The derailment of an express train travelling between Moscow and St Petersburg revives memories of attacks on Russia’s public transport network…. From BBC News. Full story

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I think this is great to share ideas and it is not a new idea. It is one that we could use more often though. Only recently have Texans opened their door for information on Rail from those that I would consider experts. Europe has an incredible rail system. I miss that most about traveling in Europe. Here in Texas I cannot even find a public transport system to work which is only 35 miles away.

Don’t get me wrong, I know I can hop a bus and then a rail to a Starz game in Dallas, but you can’t leave your car overnight at a rail station nor can you go to any other town centers without a bus connection.

It’s okay, we have asked for some help. Knowledge sharing is a great thing. See this link and be sure to read the results to see just how much work we have to do to get there. Lots of work, but let’s keep going as Gas Vehicles are not sustainable and if you ever had loss of the ability to drive (loss of car, loss of license) then you know it would be incredibly smart to have a better public transit system and businesses would benefit greatly as customers and employees would have an incredibly economic mode of “getting there” everyday!

More on this later as I am very passionate about this topic of public transit improvement needed yesterday!
http://www.gmfus.org/event/detail.cfm?id=557&parent_type=E

We are going to Ujjain.

The word Ujjain brings to mind Mahakavi Kalidas.

In pure lyrical quality, he is way ahead of all the poets of the world. Shakespeare is a better dramatist, a philosopher and an observer of character. But when it comes to poetic charm, I vote for Kalidas. Upama Kalidasassia. His simile is superb. Shakuntalam, a love story, has been translated into several Indian languages.

According to legend, he was an idiot, but was blessed by Kali and became Kalidas. The Kali temple, where the poet received the blessings of the Goddess, is still there. He was one of the nine Jewels who were guests of the King Vikramaditya.

Ujjain is famous for Shiva as Mahakal and is one of the places where Kumbhamela is held.

It is well connected by rail and road.

There are just 11 journeys to Inverness from Aberdeen Monday-Saturday, and only five on Sundays. If a passenger misses his train, there is good chance that he will have to wait two hours for the next one.

Mike Rumbles, SLD, opened the debate on October 7, regarding Kintore Station and Aberdeen Crossrail. In 2003, a decision was made to reduce the more than two hour route between Aberdeen and Inverness to just 50 minutes, and also to open new stations to help improvement. The reopening of Laurencekirk Station in May, this year, was a success and a grasp of hope for people in the Highlands, the politician said.

He also stated that the lack of interest in this important case is disappointing and that the transport minister`s acknowledgement about the importance of the subject would be ‘a real step-forward.’ Mr Rumbles said that the transport minister has held no discussion on the matter so far, and not even attended significant debates about the issue.

‘I do feel that the people  in the North-East deserve a straight answer from our transport minister and I hope we will be able to hear it,’ said Mr Rumbles. He would also welcome funding for the project.

The Aberdeen-Inverness railway is approximately 173km (107miles) long with only a few stations open along. However, this corridor is considered to be of great strategic importance within the Strategic Transport Projects Review, as it connects Aberdeen and Inverness airports as well as the port of Aberdeen with other cities on the route. It also supports the continued economic growth of the two cities and links rural communities with industrial cities.

Alison McInnes, SLD, drew attention to the issue of largely growing traffic in the area. (Between 2002 and 2005 the rise in traffic in the region reached 4.5% per annum).

A study, taken in 2005, on behalf of the Scottish Executive, considered possible changes in the railway system between the two cities. The most important points of the survey were improving journey times and introducing an hourly service from one of the cities to the other.

SNP`s Maureen Watt welcomed Mike Rumbles’ standpoint and called for ‘progress and activity,’ that is, more frequent trains and scheduling changes, after saying that it is sad that under two former transport ministers, the problem could not have been solved.

Stewart Stevenson, minister for transport, infrastructure and climate change, agreed that the current model has to be changed.

Here’s a beautifully simple article about the UK railway system that sums up the problem (both what and who) perfectly.

And I highly recommend keeping an eye on The Other Taxpayers’ Alliance – not only is it an excellent read, but regularly punctures the propaganda of the s0-called Taxpayers’ Alliance, whose lies and spin in support of an extremely right-wing agenda seem to be sloshing around the media more and more of late – keep an eye open and see how many stories you can spot.  They shouldn’t be too hard to spot, since they always in some way support  less taxation for the rich, the evils of the EU and the unquestionable wisdom of big business.

Found in a book about alternative things to do at the weekend, Daltrail offers a package for adventurers using a pedal-driven rail dolly to travel out and the option to return by canoe. Nice.

Word on the street is that Visa is set for a major mobile payments announcement in next 6-8 weeks. Separately, US MNOs are also rumored to be collaborating on Near Field Communications (NFC) payments with acquirers. Could it be that the log jam on NFC is about to be broken? Is Visa developing new rails to support mobile payments? Let me say up front that this blog represents “connecting the dots” more than a definitive market projection.

The US market is ripe for a break from the 6 party political “fur ball” that is hampering delivery of mobile payment (Card Issuers, Acquirers, Network, Merchant, MNOs, Handset Mfg). For those outside the US, MNOs have substantial control over handset features and applications, and have been leveraging this “node control” to “influence” direction of payments. The central US MNO argument being: “it is our customer, our handset, our network we should get a cut of the transaction rev”. Unfortunately existing inter-bank mobile transfers/ payments are settled through existing payment networks that provide limited flexibility in accommodating a “new” MNO role and the network rules leave much room for improvment in: authorization, authentication and consumer “control”. 

Outside the US, the situation is much different, as consumers have great flexibility in switching MNOs, have ownership of their handsets, and are largely on pre-paid plans. The MNO challenge for payments in this environment is largely regulatory. Many countries (EU, HK, Korea, Japan, SG) have open well defined rules for MNOs role in payments (example: ECB ELMI framework within the EU), while other countries are highly restrictive and are in the midst of developing their legal and regulatory framework. Even in the countries where MNOs participation is defined, they have largely benefited from the complimentary role that the service plays with pre-paid plans (not in interchange at POS).

Globally, MNOs are looking for a payment platform where they can benefit from interaction between consumer and merchant, with flexibility to deal with a heterogeneous regulatory environment. The competitive pressures on Visa/MC are much different then they were 5 years ago (when both were bank owned). The network fee structures and rules were written with banks and mature markets in mind. Emerging markets present a much different set of opportunities, as MNOs lead banks in brand and consumer penetration within every geography.

All of this leads to the case for a new “Mobile Payments Settlement” network, a network which will alienate many banks. I expect to see Visa roll out the initial stages of this network in the next 2 months with an emphasis on NFC. Quite possibly the best kept secret I have ever seen from a public company. I’m sure many Silicon Valley CEOs are crossing their fingers (with me) on this, as a “new wave” of innovation is certainly close at hand that will drive growth (and valuations).

For those not keeping up with the 50 or so product announcements a day on NFC, handset manufacturers committed to have NFC enabled phones to consumers in mid 2009 in the GSMA 2008 congress. NFC capabilities are numerous (Vodafone YouTube Overview), and may represent a true disruptive innovation surrounding payments. There have been many very recent product announcements that will enable existing phones to use NFC, and P2P Capability. All of which will blossom in a more “fertile” mobile settlement environment. See one example “future” Visa mobile service here: http://tomnoyes.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/googleoff/

Side note: This is not all bad news for Banks, as the structure will certainly provide for existing cards (debit/credit) and may deliver substantial revenue through cash replacement (small < $50) transactions. More details on structure of MNO in settlement 2 weeks….

Select Product/Alliances Below:

• http://www.corporate.visa.com/media-center/press-releases/press921.jsp
• http://www.neustar.biz/pressroom/files/announcements/VISAFINAL.pdf
• Neustar http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/174_125/-383355-1.html
• http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/11/04/32152/zenius-adds nfc-to-standard-mobile-phones-with-bladox-waver/
• http://www.paymentssource.com/asset/article/2703061/att-certifies-charge-anywhere-mobile-payment.html?pg=
• http://www.morerfid.com/details.php?subdetail=Report&action=details&report_id=6376&display=RFID
• http://www.nfcnews.com/2009/11/18/attachment-turns-iphone-into-rfid-nfc-reader
• http://www.bladox.com/
• http://www.celent.com/124_1187.htm

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They’ve resolved the transit strike in Philadelphia with a decisive union vote, and I was a bit surprised to read this line from the union boss: “The work stoppage began at 3 a.m. on Nov. 3 and left city bus, trolley, and subway riders scrambling for alternatives. Many crowded onto jammed Regional Rail trains; others were stranded with no way to get to work.

The lack of warning infuriated riders, and union president Willie Brown later acknowledged that the timing had been bad.”
He didn’t apologize–that would probably be considered bad labor politics–but he did acknowledge that a strike is more than politics.  It affects a person’s daily life.  And people miss that about transit generally–that when we make decisions about whether to maintain and/or improve transit, we change people’s lives.

One measure of the stagnant political culture in Wisconsin has been the failure to sort out a 21st century transportation strategy, especially in southeastern Wisconsin but also in greater Dane County. Reality is that economic markets and job-sheds transcend Wisconsin’s 19th century political boundaries. Yet our communities are locked in endless turf battles as if those regional facts of life don’t exist.

I was curious to hear what city planner Peter Park had to say about his experiences in Denver. As you’ll see from this story for WisBusiness.com, Denver is far ahead of any Wisconsin community, and Park is one of those really bright guys you seek out for his insight.

Park: Milwaukee’s former planner embraces rail as key to urban development
11/16/2009

By Marc Eisen
For WisBusiness.com

Peter Park, the star urban planner behind Milwaukee’s downtown revival, returned to Wisconsin Friday to discuss the lessons he’s learned in his new work as Denver’s planning chief.

“We need to look at transportation and development together. They’re not separate,” he told a gathering of several hundred environmentalists at the Promega Corporation’s Biopharmaceutical Technology Center in Fitchburg.

Park, 46, is working the land-use side of the most ambitious transportation project underway in the United States — the $4.7 billion FasTracks program. It promises 119 miles of light-rail and commuter-rail tracks by 2017, including 70 train stops that are expected to be the focal point of new residential and commercial development in the Denver area.

“Doing all this at once is crazy and scary,” Park admitted. “But if we’re going to grow [the transit system], now’s a great time for it.” Metropolitan Denver’s population of about 2.7 million, he noted, is expected to hit 4.3 million by 2035.

Park’s talk to the “Bringing Bioneers to Wisconsin” conference was a stark reminder that Wisconsin’s marquee cities, Milwaukee and Madison, are laggards in sorting out their 21st century transportation systems. Read more here.

I visited Odakyu’s Agris Seijo rental farm in Seijogakuenmae in Setagaya and was prepared to be charmed by a community vegetable farm built by a rail company above their tracks. Three years ago, the Odakyu corporation rebuilt the station, undergrounded the railway, and used some of the new land to promote urban farming. But I left feeling somewhat strange that reclaimed land could be gated and restricted. Although it is the rail company’s property, I think they missed a huge opportunity to create a great space for the neighborhood.

The farm is entered through a two story building that has a plant store on the first floor, spilling into the sidewalk, and a club room on the second floor. On entering the building, I learned that the garden was gated, and that no photographs were allowed. With my Tokyo University of Agriculture business card, I was handed a visitor’s pass. Two explanations were given about the no photography policy: customers would be concerned about their privacy, and photographers might misrepresent the photos they take. Please note that all the photos in this post were all taken from public roadways outside the gates.

Once inside, I discovered that this Agris Seijo t has 303 rental plots, ranging in price between 5,500 and 14,500 yen per month ($60 to $175) depending on size and sunlight. 70% of the plots are being used, and the farm is organized in two seasons, with a fallow period during winter. Many of the customers are first time vegetable growers, and there are classes and staff to help them.

Some of what I observed: an elderly man harvesting giant sweet potatoes. Attractive netting with metallic strips to deter birds and insects. Some very attractive plots with broccoli, rainbow chard, carrots, celery, lettuce, salty leaf, peppers, basil, cauliflower, onion, eggplant, daikon radish.

Clearly burying the tracks below grade reduces railway noise for the neighbors and adds soil and plants which benefits the environment. There are benefits for customers and neighbors. Yet, I was struck by how empty the farm was during my weekday visit, and wondered why only 70% of the plots are rented after three years of operation. I also wonder if the customers or the railway company owner feels more special or important because of the gated aspect of the garden. In a city that is remarkably safe, I cannot imagine need for keeping people out.

This wealthy project reminds me of the community garden I observed in Tsukushima. There, neighbors invested great time and effort in making beautiful spaces on an existing concrete river embankment. It appears that each gardener is expressing their own passions and perhaps competing with their neighbors. At no cost to the local government, neighbors have beautified dead space which can now be enjoyed by anyone. The Tsukushima community garden is completely accessible 24/7 and shows how ordinary people can create a great public space.

Some more thoughts and image about Odakyu after the jump.

From the rental farm, I noticed that the new Seijogakuenmae station had a roof garden. Making my way above the first two floors of retail, and a third floor of parking, I reached the roof garden on the fourth floor. It was nearly vacant, apart from two high school age boys and a woman sitting alone. Surrounded by restaurants, maybe the roof garden is appreciated more during dinner hours.

I realize that creating great urban spaces is about more than money and design. Empty spaces provide little human benefit. It appears that wealthy neighborhoods are more concerned with restricting access and remaining exclusive, yet the results are dead spaces. Seijogakuenmae, with more action in its parking lot than its sidewalks and roof top parks, reminded me of the privatized spaces of the United States.

Lastly, there is one more image from Odakyu that may surprise foreigners. Historically, throughout the 20th century, private Japanese rail lines played a critical role in developing its cities: railways fed into railway-owned department stores, and some of these corporations branched out into other business including developing suburban housing. Odakyu stations all feature convenience stores, owned not surprisingly by Odakyu.

In July of 2009, 733 members of the African Diaspora from 16 sub-saharan countries submitted business proposals to the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM)  competition sponsored by USAID and Western Union. At stake were/are  matching grants of up to USD $100,000.00 to support and further their investment and efforts in the African marketplace.

In late October, 60 finalists  were announced, (click HERE to see the full list) “with proposals representing more than $22 million of diaspora business investment to spur job creation in their native countries.”  (ADM Press Release) Out of these 60 finalists, between 10 and 20 winners will be selected in January, 2010.

“The finalists of the ADM competition represent the best of a new class of entrepreneur – those who are investing back in their home countries to create economic opportunity and reduce poverty and unemployment in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Alonzo Fulgham, Acting USAID Administrator…

…”The business leaders selected here understand the challenges facing their native countries, and they have identified solutions that work,” said Anne McCarthy, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Western Union. “Our finalists have market-appropriate proposals that could sustain job growth and spark new business start-ups benefiting Sub-Saharan Africa.”

(Full text of ADM’s Press Release HERE.)

Over the next several posts, I hope to highlight a few of the finalist’s ventures, and celebrate the spirit of private investment in Africa.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The National Mediation Board, which oversees labor relations in the air and rail industry, this month moved to overturn 75 years of labor policy.

The board plans to stack the deck for organized labor in union elections. Under a proposed rule, unions would no longer have to get the approval of a majority of airline workers to achieve certification. Not even close. Instead, a union could win just by getting a majority of the employees who vote. Thus, if only 1,000 of 10,000 flight attendants vote in a union election, and 501 vote for certification, the other 9,499 become unionized.

Page & Moy Rail Holidays

There’s no better way to gain a real insight into a country than to travel by rail. Along the way the view changes constantly, through landscapes that might feature snow-capped mountains, endless forests or dense jungles. Absorbing details of ordinary people living their lives and animals in their natural habitats can be seen at every twist of the track.

Stretching your legs is easy as you can get up and move around at will, and when the train rolls into the station at your destination you’ll feel refreshed, inspired and ready to explore.

Page & Moy offers holidays by rail in all corners of the globe.  Some classic Page & Moy train holidays include:

• A Viennese Christmas by Rail
• The Trail of ‘The Marrakech Express’
• Thailand to Singapore
• African Rail Adventure
• The Italian Lakes by rail
• The Golden Triangle
• The Lhasa Express
• Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Adventure
• The Canyon Lands & the Rocky Mountains
• The Peruvian Rail Trail
• The Canadian Railroad Adventure
• Coast to Coast of America by train
• The Trans-Siberian Express
• Great Railways of the Scottish Highlands
• Swiss Mountain Railways
• Grand Rockies Rail Circle
• Grand Australian Rail Adventure

Call Page & Moy now to find out more and order a brochure – Tel 0845 358 2639

The long-broken Craftsman Lamp at Highland Park Gold Line Station

Something exciting about last Sunday’s opening of the Gold Line Eastside Extension was seeing the new train stations in all their sparkling clean glory. The signs, the lights, the payphones were all new, working, and without graffiti or malfunctions. After being installed months ago, the streetlamps around the Gold Line were finally unwrapped.  The plants and trees that made up the landscaping (much less landscaping on the Eastside Extension by the way) were all new and healthy.

Since the opening of the Gold Line in July of 2003, the original stations have been well-maintained overall, but some have shown ware and tear more than others. Our Highland Park Station has shown ware, tear and neglect. As a daily rider, I see a lot of the line, and out of the 13 original stations, Highland Park has to be the most abused and neglected of the line.

Highland Park station is the third busiest station on the line, after Union and Sierra Madre Villa stations. It serves as a geographic focal point for our corner of Los Angeles. The Old L.A. Farmer’s Market is held there every Tuesday. It is the cornerstone of the proposed Highland Park Transit Village housing development. It is our city square, our plaza, our bit of public gathering space in a densely populated neighborhood. An important asset to our community.

Yet it is also what I would call the most beat-down part the Gold Line. While piles of money are spent to appease our South Pasadenean neighbors to the northeast with sound walls, our station fades into neglect. When things break, they tend to be removed and never replaced. Graffiti just piles up. The uninspired Metro-contracted Diversified landscapers, have either trimmed the plants into tiny bonsai or let them die from neglect. (At least they have stopped trimming the rose bushes into cubes.) Years have passed since the first rock was thrown through the stained glass lamp seen above, and still Metro hasn’t replaced it. These are not major problems, but an amalgamation of many instances of neglect at one station.

There is one thing at the station that is never neglected: The Ticket Machine.

Enhanced brail sign. The sign was originally red before it saw daylight.

Some taggers specialize in tagging these station signs at every stop. Ours is no exception.

New map, same old tagged up glass and kiosk.

MTA can afford 24 Hour lighting, but hasn't replaced the burned-out blue globe bulb in over a year. (Originally the gold line was going to be the blue line, thus the color.)

The original blue globe disappeared off this light a couple of years ago. No indications that it will ever be replaced.

After five years, one would think these bushes would be a little bigger.

Jud Fine's Stone Tree (Yes, it is supposed to look like that). There's nothing planted in the planter anymore. The ground plants died a long time ago. The wisteria vine is amazingly alive.

It takes five guys to watch one guy pick up trash.

You just got to know the rules.

My how times have changed. In 1964 this area was definitely a gritty industrial area, a far cry from today’s trendy, glittery Pearl District.

(City of Portland Archives)

North Bank Station passenger depot handled passenger trains to Chicago and the east, Seattle, Astoria and Southern Oregon until World War I. It served intercity passenger trains until 1931. Though the building still stands, you’ll see a much different landscape if you stand at the corner of NW 11th and Hoyt in the Pearl District today. This photo dates to 1917.

(City of Portland Archives)

Rail passengers on lines across the West Midlands are to pay more to travel by train from the new year…. From BBC News. Full story

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No one was injured in the collision

Rail commuters faced a second day of disruption after a crash led to a train derailment in Leeds.

The collision, between two empty East Midlands trains at the Neville Hill maintenance depot, took place in the early hours of Tuesday.

Northern Rail said services between Leeds and York were affected and bus services were running on some routes while the carriages were removed.

Passengers are advised to check with National Rail Enquiries before travel.

Network Rail said engineers worked through Tuesday night to remove overhead line electrification and allow a lifting crane to come on site and remove the crashed carriages.

Investigation started

The disruption was expected to continue until at least 2200 GMT, the company said.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “Services will resume as quickly as possible but depend upon the lifting operation and weather conditions.

“Passengers are advised to check with National Rail Enquiries or their rail operator to check individual service details.”

A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said nobody was injured as a result of the collision.

“We are carrying out an investigation into the incident and would like to apologise to passengers whose journeys are affected,” she said.

Elsewhere, Northern Rail services are delayed between Leeds and Manchester Victoria due to flooding at Smithy Bridge.

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No one was injured in the collision

Rail commuters faced a second day of disruption after a crash led to a train derailment in Leeds.

The collision, between two empty East Midlands trains at the Neville Hill maintenance depot, took place in the early hours of Tuesday.

Northern Rail said services between Leeds and York were affected and bus services were running on some routes while the carriages were removed.

Passengers are advised to check with National Rail Enquiries before travel.

Network Rail said engineers worked through Tuesday night to remove overhead line electrification and allow a lifting crane to come on site and remove the crashed carriages.

Investigation started

The disruption was expected to continue until at least 2200 GMT, the company said.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “Services will resume as quickly as possible but depend upon the lifting operation and weather conditions.

“Passengers are advised to check with National Rail Enquiries or their rail operator to check individual service details.”

A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said nobody was injured as a result of the collision.

“We are carrying out an investigation into the incident and would like to apologise to passengers whose journeys are affected,” she said.

Elsewhere, Northern Rail services are delayed between Leeds and Manchester Victoria due to flooding at Smithy Bridge.

Earn From Home Links Below:
Foreverliving India Foreverliving India Blog
Join ForeverLIving India
Foreverliving All India Distributor

Rail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running on steel rails. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth. Rail transport is capable of high capacity and is energy efficient, but lacks flexibility and is capital intensive.

Track consists of steel rails running on sleepers/ties and ballast. Sometimes there is also a signalling system and sometimes an electrification system. The rolling stock, fitted with metal wheels, moves with low frictional resistance when compared with road vehicles, and can be coupled into long trains. The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities. Power is provided by locomotives which draw electrical power (usually from an overhead wire) or produce their own power, usually by diesel motors. Rail is the safest land transport when compared to other forms of transport.^{[citation needed]}

The oldest, man-hauled railways date to the 6th century BC. With the development of the steam engine, it was possible to construct mainline railways, that were a key component of the industrial revolution. In the 1880s, electric trains were launched, and the first tramways and rapid transit systems came into use. Following the 1940s, unelectrified railways in developed countries replaced steam with diesel. In the 1960s, high-speed rail was launched. Trains have since become more accessible, and some are now driverless. Other forms of rail transport outside the traditional definition such as maglev trains have also emerged.