Post ANxKGsZjsvOUNDIpQ8 by kgerloff@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by kgerloff@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGqaNHaiKCbaJ8K by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:10:24Z
       
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       Some observations from last week´s #InnoTrans, the world´s biggest trade fair for rail stuff. A short thread, probably.
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGr6dLeWBoeg4Po by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:14:04Z
       
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       For trains, diesel is out, and hydrogen / battery are in, at least where mainline trains are concerned. For shunting, diesel will probably stick around for a while yet.(In rail, battery and hydrogen are complementary rather than in competition. Each makes sense for a different kind of track. If you´ve got an electrified network with some gaps, battery trains help. If you need to cover long runs w/o electrification, you´ll want hydrogen.)#InnoTrans
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGrYzeDCfEbwicS by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:16:07Z
       
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       Digitalization, for most participants in the rail world, still means "sticking a chip into previously dumb devices". That´s a first step, but no more than that. To really make rail better, we´ll need more advanced digital services, and smarter trains.#InnoTrans
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGs37qBJ2k42maO by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:29:17Z
       
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       Building smarter trains is far from trivial, though. Don´t think of the train as a computer on wheels. Think of it as a datacenter + factory on wheels.Loads of different devices, each highly specialised, built into a box that´s capable of going 300 km/h for years on end. Heat, cold, dirt, lousy connectivity, fire safety, maintenance workers with big hammers, and weird interfaces everywhere.Progress is slow, but thorough.#InnoTrans
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGsZjsvOUNDIpQ8 by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:37:55Z
       
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       Finally, by now I´m convinced that you haven´t seen a real nerd until you´ve seen rail nerds.People who, when faced with a train, start investigating the most minute details of wheelsets, couplings and buffers, muttering to themselves comparisons to a long list of things they´ve previously encountered, as well as the gaps to some engineering nirvana where every bit of steel shall be perfectly formed.#InnoTrans
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGvgaJveW1JWq0W by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:18:49Z
       
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       General remark: In the rail world, progress moves slowly. Trains have a lifetime of 30-40 years; even longer for infrastructure. Modern features might add benefits, but rarely enough to justify junking a perfectly serviceable vehicle. (This also makes rail a great place to work if you like technical challenges without all the startup / blockchain bullshit. You have to be patient though.)
       
 (DIR) Post #ANxKGxNs0Ts3Hqmv7A by kgerloff@mastodon.social
       2022-09-26T10:21:57Z
       
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       Fare systems are still a hot mess, especially in Germany. There´s no technical reason why you can´t buy a ticket for your whole journey that includes high-speed trains, local trains and buses / trams; it´s just that all those operators haven´t bothered to agree on making it possible.In Germany, the 9€ ticket has conclusively shown that there´s unmet demand for affordable, un-complicated public transport.#InnoTrans