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I've said it before, and I am preaching to the quire, but the methodology and protocol of that study could have easily invalidated the results of that study, and it was not run by a group with a public transport background either. Sunderland City Council should have kicked up more of a stink...

True tbh.

I suspect that the Vivarail unit would have always been a one-off to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. Ex US Metro/Subway cars wold probably be more desirable for a production fleet given the bigger loading gauge over there and spare parts availability.

The current Metro fleet was built on the mega cheap (and was never necessary cheerful). They were built with an intended 30 year lifespan and based on millage cycles of the original system, with the Airport and Sunderland extensions progressively overstretching the fleet. They have served us...

I do have a couple of consumer Windows CE powered devices - including a IBM WorkPad Z50. With full desktop stack it is somewhat useable (compared with other, more powerful hardware at the time). The built in Office programs are quite limited. Of course, most Windows CE deployments would use a...

Indeed the main TMS systems should be kept separate. The only real issues with using the likes of Windows 95/3.x is it's inherent instability by being a bit of a kludge and relying on DOS Real mode for certain low level hardware operations and memory management. Nothing a reboot can't usually...

You will find lots of legacy systems out there, like the ones listed above, as well as DOS, OS/2, and the recently end of life Windows Embedded Compact (perviously Windows CE). I would imagine any new systems installed will be isolated from the existing systems, apart from perhaps...

Yeah it is a bit worrying about the lack of delivery/progress of the new fleet. Given Nexus are involved, it is inevitable that it is moving form one crisis to another.

The protocol and the results of the survey that produced the preferences for the seating layout would have not held up to scrutiny should Sunderland City Council had pursued it further. A hybrid layout like the S8 stock has would have probably been preferable.

While the lack of front view will sadly be missed, the new cab is is surely a quantum leap that eclipses that, in terms of amenities, space and safety for the driver (i.e. crashworthiness and reduced risk of anti-social behaviour from passengers). I will say that the all longitudinal seating is...

Pacers and Sprinters are very much a product of their time, trains produced on the cheap (in the case of the Pacers, far too cheaply), using existing tech and designs. BR at the time was too cash strapped to do anything else it seems. Of all of the trains produced in that era, I dislike the 156...

I respectfully disagree!

Regional Railways North East website circa 1997: https://web.archive.org/web/19971018083714/http://www.rrne.co.uk/

IMHO the cost of electrification needs to come down to make it more attractive, even if that means contracting Balfour Beatty for more Mk3 OHLE installations.

The Metro operates alongside mainline trains on the Pelaw - Sunderland/South Hylton branch which is owned by Network Rail.

I know this is not strictly on topic but when Arriva NE thrust the Temsa Avenue buses upon the poor people of Teesside, they had a press release calling them "Turkish Delight". That quickly changed to "Turkish Alight" after a number of them burnt themselves out.

I can guess a few more factors favoring their demise is the 90s electronics and traction package, and perhaps the lack of aircon. It is still sad to see them go, considering here are may DMUs older than them still trundling around, though with the lack of further large scale elecgtrification in...

I'm sure the new Tyne and Wear Metro units, and the other Stadler EMUs in the rest of the UK and world would help a bit.

Aside from the discussion about the suitability of the Class 600 for the Esk Valley line, Alstom are yet to complete (or even start work on?) the prototype unit, and given the issues with the Class 230 and 769 conversions, I'm a little bit on the skeptical slide about this project.

More problems with "blue hydrogen"? https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/08/ex-lobbyist-slams-blue-hydrogen-says-it-would-lock-in-fossil-fuel-dependence/