen Central.
This is the opening paragraph.
AVL RACETECH, the motorsport department of AVL, presents the prototype of an innovative H2 internal combustion engine. The power unit is a compact, hydrogen-powered 2-liter turbo engine, with intelligent water injection that enables it to achieve a totally new performance level. The prototype is the first racing engine that AVL RACETECH is developing and building in-house.
Note.
- The engine has a size of two litres.
- It generates about 150 kW/litre.
- It features water injection.
- It appears to be very interesting technically and has been designed with extensive computer simulation.
AVL RACETECH has a web site, which gives more information.














