Gizmodo: Trains

French Train Operator Trials RFID Payment Card with USB Connection

Kit Eaton — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:15:00 EDT

No matter the fuss about RFID hacking, France's national train operator SNCF is trialing a single-user RFID payment system for journeys on its network. The Weneo card is no flimsy card with a simple embedded chip however: it's a thick gizmo with 4GB aboard and a USB plug. Shoving it into a PC takes the user directly to SNCF's website, where they can charge up the card's credit. Sounds all very groovy, but since the card also contains a chunk of personal data, like status as a student or senior citizen or "amount of money the cardholder has available for purchases" (why the heck is that there?) it strikes me as something that'd be pretty worrying to lose/get hacked. On trial for 1,000 users currently. [RFIDJournal via Nowhereelse—in French]

Summer Anti-Timepeg: Gigantic Railroad Snowplows

Brian Lam — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:00:12 EDT

Is it hot where you are? OObject celebrates Summer (and this SF heatwave) with a refreshing list of 20 different train-mounted railroad snowplows. Some look simply like giant plows, but the most gadgety look like giant snowblowing window fans.

A little research turns up that these powered variants were developed by a dentist in the late 1800s as a tool to get through passes blocked by snow drifts too deep for the others. They're electric or diesel powered, and in Donner Pass near Tahoe, they were sometimes double-ended on trains so they could saw down the snow in both directions. The stills are inspiring but I found some videos of some in action (and getting stuck) below. [OObject]

Transportation Bill Gives $45 Million To Maglev Project, Sets It Up For Fail

Elaine Chow — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

A new transportation bill signed by Bush on Friday would free up $45 million to build the U.S.'s first maglev train. The train will travel between Disneyland and Las Vegas at up to 300 mph and is meant to help ease traffic on the 250+ mile ride on Interstate 15. While I'm all for high-speed trains and efficient public transportation, isn't the Bush administration forgetting something?

Maglev trains are hella expensive. Sure, the $45 million is only supposed to pay for “environmental studies” in the first phase of the project, but the government can probably expect to spend a hundred times that amount before this thing is over.

Japan's Linimo maglev train, located near Nagoya, cost a cool $380 million to build and it's only 5.5 miles long. China's Shanghai Maglev Train, finished in 2004 in a country where labor's cheap and private land ownership is a pretty new concept, cost $1.3 billion for 19 miles of track—roughly $68.4 million per mile. What will $45 million buy in the States? 10 feet?

I love the concept of mass transit and one of my biggest gripes with the U.S. is how they let their train infrastructure shrivel and rot, but the paltry amount dedicated to such a pricey technology makes me wonder if this isn't just another attempt for Bush to greenwash his last few months in office. [Slashdot]

P.S. The picture is of the Shanghai Maglev Train, which has been criticized by locals for being showy, wasteful and impractical.

World's First High-Def Train Simulator Makes Train Operating Uber-Realistic

Elaine Chow — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Train operators-in-training will no longer have to deal with plain, unrealistic, standard-definition simulations thanks to a new system that uses full HD video. Jointly developed by Fujitsu and video game maker Ongakukan, the world's most advanced train simulator uses variable-speed playback technology and HD video that was shot on actual train lines.

The simulator delivers an unprecedented level of realism that gives trainees a better and more accurate learning experience. Never again will a train operator not know what to do when he or she encounters something on the tracks (here's a hint: 'stop'). The system just became available commercially for three million yen ($29,000), so extremely rich Thomas the Tank Engine fans, it's time to make your train-operating dreams come true! [Fareastgizmos]

Comfy IKEA Train Makes Me Want to Move to the Subway

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:30:00 EDT

IKEA has outfitted a train in Kobe with sofas and curtains—probably with names like Oompa-loompa, Svenssonjohansensson, Frida, and Bucarest. Unfortunately, the makeover is temporary, to mark the opening of a new shop in the city. Good, because otherwise I would move to live in there. I will miss my stair bookcase, yes, but I would make as many one-serving friends per hour as the number of pictures in the gallery after the jump.

[Kiyomaro via Pink Tentacle]

I Am Le Fast: France's AGV Super Train Aims to Go One Better than TGV

AddyDugdale — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:07:29 EST

French engineering firm Alstom unveiled its successor the the TGV today, the AGV. Standing for Automotrice Grande Vitesse, the train, which boasts an individual engine beneath each carriage, can travel at speeds of up to 223mph, or 360kph. Up to 700 passengers can be transported at a time, and less fuel is used, as the AGV is lighter than its elder sister and consumes up to 30 per cent less energy. More info below the gallery.

The AGV—translated, it means "high-speed, self-propelled carriage" was unveiled by Nicolas Sarkozy (who, given his recent marriage to former supermodel Carla Bruni, is probably no stranger to le petit train pulling into the station at regular intervals) at a ceremony in La Rochelle today. Italy has already bought a stack of AGVs and plans to run them on its own rail network from 2011. [BBC News and Railway Gazette]

IR Hacks: Some Perspective

Mark Wilson — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:00:03 EST

While much of the internet may be up in arms over Richard Blakeley's recent IR-induced video stunt, a 14-year-old boy from Poland allegedly took an IR hack to more tragic proportions this week, and has been accused of hacking a standard TV remote to override track switching at rail junctions in the city of Lodz. Four trams were derailed and (luckily) only 12 people were injured with none killed. The youth in question was described by teachers as an "electronics buff and exemplary student," according to The Register.

The lesson? From here on out, Blakeley takes a cab. And he stays the fuck away from our train set. [theregister via boingboing] [image]

Caltrain GPS Project Tracks, Locates Late Trains

Jason Chen — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:40:26 EDT

The Caltrain board is going to approve a multi-million-dollar project, finished by the end of 2008, that adds GPS and web-based tracking functionality for their trains. Caltrain, the SF Bay Area's commuter train, will then use the "Real Time Train Predictive Arrival GPS System" in nine train stops, allowing users to monitor the train's location/arrival via the website 511.org, and time their jog down to the train accordingly. [MercuryNews]

France Breaks Train Speed Record; Arnie Taunts Californians

Adam Frucci — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 17:15:00 EDT

A souped-up TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) broke the train speed record today, speeding along at a whopping 357.2mph. Loaded up with two supercharged locomotives and oversized wheels, it broke the record on a specially prepared track east of Paris.

Apparently Governator Arnold sent a delegation to check the train out, pondering the feasibility of bringing the speedy train to California. According to our West Coast contingent (i.e. Blam and Chen), however, the chances of that actually happening are slim to none. Sorry, Californians. –Adam Frucci

Breitbart [via The Raw Feed]

Breaking News: Robots Break New York Transit Strike

johnb — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 09:03:25 EST

Just kidding. But we have a fairly large Gizmodo brain trust in our commentors and readers. This is what I want to know: when will a large city like New York have a completely automated train system? Clearly, the current system—in New York, that is—could not support a 20th—let alone a 21st—century automated infrastructure. But what would need to happen to make these pension talks kind of moot?

Please discuss.