Railway Freight Research Articles

Field measurement and CPT-based settlement prediction of existing railway subgrade reinforced by battered helical piles with grouted shafts

In order to ensure the normal operation of the existing freight railway, it is difficult to adopt the common reinforcement measures (e.g., jet grouting or deep mixing) to meet the requirements. Reinforcement of existing railway subgrade by battered helical piles can meet the normal operation requirements of existing railways. However, there is no report on the research on the reinforcement of existing railway subgrade with battered helical piles. This paper reports on a field case study of railway subgrade improved by battered helical piles with grouted shafts (BHPGS) to mitigate the ongoing settlement due to temporary backfilling of subgrade without meeting the compaction requirement after heavy rain, which can be potentially harmful to the long-term operation of the railway. The measured coefficients of subgrade reaction (K30) of the 3 locations after BHPGS installation increased by 48 %∼166 % compared with the installation before. The long-term settlement of the railway subgrade reinforced with BHPGS was monitored by hydrostatic level and gradually stabilized after an adjustment period of about half a year, with the maximum settlement of 2.76 mm located at the center of the subgrade reinforcement section. In addition, a simplified method of calculating settlement based on CPT for the railway subgrade reinforced with BHPGS is proposed, with the calculated value of 2.99 mm in good agreement with the measured 2.76 mm.

Deep Learning-Based Carbon Emission Forecasting and Peak Carbon Pathways in China’s Logistics Industry

As a major energy-consuming industry, energy conservation and emission reduction in the logistics industry are critical to China’s timely achievement of its dual-carbon goals of “carbon peaking” by 2030 and “carbon neutrality” by 2060. Based on deep learning, Random Forest (RF) was used to screen out the key factors affecting carbon emissions in the logistics industry, and the Whale Algorithm-optimized Radial Basis Function Neural Network (WOA-RBF) was proposed. The Monte Carlo simulation predicted the future evolution trends of each key factor under the three scenarios of baseline scenario (BAU), policy regulation scenario (PR), and technological breakthrough scenario (TB) and accurately predicted the carbon emission trends of the logistics industry from 2023 to 2035 by using the most probable future values of each influencing factor as inputs to the WOA-RBF prediction model. The results of the study demonstrate that fixed asset investment (LFI), population (P), total energy consumption (E), energy consumption per unit of value added of the logistics industry (EIL), share of oil consumption (OR), and share of railway freight turnover (RTR) are the key factors influencing the logistics industry’s carbon emissions. Monte Carlo simulations can effectively reflect the uncertainty of future changes in these key factors. In comparison to the BAU and PR scenarios, the TB scenario, with the combined incentives of national policy regulation and technology innovation, is the most likely for the logistics industry to meet the “Peak Carbon” goal baseline scenario.

Optimization design of railroad freight station computer inquiry system based on robot intelligent configuration system

In recent years, China’s railroads have been rapidly developed, but to improve the quality of service to customers and the rapid passage of passengers is a major problem facing the railroad operation. It is the era of information development at present, China’s railroad operation has also been unprecedented rapidly developed and has significant achievements. In order to meet the growing demand and improve the level of information technology, the information system platform for railroad freight transportation has been created, because each system is not connected with each other and is independent of each other, thus creating an upgrade of the system. To solve the above-mentioned problems, it is necessary first of all to establish an intelligent freight station inquiry system, which is one of the ways for the customers to experience the convenience directly. In this paper, by understanding and analyzing the inquiry system of freight stations, we address the shortcomings and deficiencies of the system now. Using the development concept of information technology and the general development goals of Chinese railroad passenger and freight stations, the development has been carried out through the two levels of the total structure and performance of the system. Current successful modifications and enhancements of the Chinese train transportation system show promising experimental results. It has been confirmed by these tests that the system demonstrates a high level of stability and dependability while skillfully meeting the intelligent inquiry needs of travelers at railroad freight stations.

Study on generation and evolution of base voids in heavy-haul railway tunnels using particle flow method

Most existing freight railway tunnels have experienced basement cracking, damage, and even mud-pumping after a certain period of operation. For heavy-haul railway tunnels with high traffic densities, large capacities, and large axle loads, this situation will be more serious. This paper establishes a simplified model of a single-track heavy-haul railway tunnel using the two-dimensional particle discrete element method. The meso-evolution process of the concrete structure and surrounding rock void at the bottom of the tunnel is studied in the later stages of repeated loading by heavy-haul trains. The difference in the base void between waterless and water-saturated bases is compared. The cracks in the surrounding rock are first generated at the lowest position of the invert center, and run from the middle to the sides and from the top to the bottom. The terminal cracks return to the free surface, exhibiting a parabolic shape that opens upward. There are more cracks in the middle and fewer at the sides. The asynchronous deformation of the surrounding rock and the inverted arch is positively correlated with the number of cracks. The voiding process under water-saturated conditions is similar to that without water, but the depth and width over which the rock mass is crushed and the range of voiding increase exponentially in the water-saturated case, and the void appears earlier. It is anticipated that these research results will contribute to the structural design and operational safety of heavy-haul railway tunnels.

Bilateral trade potential analysis of the Lanzhou-Kathmandu South Asian rail-road freight trains linking China and Nepal: A stochastic frontier gravity model approach.

In this paper, the stochastic frontier gravity model is applied to analyze the trade potential between China and Nepal and the prospects of Lanzhou-Kathmandu South Asian rail-road freight trains (LKSARFT). Based on the statistical data, we test the Exports Efficiency (EE), Bilateral Trade Efficiency (BTE), Exports Trade Potential (ETP), Bilateral Trade Potential (BTP), Extended Exports Trade Potential (EETP), Extended Bilateral Trade Potential (EBTP), Improved Exports Trade Potential (IETP) and Improved Bilateral Trade Potential (IBTP) between China and Nepal, the following analysis results can be found: for the bilateral trade model, the bilateral non-efficiency factor decreasing at a rate of 0.057 with time increasing, bilateral trade increasing at a rate of 0.057 with time increasing. For the exports model, the exports non-efficiency factor increasing at a rate of 0.004 with time increasing, exports trade decreasing at a rate of 0.057 with time increasing. The BTE between China and Nepal increases when time changes, the EE from China to Nepal remains constant changing during the 18 years. The changing range of BTE is 0.002-0.05; the changing range of EE from China to Nepal is over 0.1, larger than the BTE. The BTE and EE ranking among the eight South Asian countries are ranking fifth and fourth during the 18 years. exports trade resistance from China to Nepal is larger than bilateral trade resistance; The import trade potential from Nepal to China is huge, the focus of bilateral trade between China and Nepal may be changed, there are more goods may be exported from Nepal to China, and China may become trade deficit when trading with Nepal. Then, the development bottlenecks of the LKSARFT are analyzed. Finally, we give policy directions to boost bilateral trade efficiency and tap the potential of bilateral trade between China and Nepal.

Network Structure and the Efficiency Gains from Mergers: Evidence from U.S. Freight Railroads

Network Structure and the Efficiency Gains from Mergers: Evidence from U.S. Freight Railroads

Dynamic pricing analysis of railway freight transport under different carbon emission penalties

in order to better promote the transportation industry to reduce carbon emissions and improve the competitiveness of railway freight in the whole freight market, to achieve the “double carbon” strategy and promote the “transit rail”. In this paper, considering the dynamic pricing of freight volume and freight price, a two-layer programming model is established under the minimum social total cost of railway and road. The upper level considers the income of railway freight, and the lower level considers the total social cost of freight transportation, so as to realize the increase of railway freight revenue and the decrease of the general total expenditure paid by freight owners. Considering the transportation of bulk commodity freight from shandong to sichuan, it is concluded that the railway freight market has a good development prospect under the consideration of the total social expenditure such as carbon emission. Under the carbon emission charge, the appropriate increase of railway freight rate will not lead to the reduction of railway freight volume. As rail freight becomes more competitive under increasingly stringent carbon emissions penalties, the volume of rail freight will continue to rise even after appropriate increases in rail freight fees. At this point, rail freight companies can transport more goods and gain higher returns, slightly increasing the overall cost borne by shippers in a broad sense, and helping to reduce carbon emissions in the process of freight transport.

About some approaches to real-time railway freight management

The methodology of constructing macroscopic models describing the process of organizing railway freight transportation in real time is presented. One of the key aspects of this methodology is the management of the intensity of freight traffic depending on the workload of stations. This functionality allows the freight transportation system to adjust the speed of trains, optimizing the intensity of freight traffic in accordance with the current situation. Dynamic traffic management helps reduce congestion, optimizes train movement processes and increases the overall efficiency of rail transportation.

Prioritizing solutions to mitigate the risks due to adoption of intermodal railroad freight transportation for achieving sustainable development goals

Multiple cleaner strategies are being devised by governments worldwide to incorporate approaches aligning with sustainable development goals (SDGs), placing particular emphasis on the modal shift from unimodal road to intermodal railroad (IRR) freight transportation. This shift is gaining traction due to its documented positive impact on environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, adopting IRR freight transportation in emerging economies faces hurdles, primarily attributable to inherent modal shift risks (MSRs). Addressing these MSRs requires the implementation of modal shift solutions (MSSs). This study aims to prioritize the MSSs to mitigate the impact of MSRs in IRR adoption, focusing on achieving SDGs with a case study conducted in the Indian logistics sector. The study is structured into four phases. The first phase identifies 37 sub-MSRs, categorized into seven main MSRs, accompanied by the 39 MSSs for IRR freight transportation adoption. The second phase employs the spherical fuzzy Bayesian best-worst method (SF-BBWM) to assess the relative weights of main and sub-MSRs. The third phase uses the spherical fuzzy C-means clustering (SF-CMC) algorithm to identify crucial MSSs. Finally, the fourth phase utilizes the spherical fuzzy combinative distance-based assessment (SF-CODAS) to prioritize these crucial MSSs. From the identified MSSs, pivotal solutions include developing an integrated physical IRR network across the freight transport chain and fostering relationships between stakeholders through long-term contracts and strategic partnerships. The available results are discussed to facilitate logistics stakeholders’ understanding of the implementation of MSSs aligning with SDGs to mitigate the impact of MSRs.

Forecasting the demand for railway freight transportation in Kazakhstan: A case study

Effective resource planning in railway freight transportation necessitates precise demand forecasting, shaped by a complex array of dynamic variables. In Kazakhstan, the National State-owned Railway Company (KTZ) underwent a transition from traditional expert-based forecasting methods to the application of mathematical models, notably the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Employing historical data spanning from 2012 to 2016, this shift signifies a significant evolution in KTZ's approach to anticipating freight demand.The primary objective of this study is the empirical assessment of the efficacy of the ARIMA model in comparison to conventional qualitative forecasting techniques. Through the analysis of actual data from 2017, utilizing established metrics such as the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), this research substantiates the utility of time series analysis through ARIMA. The findings not only confirm the model's effectiveness but also emphasize its superiority in refining the precision of railway freight demand forecasts, particularly within the unique context of Kazakhstan.Beyond the validation of methodologies, this research serves as a precursor to advanced forecasting practices, offering the potential to redefine resource planning in the railway industry. By extending the predictive horizon to 2024, the manuscript aligns with contemporary standards, providing nuanced insights for operational and developmental considerations in Kazakhstan's railway freight sector. This expansion positions the study within the evolving landscape of the industry, ensuring a comprehensive and forward-looking contribution to efficient resource allocation and modernized planning practices.

Проблемы организации транспортного обслуживания металлургических предприятий с непрерывным циклом производства

The paper considers the features of organizing of the railway freight transportation of metallurgical enterprises products with the continuous production cycle. The key tools used by metallurgical enterprises in the process of materials science are presented, making possible the reduction of the unevenness of car traffic in the conditions of the modern market. It is concluded on the necessity to form logistics information systems (technologies) for managing the process of material movement of enterprises with close communication of all transportation process participants, including artificial intelligence elements.

Cascading Reliability Assessment of International Railway Freight Network Based on Coupled Map Lattices: A Case Study of China Railway Express

Cascading Reliability Assessment of International Railway Freight Network Based on Coupled Map Lattices: A Case Study of China Railway Express

Method for calculating the supply of transport and logistics services depending on the demand for freight transportation

The article examines the problems that arise in railway freight transportation when determining the optimal size of rolling stock fleet under seasonal fluctuations in the volume of transportation and ensuring a certain reserve of vehicles. In order to optimize the number of vehicles in the fleet, it is necessary to find a balance between undesirable expenses for maintaining wagons in periods of falling demand for them (surplus supply of transport and logistics services) and unearned income from their lack (deficit) in periods of maximum growth of transportation volumes. The methodology and example of calculating the fleet of freight wagons, the efficiency of their use and determining the optimal number of rolling stock and the need for a certain reserve of vehicles are presented. It is noted that the railway transport of Ukraine was and continues to be one of the main types of transport in the transportation of goods and passengers. However, considering the long operating time of the rolling stock, more than 70% of semi-wagons and more than 80% of grain wagons require replacement or extension of their service life due to capital repairs. The role of railways is especially critical in the current period of russia's war against Ukraine, due to the lack of air transport, river and sea transport and the insufficient capacity of highways and border railway stations. Determining the required number and optimizing the number of vehicles in the fleet can be carried out according to the calculation methodology, which is based on the analytical determination of the minimum of the objective function of the total operating costs associated with both the deficit and the surplus of vehicles compared to the demand for transport and logistics services. It has been established that the application of this calculation method allows to optimize the inventory and working fleet of wagons taking into account the different cost per day of shortage and surplus of the fleet of wagons (supply of transport services compared to their demand). Compared to traditional methods of calculation, the proposed method saves operational costs for maintaining the fleet of wagons in the amount of 2-5%.

Railway Freight Corridors in the European Union

With the approval of four regulatory railway packages of the European Union, the development of railway traffic, the opening of the goods and passenger transport market, the expansion of liberalisation, the removal of barriers, and the gradual establishment of a single European railway area have been achieved. The competitiveness and efficiency of freight railways in Europe have been accomplished by establishing international freight corridors. The Alpine–Balkan rail freight corridor was established for more accessible and better-quality goods transport services between Central and Southeast Europe with a connection to Turkey.

Analytical model of reliability of the freight rail transportation forecasting system

The purpose of the study: to develop an analytical model of the reliability of the freight transportation forecasting system by railway transport. Methods: economic and mathematical methods and models of transportation forecasting adapted to the peculiarities of railway freight transportation –models based on “Bottom/Top” approaches, methods of predictive adjustment by types of cargo, methods of scenario forecasting. Results: an analytical model of the reliability of the freight rail transportation forecasting system has been developed, the distinctive feature of which is the integration of cargo transportation evaluation indicators, characteristics of scenario methods and parameters of the forecasting process, a forecast has been formed for the volume and structure of freight traffic following through the Oktyabrskaya railway landfill for the future up to 2030 in the category of main types of cargo.

Development of an output management model for a branch of an engineering corporation

The model of output control in a corporation, carried out by its top manager (Chief), is considered. The head of the branch of the corporation (Head) controls the subordinate plant headed by the Director. A corporation’s branch output is affected by random external influences. The Head knows exactly the maximum possible volume of outsourcing production at the branch level. But he does not know the maximum possible volume of production (potential) in the plant. The Adviser helps the Head to eliminate this uncertainty. For his part, the Director knows exactly plant’s potential. At the same time, the Chief does not know this potential, nor the possibilities of outsourcing. Thus, the Head can manipulate branch output to influence the decisions of the Chief in order to increase his own promotion. Therefore, the Chief needs to learn how to control the Head in order to maximize branch output. Similarly, the Director can manipulate plant’s output to influence the Head’s decisions about his own denomination. Therefore, the Head needs to control the Director in order to increase plant’s output. A complex control mechanism has been found, in which total branch output is maximal. The use of such a mechanism is illustrated by the example of the modernization of freight railway platforms.

FORMATION OF A SYSTEM APPROACH TO ORGANIZING CARGO DELIVERY BY RAILWAY COMPANIES-CARRIER REGIONAL TYPE

Purpose. The introduction of private freight railway carrier companies in Ukraine corresponds to the European trend of demonopolization of railway transport and has a number of consequences, including the creation of a market pricing mechanism and the formation of prerequisites for improving the quality of services in railway transport. In order to ensure the economic development of the railway industry, an integrated approach is required, which includes reviewing and improving the tariff policy regarding the access of private regional railway carrier companies to the railway infrastructure of joint-stock company (JSC) «Ukrzaliznytsia» and providing non-discriminatory access to the railway infrastructure for other transportation participants. This will ensure equal conditions for competition and will contribute to the development of railway transport in Ukraine. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to achieve the effective functioning of a cargo delivery system for regional railway carrier companies when it is implemented on the Ukrainian railway network. To achieve this goal, a functional description of the specified system is used and its parameters are optimized. Methods. To formalize the system of cargo delivery by a regional railway carrier company, used methods of systems theory. The results. The research carried out made it possible to formalize the system of cargo delivery through a regional railway carrier company. In the process of formulating the functional description of the system, various factors affecting the carrier company's costs were taken into account. When analyzing these factors, it was found that the key parameters of the system that have a significant impact on the costs and cost of transporting goods are the serial number of the cargo delivery route, the number of stops on the route, the duration of train downtime at the railway stations of the carrier company's branches while waiting for shunting operations to be performed (attaching groups of wagons). The goal of optimizing these parameters is to increase the efficiency of the system and reduce the cost of transporting goods for individual clients. Practical significance. Subject to the adoption in Ukraine of an appropriate legislative framework that will regulate access to the railway infrastructure of JSC «Ukrzaliznytsia» for private carriers, the implementation of the proposed system will have such positive consequences as increasing the level of competition in the transport market in Ukraine, improving the quality and reliability of transportation and growth Country's GDP. Setting the optimal balance between route numbers, the number of stops and the duration of train downtime will ensure optimal use of the carrier company's resources and reduce the cost of transporting goods. This will help improve the quality of service and meet customer needs.

Evaluation of benefits due to adoption of enablers of unimodal road to intermodal railroad freight transportation

The adverse environmental consequences arising from road-based logistics operations have prompted stakeholders, including transport service providers, logistics managers, and shippers, to initiate a modal shift from unimodal road to intermodal railroad (IRR) freight transportation. However, the adoption pace of IRR in developing nations is slow. Modal shift enablers (MSEs) facilitate IRR adoption, while modal shift benefits (MSBs) signify favorable performance outcomes from MSEs' application. The main objective of this study is to rank the MSBs resulting from the adoption of MSEs in IRR freight transportation. This study proposes an integrated multi-criteria decision-making framework utilizing the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (SF-AHP) to evaluate MSEs' weights and the spherical fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (SF-TOPSIS) to rank the MSBs. The case study performed in the Indian logistics sector reveals that ‘government policies and legislation enablers’, ‘infrastructural enablers’ and ‘strategic and management enablers’ are the most significant MSEs, whereas reduction in vehicular pollution and related negative externalities as well as reduction of the freight transport costs including storage and handling charges are most crucial MSBs realized due to adoption of MSEs. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the stability of the ranking. The results help decision-makers in implementing MSEs for MSBs and develop effective IRR adoption strategies. This study also promotes sustainable freight transportation and provides logistics practitioners, researchers, and policymakers with a precise, systematic, and practical decision-support tool.

Evaluation Methodology of the Railway Stations Using the AHP Method in the Transport Hubs from the Freight Transport Point of View

Currently, it is necessary to support not only public passenger transport at the expense of individual car transport but also to ensure the modal split of goods from road transport to railway transport. Moreover, it is important to modernize the railway infrastructure, especially hubs and other important railway stations in important settlements and big cities. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly invest in railway lines as well as railway stations. The contribution deals with the determination of the methodology for the evaluation of railway stations in freight transport based on current scientific publications and the AHP method. Its main goal is to determine the size of the peak on the network-railway station on the infrastructure manager’s railway network. One of the benefits is the subsequent determination of the next procedure from the given peak in terms of operation, considering the economic complexity of the entire procedure. The methodology is preceded by an extensive analysis of input data in Slovakia and abroad. This methodology defines the parameters or factors that influence decisions for a particular railway freight station. Subsequently, based on the proposed methodology, a practical application is also developed, within which four railway stations on the ŽSR network are evaluated. In a broader sense, the contribution also points to improving the quality of railway infrastructure in cities.

The macrologistics effect of a state-owned enterprise, Transnet, on the South African economy

Background: Transnet moves around 80% of South Africa’s rail-friendly freight tonne-kilometres, which drops to less than 40% if the rail-only coal and iron ore export lines are excluded.Objectives: Calculating the costs, negative externalities, and job losses caused by Transnet’s recent and historical operational issues and using the results to inform future reform possibilities.Method: Aspects contributing to Transnet’s failures are indicated through an assessment of rail freight’s decreasing market share and infrastructure investment, port ownership and inefficiency concerns, Transnet’s deteriorating financial performance, loss of critical skills, and instances of state capture. Resultant costs and their impact on employment are calculated across various freight flow segments, whereafter reform models are suggested through international benchmarking and extracting lessons from relevant global reforms.Results: The cost of Transnet’s failures are estimated as 7.43% of gross domestic product. A healthy relationship between the government and the private sector is a frequent occurrence in successful reforms seen globally. Locally, recent government reforms acknowledge a meaningful role for the private sector, which is in turn offering pragmatic and achievable solutions.Conclusion: Improved private sector participation can contribute to Transnet’s recovery. South Africa depends on this collaboration and the development of port and rail master plans to guide the infrastructure development required to meet its overall transportation needs.Contribution: Actionable implications for policy implementation, the economic regulation and horizontal separation of the freight railway, shifting freight from road to rail, the corporatisation of the port authority, and increasing port efficiency and capacity.