All articles by Chris Lo
Chris Lo
Eurotunnel post-Brexit: what comes next?
Are Eurotunnel operations set for major disruption as the end of the UK’s Brexit transition period looms?
Clearing the air: UK rail’s new air quality strategy
Air pollution from the rail industry could be having significant local effects, but there are still many knowledge gaps around the sector’s impact on air quality. RSSB’s new strategic framework document on air quality sheds some light on how the UK rail industry is responding to these concerns.
Positive train control: US railroads race to the finish line
The final, extended deadline for positive train control implementation across key US rail lines is coming up on 31 December 2020. How much progress has the industry made in this decade-long safety initiative, and does Covid-19 threaten to derail the industry’s last-minute push to complete the upgrade this year?
Rail pastors: the volunteers saving lives on the UK rail network
Preventing rising rates of suicide on the UK’s sprawling rail network is a huge challenge for police, charities and train operators. Since 2014, volunteer ‘rail pastors’ have been patrolling sections of the railway looking for vulnerable people who may need care. Phil Norton, a rail pastor from Essex, describes the role and its challenges.
Cleaning house: assessing air quality at enclosed rail stations
A study published in April 2019 measured air quality at two major UK stations, finding them in clear breach of EU NO2 limits. King’s College London senior research fellow Dr David Green, who helped lead the study, discusses its findings, the possibility of health risks for passengers, and mitigation strategies for large, enclosed rail stations.
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Rail replicas: building authenticity into train simulator games
Simulation games bring hobbyists closer than ever to the industries they are passionate about. What goes into simulating trains, tracks and signalling systems with the detail that the keenest players expect, and how are sim games crossing over with the industry’s own simulated training?
In pictures: Glasgow Subway shows off its new driverless trains
In May, Stadler Rail delivered the first of 17 new trains to the Glasgow Subway, equipped for driverless operations. This photo feature takes a visual tour of the new rolling stock, and the wider modernisation of this historic metro system.
Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel: checking in with the world’s most ambitious rail link
Finnish entrepreneur Peter Vesterbacka’s vision for the Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel is an ambitious one, and he thinks he can get it built by 2024. Given that public feasibility studies have estimated completing the project in 2040, can this privately backed development secure approval from the Finnish and Estonian governments?
Driver-only trains: does removing guards put passengers at risk?
The debate over driver-only operation rumbles on in the UK, with its proponents noting it has been used for decades and is proven safe. But without a guard on the train, are there risks for passengers that haven’t been considered?
Transforming Old Oak Common into an HS2 super-hub
HS2 has revealed new designs of what a revamped Old Oak Common station will look like in 2026, as part of a wider plan to create the best-connected rail interchange in the UK. The new station will be built on an existing railway depot, south of Willesden Junction station, and will be a nexus in a wider regeneration scheme for the area.