Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- transportation:train [2025/11/10 23:05] – [Bart] timb
+++ transportation:train [2026/09/15 22:35] (current) – [Poland] timb
@@ Line 163: / Line 163: @@
 https://shakeddown.substack.com/p/a-short-post-on-short-trains
+== How Railroad Crossings Work ==
+January 16, 2024 - Practical Engineering
+[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.]
+If you’ve ever ridden a bike, driven a car, or operated pretty much any other vehicle on earth, there’s a fact you’ve probably taken for granted: you can see farther than it takes to stop. Within the span between seeing a stationary hazard and colliding with it, you have enough time to recognize it, apply the brakes, and come to a stop to avoid a collision. Your sight distance is greater than your stopping distance; it sounds almost silly, but this is a critical requirement for nearly all human-operated machines. But it’s not true for trains.
+Engineers can see just as far as the rest of us, but the stopping distance of a fully laden freight train can be upwards of a mile. That means if an engineer can see something on the tracks ahead, it’s often already too late. So, trains need a lot of safety infrastructure to make up for that deficiency. For one: trains almost always have the right-of-way when they cross a road or highway at the same level, or at grade. The cars have to wait; And, we use a litany of warning devices at grade crossings to enforce that right-of-way and try to prevent collisions. In most cases, these devices have to detect the impending arrival of a train and give motorists enough time to clear the tracks or come to a stop. It sounds simple, but the engineering that makes that possible is, I think, really interesting, and of course, I built some demonstrations to help explain. This video is part of my series on railroads, so check out the rest after this if you want to learn more! I’m Grady, and this is Practical Engineering. Today, we’re exploring how grade crossings work.
+https://practical.engineering/blog/2023/12/29/how-railroad-crossings-work
@@ Line 561: / Line 571: @@
 https://gizmodo.com/californias-high-speed-rail-fiasco-keeps-getting-worse-2000656798
+== Caltrain Shows Why Every Region Should Be Moving Toward Regional Rail ==
+January 09, 2026
+Caltrain recently replaced diesel trains with electric, cutting 25 minutes from the trip time.
+Faster speed, increased frequency, and more reliable service are causing ridership growth on Caltrain, the San Francisco Bay Area’s passenger railway. The ridership increase and service upgrades are a direct result of the electrification of Caltrain’s entire fleet of rolling stock in September 2024. “For the first time in the railroad’s 160-year history, diesel service was replaced with electric service along the 50-mile main line between San Francisco and San Jose,” Caltrain reported.
+Caltrain’s total ridership in Fiscal Year 2025 (ending June 30, 2025) increased 47% over the previous fiscal year, from 6.2 million to 9.1 million passengers. In June 2025, Caltrain recorded more than 1 million monthly passengers for the first time since the pandemic. It passed the 1 million-passenger mark in July and August as well, which was roughly a 60% increase over ridership totals for those months in 2024, just before the fleet’s electrification.
+The results are a powerful argument for electrification and the adoption of a regional rail model of service by every commuter railway in North America — i.e., offering fast, frequent service throughout the day, including weekends, instead of catering to antiquated commuting patterns and weekday rush hours.
+https://www.hsrail.org/blog/caltrain-shows-why-every-region-should-be-moving-toward-regional-rail/
@@ Line 690: / Line 713: @@
+===== Netherlands =====
+== Suspected sabotage causes major Netherlands rail disruption ==
+Amy Walker - 15 September 2026
+Some level crossings were closed as a result of Tuesday's disruption
+Parts of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, were hit by major rail disruption after suspected sabotage to the tracks on Tuesday morning, the country's railway infrastructure operator said.
+ProRail said pipes and cables were laid on tracks at multiple locations in the country's centre and north in more than 35 incidents.
+It added the acts appeared to be intentional, causing widespread cancellations and delays, with new disruptions occurring in some places after objects had initially been removed.
+No suspects or motives have yet been identified. Police said a criminal investigation had been launched.
+The operator said the pipes and cables caused its computer systems to believe trains were on the tracks, meaning traffic control was unable to clear the railway.
+"Placing materials on the tracks is extremely dangerous and unacceptable, and fortunately, it did not lead to any accidents today," it said.
+Speaking earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten described the incidents as "disruptive and life-threatening".
+In one case early on Monday, a train "struck metal" on the track near Steenwijk, in the country's east. ProRail said there was no further damage because the train was not travelling at full speed.
+The national public prosecutor's office and the Netherlands' intelligence agency AIVD are investigating the incident alongside police.
+https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ly49w9g1edo
@@ Line 832: / Line 885: @@
 https://www.thetravel.com/largest-underwater-tunnel-in-the-world-unused/
+====== Map ======
+== The world railway map ==
+https://worldtrainmap.com/
 ====== United States ======