Modern Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

Территориальные особенности оказания экстренной хирургической помощи сельскому населению (на примере Республики Северная Осетия-Алания).

The need to modernize healthcare dictates the study of healthcare organization at all levels. Special attention is paid to the territorial accessibility of medical care, including to the rural population, which differs in many specific features. The purpose of the study: to study the territorial features of providing emergency surgical care to the rural population, taking into account the number, density of population settlement, road infrastructure, and transport security in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. Research methods. Analytical and statistical research methods were used. The performance indicators of surgical departments of rural district hospitals for 2019–2022 have been studied. The analysis of the obtained data was carried out by the method of their structural description according to the selected main characteristics affecting territorial accessibility. Results. The Republic of Ossetia-Alania is characterized by high density and compactness of population settlement in rural areas. The creation of a modern transport infrastructure ensures the territorial accessibility of medical care. The republic has a fairly high level of provision with surgeons (2,53 per 10 thousand population) and a surgical bed fund (4,7 per 10 thousand population). However, there is a need to increase the efficiency of using the bed stock of rural surgical hospitals. The organization of surgical care in the republic in 2020–2021 was extremely negatively affected by the pandemic of coronavirus infection COVID‑19. The reduction of surgical and anesthesiological teams, beds and the volume of planned care due to the opening of additional infectious diseases hospitals has reduced the availability and quality of emergency surgical care. In rural district surgical departments, the bed function decreased from 283 days in 2019 to 243 days in 2020, and surgical activity up to 38,8%. In 2020–2021, planned medical care in the «surgery» profile has significantly decreased. The share of emergency hospitalizations increased to 79,7%. Negative trends in the growth of emergency hospitalization for surgical beds led to an increase in the hospital mortality rate compared to 2019 from 0,6% to 3,1% in 2021. The postoperative mortality rate has increased by more than 5 times. Our data correlate with similar trends of 33% increase in hospital mortality in the Russian Federation during the pandemic. Due to the creation of modern road transport infrastructure in the republic, high availability of surgical beds and surgeons, there is a potential to improve the quality indicators of rural surgical hospitals by improving the material and technical equipment and qualifications of surgical personnel.

Acoustic tunnel lining cavity detection using cepstral coefficients with optimized filter bank

Tunnels are an essential component of modern transportation infrastructure, and their structural health is critical to traffic safety, which can be seriously affected by tunnel lining cavities. In this paper, an acoustic-based detection approach for assessing the integrity of tunnel linings is studied. By tapping the tunnel lining surface, acoustic signals are sampled and analyzed using a novel feature parameter extraction algorithm-the energy-frequency cepstral coefficient, which uses wavelet packet decomposition to obtain energy distribution statistics in the frequency domain of the signal, and constructs a signal-dependent filter bank to achieve the cepstral coefficient extraction. Compared with the traditional Mel filter bank, this method can adaptively adjust the resolution of the filter bank according to the frequency characteristics of the classified samples. This allows for higher frequency resolution in regions where the energy distribution is concentrated. As a result, the extracted feature parameters achieve both dimensional compression and superior information retention. Experimental results show that the proposed energy-frequency cepstral coefficient feature outperforms the traditional Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient feature, resulting in a higher accuracy of tunnel lining detection. The convolutional neural network model achieves an accuracy of 99.2%, with a 78.9% reduction in error rate compared with the traditional Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient feature parameters. Additionally, a particle swarm optimization support vector machine model is trained to achieve an accuracy rate of 99.6% and an error rate reduction of 76.5%.

The Effect of Connection Ductility on Composite Steel–Concrete Bridges

Connection behavior significantly influences the design efficiency of steel–concrete composite bridges. This study investigates the impact of shear connectors, specifically headed stud connectors, on the structural response of symmetric and skewed composite steel–concrete bridges. Utilizing bilinear or trilinear slip–shear strength laws for studs, in line with the existing literature and code provisions, a finite element (FE) model is developed. This FE model is applied to a case study for composite deck analysis, incorporating variations in connection strength and ductility for nonlinear analyses. The study assesses ductility demands in connections for symmetric and skewed bridges of varying lengths and angles, considering both ductile and elastic designs. Results emphasize the importance of stud capacity, ductility, and strength on the overall bridge response, analyzing slip and shear trends at the interface. Skewed bridges, crucial for non-orthogonal crossings of roads, are integral to modern transportation infrastructure. However, skewness angles exceeding 20° can result in undesirable effects on stresses in the deck due to vertical loads. The results indicate that shear distribution in studs changes significantly as the skew angle increases, contributing valuable insights into optimizing bridge design. Thus, this research provides a comprehensive analysis of principles, design methodologies, and practical applications for both symmetric and skewed steel–concrete composite bridges, considering various parameters.

Assessing road roughness using UAV-derived dense point clouds

The quality and safety of road networks are of paramount importance in modern transportation infrastructure. Road surface conditions, particularly road roughness, significantly impact vehicular travel safety, user comfort, vehicle operating costs, and overall road infrastructure maintenance. Traditional methods for road roughness analysis, such as manual inspections or image annotation, often present limitations in terms of data completeness, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, especially for extensive road networks. This study investigates the potential of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) derived point clouds to transform road roughness assessment. By leveraging the capabilities of UAVs, including rapid data acquisition and high-resolution imagery, and employing SfM to generate detailed point clouds, this research aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of road surface conditions. The study, conducted on a road segment within the Harran University Osmanbey campus, systematically examines road roughness at different kernel sizes: 30 cm (smaller), 50 cm (moderate), and 75 cm (larger). Through this investigation, insights are gained into how different scales of analysis influence roughness measurements. The findings highlight the potential of UAV-derived point clouds as a promising avenue for road roughness analysis, offering transportation authorities and road administrators an efficient and cost-effective means of maintaining and enhancing road networks. The integration of this technology could lead to the development of safer, more efficient, and economically sustainable road transportation systems, benefiting both road users and infrastructure managers. As research and technological advancements in UAV-based road roughness assessment continue to progress, the potential for revolutionizing road management practices becomes increasingly apparent, ultimately leading to improved road quality and enhanced travel experiences for road users.

Renewability and Robustness Analysis and Review for Sustainable-Technology Propulsion Systems in Modern Transportation Infrastructure Administration

Renewability and Robustness Analysis and Review for Sustainable-Technology Propulsion Systems in Modern Transportation Infrastructure Administration

Caravan Modernity: The Strategic Revitalisation of China’s Dynastic Transportation System during the Second Sino–Japanese War

ABSTRACT This article analyses how and why, during the War of Resistance (1937–1945), Nationalist China revitalised the dynastic system of transportation and communication (yiyun zhidu). Due to the blockade by the Japanese Imperial Army, it shows, everything essential to the war effort was in short supply. If essential items were available, the difficulties in securing transportation were overwhelming. This was exacerbated by the transfer of the capital to Chongqing. The relocation moved the Nationalists further away from China’s emerging modern transport infrastructure. This article examines the yiyun campaign by referring to primary sources and recent Chinese scholarship. The campaign entailed mobilising the population to partake in the transportation of goods using the age-old systems of caravans, boats, and human porters. The Nationalists, however, did not see this as resurrecting an old system. In line with their revolutionary agenda and modernising ethos they held that revitalisation would be informed by ‘scientific management’ (kexue guanli). The article illustrates the complexity of the campaign through the controversy surrounding the ‘management fee’ (guanlifei). As time progressed it became clear that recruiting people to participate in the yiyun campaign would be challenging.

A comparative analysis of the economic efficiency of coal mining and transportation along the Northern Sea Routes to international consumers from the Taymyr Peninsula deposits

Subject. This article discusses the issues of modernization of transport infrastructure, as well as the policy of Russia's Turn to the East. Objectives. The article aims to find the most effective approach to the development of mineral deposits located in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, and assess the prospects for expanding mineral exports to China, India and other Asian countries. Methods. For the study, we used a comparative analysis. Results. The article finds that mineral resource centers, the creation of which is provided for by the Strategy for the Spatial Development of the Russian Federation, will contribute to the strengthening of economic activity in the Arctic. The volume of explored coal reserves on the Taymyr Peninsula makes it possible to create a large energy cluster. Conclusions. The extraction of hydrocarbons in the Arctic and the modernization of the corresponding infrastructure can bring more benefits in the case of parallel development of fields localized near the Northern Sea Route. In the northern regions of Russia, it is necessary to develop a network of roads and railways, which will increase traffic flows, on which success in the implementation of the Turn to the East policy depends.

The Spatial Value and Efficiency of Inland Ports with Different Development Models: A Case Study in China

Inland ports have become elements of the modern transport and logistics infrastructure hub and play an important role in shaping urban spatial texture. However, the spatial dimensions of their development have received little attention in the existing literature. This paper explores the spatial value concept for inland ports, i.e., the node and place values, by using a node-place model that was adopted for passenger terminals such as metro stations or train terminals. After measuring the node and place values, our research further evaluates the efficiency of node value’s impact in improving place value, which indicates the effects of node value on regional development. This paper examines the impact of inland port activities on regional development, studying 12 Chinese inland ports with various models. The results show that half of the inland ports are balanced in terms of node value and place value. Only 50% of the inland ports are efficient, in terms of the contribution of node value to place value, in promoting the regional economy. Inland ports in a balanced position are usually more efficient. This study provides new evidence of inland ports promoting regional development, as well as a basis for policy-making for future inland ports.

Parking Spot Occupancy Classification Using Deep Learning

In today’s world, where a car is present in almost every family, the parking problem plays an extremely important role. Parking is one of the most important factors in modern transport infrastructure, because it allows to save the time of both drivers and passengers, to increase the level of comfort and safety of road trips. In Ukraine, this problem is especially relevant, since nowadays it is going through the process of improving its parking infrastructure.The paper examines the problem of parking in large cities, proposes a system for recognizing occupancy of parking spots using computer vision. Such system would use camera feed to track the occupancy of each parking space within a slot. Its benefits would include ease of scalability, saving time of drivers and passengers, automation of parking payment and detection of unpaid parkings. In addition, it makes it possible to easily collect statistics about the busyness of various areas throughout the day or week.The paper also describes the algorithm of classifying the parking spot, as well as a possible architecture that the system may have.Possible problems in training a computer vision model for building the proposed system are considered. Firstly, the available parking datasets are lacking images collected in snow conditions or during nighttime. The hypothesized solution is to use vehicle detection datasets, the number of which that are publicly available is considerably bigger. Another problem is that classification accuracy drops drastically when using different images in train and test dataset. The hypothesized solution here is to apply incremental learning to improve the model as it is being used in a real-life scenario.

Causal analysis of the interinfluence of workforce productivity and rail freight intensity in the regions of the Ural Federal District

Relevance. The development of the railway industry has a significant positive impact on socio-economic dynamics at both the state and regional levels, which has been confirmed by numerous domestic and foreign studies. However, the issue of mutual influence of such categories as regional labour productivity and rail freight intensity has been little studied. At the same time, the most important task today is to find effective icentives for the growth of regional labour productivity. Research Objective. This study aims to econometric analysis of the relationship between rail freight intensity and workforce productivity in the Ural Federal District (UFD). Data and Methods. The study uses official statistical data on Russian regions provided by the Federal State Statistics Service. The methods of Vector Error Correction Models (VECM) and pooled mean group estimates (PMG method) formed the methodological basis of the study. Results. The study has shown that there is a relationship between workforce productivity and rail freight intensity. At that point, in a short-term period growth of rail freight intensity leads to an increase in workforce productivity, which in a long-term period itself becomes an incentive to increase the shipped commodity mass and rail freight intensity. Conclusions. The findings can be of interest to public authorities at the national and regional levels, for heads of industrial structures and functional institutions, representatives of business and scientific communities interested in the development and modernization of transport infrastructure, being a basic condition for the increased intensity of cargo transportation in the region.

Відновлення та розвиток транспортної інфраструктури у повоєнний період

The war had an extremely negative impact on the entire economy of Ukraine, including the transport infrastructure. But without high-quality and modern transport infrastructure, a full-fledged post-war recovery of the production sector is impossible. The work on the reconstruction of those destroyed by the enemy or the creation of new industrial facilities should be carried out in parallel with the restoration and modernization of the logistics infrastructure. In order to restore/develop and reform the logistics of international transportation, special attention should be paid to digital technologies, especially the relevant scientific and methodological basis. Constant monitoring of the efficiency of the digital infrastructure is also required. Not only the advantages of the transition to digital technologies are shown, but also possible problems in the case of such a transition. The advantageous geopolitical location of Ukraine and the implementation of the latest principles in accordance with modern trends in the development of logistics will allow Ukraine to rebuild the logistics infrastructure of road transport according to the latest standards and European policy as a component of maximum integration of Ukraine with the EU, possible economic transformation, including new opportunities for Ukrainian business by building the economy on the principles of deregulation and liberalization. The main principles on which the reform of the transport infrastructure will be based in accordance with the EU legislation and modern trends in the development of logistics are substantiated. An important aspect of the development of transport infrastructure is the production of safe, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient vehicles and the renewal of the existing transport fleet.

Improving the efficiency of the transport and logistics sector

The use of modern information technologies in transport logistics makes it possible to reduce the cost of cargo delivery and optimize the time of their transportation. Reducing inventory to the most optimal level and delivering goods exactly at a certain time is very much in demand for a modern dynamic economy. One of the most important tasks of the logistics chain is to coordinate the actions of all its participants. This is facilitated by the standardization of documents necessary for the transportation of goods, the establishment of direct contractual relations between all participants in the logistics chain, as well as the possibility of a single order for all services provided by all participants in the logistics chain. Effective development of transport logistics requires a systematic approach to solving emerging practical problems. The formation of transport and logistics clusters and the creation of multimodal transport and logic centers contributes to the development of the transport and logic sector. The transport system shows its maximum efficiency not only in the presence of modern transport infrastructure, but it also requires the presence of free competition in the market of transport and logistics services. The state policy in the field of regulation of the market of transport and logistics services should be aimed at their rationalization and reduction of costs correlated with them.

Цифровые двойники в управлении транспортной инфраструктурой

Digital twins of transport infrastructure facilities in combination with digital technologies and control algorithms as part of intelligent transport systems allow saving physical, financial, material and other resources and can be used both at the stage of transport infrastructure design and when performing diagnostic and prognostic analyzes during the operation of transport facilities. The advantages of Digital twins of transport infrastructure are open up significant opportunities for the transport industry to develop new ways of designing, building, operating and monitoring transport infrastructure in connection with the Transport Strategy of Russia until 2030 adopted by the Government of the Russian Federation with a forecast for the period up to 2035.
 The purpose of this publication is to explore how Digital twins of transport infrastructure can help the transport industry build and operate modern transport infrastructure and intelligent transport systems (ITS). The paper presents an analysis of the benefits and challenges of managing the transport industry and proposes a number of approaches aimed at promoting the digital transformation of the industry based on the introduction of digital twins. The presented approaches are aimed at solving three main problems: the development of digital technologies for managing transport infrastructure, the formation of digital competencies necessary for these purposes and the training of appropriate qualified personnel to work using ITS.

Analysis of the Green Development Effects of High-Speed Railways Based on Eco-Efficiency: Evidence from Multisource Remote Sensing and Statistical Data of Urban Agglomerations in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

As part of the modern transport infrastructure, high-speed railways (HSRs) have been considered an important factor affecting eco-efficiency (EE). This study used multisource remote sensing and statistical data from 185 counties representing urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR) in China from 2009 to 2018. The study integrated ArcGIS analysis, the Super-SBM (super slack-based measure) model, and the DSPDM (dynamic spatial panel Durbin model) to explore the spatial effects of HSRs on EE. The results showed that the coordinates of the interannual centers of gravity for EE and HSRs both fell in the same county, possessing similar parameter values for the standard deviation elliptical, a negative spatial mismatch index, and obvious spatial mismatch characteristics. In different spatially dislocated areas, the spatial effects of HSRs on EE are variable. Overall, the short-term effects are more intense than the long-term effects, and both the long-term and short-term effects are dominated by the effects of spatial spillover. A new perspective is proposed to explore the green development effects of HSRs, with a view to providing policy implications for the enhancement of EE and the planning of HSRs.

Management of innovative development of transit transportation on the railways

The article discusses the innovative development of transit transportation on the railway transport of Kazakhstan, including the management of domestic, export-import and transit cargo transportation. The study revealed the need to create a modern transport infrastructure of Kazakhstan to attract transit cargo flows. Currently, experts in Kazakhstan identify the following issues for rail transport: limited international transportation, limited technological development, insufficiently developed intermodal transportation, low level of transport and logistics services, incompetent number of vehicles and their outdated fleet. At the same time, logistics makes a significant contribution to GDP in developed countries, while it is still at a low level in Kazakhstan. The article discusses the fundamental changes in all technological and business processes in Kazakhstan’s railway transport, based on the introduction of new rolling stock, efficient technological infrastructure facilities, intelligent transportation process management systems and other technological and organizational innovations. The main feature of railway transport is that it affects the pace and scale of innovation activity at the enterprises of the industry, therefore railways belong to the infrastructure and are focused on their main maintenance. The necessity of these changes in increasing the competitiveness of enterprises in the target industry, increasing the efficiency of their functioning and investment attractiveness is being studied. In this context, one of the important and difficult tasks is to develop approaches to managing the development of innovation activity at the enterprises of the industry. A set of organizational and economic measures is considered in relation to railway transport enterprises by public administration bodies to manage the innovative development of transit transportation, the formation of internal and external conditions for the growth of innovative activity.

FORMATION OF ECONOMIC RATIONALITY OF INTERACTION OF ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM OF PUBLIC GOVERNANCE OF WATER TRANSPORT IN NEW CONDITIONS

Topicality. Significant changes in geopolitical conditions in the Black Sea region, in particular, and the world as a whole leads to a radical redistribution of trade flows, markets. This process causes changes in the market of transport services. There are trends in the ratio of competitiveness of the Black Sea ports. These changes and the accompanying dynamic processes occur in real time. In order for Ukraine's economy to respond appropriately to such dynamic changes, there is an urgent need to establish clear guidelines, unambiguous criteria and formulate proposals to ensure a high degree of adaptability of the public administration system to rapid changes in external and internal conditions.Aim and tasks. The aim of the work is scientific substantiation and development of methodical bases of interaction of elements of system of state management of water transport in new conditions, offer of recommendations of organizational character on increase of adaptability of management process at maintenance of rationality of interaction of all elements of management system. Achieving the goal of the study necessitated the formulation and solution of the following tasks: to propose numerical criteria for the economic rationality of the interaction of the management system; develop a model; to substantiate the algorithm of state management of water transport for its specific field of activity for assessing the levels of efficiency and rationality of management measures.Research results. The paper summarizes the approaches to the formation of the state water transport management system with the appropriate degree of adaptability to rapid changes in external and internal conditions, offers criteria for economic efficiency and rationality of water transport management and justifies their choice, applied analysis of the need for management measures cargo and to increase the efficiency of interaction of adjacent modes of transport.Conclusion. It established that intermodal and multimodal cargo transportation (IMCT) is the most promising area of modernization of transport infrastructure, a tool for operational testing of new routes, a means to enter promising markets for transport services, and a mechanism for creating a new level of competitiveness of water transport in Ukraine.The study established the criteria for the appropriate level of efficiency and rationality of management efforts in the field of water transport. It stated that these criteria should be numerical rather than qualitative for greater objectivity. Criteria of economic efficiency and rationality specified for the field of IMCT. The algorithm of public management of IMCT with proper and relevant assessment of the levels of efficiency and rationality of management measures is offered. The obtained results of the research allow achieving the necessary levels of economic rationality of the interaction of the elements of the system of state management of water transport in the new conditions.

The influence of hybrid accessibility on tourism economy in prefecture-level cities: Evidence from China's high-speed rail network

While modern transportation infrastructure such as high-speed rail (HSR) is expected to facilitate great benefits to the tourism industry, the main mechanism of such impact is attributed to HSR can enhance accessibility by shortening travel time among cities. However, as it is people rather than HSR that have an impact on the tourism economy, the accessibility in the tourism context should include factors associated with demand. Moreover, given that the urban population, economic income, and HSR network in developing countries like China are still in a stage of rapid growth, it is necessary to assess the accessibility dynamically. As such, we created an indicator named HSR network hybrid accessibility based on the tourism scenario, which incorporates the spatial-temporal contraction effect of HSR and the tourism demand, to dynamically estimate the accessibility of the HSR network. The difference-in-differences method is applied to investigate the impact of the HSR network on the tourism economy of prefecture-level cities in China. We provide the evidence that on average, HSR network hybrid accessibility promotes domestic tourism revenue and the number of domestic tourists of prefecture-level cities respectively. Compared with previous research models, the proposed indicator of accessibility has better explanatory power than traditional measures. The findings highlight that a coordinated policy should be implemented to maximize the accessibility generated by the HSR network and ensure that tourism is facilitated in specific cities.

Spatial and Economic Effects of Yangtze River-Huaihe River Water Transfer Project on the Transportation Accessibility of Bulk Cargo within Anhui Province, China

This study examined the influence of the Yangtze River-Huaihe River Water Transfer Project (YHWTP) on the transportation accessibility of bulk cargo in 16 cities of Anhui Province based on modern transportation infrastructure. We also discussed the change in the strength of economic linkages affected by the YHWTP for 16 cities within Anhui Province and the Yangtze River Delta using the gravity model. The results demonstrate that: (1) The YHWTP will significantly improve the transportation accessibility of bulk commodities among the 16 cities in Anhui Province, especially the cities along the project route. It will reduce the minimum average transport cost (MATC) and the weighted average transport cost (WATC). (2) The YHWTP has a different influence on the transportation accessibility of the 16 cities, making the location conditions more unequal. (3) The change of spatial distribution of transportation accessibility of the 16 cities caused by YHWTP will be mainly concentrated in the triangular region, formed by Huainan, Anqing, and Wuhu. (4) The YHWTP will improve the total strength of economic linkages (TSEL) of the 16 cities within Anhui Province and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, with an increase by 27.62% and 9.04%, respectively. (5) Overall, Hefei will benefit the most from the YHWTP.

A framework to assess environmental sustainability of expressway projects in Sri Lanka

PurposeInfrastructure projects play a significant role in community development. Infrastructure consists of many subcategories such as roads, bridges, railways, airports, communication infrastructure and harbors. The expressway is an essential part of modern transportation infrastructure. Due to its span and complexity, expressway construction results in several environmental impacts comparatively higher than typical road construction. In that event, environmental sustainability assessment in expressway construction and determining environmental measures to address those impacts is essential. Therefore, this research intends to investigate the environmental measures applicable to expressway projects in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThis study involves a comparative analysis of different environmental impacts validated through expert interviews. The data required to perform the analysis were extracted through expert interviews and the Battelle method.FindingsThe findings revealed the importance of environmental indicators for expressway projects in Sri Lanka by assigning weightages. The Construction Phase received the highest weightage among three themes indicating that the construction phase causes greater environmental impact in expressway construction. Furthermore, the Site Maintenance Plan and Tree Compensating received the highest weightages under indicators.Originality/valueThe study makes an original contribution through the identification of indicators that lead to the improvement of environmental sustainability in expressway projects in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the use of the Battelle method within the context of measuring environmental sustainability of expressways projects in general — and within the context of Sri Lanka — is a novel research approach.

Supportable development of agriculture local market in the condition organic farming

The growth of country area, as a priority task of regional policy, is inextricably linked with the branches of agriculture, designed to provide raw materials for the processing industry, and, ultimately, with high-quality food for the population. Stimulating investments in the growth of promise area of the agro-industrial complex will satisfy the demand for agricultural products at affordable prices. State investments in the modernization of transport infrastructure and increasing the degree of its accessibility for all producers of the agro-industrial complex will also help reduce poverty, and, accordingly, optimize the physical and economic accessibility of food. In the gross agricultural product of the Siberian Federal District, a quarter is accounted for by the products of the Altai Territory. In the system of market economy, a special place is given to food markets, which in general form represent a set of commodity-money relations between all economic entities directly or indirectly involved in the production, processing, storage, transportation and sale of agricultural products, raw materials and food as at the expense of domestic producers and imports. The agri-food market, in turn, is the basic element of the food market The development of organic farming at an accelerated pace is a modern trend in the earth market However, the significant geographic differentiation of the availability of organic land significantly affects the production of organic products.