Rail Modes Research Articles

Experimental investigation for wheel polygonisation of high-speed trains

The wheel polygonisation is the harmonic wave along the wheel circumference, which has been widely reported in high-speed railway vehicles in China in recent years. The polygonization mechanism has not been fully understood yet, and this work discusses one possible mechanism through several experiments. Firstly, a field test for the CRH3 high-speed train with polygonal wheels is carried out. It is found that the vibration in vertical takes major responsibility, and there are several resonance bands for the train-track system. Another field test shows that the rail is sensitive to the polygonisation characteristic frequency, but the wheel axle is not. Then the rail local vibration modes are analyzed by the operational deflection shape (ODS) test in the laboratory. A loaded bogie is fixed on the tested track to simulate the real working conditions. The result shows that the frequency of one local mode is 591 Hz, which is a typical wheel polygonisation frequency. Besides, the wheel-rail contact point is not on the vibration node of this local mode. Thus, the resonance of this local rail mode can be one possible mechanism for the high-order wheel polygonisation.

Prevention of Disasters using Automated Railway Crossing System

Railway is the most prominent and most economical way of transport. Majority of people depend on railways for transportation. Rail modes are most commonly used and very effective mode of commuting and goods carriage over long, short distances. In this paper, we are preparing a system in order to prevent the disasters which happen due to unmanned level crossing in the railways. For this system, Arduino Uno is used as the platform with ATMEGA16U2 as the microcontroller. In order to detect the train as well as the obstacles ultra-sonic sensors are used. When the train approaches the unmanned zone, ultrasonic sensor will detect the arrival of train which is kept 2 KM away from the railway crossing zone. The input of ultrasonic sensor is sent to Arduino Uno to activate the railway gates operated by DC motors. These gates are controlled or driven by motor driver circuit. If any obstacles are detected on the track can also be detected by the ultrasonic sensors which are kept at the gate and it will alert the train, with the help of led signal. Due to this led signal, the train will slow down the speed mechanically or even the train can stop if it's necessary. This system is demonstrated to prevent and stop the disaster at railway crossing zones.

Community Characteristics in the Use of the Madiun-Surabaya Railway and Bus Transportation Mode

The mode of transportation is one very important factor in accelerating the socioeconomic growth of a region. Surabaya is the capital of East Java Province and is one of the largest cities on the island of Java. The city of Surabaya which bears as the capital provides a variety of infrastructure facilities in an effort to serve the community, especially in the field of transportation. Some of the modes of transportation that are developing in this city are trains and buses with routes in several small cities in East Java. In this study the authors wanted to know the characteristics of the community in the use of rail and bus transportation modes from the direction of Madiun-Surabaya. This study uses a questionnaire instrument with sampling techniques Solvin, Issac Michael and Morgan, then data analysis using descriptive models. From the results of the study, it is known that the characteristics of the community based on the price attribute mostly use bus transportation, based on the attribute of the timeliness of choosing a train and based on the hadway and the frequency tends to be the same.

Optimizing Energy Consumption in Transportation: Literature Review, Insights, and Research Opportunities

From airplanes to electric vehicles and trains, modern transportation systems require large quantities of energy. These vast amounts of energy have to be produced somewhere—ideally by using sustainable sources—and then brought to the transportation system. Energy is a scarce and costly resource, which cannot always be produced from renewable sources. Therefore, it is critical to consume energy as efficiently as possible, that is, transportation activities need to be carried out with an optimal intake of energetic means. This paper reviews existing work on the optimization of energy consumption in the area of transportation, including road freight, passenger rail, maritime, and air transportation modes. The paper also analyzes how optimization methods—of both exact and approximate nature—have been used to deal with these energy-optimization problems. Finally, it provides insights and discusses open research opportunities regarding the use of new intelligent algorithms—combining metaheuristics with simulation and machine learning—to improve the efficiency of energy consumption in transportation.

Customer satisfaction in urban rail: a study on transferability of structural equation models

Studies on the quality of service thrive to quantify passenger satisfaction of public transport services which is a key factor in how these services are used. Service quality evaluation is performed by means of objective and subjective approaches. Considering that people are attracted to public transport services based on their own perception, subjective approaches are utilized to capture user judgment. However, there are various subjective approaches in the literature to model service quality in which different lists of factors and model structures are identified. This paper aims to test the spatial transferability of these approaches at various levels. All the adopted approaches are based on a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to evaluate the relationship between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction. First a synthesis of the literature on model transferability is presented to compare these approaches in terms of model characteristics (structural equivalence) and parameter values (measurement equivalence). Three classes of model characteristics, including six distinct SEM structures in total, are tested to identify the factors affecting service quality: (1) recommendations of previously published models from the literature, (2) established customer satisfaction theories, and (3) adopting an exploratory approach and developing it based on the previous two approaches and the nature of locally collected data. Tehran Metro Line 3, which is a heavy urban rail mode, is used as a case study. The dataset consists of three hundred validated responses collected through a customer satisfaction survey. The results indicate that model characteristics are not transferable to this case study (i.e., none of the SEM structures from previous studies were directly transferable). The best model is developed when the entire modeling procedure is repeated using a wide range of affecting factors and gradually narrowing them down through model development. The final model comprises four latent variables, namely major services, comfort, security, and minor services, the first two of which have the largest effect on service quality.

Analyzing the trade transportation and its demand on multimodal transportation system between China and Koreas

Purpose This paper aims to understand the trade transportation situation between China and Koreas, and to explore the possibility of establishing the surface transportation corridor between China and Koreas in the future. Moreover, the paper also intends to find out the mode choice behaviors of shippers, which can be used to analyze the substitute effects of the surface modes on the water one. Design/methodology/approach The paper first analyzes the Sino-Korean bilateral trade and the corresponding trade transportation between China and Koreas. Secondly, it presents the surface transportation network between China and Koreas, and analyzes the warming relations between the North and South. Finally, the modal split of trade transportation between China and Koreas is estimated by establishing a mode choice model based on a questionnaire survey. Findings With the increasingly stable political environment and the physical highway and railway connections, the surface transportation network would become possible. Moreover, the shippers need the multimodal transportation system between China and Koreas, and many shippers would select road or rail mode if a suitable road or rail network were available. Especially, between China and South Korea, the road, rail and water mode may be used evenly, while the road mode may play a more important role between China and North Korea. The surface modes would have a huge substitute effect on the water mode. Originality/value The existing literature conducted research mainly from the perspective of economy and geopolitics, while the topics of transportation between China and Koreas are rarely concerned. This paper intends to throw some light on the situation of the trade transportation between China and Koreas, consider the potential of relation improvement on the Korean Peninsula proactively and study the surface transportation issues between China and Koreas.

Consumer Perspective on Public Transport: The Medan-Pematang Siantar Route as a Case Study

Development of public transportation is meant to bridge the divide between cities and encourage development results. The inter-city transportation opens up opportunities for the inter-city trade, reduces costs and increases labor mobility, thereby promoting the inter-city development opportunities. This study uses the factor and cluster analyses. Analysis of factors is performed to determine the most dominant factors. The cluster analysis is used to identify the advantages and disdvantages of five modes of transport, namely taxi, trade rail, economy bus, mini bus, and executive bus. This study aims to determine the perception of users of Medan-Pematang Siantar route service. The results of this study show that there are five dominant factors that are considered before the service users decide on the mode of transport to use, namely the comfort factor, which is the most important consideration, followed by the time factor, cost factor, accessibility factor and safety factor.

Evaluating the interrelationships among inhibitors to intermodal railroad freight transport in emerging economies: A multi-stakeholder perspective

Abstract Intermodal railroad (IRR) mode of freight transport has been considered as a sustainable and efficient solution for ensuring the sustainability of the freight transport industry, but the IRR transport adoption faces many challenges in real cases. However, so far, studies considered inhibitors of IRR transport under logistics shippers or forwarders' perspectives. Unfortunately, no existing research has evaluated the interrelationships of IRR freight transport inhibitors in emerging economies, nor in Indian Context. This study aims to give a structural model of IRR freight transport inhibitors interrelationships with a case of the Indian freight industry. The considered stakeholders in the present research are academic researchers, freight shippers, and Indian Railways officials’. The considered research framework presents twenty-two inhibitors, that were selected from the previous literature and experts' input. Then, a blend of grey theory and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method (Grey-DEMATEL) was used to identify the causal relationships between the selected inhibitors and the strength of their interrelationships. A Euclidian distance analysis was used to highlight the similarities and differences between stakeholders’ views. All the stakeholders find some common inhibitors such as poor rail freight transport infrastructure, low frequency of freight trains, the poor delivery reliability of rail mode, lack of competition between transport modes, and lack of holistic transportation business model. The unique contribution of present work relies on the fact that no past studies were found, to consider the impact of multiple stakeholders in the intermodal freight business. Moreover, policymakers may take proactive actions to improve the inhibitors of IRR into practices for improving modal balance in emerging economies. Finally, the conclusion and limitations of the present work are highlighted.

Competitiveness of Arabian gulf ports from shipping lines’ perspectives: Case of Sohar port in Oman

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the factors that encourage shipping lines to use port of Sohar, in Oman. Some selected factors were used to assess to what extent it affects the port choice from shipping lines companies’ perspective. These factors include infrastructure, hinterland, connectivity and port’s dues.Design/methodology/approach: for this study both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used. Self-administered questionnaire used for collecting quantitative data while interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Secondary data was collected by reviewing academic literature and recent relevant articles and reports.Findings: Port of Sohar has a better opportunity to be the gateway of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and all Cargo could have dropped in the port and transferred to other GCC States by road, rail and other transportation modes. This opportunity is gained by the strategic location of Sohar Port outside of the Strait of Hormuz. It can be concluded that port competitiveness can be improved through strategic location, improved hinterland conditions, port facilities, services cost, volume of cargo, connectivity to other ports and dwell time factor.Research limitations: The research was limited mainly by conducting it only at the port of Sohar because surrounding ports are too far away and it should involve more ports to gain comparative results. Limited number of stakeholders as Port Authority, Oman International Container Terminal (OICT) and shipping lines companies and agents is another limitation.Practical implications: The port can improve its competitive advantages and focus on the investigated factors. The government can also continue in working in the three big infrastructural projects; the new express roads, Sohar Airport and rail network connections with other GCC networks.Originality/value: the study used specific factors that expected to contribute to the shipping lines companies’ selection of ports in the gulf region. This could help the port to identify their competitive advantage and how they can use these competencies to improve their competitiveness in relation to other ports in the region.

PERSPECTIVE DIRECTIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF CARGO DELIVERY CHANNELS IN MIXED TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGIES

The article deals with the transport and technological process of mixed cargo transportation, which involves the delivery of cargoes from the point of departure to the destination, if more than one mode of transport is used for the transfer process.It has been proved that in recent years, changes in the country and the world have significantly influenced cargo turnover and transportation policy in road, rail, aviation and maritime modes of transport. For any type of transport, in our state, the current stage of economic development is the conquest and maintenance of competitive advantages. This is the key factor in the success of a transport company in a competitive struggle. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out complex measures aimed at transforming any company into a successful commercial enterprise, which will provide quality transport services.Undoubtedly, for all modes of transport of Ukraine, a promising direction is the further development of mixed transport, which is in demand both in our country and in the European and world markets. It should be borne in mind that the interaction of different types of transport is not only the basis of the economy, but also integrates Ukraine into the transport system of Europe and Asia.The drawbacks of the transport complex of Ukraine, which require a logistic approach are revealed. The factors that adversely affect the development of mixed traffic are determined and the ways of their neutralization are substantiated.It is substantiated that when choosing the most priority directions of the transport industry development, the governments of European countries attach particular importance to maintaining the purity of the atmosphere, preserving the ecology of the environment from harmful emissions, and ensuring the safety of life of people.The method of network planning is proposed, which allows to specify on the basis of the initial information the start time of each link in the logistic chain, to calculate the time required for the implementation of the whole complex of works, to identify critical works, the untimely execution of which causes changes in the overall time of the entire complex execution, as well as non-critical works , small delays in the implementation of which does not affect the total length of operation of all parts of the transport chain.

Development of a parametric model for the prediction of concrete railway crosstie service bending moments

Concrete crosstie usage in North America continues to increase for rail transit and heavy axle load freight railroad applications. As such, it is important to design optimized crossties to save both capital and maintenance funds. Recently, a method for quantifying concrete crosstie bending moments using concrete surface strain gauges has been developed, deployed, and validated. Data from this method are used in this paper for (1) building a model to quantify sources of variability for field bending moments and the relative influence of each source, (2) generating an accurate model to predict bending moments at the two field locations surveyed, and (3) comparing the relative effects of predictor variables on rail transit and heavy axle load freight rail modes to determine their influence on service bending moments. Results show that it is possible to develop a reliable model to predict bending moments, and that several factors have a strong influence on these predictions, namely vertical load, temperature gradient, and axle location within a railcar truck. The most significant factor is the crosstie support condition, especially with respect to center moments. While the aforementioned model’s primary utility is for the two sites and railroad systems surveyed, the model provides a valuable tool for determining which variables are the most critical for inclusion in the future mechanistic design of concrete crossties.

Multimodal movement planning: logistics network and analysis of transportation alternatives. study case

One of the most relevant problems in transport engineering is the planning of multimodal movements where it is necessary to define the logistics network. To analyze the logistics of a foreign trade operator in Colombia, a mathematical model has been designed for the choice of ports, considering multimodal transport and the state of the art. Initially, a multimodal network was built considering modes of maritime, river, rail and road transport, taking advantage of the main river of Colombia (Magdalena river) and the railway infrastructure. Port operating costs, transshipment, port fees, sea freight, operational and variable costs were included in the analysis. It was found that the most suitable ports in Colombia for export are Cartagena and Buenaventura, with the current infrastructure and demand. It has been found that multimodal arcs are more used than those with a single mode, in addition to exports to Ecuador being made by Buenaventura, while to America and Europe is Cartagena. Additionally, there is sensitivity in the choice of ports concerning the level of prices of road transport since in the Colombian context it is vital to change transfers due to the lack of connectivity between modes such as rail and river.

Global Transportation Demand Development with Impacts on the Energy Demand and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Climate-Constrained World

The pivotal target of the Paris Agreement is to keep temperature rise well below 2 °C above the pre-industrial level and pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 °C. To meet this target, all energy-consuming sectors, including the transport sector, need to be restructured. The transport sector accounted for 19% of the global final energy demand in 2015, of which the vast majority was supplied by fossil fuels (around 31,080 TWh). Fossil-fuel consumption leads to greenhouse gas emissions, which accounted for about 8260 MtCO2eq from the transport sector in 2015. This paper examines the transportation demand that can be expected and how alternative transportation technologies along with new sustainable energy sources can impact the energy demand and emissions trend in the transport sector until 2050. Battery-electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles are the two most promising technologies for the future on roads. Electric ships and airplanes for shorter distances and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels for longer distances may appear around 2030 onwards to reduce the emissions from the marine and aviation transport modes. The rail mode will remain the least energy-demanding, compared to other transport modes. An ambitious scenario for achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is applied, also demonstrating the very high relevance of direct and indirect electrification of the transport sector. Fossil-fuel demand can be reduced to zero by 2050; however, the electricity demand is projected to rise from 125 TWhel in 2015 to about 51,610 TWhel in 2050, substantially driven by indirect electricity demand for the production of synthetic fuels. While the transportation demand roughly triples from 2015 to 2050, substantial efficiency gains enable an almost stable final energy demand for the transport sector, as a consequence of broad electrification. The overall well-to-wheel efficiency in the transport sector increases from 26% in 2015 to 39% in 2050, resulting in a respective reduction of overall losses from primary energy to mechanical energy in vehicles. Power-to-fuels needed mainly for marine and aviation transport is not a significant burden for overall transport sector efficiency. The primary energy base of the transport sector switches in the next decades from fossil resources to renewable electricity, driven by higher efficiency and sustainability.

Transportation mode choice using fault tree analysis and mathematical modeling approach

In this paper, transportation problem of hazardous materials (hazmat) by various transportation modes is considered. Accident probabilities related to human and ecologic risks are assumed for each transportation mode including road, rail, and marine modes. Thus, a two-stage approach following the fault tree analysis (FTA) first, a mathematical modeling approach second is provided. In the first stage, FTA is employed to analyze the risks for each transportation mode. In the second stage, a mixed integer nonlinear programing model is formulated by using the results of the FTA to minimize the transportation cost and risk cost for each mode. Computational results for the instances in the literature and generated instances are provided. Results show that the two-stage approach is able to produce high-quality solutions. Most effective parameter is human-based possibility with 82% for the road accident, vehicle-based possibility with 64% for the rail accident, material-based possibility with 76% for the marine accident during the hazmat transportation.

English

Transport sector is usually divided into four main modes: road, air, maritime and rail modes. In sub-Sahara Africa, road appears as the dominant mode. Railways were developed during the colonial period but almost abandoned since the independence in most countries. Air transport once seen as sign of economic prosperity and instrument of sovereignty is far from being competitive. Maritime transport is mainly on coastal areas, and still controlled by foreign companies. In this context, road transport, favored by the low purchasing power of the population and the geography of the continent, made of landlocked territories, becomes the main mode of transportation. This mode however is facing many challenges including: Poor maintenance, pollution, frequent accidents, lack of local industry, etc. Therefore, critical thinking and innovative ideas from various actors of this sector will be important to bring solutions to most issues. Key words: Road, transport, car, infrastructures, innovation.

Analyzing the effect of government subsidy on shippers’ mode switching behavior in the Belt and Road strategic context

The Chinese government is offering subsidies to promote the recently developed China-Europe rail freight corridor under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Despite significant subsidies, the rail mode (China Railway Express) continues to struggle with low load factor. Accordingly, a competition model (rail vs. maritime) grounded on game-theoretic technique is proposed to analyze the effect of the government subsidy on shippers’ mode switching (from maritime to rail) behavior. Analytical results based on a case of China-Germany rail freight transportation describe shippers’ mode switching patterns in response to a mode subsidy and suggest a subsidy scheme for the government.

The role of modal shift in decarbonising the Scandinavian transport sector: Applying substitution elasticities in TIMES-Nordic

In the Nordics, transportation accounts for almost 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions, a higher share than most European countries. The International Energy Agency identifies modal shift as pivotal for a sustainable transition of the transport sector. This study analyses the role of modal shift in the decarbonisation of the Scandinavian energy system with TIMES-Nordic, the TIMES (The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System) model depicting the national energy systems of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. For the first time, passenger and freight modal shift is modelled through substitution elasticities for a real case study. Transport elasticities from the literature are discussed in light of the modelling environment, and long-term direct elasticities are identified as suitable for the purpose. The results obtained with TIMES-Nordic and its version equipped with modal shift are compared under an increasing CO2 tax. For passenger, car is mainly substituted by rail and non-motorised modes, while for freight, rail replaces truck and ship. Modal shift results in a cost-effective mitigation measure, responsible for 26 PJ of lower fuel consumption in 2050, and 2.2% lower cumulative CO2 emissions from transport. A sensitivity analysis on the investment costs for electric cars reveals the ineffectiveness of the CO2 tax in stimulating car substitution in a future where electric cars are more competitive and the power sector almost decarbonised. Estimates of modal shift potentials from alternative methodologies are comparable to the results obtained, highlighting the methodology solidity. Lastly, a well-balanced technology characterization among modes is identified as crucial when enabling modal shift.

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF CROWD SOURCED DATA TO MAP COMMUTER POINTS OF INTEREST: A CASE STUDY OF JOHANNESBURG

Abstract. Modern African cities are faced with various mobility and transportation challenges. In developing smart sustainable cities, city planners need to create a balance between supply and demand for public transportation. Development of multi-mobility mode models has contemporarily received a special interest in smart cities development. Globally, the use of bike sharing services to complete the first kilometre or last kilometre of the trip has been highly received, with commuters using either rail or road mobility modes for the middle section of their trip. Within the developing world context, the use of multi-mobility modes in daily commuting is still new, and little research has been done to guide this. Notwithstanding the influence of uncertainties and fragmentation over demand and supply in public transportation provision. In the South Africa context, various modes of public transportation have been developed which seek to be smart, sustainable and efficient such as the fast train (Gautrain), Bus rapid transport (Rea Vaya and Gaubus) and Bikes sharing platforms (Upcycles), however most of these modes are currently not spatially connected. Hence the researcher sought to develop a stepping stone in planning for future mobility demand. Using an explorative methodology, the authors collected quantitative and spatial data in the form of land-use data and crowd sourced data (from twitter) to map commuter points of interest in and around the city of Johannesburg. The results reveal hot and cold spots in the city. The hot spots reveal areas where commuters frequently travel to, and when overlaid with transportation data, we are able to identify potential locations to develop new transportation hubs as these will overtime become key points of interest.

Development of Commute Mode Choice Model by Integrating Actively and Passively Collected Travel Data

Travel data collection, which is necessary for travel demand modeling, is always of great concern to modelers due to its huge cost and effort when a large sample is required to achieve satisfactory model precisions. In this paper, travel data collected based on a survey questionnaire and travelers’ active participation are called actively collected data (ACD). It is difficult to guarantee absolute randomness and unbiasedness in a sample when the ACD are collected due to self-selection issues. The aim of this study is to improve the model precision at low cost by using passively collected data (PCD), such as in-vehicle GPS data and transit smart card data, to release sample size restriction and reduce sampling bias of ACD in a commute mode choice model. In an empirical study, a multinomial-logit-based joint model is developed for commute mode choice by integrating ACD and PCD based on the choice-based sampling theory. A comprehensive set of explanatory variables are specified through data integration. Both simulation and empirical results show great improvement in coefficient precisions in the proposed joint model, relative to those in the ACD model and PCD model. In this study, ACD and PCD samples of Shanghai are integrated in the joint model so that several significantly influential level-of-service attributes are identified for auto, rail, and bus modes, and their impacts on commute mode choice probabilities are quantified. The findings can aid in better evaluating the program to improve the existing transit system.

Calibrating a transit assignment model using smart card data in a large-scale multi-modal transit network

This paper describes a practical automated procedure to calibrate and validate a transit assignment model. An optimization method based on particle swarm algorithm is adopted to minimize a defined error term. This error term which is based on the percentage of root mean square error and the mean absolute percent error encompasses deviation of model outputs from observations considering both segment level as well as the mode level and can be applied to a large scale network. This study is based on the frequency-based assignment model using the concept of optimal strategy while any transit assignment model can be used in the proposed methodological framework. Lastly, the model is validated using another weekday data. The proposed methodology uses automatic fare collection (AFC) data to estimate the origin–destination matrix. This study combines data from three sources: the general transit feed specification, AFC, and a strategic transport model from a large-scale multimodal public transport network. The South-East Queensland (SEQ) network in Australia is used as a case study. The AFC system in SEQ has voluminous and high quality data on passenger boardings and alightings across bus, rail and ferry modes. The results indicate that the proposed procedure can successfully develop a multi-modal transit assignment model at a large scale. Higher dispersions are seen for the bus mode, in contrast to rail and ferry modes. Furthermore, a comparison is made between the strategies used by passengers and the generated strategies by the model between each origin and destination to get more insights about the detailed behaviour of the model. Overall, the analysis indicates that the AFC data is a valuable and rich source in calibrating and validating a transit assignment model.