Rail Corridor Research Articles

Comparing the Effectiveness of Fixed, Virtual, and Moving Block Train Control Systems on a Mixed Single- and Double-Track U.S. Freight Rail Corridor

As the nationwide installation of positive train control (PTC) technology has recently been completed, freight railroads are searching for ways to leverage the technology to improve their operations beyond increasing safety. One commonly discussed possibility is developing and installing PTC-based virtual or moving block control systems to increase the capacity of railroad mainlines as a lower-cost alternative to adding costly track infrastructure. Considering that demand for freight rail transportation is expected to increase by 24% by 2045, and that most major mainline routes are operating at their maximum capacity, substantial capacity improvements will become necessary very soon. Since U.S. Class I railroads are for-profit companies, choosing the most cost-efficient way to increase network capacity is a primary objective. Thus, the potential capacity and performance benefits of virtual and moving block train control systems should be evaluated in realistic scenarios. This study utilized a novel dispatching algorithm and detailed railroad corridor simulator to evaluate fixed, virtual, and moving block systems over the full length of a 2,000-mi long U.S. Class I railroad mainline corridor composed of a mix of single- and double-tracks. Moving blocks were found to have the potential to maintain current average train speed under a 40% increase in train traffic, and that five virtual blocks per fixed block achieved most of the performance benefits of moving block control.

Battery only electric traction for freight trains - A technical and operational assessment

The rail transport industry has been required to engage with the world effort to reduce the climate effects, as well as the reduction of criteria pollutant and noise emissions, which strongly affects the populations nearby the rail infrastructure. Electric powertrains have been widely used by railways, with its inherent efficiency and cleanliness. However, the required infrastructure has restricted its use to medium to large density traffic corridors, given the large infrastructure and maintenance costs involved. Light to medium loaded rail stretches and large freight rail corridors, running in rural areas, have adopted the diesel-electric powertrain approach, that relies on an onboard diesel generator, with the inherent environmental negative effects, especially to the rail nearby communities. In this context, alternative traction technologies, such as Hybrid-Electric Rail, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Rail and Battery Only Electric Rail, have been considered by the rail industry as potential alternatives. The BOER route, due to the recent battery technology breakthroughs (associated with performance improvements and reduced costs) is set as a promising alternative and has a potential do be used as a decarbonization strategy for both passenger and freight rail systems at low to medium density traffic lines. Nevertheless, the BOER technology sets great challenges, given the high energy and power required by rail vehicles, as well as the harsh rail operational environment, with huge effects on the performance, charging infrastructure requirements, fleet availability, costs, as well as the environmental sustainability associated with the mining and disposal of materials required by the battery chemistries. This paper presents, based on the state of the art available technical literature, an unbiased review of the BOER technology and an assessment of its potential for the freight rail industry, highlighting the associated technical, operational and environmental challenges.

Safety Analysis and Level of Service (LOS) Evaluation for At-Grade Intersections along the Metro Rail Corridors in Smart City Pune

Abstract: Infrastructure development is key for economic growth of a country. However, poorly planned and deficiently designed infrastructure facilities becomes hazardous to the public. This leads to frequent fatalities in densely crowded cities like Pune. To minimizing fatalities by improving existing infrastructure facilities is game changer to overcome this problem. In India and around the globe many crowded cities are transforming with Metro rail networks to make urbanites life easy. In this study we have analyzed safety measures and evaluated Level of Service (LOS) for At-Grade intersections, along metro rail corridors in Pune city. This study gives good to fare idea about current safety situation of At-Grade junction based on various parameters viz. Junction Design, Pedestrian Facilities, Public Transport Facilities, Impact of Metro Infrastructure etc. The data used in this study is mostly open sourced data from Mappls RealView 360, Google Street View and site inventory. This study can be used for wide scale implementation for crowded cities, which may helpful in multimodal infrastructure development.

SAFETY ANALYSIS AND LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) EVALUATION FOR AT-GRADE INTERSECTIONS ALONG THE METRO RAIL CORRIDORS IN SMART CITY PUNE

Infrastructure development is key for economic growth of a country. However, poorly planned and deficiently designed infrastructure facilities becomes hazardous to the public. This leads to frequent fatalities in densely crowded cities like Pune. To minimizing fatalities by improving existing infrastructure facilities is game changer to overcome this problem. In India and around the globe many crowded cities are transforming with Metro rail networks to make urbanites life easy. In this study we have analyzed safety measures and evaluated Level of Service (LOS) for At-Grade intersections, along metro rail corridors in Pune city. This study gives good to fare idea about current safety situation of At-Grade junction based on various parameters viz. Junction Design, Pedestrian Facilities, Public Transport Facilities, Impact of Metro Infrastructure etc. The data used in this study is mostly open sourced data from Mappls RealView 360, Google Street View and site inventory. This study can be used for wide scale implementation for crowded cities, which may helpful in multimodal infrastructure development. Key Words: Level of Service, LOS, Safety Analysis, At- Grade Intersection, Junction Design.

Review of the potential impacts of freight rail corridors on livestock welfare and production

The proximity of rail corridors to livestock production enterprises poses potential risks to welfare and production. The association between these factors and production have been extensively investigated. This review aims to assess the potential impact on the basis of existing data in a livestock production context. Due to expansion of freight rail networks through agricultural land, there is a need to investigate potential impacts of rail (including train and track) noise, vibration and visual disturbance on the physiology and behaviour of the livestock and subsequent production traits. Additionally, the factors influencing the impact on animals were characterised broadly as noise, vibration, and visual and spatial disturbance. This information was used to develop conceptual frameworks around the contribution of rail impact on allostatic load, animal welfare and production. Placing rail noise in the context of other, known, noise impacts showed that proximity to the rail line will determine the impact of noise on the behaviour and physiology of the animal. Thresholds for noise levels should be determined on the basis of known noise thresholds, taking into account the impact of noise on allostatic load. Further research is recommended to investigate the behavioural, physiological and production impacts on livestock from proximity to rail corridors. Current literature suggests that the allostatic load will vary depending on the proximity of the animal to the source of stimulus, the type, size or level of stimuli, habituation and the individual animal variation in response to the stimuli.

Evaluation of changes in corridor railway traffic in the Czech Republic during the pandemic year 2020

Railway traffic was significantly affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The article's main objective is to evaluate the changes in rail transport on rail corridors in the Czech Republic in 2020. The traffic from that year was compared with the values from previous years. The Czech Statistical Office provided the data base for general infor-mation about railway transport. This contains details of freight and passenger transport and the performance of that transport for the whole country, as reported by the Ministry of Transport. The presented evaluation of changes in rail traffic is based on traffic param-eters obtained from the railway infrastructure administrator of the Railway Infrastructure Administration. The changes were evaluated from three hundred points located on the cor-ridor railways. The first part of the article describes the evaluation of changes in each traffic parameter. In 2020 passenger traffic was characterised by a significant decrease in the total number of trains on most corridors. Cargo trains took up the railway traffic capacity released by the drop in demand for passenger trains, and the number of cargo trains increased as a result. Passenger trains were shortened due to the low demand for transport during the pandemic. This fact was reported in the parameter of average train length. The second part contains a comprehensive assessment based on clustering methods. The clustering enabled the detection of those sections of the rail corridors that had similar changes in rail traffic in all the monitored parameters in 2020. URL: https://www.gcass.science.upjs.sk/

Redesign of Four-leg Urban Intersection with Light Rail in a Street Corridor: Case Study in Zagreb

In the Croatian capital, Zagreb, there is a constant need for reconstruction of existing road infrastructure or construction of new infrastructure in accordance with current regulations and requirements due to its spatial expansion and increasing number of inhabitants and cars. The lack of uniform national guidelines and the insufficient width of corridors for the design of urban streets and intersections often lead to different and inconsistent solutions. Poorly constructed or reconstructed intersections in urban areas are becoming an increasing problem in the street network. Large cities have a complex traffic system due to the high traffic volume and different road users, so great attention should be paid to the geometric design of intersections. In this work, the existing intersection of Grad Vukovar and Donje Svetice streets in the city of Zagreb with a light rail corridor was analyzed, and two preliminary design variants for the reconstruction of the intersection were proposed to show the design problems and their solution.

Rail trails and housing values: A longitudinal study

Greenways are recognized as an essential tool to build sustainable communities. An example in the United States are the rail trails where decommissioned rail corridors are being improved to provide the benefits of non-motorized transportation systems for recreation and exercise, and the daily commute to school, work and shopping. Yet despite these benefits some still argue the presence of the rail trail as a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard). To address this argument, we calculate the economic benefit to homeowners living in proximity to rail trails over a ten year period to observe the dramatic changes in value over time. It was hypothesized that there would be a change in housing values based on proximity to greenways. This article will begin with an overview and a literature review on research related to greenways and home values, describe the context of this particular case study in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, United States, provide an overview of the methods employed for the calculations and analysis, and conclude with some reflections and the potential limitations that should be considered for undertaking future research on this topic.

An innovative framework for integrating Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) within Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Carrying out correctly and objectively a CBA (Cost Benefit Analysis) means planning and designing sustainable infrastructures.For the case of infrastructures, it is very important to demonstrate in the most efficient way the impacts that would result from its construction, and to show them to all the involved stakeholders.In this context, the marriage between the CBA and BIM (Building Information Modeling) becomes a powerful visualization tool for stakeholders providing them a transparent summary of the costs and benefits of the project, within the evaluation analysis of the decision-making process. CBA-BIM is the union between infrastructural and transport planning which place Stakeholder Engagement as a central planning activity aiming at reducing the subjectivity of the analyses.The motivations lying behind the integrated use of the CBA with BIM are the transparency, standardization, and automatization of the decision-making process. Indeed, from their union, there should be a decrease of the costs related to the protests of the stakeholders not involved bringing unnecessary delays in the construction works.This paper shows an application of this framework, with a BIM based design approach, to the case of the Napoli-Bari High-Speed Rail corridor, currently under construction. The BIM based procedure proposed can be easily adapted to different uses according to the objectives.This work provides a contribution to the current literature since it is one of the first which considers the integration between BIM and CBA in the infrastructural context.

Efficiency of Ferritin bio-nanomaterial in reducing the pollutants level of water in the underground corridors of metro rail using GIS

The underground developments are likely to deteriorate the water quality, which causes damage to the structure. The pollutant levels largely affect the aquifer properties and alter the characteristics of the water quality. Ferritin nanoparticle usage proves to be an effective technology for reducing the pollutant level of the salts, which are likely to affect the underground structure. The observation wells are selected around the underground Metro Rail Corridor, and the secondary observation wells are selected around the corridors. Ferritin is a common iron storage protein as a powder used in the selected wells identified in the path of underground metro rail corridors. Water sampling was done to assess the water quality in the laboratory. The water quality index plots for the two phases (1995–2008) and (2009–2014) using GIS explains the water quality scenario before and after the Ferritin treatment. The Ferritin treatment in water was very effective in reducing the pollutants level of Fluoride and sulphate salts which is likely to bring damage to the structure.

Performance evaluation of reinforced earth walls with sustainable backfills subjected to railway loading

The concept of using Reinforced Earth (RE) walls for rail corridors is gaining popularity. As of now, very few nations have successfully adopted the RE walls for Railway infrastructure. These structures require good quality granular materials like sand for backfilling. However, due to the scarcity of good quality natural sand, research efforts are being made to look for cost effective alternatives to sand in backfill applications. The present study examines the possibilities of using the two sustainable materials, namely steel slag and construction and demolition waste (CDW), as backfills in RE walls subjected to harmonic train-induced load. In total, 63 separate full-scale numerical models of RE walls have been analyzed to understand the wall behavior with sustainable backfills subjected to different train speeds. The backfill materials were simulated with three different material models, namely, linear elastic, Mohr-Coulomb and Hardening Soil, for comparison. The results showed that the RE wall behavior is highly frequency-dependent. RE walls with steel slag and CDW backfills have shown 25% and 12% lesser deformations, respectively as compared to the sand backfill. Furthermore, reinforcement tensile forces in walls with sustainable backfills were found to be comparable to those of sand. The maximum deformation of the wall was observed when the fill materials were simulated with the Hardening Soil model. In overall, satisfactory performance of the RE wall was observed in the presence of sustainable backfill materials under Railway loading.

Semi-quantitative risk assessment of adjacent track accidents on shared-use rail corridors

There are several safety questions associated with operating passenger trains and freight trains on shared-use rail corridors (SRCs). Among them are adjacent track accidents (ATA) in which derailed railroad equipment intrudes upon (“fouls”) adjacent tracks and is struck by another train on adjacent tracks. ATAs can occur in any multiple track territory, but they become more complex and potentially more hazardous on SRCs. ATAs can be broken down into three principal events: the initial derailment, an intrusion, and a train present on an adjacent track. Previous research established a foundation for addressing intrusion risk by qualitatively identifying the risk and potential mitigation measures and conducting preliminary quantitative intrusion probability analysis; however, a gap remains between current research on intrusion risk and a comprehensive risk assessment model for ATAs. This paper presents an index-based, semi-quantitative risk analysis framework to evaluate probability and consequence of ATAs. A new risk index system was developed to evaluate ATA risk by assigning levels of probability to the three principal events and the overall ATA consequence level to different track segments, thereby enabling comparison of relative ATA risk among these track segments. The levels of ATA probability and consequence are determined by various infrastructure, rolling stock, and operational factors identified in this research where each factor contributes risk scores that can be summed and converted to levels of probability and consequence. The magnitude of risk due to each factor is determined by their effect, i.e., whether it increases or decreases the probability and/or consequence. A case study based on a 320-km, modified real-world SRC is presented to demonstrate and validate the model. Higher operating speed, lack of containment or barriers, and higher initial derailment rate all significantly affect ATA risk. The model enables comparisons of the relative ATA risks among different track segments at a resolution not previously achieved. It can also be used to locate high-risk locations (risk hotspots) on a railroad corridor where ATA risk is high. This model also provides information pertinent to future improvements in quantification of ATA risk and research on mitigation measures.

Public Transportation Decision-Making: A Case Analysis of the Memphis Light Rail Corridor and Route Selection with Analytic Hierarchy Process

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) New Starts process involves multiple criteria to assess funding eligibility for local public transit investments. In this article a multicriteria method–Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)—is used to assess light rail transit (LRT) corridor and route alternatives. Although the focus is on the current LRT corridor and route selection process in Memphis, Tennessee, the AHP-aided procedure is intended to facilitate the public transportation decision-making process generically, reflective of federal New Starts guidelines as well as local priorities and preferences. Each alternative corridor and route is assessed functionally with respect to site-specific ratings of the criteria and subcriteria in a unified framework. This framework contains the goal, participant groups, criteria, subcriteria, and alternatives as various elements of a public transportation decision process with relative influence on the outcome. The best corridor and route alignment alternative is identified by a composite score on the AHP ratio scale. Finally, with sensitivity analysis, it is shown how a change on the importance of the criteria or participant group priority influences the trade-offs among the criteria and the outcome. The article concludes with a retrospective, reflective discussion of the planning process as a whole.

Modeling the Mutual Enhancement of Regional Economy and Personal Quality of Life (QOL): A Case Study on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor in India

Among the various effects of high-speed rail (HSR), a direct benefit to users has been measured as an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) by the conventional cost–benefit analysis (CBA), which was institutionalized in the U.K. In recent years, the importance of capturing indirect benefits to non-users has also been broadly discussed. The indirect benefits of HSR can mainly be classified into two perspectives: regional economy and personal quality of life (QOL). In this study, we modeled the mutual enhancement between those effects and analyzed the indirect benefits of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail (MAHSR), which is currently under construction as the first HSR in India, an emerging country with a rapidly growing economy. The indirect benefit to the regional economy along the MAHSR corridor was estimated by industry and by zone. Additionally, the indirect benefit on personal QOL by individuals’ attributes and by zone through the mutual enhancement with the regional economy was also estimated. The personal QOL tends to show greater effects in the middle cities than those in the two metropolitan areas of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. This method can evaluate interregional disparity by identifying the differences in benefits by person, according to age, income, etc., which cannot be evaluated based on a mass measure, e.g., GDP, in the conventional CBA.

Node centrality of North Korean Railways

ABSTRACT This study explored the node centrality of North Korean railways. The analysis was conducted based on the weighted network using the number of routes as the weight. Two node types, stations and municipalities, were considered, and three modified centrality measures, strength, betweenness, and closeness centrality, were applied. The municipality-based analysis supplied more reliable outcomes than the station-based approach, and identified Pyongyang, Gowon, and Manpo as the critical nodes. Node centrality just slightly changed when weights were differently assigned to passenger and freight services because most stations, except 17 passenger-only stations, handle passenger and goods services. The findings have two policy implications for unified Korean railways. First, the Donghae line is not less important than the Gyeongui line because the East Sea rail corridor passes through Gowon and can support international trade between Russia and reunified Korea. Second, Manpo should be the primary border station to China, being a more influential node than existing Sinuiju station.

Does the joint implementation of hard and soft transportation policies lead to travel behavior change? An experimental analysis

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in a variety of travel demand management strategies, both hard and soft, aimed at persuading people to reduce their car use. However, only few studies employed predictive models to assess the effectiveness of soft interventions and understand the impact of both objective and socio-psychological variables on changes in travel behavior. Additionally, though a combination of hard and soft measures is recognized as achieving the best results in reducing car use, few studies differentiate between the effects of the two types. The aim of this work is to quantify the effect of a combination of hard (introduction of a new light railway line) and soft measures (Personalized Travel Plan program) among a group of car drivers in the metropolitan area of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy). We used data collected before and after the implementation of a Personalized Travel Plan program, where a control group was identified to disentangle the effect of the hard from the soft measure. We specified and estimated an Integrated Choice and Laten Variable (ICLV) model to assess the effect of both objective characteristics and some socio-psychological variables on the choice to use a new light railway service or not. Model results point out that people who lived along the light rail corridor and received and read their Personalized Travel Plan were more likely to switch from car to the light rail. Furthermore, we found that the parameters associated with the psycho-social variables Attachment to the car and Dislike of public transport have a negative influence on the probability to use the new travel alternative. At the same time, our findings on the effect of the soft measure need to be interpreted with some caution as its impact on choice probability was mitigated by travel distance and psycho-social variables.

Evaluating the Regional Economic Impacts of High-Speed Rail and Interregional Disparity: A Combined Model of I/O and Spatial Interaction

Among the benefits of high-speed rails (HSRs) discussed from various aspects, indirect benefits may contribute to medium- and long-term economic impacts such as an increase in service supply and gross regional product (GRP). In order to estimate the economic impacts, we modeled I/O–spatial interaction by combining the inter–industrial transactions shown on the I/O table with the geospatial distance decay of economic mass through passenger transportation. In addition, the regional economic impacts, as a part of the indirect benefits, were evaluated by the model applied to the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor in India, which is an emerging country with remarkable economic growth. The results showed the economic impacts on each zone and each industry along the MAHSR corridor as a relative distribution. The unique feature of this approach is that it is possible to evaluate the geographic distributions and interregional disparity of economic impacts by combining the industrial I/O relationships with the changes in passenger accessibility associated with a large-scale transportation project such as an HSR. Moreover, this method can be applied to various countries and regions where detailed I/O statistical data, such as interregional I/O tables, are difficult to obtain, as well as various transportation project evaluations taking into account interregional equity.

Evaluating Fixed, Virtual, and Moving Block Control Systems on a Double Track North American Freight Rail Corridor

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The Hapuku Rock Avalanche: Breaching and evolution of the landslide dam and outflow channel revealed using high spatiotemporal resolution datasets

Landslide dams have been recognised as significant components of multi-hazard cascading systems, linking slopes and rivers. Despite the potential for catastrophic consequences, landslide dam breaching and evolution remain under-researched and poorly understood, often due to the remoteness of large volume, valley-blocking landslides and the general lack of high resolution pre- and post-failure survey data. The Hapuku Rock Avalanche presents a unique opportunity to study landslide dam evolution and breaching timelines due to the accessibility of the site and the availability and resolution of pre- and post-failure remote sensing data. Field observations and mapping, sampling, geophysical surveying, and 27 remote sensing surveys from 2016 to 2022 have provided detailed data on the dam. The Hapuku landslide was the largest rock avalanche triggered by the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake sequence, occurring ∼9 km upstream of the main highway and rail corridor on the South Island of New Zealand. It dammed the Hapuku River, which rapidly formed a lake behind the 80 m-high deposit. Four major erosion events and three significant partial breach events, identified through observations and remote sensing data differencing, resulted in water outflow from the lake, significant erosion of the dam and deposition of sediment into the river. The partial breaches correspond with less than 1 in 10-year rainfall events in 2017 and 2018, and the first occurred 141 days after dam formation. Seepage and internal erosion of the dam were observed to be progressing upstream before the partial breaches, in which water overtopped the dam. The third partial breach event, 2 years after dam formation, was the most significant erosional event in the last 6 years. The dam has eroded episodically and more locally since 2018, and the degree of erosion appears to be decreasing with time, despite more intense storms. A small lake remains. The evolution of the Hapuku Rock Avalanche dam emphasises the complexity of dam and breaching evolution, which are often oversimplified.

An Optimization Method of High-Speed Railway Rescheduling to Meet Unexpected Large Passenger Flow

In the rapidly changing multimodal transportation market, not only the obligation in providing train services but also the responsibility in helping other transportation modes to meet emergencies are instrumental for maximizing the generalized benefit of railway companies, leading to an increased utilization. This paper proposes an optimization framework, which includes multiple dispatching measures of arranging residual seats, modifying stopping plans, and inserting additional trains, to design a rescheduling operation plan on a high-speed rail corridor to meet the passenger demand of unexpected large passenger flow (ULPF), which is generated from the disruption of other transportation modes. Considering the revenues of shifting passengers and the costs of the three dispatching measures as two objectives, we formulate a linear integer programming (LIP) model by employing a time-space network to obtain an optimization rescheduling operation plan. Several experiments based on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway corridor are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model can be used to obtain a reasonable rescheduling operation plan for serving the passengers from ULPF within an acceptable calculation timeframe.