Revolution Wind is powering New England, and Trump is attacking it again
Transportationvia Electrek
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Revolution Wind is already sending electricity to New England, and all 65 turbines are installed. Now the Trump administration is challenging the federal approval that allowed the offshore wind farm to be built. Again. Yes, really. more…
Revolution Wind is already sending electricity to New England, and all 65 turbines are installed. Now the Trump administration is challenging the federal approval that allowed the offshore wind farm to be built. Again. Yes, really.
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has awarded Eisenbahnen & Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser the next contract to operate regional passenger train service RB33 between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven and Buxtehude. The authority said EVB, which is more than 80% owned by the Land and is the current operator of the service which carries around 2 million passengers/year, had submitted the most economically advantageous bid in the European tendering process. The next contract is to run from December 2027 to December 2037. It includes an option for EVB to operate a planned RB34 Bremervörde – Stade service, if the line is reopened. The region’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport & Construction Grant Hendrik Tonne said ‘by re-awarding the contract to EVB, we are ensuring reliability for passengers until 2037 and simultaneously securing the continued operation of hydrogen-powered trains. EVB knows the route, the region, and the needs of the local people. I congratulate the company on winning the contract and wish its employees continued safe and successful service.’ Winning the contract ‘not only underscores EVB’s competitiveness but also our growth targets’, said EVB spokesperson Christoph Grimm. ‘This ensures we remain an alternative to DB and large international corporations in Niedersachsen’s local passenger train sector. Furthermore, we are securing over 100 jobs.’ Grimm said the EVB team had ‘left no detail untouched’ in the tendering process, focusing on service improvements as well as the economic aspects. ‘RB33 is a matter close to our hearts, not only for economic reasons, but also as EVB’s home line. It is part of the network for whose retention our company was founded in 1981’, he explained. The majority of the infrastructure is also owned by EVB. The RB33 contract announced on September 28 is the third and final lot from the Weser-Elbe & Unterelbe 2027+ tendering process conducted by LNVG in co-operation with the Länder of Bremen and Hamburg. The RE5 Cuxhaven – Hamburg contract was awarded to Metronom, and the contract for the future RB39 Soltau – Lüneburg service to Erixx. Hydrogen train troubles A fleet of Alstom Coradia iLint hydrogen trains owned by LNVG was introduced on the RB33 route from August 2022. LVNG said initial technical issues had now largely been resolved, and EVB would continue to lease the trains under the new operating contract. However, on October 6 EVB warned that passengers should expect high occupancy on some services in the coming months, because of the continued limited availability of the hydrogen trains. EVB said the route was originally intended to be run with 14 hydrogen trainsets, but a lack of spare parts and ongoing work by the manufacturer to improve the reliability of the fuel cells means that on average only half of the fleet is available for daily use. LNVG has provided EVB with some diesel multiple-units, but the operator said these cannot currently fully compensate for the capacity bottlenecks, particularly during peak hours, and transferring trains from other routes would lead to problems elsewhere. To avoid train cancellations, EVB is operating some services with a single unit rather than a pair. Robert Palm, head of regional passenger rail at EVB, said ‘we are working hard behind the scenes to improve the situation. We would like to expressly thank our passengers for their patience, as well as our staff on the trains, in dispatch, and in the workshop for their dedication in keeping the service running.’
A new smart thermostat from Apple and Schneider Electric could soon use your iPhone to figure out when you’re home – and help move heating and cooling to times when electricity is cleaner and/or cheaper. more…
Your eyes do not deceive you, dear readers – the iconic, stainless-steel bodied and gullwing-doored sportscar brand DeLorean is not only somehow still alive, but they apparently have enough money to campaign a DeLorean-branded eVTOL in the new Airspeeder racing series. more…
