Tag Archives: Trains

March 10, 2026 · 22:15

With Ice please

There was a setting I entertained and I gave it a lot of thought. The idea of striking against Iran after they attacked the UAE and Saudi Arabia gave me joy. As such I considered a way to impact their infrastructure. I know it is so easy to send a missiles there, but that merely causes some structural damage whilst Iran gets ready to reroute whatever they have. So, I have it another setting. I looked at a few settings with the diagrams that are out there and it helped me to create a new ‘sticky ice charge’ not a great name, but it does the job.

So, this is what set it off and to consider the real deal, we have

This is what I had to work with and I created two solutions. The first one is seen below

The setting is simple, the blue part is liquid nitrogen, the middle part is C4 (with a small detonator) which gets activated 10 second after the sticky ball is fired. the collar is sticky to keep it in place. The ball is fired at the fastener and as the sticky ball breaks the fastener is frozen by liquid nitrogen making is massively brittle, the small explosion will shatter the fastener. Do this over one length or rail on both sides that rail is now loose and when the train drives over this, it all goes south from there, derailed train, wagons optionally falling over, it’s a whole new game. The simple setting of a derailed train, that track will be out for weeks (optionally months) no matter how many resources you throw at it, the moment it is way out of towns, there will be delay upon delay. And that is the mere start of it. When it is used in combination of the harbour solution, I reckon that the infrastructure of Iran gets a partial collapse.

Then I got to thinking on a second solution, a ribbon with C4 and Nitrogen delivered to the tracks. On both sides with magnets sticking it to the rails with an optional second pressure point or connection about 30 seconds before the charge.

Will it work? I believe so, but I am an incurable optimist. Anyway this IP is freely given to the UAE and to Saudi Arabia, so they make make something of it. I might be to old to fight, but I can become the next best thing. A nightmare to Iran and with these settings, their 13,000 kilometers ca now be sold as scrap metal (a delusional thought, I know) but in all these settings we see on YouTube and TV, no one is considering destroying infrastructure. It might not be sexy but it tends to work.

Anyway, I believe I have done my bit for the UAE (Saudi Arabia too), as such it is now up to them to make this reality or not. So you all have a great day today.

Distilling IP

That is where I found myself today, actually more like this evening. You see, a few hours ago, someone on LinkedIn stated that the Americans had a great idea, they would make a trench straight through the UAE. The problem was that I already gave the UAE this idea in ‘Sinking a dilemma’ which I wrote on February 1st 2026 (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/02/01/sinking-a-dilemma/) so there goes his ‘idea’ to make a few dollars. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind cashing in on this to some extent, but the idea was freely given to the UAE. As I see it (and as I made it public knowledge on my blog) his idea to strike it rich goes straight into the trash bin.

But as I was thinking, I also improved the idea. I added 7 tracks, 7 railway tracks. You see, Australia’s pride developed the BHP has deployed a 7 MWh battery-electric locomotives for iron ore routes. Consider that two of these bad boys could propel a tanker close to (read: up to) 10 knots through the tunnel and a train has a set momentum and distance. I reckon that it would be possible to get 6 tankers (over two directions) running at the same time every day.

So why 7 tracks? The two tunnels have two tracks each, so that both directions have the coverage. But there is always a chance that something goes wrong, as such a second track is needed on the two outsides and one for the two inside tracks. The benefit is that these battery operated trains are eco friendly and leave no pollution in the water. The tanker and tug boats leave a lot of pollution over time and that is detrimental to the beauty of the UAE, as such I got the idea to promote an Australian article to the UAE (before India catches on, because they have a few electric bad boys as well). As such I distilled the idea to a new level. If you see the original article, you see that it is not a straight line, but it adjusts to the East. That was done so that the mountains would be protection for the tankers (not sure how much protection as I am not a geologist) and the tunnel would end near Sharm offering that town additional commercial options. Over the years the bend in the canal could be a halfway point for ship tending and more optional commerce. I am not saying my plan is the best, because there are still a few kinks for the developer to resolve, but I did a decent part of the groundwork and now that I added the train tracks, the idea might get additional approval from the UAE (one can only hope) and as the Iranian issues get worse, MY idea gets to be better (I had to say my name in capitals), It is too late now for 2026 solutions, but the world is now seeing the Strait of Hormuz to become the bottleneck no-one ever needed and I think that both the UAE and Saudi Arabia m ight like this alternative at present, but it will still take a few years to set it in motion an into an active tunnel. I actually designed the tunnel idea for the luxury yachts from India and China to get to the UAE without having the Hormuz headache and now that headache is getting real for too many people. And I got the idea before the Iranian conflict was a fact. As such I am feeling rather good. So here is my additional idea and perhaps soon I will add more ideas as they evolve in my head. (My head is weird at times) anyway, redeveloping new IP is more fun that reporting on drone strikes, but that might merely be me.

So have a great day today, I just wandered into Thursday, as such Vancouver is trailing me by 18.5 hours.

Wandering thoughts

We all have them, and I am no different. As I was contemplating more sides to yesterday’s story. As I was thinking through new levels of intelligence (machine learning) on grouping impact of NPC characters I saw the article in the Khaleej Times (at https://www.khaleejtimes.com/travel/saudi-e-visa-demand-for-umrah-from-uae-soars-trips-start-from-dh600) where we see ‘Umrah demand in UAE soars; trips start at Dh600’ As such I wondered about a few things. You see, Saudi Arabia is busy increasing its tourism footprint. Then I learned that there is no train connection between Dubai and Riyadh. Consider these 1050 Km and tell me which tourist, religious or not wouldn’t consider doing that trip by train. From there we see two new options. The train from Riyadh to Mecca which does exist, as does the train ride from Riyadh to Medina. But the train trip from Medina to the Line does not yet exist. So now we have more than merely a religious trip. The Line – Medina – Riyadh and Dubai. A new way for tourists, Muslim and non-Muslims to see the nation of Saudi Arabia. People who can see that land without checking in and out of airports, see the lands of Saudi Arabia, its deserts and much more. A new tourist attraction if you will and a new way, one not blemished by western exploitation to see and learn about Islam.

And even as these are mere thoughts, when we see “These budget-friendly packages start at just Dh600 per person and are not only economical but also convenient, as they are designed for travel by bus. DoJoin App is offering this 10-day package with travel by bus and is for residents who already possess the 1-year Umrah e-visa.” The small upgrade from $163 (Dh600) to Dh750-Dh999 might have the right appeal for a lot of people to take the train, optionally seeing Medina and the Line, two stops they might never have considered before, all whilst growing tourism in several directions. I reckon that I am not stating anything new, I feel certain that both the United Arab Emirates as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are working on this and with Saudi Arabia working on Hyperloop technology, we might see a lot more options in the coming years. I reckon that once Emaar and Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) crunch the numbers, the line that comes after Riyadh – Jeddah will possibly include Medina and the Line giving Saudi Arabia, a new achievement and a worlds first. That will be the 3rd or 4th time they surpassed any expectation and that is another setting where we see that America as well as the European Union has politicised themselves out of the game. In 2019 we were given the quote “MEMBERS of the European Parliament spend £60 million of taxpayers’ cash on gravy train, plane and taxi services getting to and from work” and another source gave us ““This is not value for money and, as the second largest contributor to the EU gravy train we should get a grip on reality, pull the plug and pull out of the European Union” it is not the reason that I see is reason to disband the EU, but what is happening is that non-EU members are creating a real train ride that is very much value for money, whether it is the current train technology or the coming Hyperloop, others are showing that there is plenty value for money and that is weirdly enough one of the first things a tourist is looking for. Well over 90% of the population gets to spend their vacation money only once a year, so they try to make it count and there is plenty to see in Saudi Arabia (in the UAE too), even as too many media has been trivialising that for way too long.

Just my thought in the weekend, still 35 hours to go in this weekend, whatever will I think of next.

Multi billion Euro train ride

Most of us have taken a train before. Most of us on normal trains and possibly also on a special train here and there as a tourist. Yet, in Europe, many rely on the use of fast trains. One of the most famous one is the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris and the Eurostar from London to Paris. It takes a few hours, yet the combination of comfort and locations make this option more interesting then grabbing the plane.

As a business solution, the Thalys has a few setbacks (it seems to be around the pricing mostly) and as such an alternative fast train was needed between Amsterdam and Brussels. As this track, for business reasons requires a few extra stops the Thalys was not regarded as a solution (they use the same tracks). The Dutch and Belgium delegation looked for an alternative and the Italian Fyra from AnselmoBreda was chosen.

So why the cost?

The entire track could not be used, so additional tracks were required. This little caper costed the taxpayers 7 billion and was delivered one year early. Many would ask why this is an issue. Well, on an annual 3% interest, a 7 billion track one year early will gain an additional 210 million euro in interest cost. Yes, questions should be asked! Now follow this up with the trains not working, well over 50% cancelled and additional flaws and security issues has delayed this option and is now out of commission as these weak spots are added and added. A parliamentary commission is now arranged to look at these flaws.

Choices?

The Dutch have a record of achievement in trains, and even though they have been running intercity trains for decades, none of them were designed for the 250Km speeds (neither is Fyra as now seems the case). Why this need for speed? Let us not forget that the distance between Amsterdam and Brussels is only 175Km. With the additional stops made, other options could be implemented; some of them would actually work and not require billions in additional tracks.

For example there is the Swedish X-2000 train (now called the SJ 2000). The train can get up to 276Km/Hr, yet is implemented to go no faster than 210Km/hr. The reason for this is that the Swedish signal system was not designed for trains with higher speeds. An issue that is not in play with the Dutch High Speed lines. Another option was the French Thalys already in use for Amsterdam – Paris. Was it such a leap to order a few more for the Amsterdam – Brussels track? There are additional thoughts. Several nations have had their share of successes. Germany (a nation the Dutch want to do business with) has its options and so does the UK, Denmark, Sweden, China and Japan (more options exist). So why choose the Italian solution? There is the Finnish Allegro, which was built by the French. So we see several operating solutions that have proven themselves. Again the question of choice remains, why Italy?

Well, in honesty, AnsalmoBreda does have a track record. There is the Bombardier Zefiro and a few other options with speed options of 250 and 300Km/hr. So it was not a far-fetched solution at first. So why is it such a failure? That is the question that will haunt Dutch Parliament for months to come. It will also have consequences for both AnselmoBreda and Italy itself too. If a solution is not found, in addition to the upcoming bankruptcy of AnselmoBreda, we will see additional consequences for Italy as a branch of implemented technology will have no option to survive in regards service and maintenance in addition to the costs of hundreds of millions in trains. Trains, in such a condition, that the fyra has been regarded by both Belgium and Dutch experts as utterly non saveable.

Is that true?

The blame game has started in full today and as such fingers are pointed at one another. The Italians mentioned too much speeding in regards to snowy conditions. This is interesting as the Thalys seems to have no real issues with that. In addition the Swedish trains seem to roll along with rails covered in snow almost 40% of the time. The Belgium and Dutch report are damning to a degree not often seen. If accepted as true then it will be years to repair, redesign and implement changes to the current train. Why not exchange these trains for the Bombardier Zefiro?

I am not judging AnselmoBreda as such. I am however wondering how all this ‘poohaa’ can be condoned to offer a train service that is only up to 17 minutes faster. Let us reiterate that! They spend billions to get somewhere up to 17 minutes faster. Time most will waste on coffee, chats and so on. That would be an optimised time; not taking into account the stops and so on, in the end 15 minutes might be saved. Any business that seems to be in that kind of savings should move towards video conferencing is my idea!

I know, there will be loads of issues that cannot be resolved through video, and I will grant that, but the issue of losing up to 17 minutes is a joke! Especially considering the time people waste EVERY DAY! If we compare this to current Dutch materials, the time difference does become 22 minutes. That is current rolling, proven and active materials. This is a solution that would not have required the high speed track solution (and one that has proven to be quite comfortable). From that we can come to the question “Who has been buttering the bread of these deciding politicians?”

Consider that 7 Billion could have done heaps for Dutch housing, Business and employment rates. I would wonder what other spending were this overly enthusiastic. It seems that some took the Dutch taxpayer for a ride (and then some).

From what I see at present a choice of investment was made which was debatable to begin with and not all blame will/should fall with AnselmoBreda.

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Tagged as Amsterdam, AnselmoBreda, Brussel, Fyra, Hi seed trains, Intercity, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS, parliamentary commission, Rotterdam, thalys, Trains, transportation, Trein