Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
Issue link: https://masstransit.epubxp.com/i/385405
102 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 PUBLISHER'S COMMENT Advertiser's Index ABC Bus Company....................... 82 AECOM ..................................... 47, 68 AirSage Inc. ....................................23 The Aldon Company ...................60 Alpina Manufacturing ............... 101 Alstom ..............................................3 ANGI Energy Systems .................40 ARBOC Specialty Vehicles ......... 39 Atkins Global ................................ 70 Avail Technologies ...................... 92 Axis Communications ................ 62 BAE Systems Controls ................ 65 Bayer Material Science ............... 54 Brookville Equipment ................. 43 Canadian Urban Transit Assn ... 38 CH2M Hill .......................................27 Clean Energy .................................. 13 Complete Coach Works .............. 63 Creative Bus Sales ....................... 94 Crompion International ..............32 Crosspoint Kinetics ......................72 Cummins Engine Co. ...................... 7 Daktronics ..................................... 88 Dallas Area Rapid Transit ........... 21 EAO Switch Corporation ............ 99 EDM Inc. ......................................... 64 Eno Center for Transportation .. 46 First Transit .................................... 31 FSX ..................................................74 Global Trafc Technologies ......... 11 GlobeSherpa ................................ 44 GMT International ....................... 89 Gold Coast Transit ....................... 45 Grand Rock Co. ............................. 55 Greater Cleveland Regional Transit .............................................32 Haldex Brake Products ..................2 HDR Engineering .......................... 51 Holdsworth Fabrics, a Camira Division ...........................................33 InterClean Equipment ................. 91 Keolis America .............................. 15 Kidde ...............................................74 LTK Engineering ........................... 44 Maryland Transit ......................... 49 Mass Electric Construction ........ 38 Metro Transit ................................ 24 Mobility Ventures ........................ 95 Motor Coach Industries .............. 93 MTM ..............................69, 71, 73, 75 Next Bus .........................................87 Noble Pine Products ................... 98 ORX .............................................. 104 PEIKER acustic ............................. 45 Quester Tangent ..........................80 Railquip ......................................... 30 Scheidt & Bachmann ................. 97 Seon Design ................................... 81 Shoreline Metro ........................... 42 Siemens Industry .......................103 SinglePoint Communications ... 86 Snake Tray .................................... 46 South Bend Public Transportation ..........................................................23 SPX Genfare Division .................. 35 Stacy & Witbeck .......................... 48 STV ................................................. 58 TCRP ............................................... 21 Tolar Mfg ....................................... 59 Total Plastics ................................ 53 Transdev North America ......... 5, 19 Trapeze Group .............................. 76 TSO Mobile ................................... 98 URS Corporation ..........................40 USHSR ......................................... 100 USSC Group, Inc. .......................... 25 Vapor Bus International ............. 29 Voith Turbo ................................... 83 Vossloh ........................................... 77 WMATA ...........................................37 ZF Group ......................................... 61 he Crystal is Siemens' showcase for sustainable cities, featuring leading technologies, ideas and best practices. Opened in late 2012 and housed in a stunning glass shell on the banks of the River Tames at the Royal Victorian Docks in London, this museum and ofce building helps visitors view the future of urban life and the array of megatrends that must be addressed now and in the near future. Sponsored by Siemens, I visited Te Crystal last month along with our Assistant Editor Joe Petrie. On the way, as we waited to cross the street, a bold sign painted on the curb warned us to look right for trafc. Although we anticipated the change in traf- fc fow, when you've looked lef your entire life, it's surprisingly disconcerting to have trafc coming from the wrong direction. Afer years of condition- ing, our brains are wired for certain expectations. Arriving at the Crystal and touring the exhibits was just as disconcerting. Meant to shake us from doing business as usual, we experienced startling depictions of our urban future if cities continue to operate and evolve at the current rate. Maintaining our quality of life looks bleak unless we make bold leaps forward in implementing new technologies to power, transport and support life. Joe and I operated a simulated city but it was a brief reign in ofce. Despite our transit back- grounds and good intentions, in no time at all we bankrupted our city and brought it to a halt. Apparently we increased the services we deemed important, but the city budget couldn't support our priorities. Maybe that was too realistic. Te Crystal is an all-electric building assessed as BREEAM Outstanding and LEED Platinum with a state-of-the-art building management system to control every aspect of operations. In addition to being a showcase for the application of new technologies, the Crystal serves as an ongoing laboratory to test and document every aspect of the equipment in real everyday use. Decarbonized electricity generation through so- lar and wind — both on and of grid — is our future. As we toured this Siemens' showcase, immersing ourselves in what are likely the electrically pow- ered systems that will make our cities sustainable, I concluded we're heading in the right direction, only we need to accelerate the pace a bit if we're to avoid the outcome of our simulated city. Cities of Tomorrow Maintaining our quality of life looks bleak. John Hollenhorst, Publisher T Decarbonized electricity generation through solar and wind — both on and off the grid — is our future. THE CRYSTAL is a showcase of tomorrow's technologies.