The Victorian government has announced it is replacing the state’s public transport ticketing system. So what essential features should a state-of-the-art system offer users?
Masks protect you from infection and protect others from getting sick. But authorities are leaving it up to individuals to decide if they want to wear masks on the bus or train. Here’s how to decide.
Social distancing isn’t really compatible with public transport – especially during peak times. So how can we stay safe if we’re starting to take public transport again?
A Bombardier sign welcomes travellers to Berlin Central Station, where Bombardier’s rail division headquarters are located. Canada’s failure to invest in rail infrastructure has hurt Bombardier.
(Wikimedia)
Building infrastructure takes time. To develop sustainable transportation, Canada needs to invest in high-quality infrastructure that will enable us to make environmentally friendly travel choices.
Yibin is the latest Chinese city to get the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) system, or trackless trams.
来斤小仓鼠吧/Wikimedia
Installing light rail is costly, as Sydney has found, but it’s the gold standard for public transport along road corridors. What trackless trams can do is rapidly expand such services at low cost.
This playable tram generates different musical compositions at different speeds when viewed through a smartphone camera using an augmented reality app.
James H.H. Morgan
Melbourne has its first playable art tram – a 32.5-metre-long musical score played via augmented reality. So what’s the idea of playable trams and playable cities really about?
Some fanciful plans were imagined for Melbourne back in the day – some included jet cars.
C.F. Beauvais in the Argus Weekend Magazine, August 28, 1943/Trove
We have forgotten how to be imaginative when planning our cities. Looking back into Melbourne’s planning history, we might be able to find some inspiration to tackle rapid growth in a creative way.
Remnants of the tram system can be found across Kyoto. Japan’s oldest tram is in the gardens of Heian Shrine in central Kyoto.
In the 1970s, both Kyoto and Melbourne made fateful decisions about their transport networks. Melbourne today enjoys the benefits of trams, while Kyoto lives with the consequences of losing them.
Sydney’s bus services are a mix of public and private-operated routes, which complicates any estimates of potential cost savings.
Dean Lewins/AAP
Estimated cost savings for rail and bus franchising from Infrastructure Australia and PwC will have government treasurers salivating. Problem is, the figures are almost certainly far too high.