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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 1h

Wembley does a great job of moving a whole heap of people by rail. NFL today, wonder where Wembley would rank on the most well connected NFL stadiums - somewhere near the top I would hope.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 1d

Whenever I see that Macquarie Bank has taken over another piece of UK infrastructure, I think of Edgar Allen Poe's poems about the Grim Reaper.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 2d

So strike me down if I ever mention rail decarbonisation again.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 3d

Is AI overhyped? Currently working on a @spacegovuk project with @AirbusSpace - using earth observation satellite data and AI to support early-stage rail infrastructure designs. To do the things that engineers can't easily or the things that are just boring
news.railbusinessdaily.com/satellites-a...

Satellites and AI to accelerate rail electrification | RailBusinessDaily

Furrer+Frey has been awarded grant funding from the UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Business programme, which it will use to integrate satellite Furrer+Frey has been awarded grant funding from t...

news.railbusinessdaily.com

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 4d

Fire on EMR and pandemonium at Paddington due to trespassers. I knew downloading more videos on the French nuclear power station programme & using a rolling programme of construction to reduce costs... was a good idea.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 4d

This year’s Rail Industry Pulse Survey, from the 6 leading trade associations & Network Rail makes a sobering read.
+ Only 4.3% of companies feel confident about future work volumes
+ 144 of 183 companies report lack of work is having a significant impact on their business

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 4d

In 2022 we did an electric freight loading demo in Wellingborough, with moveable equipment. But doing electric freight in the UK is hard. First real project is in Nagpur, India. Because of course India, with huge freight & electrification projects. Silo loading electric trains

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 5d

Free at last - I have to remember to never play late 90's games if I want to get anything done. Took 4 days to win... need to delete the game now.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 6d

Just writing my notes from last week's PWI's Practical Electrification Challenge - super fun, mildly stressful, better than 2024 is my main takeaway.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 6d

Very disappointed by the lack of puns on this story.
press.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/shell-s...

Shell shock as runaway tortoise found on the tracks at Bicester North Station | Chiltern Railways News

News from Chiltern Railways

press.chilternrailways.co.uk

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 9d

Absolutely

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 9d

I have been shortlisting nominees for the @RBF1858 - Heart of Gold Awards - Rising Star. Some genuinely nice people work in rail. Sortlist published next week.
www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/news/heart-o...

Heart of Gold Awards - Railway Benefit Fund

Join us in honoring the unsung heroes of the rail industry at the RBF Heart of Gold Awards. Cast your vote for Rising Stars, Lifetime Achievers, Rail Heroes, Wellbeing Champions, Inspirational Volunte...

www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 9d

Will move "heaven and earth to deliver value for money" to Treasury - but ticket prices & performance for passengers will be the same.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Greater Anglia nationalisation will deliver 'value for money'

The transport secretary says the move will bring value for money, but she did not promise lower fares.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 9d

We've just finished up the PWI's Electrification Challenge in Swindon. Great few days.... but looking forward to the weekend now.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 10d

2nd full day of the PWI's Practical Electrification Challenge - today some rail tool suppliers are also on hand to show how tools work. Great spread of office folk - from Balfours, Babcocks, RSSB, ORR, Mott MacDonald, Atkins to name a few of the 20 companies attending

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 11d

First full day of the @PWInstitution electrification challenge - a great cross-industry, hands-on event that helps people in rail understand electrification. @25kv.bsky.social up front in the classroom.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 12d

Switzerland today for Swindon tomorrow - gearing up for the PWIs electrification challenge kicking off tomorrow.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 14d

Article on fine below. Also appreciate the new trains make this type of incident impossible and GW were stuck at the time with legacy trains - just that plastering loads of warning stickers did not reduce any risk www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

GWR fined £1m over train passenger's death in Bath

Bethan Roper was killed in 2018 when she leaned out of a droplight window on a moving train.

www.bbc.co.uk

Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 14d

Great Western was fined this week over Bethan Roper's death. The RIAB report was in 2019, link below. This image always stuck in my mind. Warnings either need to be simple or you need to prevent the risk. 6 sets of instructions, doesn't make it clear assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5da5d8...

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

Absolutely

Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

A lovely moody image: londonist.com/london/trans...

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

Just slightly different designs. A photo of a GW pair and a photo of a typical UK one. The GW ones were designed for install in short possessions and don't have a knee brace to save time, but need to be stiffer to compensate.

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

I think GCRE's announcement of power and data can only be a good thing - hopefully gets them one step further to being built. www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

Rail centre looking to attract multi-billion-pound investment

A competition has been launched to find an energy and data centre partner at what would be the world's first integrated train and rail infrastructure testing facility in one of the most deprived parts...

www.walesonline.co.uk

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

It was stuff like this that allowed parts of HS2 to be cancelled with only a whimper. Moving people around in the most efficient way, with the lowest emissions - is overwhelmingly good for the environment - but also boosts UK productivty

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Noel Dolphin @noeldolphin.bsky.social · 17d

For some perspective, 1,680 football pitches is 0.018% of UK protected land. To say that temporary HS2 construction sites are visible from space is desecration is insane. On google maps a dinner plate on a table in my back garden is visible from space.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

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