Alstom is a global rail company based in Canada, and I had the pleasure last week of a conversation with Ian Hodkinson, their Technical and Business Development Director of Transit Systems. As you’ll hear, we had a couple of technical issues during the recording, but we were resilient, and made it through—just as trains do.
Available as a video on our YouTube channel as well as on Spotify and iTunes, and of course here at Substack.
Ian explains exactly what’s involved in making train lines more resilient in terms of extreme heat or cold as well as sea-level rise and flooding. Especially relevant to regional rail is his explanation of the options for electrifying train routes, and the ways that battery-powered cars now being used in Europe might provide solutions in North America. The discussion also included information about the manufacture of train cars—”equipment” or “rolling stock”—and how that could be made faster and less expensive.
Alstom’s webpage about sustainability puts it this way: “Helping build societies that are connected, inclusive and resilient.Our purpose is to make rail the backbone of sustainable transportation, helping build societies that are connected, inclusive and resilient.” Just what we’re about at Train Time and the Train Campaign!
Show notes
Ian Hodkinson of Alstom joins Karen Christensen to discuss exactly what’s involved in making train lines more resilient in terms of extreme heat or cold as well as sea-level rise and flooding. He details the ways in which trains provide flexible and resilient transportation, and points out that they create resilience by offering alternative means of travel and moving product. Especially relevant to regional rail is Ian’s explanation of the options for electrifying train routes, and the ways that battery-powered cars now being used in Europe might provide solutions in North America. The discussion also included information about the manufacture of train cars—”equipment” or “rolling stock”—and how that could be made faster and less expensive.
And how did this podcast come about? The Train Campaign is a volunteer side project that I’m not able to devote much time to at the moment. But I couldn’t resist when a communications firm emailed a couple weeks ago, when temperatures were breaking records in Europe, to ask if I’d like to interview longtime transit expert Dani Simons, who heads Public Affairs and Communications at Alstom and served as Director of Public Affairs and Assistant to USDOT Secretary Buttigieg, about what extreme heat events in the future pose for transit, and what climate resilience in this sector can look like.
The email pitched the issue clearly: “as the country reels from last week’s temperatures and prepares for a summer of heat, reliable public transit remains a concern. Keeping trains running safely and reliably in record temperatures requires infrastructure and equipment designed to withstand increasingly severe weather.”
As it turned out, Dani Simons wasn’t available this month, but as you’ll hear (and see), her colleague Ian Hodkinson stepped up with lots of detail and specific examples.
Credits
Music on the Train Time podcast comes from Two Bit Cowboys.
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