Large Railway Research Articles

Jorge Von Hauenschild

The von Hauenschild collection was one of the founding collections of the Museo de Antropología, a university museum at the Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, located in Cordoba Capital, central Argentina. The collection is one of the largest at the museum with over 4000 objects from the nearby province of Santiago del Estero, a place almost unexamined by Argentinean archaeologists since the early works initiated by the Wagner brothers in the 1920s. Santiago has been seen as a marginal place in the national Argentinean history and perceived as an impoverished and remote place, but during part of the early 20th century, Santiago was thriving, especially at the time of the large railroad constructions in the country Santiago was also the home of the German-born engineer, Jorge von Hauenschild for 30 years. He formed the “von Hauenschild Collection” by excavating pre-historical tombs in the province in his quest for archaeological treasures. The collection has been almost untouched since the death of von Hauenschild in 1951. Research on the history of the collection shows the trajectory of von Hauenschild from a mere amateur to a professional archaeologist. Beginning as a collector of curious things, he transitioned into a modern archaeologist performing systematic archaeological investigations.

Performance-Based Seismic Design of Long-Span Railway Arch Bridge

New requirement is claimed for the seismic design method of long-span railway bridges with the rapid development of high-speed railway construction in China during the last decade. However, the present design code of our country seems not keep pace with the engineering practice. The existing method, although embodying the philosophy of performance-based earthquake resistance design framework, in ‘the seismic design code of railway engineering’ is only applicable to those girder bridges with spans smaller than 150m. Therefore, the authors introduce the anti-seismic design measures of highway bridges from the Current China Specification to check the seismic safety of a long-span railway arch bridge as an applying example. Different seismic fortification criterions and property objects of the structural system and components are supplied in order to optimize the anti-seism performance of this bridge. The numerical results show that this kind of approach is helpful to improve the dynamical properties and seismic performances of large span railway bridges.

Assessment of Advanced Dispatching Measures for Recovering Disrupted Railway Traffic Situations

Railway timetables are developed to make operations robust and resilient to small delays. However, disturbances perturb the daily plan, and dispatchers need to adjust the plan to keep operations feasible and to limit delay propagation. For large infrastructure disruptions, the available railway capacity is reduced, and the timetable could become infeasible. The paper studies how to support dispatchers in the management of traffic flow during disruptions. A set of disruption resolution scenarios to manage seriously disturbed traffic conditions in large networks is investigated. For instance, in the case of track blockage, train services can be canceled, rerouted in the disrupted dispatching area, or rerouted in other areas while still with the same origin and destination. Feasible and efficient operations schedules are found quickly by an advanced decision support system for dispatching known as ROMA (railway traffic optimization by means of alternative graphs), which is based on microscopic detail and can handle large areas by decomposition. Detailed performance indicators can be computed to let dispatchers choose a specific solution, for example, by minimizing train delays and reducing passengers' discomfort. In the computational experiments, an analysis is done of a blockage on a double track line, combined with multiple entrance delays on a large railway network with heavy traffic. Several disruption resolution scenarios involving cancellation of services, rerouting, and shuttle trains are considered, and each feasible plan is evaluated in relation to travel times, frequency of services, and delay propagation.

Divide-and-Price: A Decomposition Algorithm for Solving Large Railway Crew Scheduling Problems

Abstract The railway crew scheduling problem consists of generating crew duties to operate trains at minimal cost, while meeting all work regulations and operational requirements. Typically, a railway operation uses tens of thousands of train movements (trips) and requires thousands of crew members to be assigned to these trips. Despite the large size of the problem, crew schedules need to be generated in short time, because large parts of the train schedule are not finalized until few days before operation. We present a column generation based decomposition algorithm which achieves high-quality solutions at reasonable runtimes. Our divide-and-price algorithm decomposes the problem into overlapping regions which are optimized in parallel. A trip belonging to several regions is initially assigned to one region (“divide”). The corresponding dual information from optimization is then used as a bonus to offer the trip to other regions (“price”). Pricing and assignment of trips are dynamically updated in the course of the optimization. Tests of our algorithm on large-scale problem instances of a major European freight railway carrier yielded promising results.

Accurate Wind-Induced Response Analysis of Long-Span Structure Based on Quick Modal Response Estimate for Mode Selection

By the combination of POD method and mode superposition method, the eigenvector similarity factor is introduced on the representation of the similarity between the load spacial distribution and the structural mode. Meanwhile, the eigenvalue got from the wind pressure field decomposition indicates the relative ratio of the energy associated with the corresponding load spacial distribution to the total of the wind load energy. It is proved that the eigenvector similarity factor and the eigenvalues are two of most important factors when measuring the relative significance of each modal response. So the quick estimates of the modal responses are provided, which predominates in picking structural modes to obtain wind-induced dynamic response of long-span roof structure with frequency-domain method. Then, by arranging the estimative response of each mode in reduced-order and truncating higher modes to expedite computations, the accurate wind-induced response is calculated by ACQC method, which has taken into account the partial correlation of wind loads and the quad-spectra (imaginary parts of XPSD) of the generalized wind loads. Finally, utilizing the rigid model wind tunnel test data of some large railway station platform, the effectiveness of the scheme proposed is verified.

Periodic railway timetabling with event flexibility

AbstractThis article addresses the problem of generating conflict‐free periodic train timetables for large railway networks. We follow a two‐level approach, where a simplified track topology is used to obtain a macrolevel schedule, and the detailed topology is considered locally on the microlevel. To enlarge the solution space in the interface of the two levels, we propose an extension of the well‐known periodic event scheduling problem (PESP) such that it allows to generate flexible time slots for the departure and arrival times instead of exact times. This flexible periodic event scheduling problem (FPESP) formulation increases the chance to obtain feasible solutions (exact train routings) subsequently on the microlevel, in particular for stations with dense peak traffic. Total trip time and the time slot sizes are used as multiple objectives and weighted and/or constrained to allocate the flexibility where it is most useful. Tests on medium‐size instances of the Swiss Federal Railways' 2007 service intention demonstrate the advantage of the FPESP model, while it only moderately increases its solution time in most cases. A trade‐off analysis of the two conflicting objectives is presented and discussed for different scenarios. Finally, we present the Flexbox model, which generalizes the single event flexibilities of the FPESP to arbitrary subsets of events. These Flexboxes can make use of natural dependencies in the timetable and can considerably increase the total flexibility of the timetable. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2011

A multi-objective ant colony optimization method applied to switch engine scheduling in railroad yards

This paper proposes an ant colony optimization algorithm to assist railroad yard operational planning staff in their daily tasks. The proposed algorithm tries to minimize a multi-objective function that considers both fixed and variable transportation costs involved in moving railroad cars within the railroad yard area. This is accomplished by searching the best switch engine schedule for a given time horizon. As the algorithm was designed for real life application, the solution must be delivered in a predefined processing time and it must be in accordance with railroad yard operational policies. A railroad yard operations simulator was built to produce artificial instances in order to tune the parameters of the algorithm. The project is being developed together with industrial professionals from the Tubarão Railroad Terminal, which is the largest railroad yard in Latin America.

Bridge Inspection Practice: Two Different North American Railways

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the bridge inspection philosophy of two different large railways. North American railways are primarily public investor owned businesses and must show adequate financial returns to survive. Also, without adequate financial returns it is very difficult to secure the funding necessary to adequately maintain structures and provide the service to customers that generates sufficient profit. The bridge inspection criteria are based primarily on ensuring a safe and reliable operation, an appropriate response, and the information with which to provide adequate funding for maintenance and replacement. Two different railway company philosophies are described. Of interest to the highway bridge community is how traffic volumes and structure load capacity influence inspection frequency and level of inspection. Items similar to Federal Highway Administration bridge inspection criteria are not discussed.

Design of a Railway Scheduling Model for Dense Services

We address the problem of generating detailed conflict-free railway schedules for given sets of train lines and frequencies. To solve this problem for large railway networks, we propose a network decomposition into condensation and compensation zones. Condensation zones contain main station areas, where capacity is limited and trains are required to travel with maximum speed. They are connected by compensation zones, where traffic is less dense and time reserves can be introduced for increasing stability. In this paper, we focus on the scheduling problem in condensation zones. To gain structure in the schedule we enforce a time discretisation which reduces the problem size considerably and also the cognitive load of the dispatchers. The problem is formulated as an independent set problem in a conflict graph, which is then solved using a fixed-point iteration heuristic. Results show that even large-scale problems with dense timetables and large topologies can be solved quickly.

IT Strategies for Increased Rail Employee Satisfaction

CN (Canadian National Railway) is the largest railway in Canada and a leader in the North American rail industry. In the bids and bulletins evaluation process, 7,500 CN employees submit their job preferences as bids and are assigned jobs in a manner to ensure that all positions are filled. Each week, CN posts bulletins describing the available jobs and their requirements. On the basis of the bulletins, employees submit a bid card that identifies and ranks the jobs in which they're most interested. The bidding period runs for seven days. Forty-eight hours after the bidding period closes, job assignments are posted and become effective. A legacy software system, coded in Cobol, assigns the jobs, but regional schedulers must manage exceptions and infeasibilities. Typically, to achieve a publishable schedule, the software must be run several times, with manual overrides. Because the legacy system is slow, schedulers sometimes resort to personalized spreadsheets to assist decision making. CN is pursuing a phased implementation of SAP enterprise systems. As the company phases out legacy software, it's looking for new ways to leverage information technology to improve operations and increase employee satisfaction.

A New Methodology for Modeling, Analysis, Synthesis, and Simulation of Time-Optimal Train Traffic in Large Networks

From a system-theoretic standpoint, a constrained state-space model for train traffic in a large railway network is developed. The novelty of the work is the transformation or rather reduction of the directed graph of the network to some parallel lists. Mathematization of this sophisticated problem is thus circumvented. All the aspects of a real network (such as that of the German rail) are completely captured by this model. Some degrees of freedom, as well as some robustness can be injected into the operation of the system. The problem of time-optimal train traffic in large networks is then defined and solved using the maximum principle. The solution is obtained by reducing the boundary value problem arising from the time-optimality criterion to an initial value problem for an ordinary differential equation. A taxonomy of all possible switching points of the control actions is presented. The proposed approach is expected to result in faster-than-real-time simulation of time-optimal traffic in large networks and, thus, facilitation of real-time control of the network by dispatchers. This expectation is quantitatively justified by analysis of simulation results of some small parts of the German rail network.

Modernising the UK's west coast main line railway

In December this year the rail journey from London to Glasgow will be 44 minutes shorter. It will mark substantial completion of the £8 billion, ten-year programme to modernise the UK's west coast mainline, one of the largest railway projects in the world. Over half the 650 km long, 160-year-old heavily trafficked route has already been upgraded to carry new 200 km/h tilting trains, two years ahead of schedule, and gauges have been increased for European 2·9m freight containers all the way to Glasgow. Work on all final contracts is now underway with completion scheduled for 2009. This paper provides an overview the project, its unique civil engineering challenges and the innovative working practices and technological solutions adopted.

Time-Optimal Train Traffic in Large Networks Based on a New Model

From a system-theoretic standpoint, a constrained state-space model for train traffic in a railway network is developed. It is based on transforming the directed graph of the network to some parallel lists. All the aspects of a real network (such as that of the German Rail) are completely captured by this model. It is generic and can be used to establish an operating system for other large railway networks. By way of this model, some degrees of freedom as well as some robustness can be injected into the operation of the system. The problem of time-optimal train traffic in large networks is then defined and solved. The solution is obtained by reducing the boundary value problem arising from the time-optimality criterion to an initial value problem for an ordinary differential equation (ODE) whereby all the static switching points are computed offline.

Pat Heung Maintenance Centre

This paper provides a general description of the Pat Heung Maintenance Centre, West Rail from planning to commissioning and outlines the key elements in the planning, design, construction and commissioning from the project management perspectives. The Centre is the largest railway depot in Hong Kong when it is completed. A technical study was carried out to determine the layout and preliminary design of the depot. Then a detailed design contract was carried out. The works include civil, building, building services and depot equipment. Integration of the railway operation systems and depot maintenance equipment is a major consideration in the project implementation. The project involves the integration of many disciplines of works and coordination is very important in the project implementation. The contracting strategy and various project management techniques applied in the project are described.

One step closer to the efficient management of speed-related rail incidents

This paper aims to shed light on frequent and recurring rail-related excess speed incidents observed in the largest railway company in Paris, France, the RATP. Based on internal examples in the RATP transportation rail system, we will identify, by means of a return-on experience method, the main causes behind these incidents. The causes may be of a diverse nature and, if identified, can facilitate the analysis of each speed-related incident. This study, therefore, aims to demonstrate how to better address and efficiently manage such incidents with a view to revealing the dysfunctional elements within the system, deal with them efficiently and, thus, reduce their frequency and scale.

Evaluation of relative merits/demerits of different signaling schemes used at a railway station for an approaching train in Indian Railways today

Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks in the world today, has a peculiarity that a station exists almost every 5-7 km. Most trains do not stop at all stations and run through more stations than they stop at. The speed at which the trains run through the stations, therefore, is a crucial parameter that determines the run time of a train through a section and, hence, the total throughput (or carrying capacity of the railways). Indian Railways uses several signaling schemes to enable movement of trains in a safe manner. The signaling schemes play an important role in determining the action of the driver in terms of slowing down of trains and, consequently, on the throughput of the railway system. This paper examines the different signaling schemes used currently and in the recent past by Indian Railways from the point of view of information that they present to the train driver and the impact that it has on total throughput. The signaling schemes are compared using total signal entropy presented to the driver at each stage. Apart from theoretical computation of signal entropy, results of some experiments conducted to obtain the impact of signaling schemes on run time of trains are also presented.

Estimation of Investment in Track and Structures Needed to Handle 129 844-kg (286,000-lb) Railcars on Short-Line Railroads

Ownership of the U.S. rail industry is divided between eight Class I railroads (those with more than $258.5 million in annual revenue) and about 550 regional and short-line railroads. The eight large railroads own about 70 percent of the 273 700 track-km (170,000 track-mi) and account for about 90 percent of industry revenues. The remaining 30 percent of track kilometers belongs to the regional and short-line railroads, which must operate and maintain them with 10 percent of industry revenues. U.S. railroads function as an integrated network; freight originating on a short-line railroad can be delivered anywhere in the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Equipment is freely interchanged, so the small railroads must handle the same heavy cars as the Class I railroads even though maximum freight car weights have increased in recent years, with cars of 129 844 kg (286,000 lb) becoming common. Many of the smaller railroads own trackage that had been branchlines belonging to the larger companies, and track components and condition are often marginal or inadequate to handle the heavier loads. Yet, if short lines cannot handle heavier cars, they face a loss of revenue and ultimately business failure. ZETA-TECH conducted a survey of short-line and regional railroads to determine the quantities of track materials, bridge repairs, and replacements needed to handle heavier cars. Using standard railroad industry unit costs, ZETA-TECH estimated the cost of this work at $6.86 billion in 1999 dollars.

Evaluation of the Walking Route for Disabled People Considering Location of Elevator and Escalator in Large Railway Station Plaza

In large railway station plaza, the pedestrian crossing bridge is often constructed in order to separate pedestrians and cars. Then many people must go up and down the stairs. So the perpendicular movement facilities are recently arranged. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the walking route considering the perpendicular movement facilities. Firstly, this paper structures the evaluation model for the location of elevators and escalators. Secondly, by the model, this paper analyzes the waking route of disabled people, and depicts the characteristics and variables to affect the walking route. Finally, the improvements of the detours are considered.

Cotton, Fire, and Dreams: The Robert Findlay Iron Works and Heavy Industry in Macon, Georgia, 1839-1912.

European Annaliste historians interpreted social history by focusing on the life of one individual as told through a revealing biographical document. An 1859 obituary of antebellum industrialist Robert Findlay provides the beginning point for a rare in-depth analysis of Findlay's life. To tell Findlay's story is also to recount Macon's rise from a frontier commercial and transportation center to an important manufacturing city of the Old South. Macon's history, in turn, reveals important social aspects of the development of heavy industry in Georgia and the deep South. This new study provides a social history of Macon in the Annaliste format, focusing on the career of industrialist Robert Findlay. Scottish-born and Northern-trained, Findlay (1808-1859) became one of the few genuinely successful industrialists of the Old South. Taking advantage of the market for agricultural technology, he helped develop Macon, Georgia, into one of the Old South's few machinery manufacturing cities and the center of the region's largest railroad and river transportation network. Davis gracefully blends biography with the social history of Macon and the first major manufacturing in Georgia. Manufacturing in the antebellum South came into being to meet the needs of the Cotton Kingdom. In the lifespan of the Findlay Iron Works, one learns of its owner's and heavy industry's struggles against the prejudices of some Southerners and the geographic shortcomings of the Old South.

Concessions should precede rail merger, CMA says

Chemical companies have suffered long enough from disrupted service and elevated shipping rates due to relentless railroad consolidation, the Chemical Manufacturers Association says. It has therefore decided to oppose the merger between Burlington Northern Sante Fe railway (BNSF) and Canadian National Railway (CN), announced Dec. 20,1999, unless certain concessions are made. Combined, BNSF and CN have routes that cover about 50,000 miles, employ about 67,000 people, and generate revenues of $12.5 billion. The merger, according to BNSF, would create North America's largest railroad. CMA isn't alone in its opposition to the merger. Many shippers, regulators, legislators, and even rival railroads going through their own consolidations have warned that the BNSF-CN deal may just prolong service problems. The chemical industry, CMA points out, hasn't gotten a break in recent years from problems associated with frequent railroad mergers. The industry's difficulties began with the 1980 deregulation of the rail in...