Thousands protest over new Stuttgart rail station

2010-08-27 | David Levinson

Freeway revolts in Russia and Rail revolts in Germany.
Reuters: Thousands protest over new Stuttgart rail station

“Ten of thousands took to the streets of Stuttgart Friday to join a demonstration against a new train station that began as a one-issue protest but has become a wider movement against German politicians in general.
Later in the day up to 50,000 people are expected to form a human chain, organizers said, and march against one of Germany’s biggest-ever building projects — demolishing Stuttgart’s landmark railway station and building an underground station.
Violence has erupted in the southern city this week as thousands have staged daily sit-down strikes trying to stop the 4.1 billion euro ($5 billion) project, which critics say is not needed and a waste of taxpayer money.
…
City, state and local officials spent 15 years working on the project to turn Stuttgart’s terminus station into an underground through station. They say it will cut down on travel times and open up a vast tract of inner city land to developers.
But critics say the costs, which studies have estimated could rise to 10 billion euros, make the project too expensive and will lead to higher ticket prices. They also warn the tunnel in Stuttgart, which lies in a valley, could flood.”

International System Safety Conference

2010-08-27 | David Levinson

At the 28th International
System Safety Conference 2010 30 Aug-03 Sep 2010 in Minneapolis, I will give a keynote on Aug 31 (at 8 am) on the Rise and Fall of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge. It looks like an interesting conference. I am sure there is a lot to be learned at the intersection of system safety and network reliability.

Kremlin Relents, for Now, to Foes of Russia Highway

2010-08-27 | David Levinson

NYT: Kremlin Relents, for Now, to Foes of Russia Highway
A highway revolt in Russia. I am impressed there is no freeway class road between Moscow and St. Petersburg to date, I think this is to complement the M-10:

MOSCOW — For years, environmentalists have risked arrests and sometimes beatings by the police and masked plainclothes thugs in their efforts to halt the construction of a highway linking Moscow to St. Petersburg that they say would destroy the Khimki Forest, one of the few remaining in the Moscow region.
Typically in Russia, such efforts lead to little but holding cells or worse for proponents of a cause. But supporters of the Khimki Forest were handed a surprising victory on Thursday when President Dmitri A. Medvedev reacted to the public outcry. He postponed construction of the highway. “Given the number of appeals, I have made a decision,” Mr. Medvedev said in a message on his video blog. “I order the government to halt the implementation of the decision to build this highway and conduct further civic and expert discussions.”