February 23, 2012

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Low emission trains arriving at a station near you

February 20, 2012 By

Low emissions is a phrase that’s bandied around the transport industry a lot at the moment, first sparked by the arrival of hybrid and electric vehicles in the latter part of the 1990s, when Honda and Toyota introduced the world’s first production hybrids.

We’re all familiar with the benefits of low emission cars and how important the emissions rating has become. Trains are a different proposition altogether, because if you attributed emissions to head counts, then trains are obviously doing a lot better job on being environmentally friendly than individual cars. But train technology has also advanced in recent years to reduce the amount of emissions produced by rail transport.

The development of the diesel genset locomotive has been crucial. This is where the diesel engine can switch itself off when not needed – a little like stop start technology in cars.

The actual fuel efficiency of a freight train in motion has vastly improved over the last quarter century. It’s possible for a modern locomotive to move a ton of freight over 400 miles on just one gallon of fuel. The main reason for trains being low on fuel efficiency and high on emissions is for the hours that trains spend idling, while their cargo is being loaded or unloaded in rail yards.

The genset switcher locomotives can be started as quickly as a truck, so there’s no need for them to stand idling and polluting the local atmosphere with particulates.

The development of the genset has resulted in 80% reduction of nitrous oxide and particulates, as well as reducing CO2 emissions by around 50%. This is achieved by monitoring the amount of time the engine remains idling and changing to a sleep mode when a period of inactivity has been detected.

Technology will keep making advances so that the emissions statistics of trains will drop even further as fuel efficiency rises. It’s just a question of time.

Filed Under: Train Travel, Train Travel, Transport Tagged With: , , ,

Three new Civics in the UK

January 30, 2012 By

The Civic 2012 is out now and ready for UK drivers to buy. It comes in three different versions in the UK, with a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel.

The petrol engines are a 99bhp 1.4 i-VTEC and a 142bhp 1.8 i-VTEC.  The diesel is a 150bhp 2.2 i-DTEC diesel. The diesel has an amazingly low 110g/km of CO2 and can raceh 62mph in circa 8 seconds. You can choose to have a five speed automatic transmission on the diesel, but otherwise every model in the new honda civic 2012 range comes with six speed manual transmission.

The smaller petrol engine reaches 0-62 mph in 13.4 seconds and its bigger brother reaches the same speed between 9.1 and 11.5 seconds, depending on the trim.

All the engines have increased fuel efficiency, thanks to the use of stop/start technology and that every new Civic comes with an ECON button. By pressing this, the driver instructs the on-board computer to make all systems work at their eco-friendly optimum.

Currently, Honda has no plans to bring out a hybrid version – as already exists in the States. Instead, Honda hybrid fans in the UK have their choice between the Insight, the Jazz and the CR-Z.

The exterior of the new Civic has somewhat lost out in looks compared to its predecessor which had a really sporty feel to it, but Honda has improved the visibility at the rear by lowering the spoiler that limits the view through the rear windscreen.

Inside the back seats are ‘magic seats’ which can be faced in either direction. This helps the new Civic to score highly for practicality and the boot can store 477 litres – thanks to a clever double layer storage system.

It seems that Honda has the Civic 2012 clearly pigeon-holed as a practical family hatchback as its packed full of safety features and is no longer available as a three door option.

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Business travel eco experiment

January 19, 2012 By

If you have to travel on business, and that travel necessitates the hiring of cars now and again, then why not use the opportunity to try out a few eco cars?

This can be a great way of trying without buying – whether it’s for your business or for your own personal use. The beauty of this is that it’s like an extended test drive. After a wee or so – you know infinitely more about a model than you do after a half hour test drive.

Hiring out one of the world’s most popular and most readily available hybrid cars like a Toyota Prius or a Honda Insight, for example, is very easy – and it gives you the chance to try out hybrid motoring if you’re at all nervous about it.

Overall you need to consider two basic facts here:

First off, driving a hybrid vehicle is different. The car feels different – particularly when driving up hill when the battery is taking an increased amount of the strain. For me, it feels better. But if you’re at all concerned – hire before you decide.

Secondly, we all need to accept that hybrids and electrical vehicles simply are the coming thing. The Insight already tops or is near to the top of most of the miles per gallon charts and if you’ve visited any of the world’s major motor shows over the past couple of years – you’ll undoubtedly have seen an ever increasing number of cutting edge hybrid and electrical cars on show from all the world’s major manufacturers.

And history has shown us that what appears at the motor shows always appears in the showrooms and on the streets around three to five years later. It’s the way it’s always gone.

So don’t miss the hybrid train. And hiring before buying is a great test-bed.

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Be a train driver for the day

January 3, 2012 By

The places that you can enjoy a nostalgic steam train trip are becoming few and far between these days.  One with a truly beautiful setting to travel through is the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in the Lake District, Cumbria, England.

This branch line is approaching its 140th anniversary and is run by a group of train enthusiast volunteers and a small number of staff.

Beyond attracting the usual steam train enthusiasts and young children who love anything to do with steam railway engines because of their devotion to Thomas the Tank Engine, the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway offers something very special for the real steam train lover. You can be a steam locomotive driver for the day here – either on your own or with as many as three friends. Once you’ve booked in for a day, all you need to bring is your own overalls, boots and waterproofs. Otherwise everything is provided – including breakfast and a railway man’s lunch and hot cups of tea along the way. In all you’ll do four round trips from Haverthwaite to Lakeside and you’ll learn how to stoke the fire, and oil and clean the engine.

Of course, you’ll have to get there under your own steam (excuse the pun), and the best way to reach the Lake District is by car.  That way, you have freedom to travel where you want while you’re there, without having to fit your day around a public transport timetable.  Whatever you drive, you’ll be looking to get the best mileage with today’s inflated oil prices. The civic 2012 range is soon to be available in the UK and all the models have improved fuel efficiency.  Although drivers in the States can purchase a Civic Hybrid, the Honda Civic models in the UK do not include the hybrid. For the time being, Honda hybrid fans in the UK are restricted to a choice between the hybrid Insight, Jazz or CR-Z.

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The evolution of transport technology

December 15, 2011 By

It’s difficult to know which has led the way in terms of technology between the car industry and the train industry.

Both have come a long way in the last hundred years. Back in the days of steam, it must have been impossible to imagine trains running without a trail of dirty black smoke behind them, yet, as we know, trains progressed to diesel and then electric power.  Now they’re being part-powered by solar power in some countries.

And cars have gone through a similar evolutionary process, too. The originals were diesel and petrol and these two fuels still dominate, of course, but almost all manufacturers now offer hybrids in their range of cars, as well as electric vehicles.  Hydrogen is just around the corner – though that corner may take another thirty years or more.

Hybrid trains do exist in Japan, using a combination of electric power and diesel engines.  They have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 80 per cent, and could also save up to 40 per cent on fuel compared to conventional diesels.   However, it’s unlikely that they will come to European tracks – as much of the network is electrified, so there are few diesel trains left in Europe. It seems that solar power has more of a future in Europe for train lines than hybrid technology.

So what’s next in the world of transport technology?  At the moment the Tokyo Motor Show is in full swing in Japan, with all kinds of green concept cars being revealed. Of particular note for inner city travel is the Honda Micro Commuter – an electric vehicle with a clever ‘loop’ auxiliary battery that powers things like the air conditioning and can be removed to power a mini electric bike for the final 100 metres to the office.

Somehow it seems unlikely that vehicles like this will signal the end of the train industry, but you never know!

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InterRailing – not just for students

November 21, 2011 By

Although it may seem like people have been interRailing aroundEuropesince the railways were built, in fact it’s a relatively recent phenomenon.

It all started in 1972, with the first issue of the European InterRail pass. This was the first time that one ticket would get you train travel through a number of different European countries – making travel through Europe a realistic possibility for people on a budget.  The only catch then was that the ticket was only available to people under the age of 21, so it was really only beneficial to students.

Now the age restriction has been lifted and anyone can buy an InterRail card. The number of countries you can travel to and through has also been increased.  As the European community has grown, new member countries have been included in the InterRail network.

AnInterRailGlobalPasswill allow holders to visit 30 countries, whileEurailPassgives you access to 21 countries. One of the main benefits of travel by train is that you always arrive in the heart of the city, so you don’t have to take another form of transport to get to the main sightseeing destinations.

There are some destinations, however, that InterRail passes can’t always get you to directly. These tend to be places outside of the cities – natural beauty spots or remote monasteries and other historical monuments. If you want to reach these kinds of places, it’s best to do so under your own steam.

The easiest way to do this is by car. Rather than drive from home, you can hire a car just for the sections of your trip that you need one – it’s easy to pick up a car for a day or two, or even a week and mix and match with your InterRailing. If you’re conscious about the effect that your travels will have on the environment, it’s possible to hire hybrids or other low emission cars.

Filed Under: Train Travel, Transport Tagged With: , , ,

Solar train tunnel powers 4000 trains

October 25, 2011 By

Another milestone for solar powered transport has been reached with the opening of a two-mile solar powered train tunnel on the Paris-Amsterdam line.
The tunnel has 50,000 square metres of solar panels on its roof which will produce 3.3 Mw/hours of energy a year. That’s the equivalent to the electricity used by 1,000 households in a year. The project has cost $20 million and is the brainchild of Belgian rail infrastructure company Infrabel and clean energy company Enfinity.
The solar panels have been designed to be hardwearing so that they can withstand vibrations caused by the trains.  An added bonus is that the tunnel will protect trains below from the chance of being hit by any trees that grow alongside the track.
The power that’s produced by the solar tunnel will power both conventional and high-speed trains on the line, as well as some electrical installations in Antwerp station.  Solar power produced by the tunnel will power 4,000 trains a year and the trains will draw the power from the tunnel as they pass through at 186 mph.
Train travel has always been viewed as more eco-friendly than people using their own cars, even when the trains are powered by diesel which emits particulates and other toxic emissions as well as carbon dioxide. High-speed rail is already thought of as a green technology as it is so efficient, but using power sources such as solar energy will only serve to increase its green credentials.  Other green energy progress in European train technology includes the development of hybrid train engines and biogas powered trains.
The new tunnel should reduce CO2 emissions by 2,400 tons per year. Together with initiatives such as Honda UK launching the most affordable ever hybrid vehicle on the UK market, and thus helping increase ownership of Honda hybrid cars in the UK, the solar train tunnel helps to meet the stringent air quality directives that have been set by European Union legislation.

http://www.wrjtrainstationforsale.com/
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Train Stations.

March 24, 2011 By
Euston_station

Euston_station

London is well connected by trains to and from all parts of the United Kingdom. The main London stations and areas they serve are:

Blackfriars:

This station serves the Bedford to Brighton cross London Thames link route and also customer services to places of south east London.

Cannon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East.

All these main stations provide access throughout southeast London and Kent. There are also direct trains to get you to Gatwick Airport.

Euston.

Euston station is one of the main stations and provides customers travel to Central, North- west England and western Scotland. This also includes travel to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Carlisle, Chester, and Glasgow with all rail services. Euston is also the London station for travelling on the sleeper services to and from Scotland.

Fenchurch Street

Fenchurch station provides customers to travel to the north side of the Thames including Southend. The nearest tube station to Fenchurch is Tower hill.

Kings cross

This station provides all customers the northeast and eastern Scotland. This also includes connection to Doncaster, Hull, Leeds, York, Newcastle-upon- Tyne, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. It also provides main services to Cambridge, Hitchin, Kings Lynn, Peterborough and Stevenage.

Liverpool Street.

Liverpool station provides all service throughout East Anglia, which includes Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. This is also the London connection for passengers travelling on Stansted Express services to Stansted Airport.

Marylebone.

This beautiful station provides travel to Central southern Midlands. This also includes High Wycombe, Banbury, Leamington Spa, and Stratford –upon- Avon that is famous for Shakespeare and poetry lovers. It also commutes to central Birmingham.

Moorgate.

This station is mainly serviced for passengers who are travelling locally to north east of London.

Paddington.

This station serves sunny Wales and the West Country. It also connects for the local service alongside The Thames Valley. This is also the London connection for the Heathrow express to Heathrow Airport and the wonderful sleeper service to and from Devon and Cornwall.

Victoria

Victoria station connects south and south east towns including Brighton, Dover, Eastbourne, Hastings and Margate. It also is the gateway for Gatwick Express services to Gatwick Airport.

You cannot buy any tickets inside the underground stations. Before you travel you must buy your tickets at the customer service help desk. You can anticipate waiting up to 15 minutes to enter the station. If you need assistance of any kind, you should try to contact the staff on duty prior to travelling. The sooner you contact them the better you will be able to relax and enjoy your journey.

Filed Under: Train Travel, Transport Tagged With: , ,

The most breathtaking train in Britain.

March 14, 2011 By
Deer Stalker Train

Deer Stalker Train

The most amazing train ride in Britain has to be the overnight Caledonian Sleeper from London to Fort William, it is sometimes known as ‘The Deerstalker.’ You can leave London after work in the evening and arrive at Fort William in the beautiful Scottish West Highlands the next morning. Mountains, streams and woods will surround you. You may even glimpse some deers running away from the train.

It is the most romantic way to get from central London to the heart of Scotland. Every day the two Caledonian sleeper trains leave London Euston’s station. These sleeper trains are like hotels but on tracks. There are 1 and 2 berth sleeping compartments, which are first class and second class. They have proper beds and washroom, they are fully air-conditioned. They also have a lounge car with a steward offering services of wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks and snacks.

If you want to surprise your loved ones, this is one of a lifetime trip, which you should go on. To rekindle you romance, what more do you need than beautiful mountains, breathtaking streams and fresh air!

It is run by Scot Rail, the Scottish train company and is crewed by all Scottish staff. To book online you can go to scotrail.co.uk or you can call them on 08457 550033.

Fares start at £40 one-way or £99 return including breakfast sharing a 2-berth room or £169 with a room to yourself. You can also get online special offers but you have to be quick to get these great deals! If you fancy getting away from everything then this train makes your dream come true.

Filed Under: The Deer Stalker, Train Travel, Train Travel, Train Travel, Transport, Travel Information Tagged With: , ,

How to make your journey cheaper.

February 28, 2011 By

If you are under 26, over 60, travelling as a family or if you have any kind of registered disability you can apply for a railcard. The railcards give 34% off anytime, Off- Peak and Advance fares.

If you go to www.megatrain,com it offers very cheap train tickets from £1 onwards to most destinations. You have to be quick to book as the tickets go any second.

Railcards cost £26 and give 34% off Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance fares on all National Rail train operators in the United Kingdom.

There are 3-year railcards, which are now available, which costs £65; therefore you can save money over this period.

You can also get 16-25 years old railcard; this also gives 34% off almost all train fares you need to travel after 10am from Mondays to Fridays.

Senior railcards are available for anyone over 60 years old. There is 34% discount available, however, you cannot use in the morning rush hour.

Family and friends railcards are for small groups of up to 4 adults and 4 children. You don’t have to be related as long as the group includes at least one child and that you are all travelling together. It allows you to give 34% of all adult fares in the group and 60% off all the child fares in the group. This is an amazing deal especially when you are planning a day out somewhere.

If you are from abroad you can still get a railcard if you meet the age or family group criteria, so you can still save money on your train travel within the United Kingdom.

However you will need to buy in person at the station, as railcards are not sent abroad. The railcards give discounts on British train tickets, not for travel in Europe

BritRail Pass

BritRail is the pass for visitors overseas which gives unlimited train travel on all train operators. The pass is only worth buying if you will be making a number of long distance train trips around Britain. If you are only going to travel once or twice long distance then it’s better to buy a normal flexible ticket. If you want to make early starts on Mondays to Fridays and have the flexibility then the BritRail pass is a great choice.

If you live in United Kingdom then Rail Rovers gives unlimited train travel. The All- Line Rail Rover gives unlimited travel over the national rail network. These are the following prices:

  • 7 day standard class is £430 for the Rail Rovers. For 16- 25 years old, child, senior citizen or disabled it is £284.

 

  • 14 day standard class is £650 for the Rail Rovers. For child, 16-25 years old, senior, or disabled it costs £429.

 

  • 7 day First Class is £650 for the Rail Rovers. It is £429 for child, senior or disabled railcard holder

 

  • The 14 days First Class Rail Rover is £990 and £653 for child, senior or disabled railcard holder.

The All-Line Rover is valid on all National rail trains, however there are some time restrictions. This is to stop business travellers using it on business routes. There are no restrictions, which apply on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays. You will not be able to board a train before 10.00 am.

You can buy Rail Rovers from any railway station or train operator, but you cannot buy online. you can only buy one within 3 days of the date you want them to start. If you ring telesales then it will be 5 days. It is not valid on Eurostar, Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect, and London Underground.

Filed Under: Buying Train Tickets, Cheap Rail Travel, Train Travel, Transport, Travel Information Tagged With: , ,
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