Safety

Beyond the Wreckage: Learning from the Tempi Rail Disaster’s Aftermath

• The disaster killed 57 people and injured 81
• Mass protests are taking place across Greece, including a general strike on the second anniversary of the disaster as people feel there is a cover up and no one has been held to account.
• One inquiry concluded last week that the accident was caused by human error, poor maintenance, and inadequate staffing. It found that millions of euros had been paid to install safety systems along the railway, but the project remained incomplete due to corruption and bureaucracy.
• Greece's Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority has warned that the safety failings exposed by the crash have not yet been addressed.
• A judicial inquiry is still ongoing, frustrating the public.
• Evidence at the site was destroyed, fueling suspicion that the government sought to cover up the role of high-ranking officials.
• The Prime Minister had promised to act "more dynamically and quickly" to create modern, safe trains.

What can we learn from how the disaster has been handled?

• Transport Leaders should not wait for an inquiry before taking urgent measures to improve safety, even if you do not have all the information.
• Delivery of safety improvements is paramount and needs to face public scrutiny with regular updates provided to parliament and the public.
• Evidence at crash sites needs to be preserved even if it delays the re-opening of the line.
• Politicians cannot take their eye off the ball.
• People need to be held accountable. Describing the situation as a corporate or government failure is unacceptable. The buck needs to stop somewhere, and it should be clear who is legally responsible for the rail system's safety.
• Judicial reviews tend to drag on for years. They need to be instructed to finish much sooner.

What next?

• Investigating authorities and rail agencies will almost certainly have a playbook for managing an accident and its immediate aftermath.
• However, do rail agencies have a playbook for dealing with the accident once the immediate response has finished? If not, Greece shows why it would be sensible to develop one.

Technology

The Dark Side of Smart Traffic: Unintended Consequences of Urban Tech

You see a lot of content about people’s visions for intelligent traffic management, such as sensors and technologies that enable responsive traffic lights that adjust according to traffic needs in real time. The claim is that this will speed up traffic and reduce congestion.

Although I love a good bit of technology, I am skeptical about this one. The problem with this smart traffic vision is that it misses the second order effects. When we make it easier for people to drive, such as speeding up trips, we know what happens - we get induced demand, i.e. quicker trips attract more people to drive, increasing congestion and taking us back to square one.

Does this mean we should not adopt technologies that will improve traffic flow? No, but we should use these technologies to prioritise not the motor car but other modes, including the bus, active transport and pedestrians (crossing the street).

What next?

Are you using smart traffic technologies to prioritise cars or other modes?

Policy

​Earth, Wind, and Rail: The Sustainability Clash of Two Transport Titans​

Many countries are going full steam ahead with High Speed Rail projects, but there is an ongoing debate across several countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, and the United States. In the case of Canada, this blog makes the case for pursuing Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) instead. The blog makes the following key points:

• High-speed Rail is not a good option for Canada - cities are too far apart, the terrain makes it very expensive to build, and Canada lacks expertise.
• Instead Canada should pursue sustainable aviation.
• Canada is well-positioned to solve this problem due to its renewable energy potential, biomass resources, and challenging aviation needs.

Sustainable aviation will rest on two technologies:

i. sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for long-haul flights, and

ii. electric aircraft for shorter routes

The blog argues that what is missing is the scale and infrastructure to make these technologies mainstream, with the Canadian Federal Government doing two things:

• A commitment to producing SAF and obtaining electric aircraft.
• The money earmarked for HSR is invested in sustainable aviation instead.

Should Canada follow this path? Interestingly, many of the same arguments in the blog also apply to Australia and the United States.

What next?

If you are thinking about HSR, is sustainable aviation a better solution?

Planning

​The French Connection: Strategies for Effective Regional Mobility​

(yes, the title commemorates the great actor, Gene Hackman, who died last week).

This blog describes what France is up to regarding regional connectivity, and it is ambitious.

• France is building 24, what it calls ‘Services Express Régionaux Métropolitains (SERM)’ in regional cities.
• The idea is to connect towns outside major cities directly with the city centres.
• Because SERMs connect a low-density town or suburb to the city centre, connectivity to the station is key. So micromobility, bike sharing, carpooling and bike lanes are all part of the SERM projects (joined up thinking).
• The French government has made the Government-Owned Company, responsible for building the 200km Grand Paris Express, the Société du Grand Paris (now renamed the Société des Grands Projets) responsible for delivering the SERMs.
• The Société des Grands Projets will use institutional knowledge in tunnelling and infrastructure to deliver the projects quicker and cheaper.

What Next?

Do you have a regional connectivity strategy?

Blog

​Why we should stop using public transport for welfare​

This week's blog looked at an increasing trend worsening transport systems - using public transport for welfare goals.

Key Takeaways

• Public transport is often used as a tool of welfare for households on low incomes through cheap fares.
• While cheap fares often provide a short-term boost to public transport patronage, they also come with several problems, including a reduction in services and investment, which can lead to a decline in patronage in the medium and longer term.
• A better approach would be to provide direct ‘mobility’ payments to low-income households to meet their transport needs efficiently without compromising investment in public transport, whilst developing a fare strategy that optimises transport outcomes.

What Next?

What can you do to push back on demands for using public transport as welfare?

Leadership

The Curiosity Effect: How Embracing Intellectual Curiosity Elevates Leadership

Transport leaders benefit from being intellectually curious, which means having a strong desire to learn and understand new things about the world. Key reasons why this is desirable include:

• Fostering innovation.
• Adapting to change, such as new technologies.
• Enhancing problem solving skills.

Ways to enhance intellectual curiosity include:

1. Engaging with global thought leaders in your area.
2. Joining communities of practice to share knowledge and solve problems.
3. Learning to ask questions, such as using the ‘5 whys technique'.
4. Reading, listening and watching high-quality resources.
5. Embracing discomfort and uncertainty. For example, have a good discussion with someone you disagree with to try and understand where they are coming from.

What Next?

Reach out to a thought leader or an opposite number in another jurisdiction today.

Innovation

​All Aboard the Baltic Express: Unlocking Central Europe's Hidden Gems​

I love a great tourist train and here is a new one covering Eastern Europe.

The Baltic Express is a recently launched route from Prague to Gdynia on Poland's Baltic coast. The service operates four times daily and is designed to take tourists to vibrant but less-touristed cities. It stops at over 20 destinations, including two Unesco World Heritage sites. Passengers can hop on and off at whichever stops they choose along the 878km route.

Tool

Pedals to Platforms: Revolutionizing Cycling-Rail Integration

Visuals can be a very powerful way of communicating, especially some difficult-to-explain concepts in transport. Brianna Mawra's visual above is an effective example. It shows the Vancouver Rapid Transit catchment by walking and comparing it to a cycling catchment.

The visual is a compelling, self-explanatory reason for investing in cycling infrastructure.