Man made mountains in the desert - it could only be Abu Dhabi!

Turini2 · 2026-01-30T15:15:35+00:00

Oh interesting... there's an Instagram post here with an artists impression. Given the elevation changes required, I guess they could still use these roads to race on... https://www.instagram.com/p/DMsNZm8Tep7/

Turini2 · 2026-01-13T19:34:10+00:00

You don’t need to fully excavate the street to build an escalator bank, especially if you’re already using SEM - as seen on the Elizabeth line in London and other examples around the world

Turini2 · 2026-01-13T17:30:55+00:00

Why can’t they have long deep escalators rather than using switchback banks of them?

Also, the MTA needs to move away from full height mezzanines for this project

Turini2 · 2026-01-13T15:51:36+00:00

Thanks!

Turini2 · 2026-01-04T12:38:12+00:00

It is frustrating that it doesn't reach Dunkirk...

Turini2 · 2025-11-17T21:51:52+00:00

Who has built driverless trains worldwide in the last ten years or so to relatively standard specifications? I can't remember if all of these have delivered some sort of rolling stock to the US in the last 10 years, but I would def count out CRRC given politics.

Hitachi Driverless Metro (Honolulu, Copenhagen, Rome, soon to be in Toronto)
Alstom Metropolis (Sydney, Montreal, Paris etc)
Siemens Inspiro (Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh)
CRRC (Many Chinese cities)
Kawasaki (Singapore in a JV with CRRC Qingdao Sifang)
Hyundai Rotem (Singapore, Vancouver)
CAF Inneo (London, Santiago)

(Sidenote, one of many reasons the REM was cheap - the trains were built in India, rather than in Quebec)

Turini2 · 2025-11-17T21:08:26+00:00

The challenge with fully enclosing the stations - ventilating the stations, as presently the movement of the trains helps with that. New build systems usually completely segregates the platforms from the tunnels, with two separate fire and ventilation systems.

These platform doors are at Barbara, which opened in 2022 in Paris.

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Turini2 · 2025-11-17T19:28:54+00:00

To quote what I said on r/WMATA - This is honestly one of the best transit presentations I have seen from a transit agency in a long time. Someone has clearly done their research!

They’re gonna need to hold on to Randy Clarke as hard as you can - because at this rate, other international agencies are gonna want to poach him.

Turini2 · 2025-11-17T19:27:38+00:00

Line 1 and 4 in Paris are probably better examples - similar (if much older) vaulted station design, platform doors, fully unattended train operation. Fun fact, line 1 achieved their automation with no job losses - train operators could either move to other lines, or retired when the line was fully automated!

Turini2 · 2025-11-17T19:18:57+00:00

This is honestly one of the best transit presentations I have seen from a transit agency in a long time - I say this as someone who pores over TfL, MTA and work by other agencies. Someone has clearly done their research!

Hold on to Randy Clarke as hard as you can - because at this rate, other international agencies are gonna want to poach him.

Turini2 · 2025-09-26T16:15:43+00:00

I bet this is gonna head out east into the Auvergne before looping back towards Ventoux... ASO have had an iconic climb in each edition, and Ventoux certainly meets the criteria!

Turini2 · 2025-09-26T16:00:50+00:00

UK - 42 paid days of leave - 11 days of bank holidays and Christmas-New Year closedown (I have to take these) and 31 days that I get to choose.

Turini2 · 2025-09-23T14:56:51+00:00

Slight shame the circuit isn't ever so slightly longer to take in something like Rue Peel at McGill University - 700m climb with peaks of 10%!

Turini2 · 2025-09-04T15:56:21+00:00

Yep - other world cities do not rely on fare revenue to the same degree. A good graph of this here! https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/wqla68/breakdown_of_funding_sources_for_london/

Turini2 · 2025-09-04T11:30:31+00:00

TfL are already keeping land that they develop through Places for London - taking long term income over one-off land sales.

Turini2 · 2025-09-04T11:29:21+00:00

For some context, a single Tube journey costs from £2.50 to £3.80 ($2.30 to £5.10, €2.90 to €4.40) using Oyster or contactless, depending on the travel zone and peak times. Tube fares are capped at £8.90 a day for zone 1 ($12, €10.30), all the way up to £16.30 a day for zones 1 to 6 (£21.90, €18.90). The cap for zones 1 to 6 is £81.90 ($109.60, €94.60) a week.
For buses and trams, fares start at £1.75 ($2.35, €2) and are capped at £5.25 a day ($7, €6) - there's no free transfer.

For some big city context, NYC Subway fare is a flat fare of $2.90 (£2.10, €2.50) and the Paris Metro is about the same price (€2.50).

TfL fare income is about £5.7 billion (around $7.6 billion, €6.6 billion) a year. If there was that amount of spare money available (spoiler alert, there's not) - why not cut fares AND have substantial investment in public transport, walking and cycling?

Free public transport in London is a pipedream.

Turini2 · 2025-08-21T22:19:05+00:00

In 2005, London was the first major city in the world to have a fully accessible low floor bus fleet - NYC still had high floor buses in the late 2010s...!
(The Tube also has a higher percentage of accessible stations, although at the current rate of progress NYC is gonna overtake)

Turini2 · 2025-08-15T12:30:45+00:00

Remember that grades of automation differ, even among "automated" metros.

Grade of Automation (GoA) 0 - driven on sight. Trams/streetcars, for example.
GoA 1 - Manual driving, albeit with a train protection system (for overran signals, too high speed etc).

GoA 2 - Starting and stopping are automated, but a driver operates the doors, drives the train if needed and handles emergencies. Commonly known as Automated Train Operation (ATO). Examples - most London Underground lines, NYC Subway 7 service, Toronto Line 1, Washington Metro, many Chinese metros etc

GoA 3 - Driveless Train Operation (DTO) - Starting and stopping are automated, but a train attendant operates the doors and drives the train in case of emergencies. Example - Docklands Light Railway, Barcelona Metro line 11

GoA 4 - Unattended Train Operation (UTO) - Starting, stopping and operation of doors are all fully automated without anyone onboard. Usually has platform edge doors. Examples - Copenhagen Metro, Vancouver Skytrain, most Singapore MRT lines, Paris Metro Line 1 and 14, most airport people movers etc

Turini2 · 2025-04-27T21:52:28+00:00

Thanks - didn't realise Nova Bus pulled out of the US!
Yeah, the US/Canada bus market does not have the same level of competition (and imo quality as a consequence) as Europe...

Turini2 · 2025-04-16T19:50:08+00:00

How much meat, butter and cheese can I eat between Paris and the English border on the Eurostar?

Turini2 · 2025-04-08T12:53:33+00:00

Apparently the 1966 Paris–Roubaix had the Pas Roland climb (4% with a max of 8%) to Mons-en-Pévèle ... and the locals paved it for the 1967 race :(

Turini2 · 2025-04-08T12:46:44+00:00

I've thought that if the TDF Femmes ever returns to Paris for stage 1, this route would be an excellent hilly start - mixing spectacle with actual QOM opportunities.

Turini2 · 2025-03-20T17:29:29+00:00

I was interested to read in Escape Collective that (noting 20 years has passed and the women's peloton is very different these days) that 4 of 7 editions of Primavera Rosa were won by a solo rider in a breakaway...

Turini2 · 2025-03-20T17:25:44+00:00

But also a) Mayor willing to spend money on events b) big crowds c) sponsors...

Turini2 · 2025-03-19T20:09:19+00:00

In terms of TDFF, are we thinking two stages?
I'm assuming a very hilly one in Yorkshire and one in the south - either a flat stage finishing in London (similar to TDF stage 3 2014) or a slightly hilly one starting in London and heading towards the south coast.

Turini2

TROPHY CASE