Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
The era of the Series 0 Shinkansen super-express trains (popularly known as bullet trains), which were the original trainsets built for a system of high-speed railway lines in Japan, came to an end after more than four decades of service. “Final bullet train makes ‘sayonara’ run,” proclaimed a headline in the English-language edition of the... Continue Reading →
A new pedestrian-and-bicycle bridge crossing the river Rhône and representing intercultural harmony was completed in Lyon, France. The Passerelle de la Paix (Peace Bridge) had been commissioned by the Urban Community of Lyon (also known as Grand Lyon) – a government subdivision within east-central France that was reorganized as the Metropolis of Lyon in 2015... Continue Reading →
In Ireland, a form of integrated ticketing for a cross-section of transit networks made its debut in the Dublin region. The Leap Card is a prepaid card that can be used for public transportation services such as Dublin Bus, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system, Iranród Éireann (Irish Rail), and Luas tram/light rail network.... Continue Reading →
In Finland, a naming ceremony was held at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard for a pioneering icebreaker. The naming contest for the new vessel had been launched by the Finnish Transport Agency during the summer of 2014. The winning entry for this contest was Polaris, the name for the major navigational star commonly known as the North... Continue Reading →
In Southeast Asia, a new bridge was officially opened at the border of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. This bridge, carrying the Pan-Borneo Highway, specifically crosses the Pandaruan River between the Limbang District in the Malaysian state of Sarawak and the Temburong District in Brunei Darussalam. The Pandaruan Bridge (also known as the Malaysia-Brunei Darussalam Friendship... Continue Reading →
Photo by Magnus Gertkemper: The Adler replica from 1935 on its first trip after the reconstruction in 2008. The Bavarian Ludwig Railway (Ludwigsbahn), the first steam-powered railway line in what is now Germany, began operations between the cities of Nuremberg and Fürth. (At the time, this region of present-day Germany was part of the Kingdom... Continue Reading →
Construction began on a swing bridge crossing Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour and connecting the community of Pyrmont with Sydney’s central business district in the Australian colony (now state) of New South Wales. This new bridge was built to replace one that had been in existence since 1857. The older structure was a wooden pile... Continue Reading →
The South African Navy vessel SAS Isandlwana was launched at a shipyard in Kiel, Germany. Those participating in this ceremony included Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, South Africa’s deputy minister of defense. SAS Isandlwana was built in Kiel by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), which consists of the German Frigate Consortium (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl, and Howardtswerke... Continue Reading →
More than a half-century after establishing a record for walking around the world, Dumitru Dan died in the city of Buzău in his native Romania at the age of 88. His path to international fame began in 1908 while he was a student in Paris. The Touring club de France initiated a contest for circumnavigating... Continue Reading →
The ferry M/S Finnhansa, which had been constructed by the Finnish shipbuilding company Wärtsilä Marine, was launched in Helsinki. The vessel was christened by Sylvi Kekkonen, the wife of longtime Finnish president Urho Kekkonen. Finnhansa was built for Finnlines, a major operator of vessels transporting both passengers and vehicles in the Baltic Sea and the... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 