• “Do Your Job.” How the Railroad Industry Intimidates Employees Into Putting Speed Before Safety

    By Topher Sanders, Jessica Lussenhop, Dan Schwartz, Danelle Morton, and Gabriel Sandoval

    Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running safely. Regulators say they can’t stop this intimidation.

  • Fire-Tested Systems Help Crews Survive Truck Burn-Overs

    By Justin Leonard and Amy Edwards

    Terrifying moments when flames can overrun and burn over a fire truck are called flashover or burn-over. While firefighters have strategies and operational procedures to minimize risk, these dangerous events still occur and can be fatal. Water spray systems are protecting fire trucks and firefighters from burn-overs.

  • Regulators Blast Union Pacific for Running Unsafe Trains

    By Topher Sanders

    The nation’s largest freight rail carrier failed to fix and continued to use faulty equipment, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Managers reportedly pressured inspectors to leave the yard so they could keep freight moving.

  • Canada Should Develop Zeppelin Technology for Northern Resource Sector

    When we think of airships, images of the Goodyear blimp, the zeppelin, or the Hindenburg come to mind. But the technology which appeared to have peaked a century ago is making a comeback, with investors and researchers showing growing interest.

  • Railroads May Use Their Monopoly Power to Buffer Coal Plants from a Carbon Emissions Tax

    Railroads are likely to cut transportation prices to prop up coal-fired plants if U.S. climate policies further disadvantage coal in favor of less carbon-intensive energy sources. A new study argues that “If policymakers ignore real distortions in the market, like monopoly power in rail shipping, their climate policy efforts may not achieve the intended results.”

  • Bolstering Cyber Safety on Roads and Highways

    A new research center is helping prevent potential cyberattacks that could threaten to impede the safe and efficient movement of people and goods in the United States and throughout the world.

  • Titan Destroyed by “Catastrophic Implosion”

    The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday afternoon that the Titan submersible was likely destroyed by a catastrophic implosion. The Titan joins a sad, and long, list of lethal maritime accidents.

  • Decrease in Rainfall in Central America Could Cut Off the Panama Canal

    By Dirk Kaufmann

    To see the economic consequences of global warming look no further than the Panama Canal. There, water levels are down because of less rain in Central America. Experts fear ordinary consumers may end up paying the price.

  • Solar-Powered Airships Could Make Air Travel Climate-Friendly

    Flying is the most damaging mode of transportation for our climate. At least, up until now. Researchers are investigating technical alternatives to conventional aircraft, and one such alternative is the old-fashioned airship, equipped with solar panels.  

  • Paving the Way for Electric Vehicle Adoption

    By Alex Kinsella

    For many car owners, their next purchase will be an EV. But as many current EV owners know, the environmental benefits of battery-powered cars come with a tradeoff and that tradeoff is the driving distance existing battery technology can support. The problem is the battery, specifically how much energy they can store, their longevity, and how long they take to charge.

  • Will the Charging Networks Arrive in Time?

    By Peter Dizikes

    MIT Mobility Forum considers whether startups can provide the infrastructure for electric vehicles, or if more automakers must step in.

  • Bolstering Cybersecurity in Navigation Systems

    Interference such as jamming and spoofing that targets critical infrastructure has the potential to cause widespread delays and cascading failures across multiple modes of transportation including ships, trains, trucks, and cars—and the problem is only getting worse. New project aims to enhance resilience of transportation infrastructure against cyber threats, developing advanced countermeasures for GPS spoofing and jamming.

  • Bringing Better IT Security on Board

    Cyberattacks on industry and critical infrastructure are on the rise across the globe. Targets also include ships, which, by transporting billions of tons of goods around the world each year, form part of international supply chains — yet their on-board IT systems often lack secure protection.

  • From Fiction to Reality: Could Airships Be the Key to Greener Travel?

    By Claire Elise Thompson

    Airships have captured science-fiction writers’ imaginations — including Kim Stanley Robinson in Ministry for the Future. We examine the tech’s utility in the real world.

  • Making Drones Suitable for Cities

    By Tom Cassauwers

    Unmanned aerial vehicles will make their way into urban skies only if the safety of people below can be ensured.