Rail Rapid Transit Research Articles

Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) Prototype Concept Using Wireless Charging System with Electromagnetic Induction Coupling

The development of charging technology in Autonomous Rapit Rail Transit (ART) vehicles uses a wireless power system by optimizing. The selection of the power transfer method uses an Inductive coupling of the LCCL model with a wide variation in the cross-section of the wire and the diameter of the fixed coil. Scenario testing by installing a power transfer system on ART facilities, testing is carried out on coil inductance, resonance coupling gap and power efficiency. Optimum power transfer is obtained on coils with a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm / 6.13 μH and the highest power transfer efficiency of 40% at a distance of 0.5cm.

Optimization Technique for Reducing Energy Consumption of Rapid Transit Mode

Abstract: Since the time, our mother earth was created, energy was taken from the universe(System),now energy is being depleted as non-renewable source. Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed as it transforms in one form to another. So researchers came up with renewable source of energy as the solution like solar, wind and tidal waves. The world is experiencing an energy crisis and the prices of petroleum products like petrol and diesel has gone up. So its time to come forward and save the future of our mother earth. The paper deals in reducing energy consumption of rail rapid transit mode i.e. of metro. It shows how driving behaviour can be controlled using optimized speed profile and efficiency can be managed. It states round trip data taken of Mumbai(India) metro from Versova to Ghatkopar and viceversa. Speed data was taken from GPS(Global Postioning System) embedded in Smart watch Software. Time interval was noted and distance, acceleration data was formulated using Newtons Equations of Motion. Energy Consumed was drawn out from tractive effort data. Then efficiency, energy lost and regenerative braking energy was calculated using Work Energy Theorem. Maximum efficiency of 88.27% was obtained between Asalpha to Jagruti Nagar Station while between Western Express Highway to Andheri Station a 72.66% efficiency was analysed. This affects the time interval of metro trains arriving at station, also the amount of boarding and alighting passengers from the train. A model was designed and simulated using results obtained. The paper also deals with the prototype of Regenerative energy which can either be used in braking systems but also for acceleration and cruising purpose. The idea can benefit a developing country like India where 6.3% GDP is from Transportation Industry. Keywords: optimized speed profile, efficiency, regenerative braking energy

Vehicle Bridge Interaction in High-Speed Rail Corridors

Abstract: In this paper, our aim is to establish that Dynamic impact factor (DIF) is not only dependent on the span and type of the bridge but also dependent upon speed of the train and distance between axles of the train as well. Our current code i.e. Indian Railway Standards specify that DIF or Coefficient of Dynamic Augment (CDA) is dependent on span length and type of bridge but it is applicable for design speed up to 160 kmph. For any speed greater than that CDA shall need to be computed as per the dynamic analysis as per available international codes. As mentioned earlier that there is imminent need of high-speed rail network in India due to increase in economic activity, increase in travel choices, improvement in mobility, reduction in congestion and to boost productivity. Our objective of this project is to study dynamic response of a various types of bridges under high speed trains currently being used in India for high speed rail projects like RRTS (Delhi to Meerut and other corridors) and High speed rail project from Mumbai to Ahmedabad to accurately assess the DIF in bridges under the effect of different governing factors (vehicle speed, vehicle load, bridge superstructure type, etc). This study could be beneficial in upcoming projects of high-speed rail as it is our future need. This study is based on the current semi-high-speed rail network i.e. Delhi Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) being constructed and other corridors are to be implemented. Design speed of this project is 180 kmph hence existing IRS codal provision for DIF cannot be used, therefore, dynamic analysis is needed to establish the DIF. Dynamic analysis has been carried out with two types of boggie length i.e. 21.34m and 22.34m. In this project, we have started with the understanding of dynamic analysis by mentioning various codal provisions and parameters influencing the DIF. Subsequently, procedures for computation of dynamic analysis for given superstructure, loading, train type, span, etc have been explained including the modelling part. Last part of this study covers the dynamic analysis of various types of superstructure for given data

Evaluation of climate change resilience for Boston’s rail rapid transit network

• Assessment of rail rapid transit resilience to climate change. • Consideration of physical, topological, contextual aspects of system performance. • Presentation of sea level rise (SLR) impacts on a rail rapid transit system . • Sea level rise will create new flood pathways, inundating critical links and yards. • Resilience assessments can inform decision makers and adaptation planning efforts. Sea level rise (SLR) poses increasing flood risks to coastal cities and infrastructure. We propose a general framework of engineering resilience for infrastructure systems in the context of climate change and illustrate its application for the assessment of SLR impacts on the rail rapid transit network in Boston. Within this framework, projected coastal flood events are treated as exogenous exposure events, which interact with both physical and topological endogenous network characteristics. We consider contextual aspects of resilience by assigning relative importance to links based on passenger flows. Resilience is computed assuming a linear recovery model, neglecting recovery strategies. Using a reference 1–100 year coastal flood event we show decreasing resilience of the rail transit network as projected SLR increases. The proposed framework can be readily extended to consider more sophisticated performance models, recovery strategies, other perturbation events, and additional contextual factors, such as equity considerations.

Optimizing resiliency of train operations in an underground metro: A hybrid discrete-event simulation and response surface methodology

Avoiding the passengers extra waiting time is a vital task for rail planners. The current research focused on minimizing the passenger waiting time on the presence of real frequently random occurred disturbances. Details of the proposed model are on the 1st line of Tehran underground rail rapid transit. All fitness functions are validated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) by applying the hypothesis testing method. Also, a validated discrete-event computer simulation model is applied to examine the average waiting time per passenger as the key performance measure under different scenarios generated using full factorial design of experiments. The validity of the obtained optimal solution, i.e., train headway times is confirmed at a 95% level of reliability. Also, simulation outcomes indicated that the proposed response surface meta-model could efficiently provide a more reliable train operation plan to ensure a desirable level of system resiliency on the presence of random disturbances. The numerical results indicated that wait time could be reduced by 14.8% for passengers as compared with the baseline train headway plan.

A novel test setup for determining waterproof performance of rubber gaskets used in tunnel segmental joints: Development and application

In this paper, a novel test setup was proposed to perform mechanical and waterproof tests for rubber gaskets used in tunnel segmental joints. Based on the newly developed setup, it is available to simulate typical joint deformation observed during construction and operation stages, e.g., opening, offset, rotation, and eccentric compression. The components and configurations of the setup were presented in detail. Special treatments were subsequently illustrated for ensuring water pressure loading and rational leakage mode. The setup was applied using test specimens obtained from a rapid rail transit shield tunnel under design. Four groups of gasket mechanical tests and 22 groups of gasket waterproof tests were carried out to evaluate the reliability and functionality of the setup. The load-deformation relationship was adopted to demonstrate gasket-in-groove mechanical behavior, while the factors influencing gasket waterproofness were also considered through analyzing the sealant capacity measured under different conditions. The results show that there exists a close correlation between the mechanical and waterproof performance of gaskets. Deterioration of gasket waterproofness generally occurs due to joint offset. Positive and negative joint rotation leads to the opposite variation trend of sealing performance for gaskets. The water leakage phenomenon observed in tests shows good agreement with the field survey results. The developed test setup and methodology provide novel insights into the waterproof examination of gaskets in complex situations.

STUDY ON SURFACE STABILITY AND RESIDUAL DEFORMATION OF OLD GOAF IN DONGJIAGOU MINE，CHINA


 
 
 Old goaf under the overpass becomes serious hidden trouble of subgrade-pavement and bridge engineering. Based on geological survey, geophysical survey and theoretical analysis, this paper studies on formation mechanism and distribution characteristics of the surface residual deformation in old goaf in No.9 Line Overpass across Rapid Rail Transit Line No.3 in Dalian city. A comprehensive analysis and evaluation has been made on the stability of old goaf. Based on the calculation principle of the probability integration method, the conception of ground residual subsidence coefficient and the predicted model of residual deformation are proposed, ground residual deformation of old goaf under the overpass is predicted. According to the zonal principles of ground stability, the stabilities of areas are divided. The results indicated that, new overpass has an important effect on the old goaf overburden rock activation in study area that the surface will be instability uneven settlement and the ground residual deformation values will exceed allowable values. Some treatment should be done to the old goaf because of the poor stability of goaf and non-goaf within influence zone in study area.
 
 

Mega-Events and Rapid Transit: Evaluating the Canada Line 10 Years After Vancouver 2010

This article examines the Canada Line rapid rail transit project in Vancouver, British Columbia, a decade after its completion and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games for which it was accelerated. The case resides at the intersection of two project classes with well-documented patterns of underperformance: transit mega-projects and sporting mega-events. Beyond connecting a number of Vancouver 2010 venues, the Canada Line is notable for its use of a public-private partnership procurement (PPP) model, as well as the significant real estate development seen nearby. In particular, the article focuses on outcomes classified under three headings: procurement model, community impact, and land use impact. Prior to providing avenues for future research, this article finds that while the PPP model avoided substantial cost overrun risks, the lucrative operational concession was where the growth coalition pushing the project was able to make it sufficiently attractive for private partners, while externalizing cost on third-parties.

The Unfinished Web: Transit Planning in Los Angeles, 1895–1953

Because of its complexity and length this article is organized into two parts. Part I, which appeared in the previous issue of the Quarterly, traced attempts to improve rapid rail transit in Los Angeles from 1895 to 1925. This concluding installment traces the political, civic, and taxpayer response to the 1925 comprehensive regional rapid transit plan. The plan was eclipsed by a seemingly unrelated controversy about a union station for the steam railroads. Meanwhile, though frustrated in its plan for a crosstown subway, the rapid transit provider, the Pacific Electric Railway (PE), was not passive: it worked cooperatively with other public-sector and private-sector agencies to create viaducts that separated its trains from busy intersections, bought new rolling stock, and installed safety measures. The emerging multi-destinational, automobile-oriented city of the 1930s and 1940s led planners to include rail rapid transit in freeway medians, but the politically powerful State Division of Highways opposed it, as did various civic and commercial organizations and the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC). Sectional differences in how residents perceived their interests divided city council and state legislature support. PE’s management, now discouraged, gradually abandoned and finally sold its passenger service. Part II concludes with an examination of the PE’s financial condition in the 1920s in refutation of the often-made claim that the PE’s high debt and unprofitable financial account sheets precluded it from making capital investments.

Cost, reliability, convenience, equity or image? The cases for and against the introduction of light rail and bus rapid transit in inners suburban Adelaide, South Australia

The inner and middle suburbs of Adelaide South Australia have low levels of public transport use and high levels of private motor vehicle use for commuting compared to the inner and middle suburbs of Australia’s other major cities. A major reason for this is an absence of a rapid transit system in the region and the subsequent reliance upon bus commuter services in mixed traffic. The state government has proposed reintroducing light rail ’trams’ into inner and middle suburbs as radial routes connected to the central business district. The justification for the reintroduction is largely concerned with enhancing the city’s global image and facilitating urban infill. This article uses evidence from a literature review and statistical and physical analyses to ascertain the appropriateness of four common public transport systems, buses in mixed traffic, heavy rail transit, light rail transit and bus rapid transit for a central area of Adelaide South Australia where a new light rail line is proposed. This article argues ‘Curitiba’ styled bus rapid transit is the best option for the area because it is far less expensive than light or heavy rail, it has the potential to provide a rapid transit option for significantly more existing residents in the area, and would be more reliable and convenient for the people in its catchment. In doing so it can also provide a more equitable service.

智轨车辆基地的设计实践与探讨

智轨车辆基地的设计实践与探讨

Simulation-optimization framework for train rescheduling in rapid rail transit

One of the primary challenges of re-planning in high-speed urban railways is the randomness of disruptive events. In this study, an integrated disturbance recovery model presented in which short-turn and stop-skip service operations are optimized together to minimize the average of passengers’ waiting times. This study develops a discrete-event simulation model that employs a variable neighborhood search algorithm to maintain the service level under infrastructure elements’ unavailability. Due to the unpredictable nature of the incidents, the uncertainty associated with obstruction duration is experimentally analyzed through probabilistic scenarios. The computational experiments are conducted on some test cases of the Tehran Metropolitan Network, and the benefits of the combined control strategy are justified. The outcomes validate the superior performance of the proposed simulation-optimization method over existing state-of-the-art methods. The optimal solutions provide urban rail companies with robust decision options where the maximum recoverability resulting from rescheduled services are expected. The integrated control policy result can also support the analysis of secondary train delay and timetable deviations. The computational results afford practical insights by showing the strong potential to improve the system's responsiveness by minimizing the random disturbances’ cascading effects.

The Unfinished Web

Early in the twentieth century, Los Angeles’s regional interurban electric railway, the Pacific Electric (PE), developed serious operational problems because the PE had been assembled from separate railroads that hadn’t been designed to fit together, and because Los Angeles’s explosive population growth overtaxed its facilities. The PE wanted to speed its trains and unify its system with a crosstown subway, but in 1923 the Los Angeles City1 Council blocked the PE’s plan and instead commissioned engineers and professional transit planners to devise comprehensive regional transit plans to be operated for the public good, not for private profit. These plans all focused on bringing lots of people downtown quickly, something irrelevant in a decentralizing city. Part I concludes with two seemingly propitious developments: the PE’s opening of its own mile-long but isolated Hollywood Subway, a compromise design but still impressive; and the unveiling of the most detailed and elaborate of the transit plans, as required by the new city charter. Part II, in the next issue, will describe why that comprehensive plan failed, then trace how political, economic, and demographic changes in the 1920s and 30s affected transit planning and why a plan to locate rail rapid transit in freeway medians failed. Part II will end with an examination of the PE’s financial condition as a refutation of a common explanation of the PE’s long decline.

Exploring the Interoperability of Public Transport Systems for Sustainable Mobility in Developing Cities: Lessons from Johannesburg Metropolitan City, South Africa

There have been growing concerns with regards to the state public transportation systems, particularly in the cities of developing countries. Chief among these concerns has been the lack of well-coordinated, efficient, and reliable transportation systems. The city of Johannesburg, just like any other fast-growing municipality in developing and emerging economies, has not been spared with regards to incessant public transport challenges. Consequently, there have been collective efforts from both public and private stakeholders to invest immensely in both innovative rail and road transport systems in the past decade. This article sought to achieve twin objectives. First, the work identified the state of connectivity between the rapid rail transportation and rapid bus transit systems based on Geoweb 2.0 data. Second, the work visualized the level of connectivity between these two modes to develop and formulate policy frameworks in integrating public transit systems in cities of the developing world, learning from the metropolitan city of Johannesburg. A mixed-method approach consisting of spatial and quantitative aspects was used to examine the state of connectedness and the promotion of access and mobility between the two modes. The local Moran’s I index was used to compute node clusters within the public transport system. Results from the analysis demonstrated that both high-clusters and low-clusters exist in the public transportation network, which have a high degree of centrality. It was revealed that commuters navigate from these nodes/stops with relative ease due to the short walking radius. However, the work revealed that most rail networks and bus routes, as well as the stations and bus stops, are not connected and are not significant in the local Moran’s I index, thus, making it difficult for commuters to conveniently move from the Gautrain to the Rea Vaya bus. There are, therefore, gaps with regards to the sharing of infrastructure between the two public transport modes and systems.

Accessibility to transit, by transit, and property prices: Spatially varying relationships

Accessibility to transit facilities is perceived to affect property prices. However, accessibility by transit has rarely elicited adequate scholarly attention in property price analyses. Additionally, previous studies on how transit accessibility affects property prices mainly focused on rail and bus rapid transit systems, while conventional bus transit, which is very popular in many contexts, has seldom been investigated. Moreover, whether there is spatial heterogeneity in the price (or capitalization) effects of conventional bus accessibility remains to be explored. To fill these gaps, this study aims to investigate the role of accessibility to and by bus in determining housing prices in a bus-dependent city where urban transit service is offered mainly by a bus system rather than other transit systems. Using a database of 4966 condominium units in Xiamen, China, this study develops a battery of spatial econometric models to estimate global and local relationships between to-bus and by-bus accessibility and housing prices. The findings are as below: (1) to-bus accessibility (measured by the number of nearby bus stops) is positively associated with nearby housing prices; (2) by-bus accessibility (measured by travel time to city centers by bus and bus frequency) significantly affects nearby housing prices; (3) spatial heterogeneity exists in the price effects of bus accessibility; and (4) bus frequency exerts a larger price effect in the peripheral area than in the central. Finally, practical and policy implications are discussed.

THE USE OF LIGHT RAIL OR LIGHT RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEMS BY INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

This study investigated the relationship between use of light rapid or light rail transit (LRT) systems by persons with severe visual impairments and independence in orientation and mobility. It found that orientation and mobility training on LRT systems would resolve many of the difficulties that users of the systems encountered. Modification that would make the systems more easily accessible to visually impaired travelers are suggested.

Does Rapid Transit and Light Rail Infrastructure Improve Labor Market Outcomes?

Public transit has often been proposed as a solution to the spatial mismatch hypothesis but the link between public transit accessibility and employment has not been firmly established in the literature. Los Angeles provides an interesting case study – as the city has transformed from zero rail infrastructure before the 1990s to a network of 103 Metro stations in 2016 consisting of subway, light rail, and bus rapid transit servicing diverse neighborhoods. I use panel data on tracts, treating route placement as endogenous, which is then instrumented by the distance from the centroid of each tract in LA to a hypothetical Metro route. Overall, I find proximity to Metro stations increases labor force participation and employment for residents, which is robust to using both a binary and continuous measure of distance. Additionally, I find evidence that increased job density in neighborhoods near new transit stations is contributing to the employment increase.

Park-and-Ride Choice Behavior in a Multimodal Network with Overlapping Routes

This study estimates a discrete choice model from on-board survey data for park-and-ride (PNR) user’s station choice, and finds that users prefer a higher proportion of their trip time spent on transit than in a car. No evidence is found that users choose the PNR location that minimizes their overall travel time, but there is strong evidence that PNR locations closer to the direction of their destination are preferred. No significant relationship is found between PNR choice, user age, income, or gender. PNR facility amenities are found to be insignificant across all models tested, and the rail and bus rapid transit service provide a significant benefit to PNR user utility when compared to the express bus service. This study contributes to existing literature by accounting for route overlap among alternatives using a path size factor in the logit model estimation. A nested logit model for different transit types is estimated, but is surpassed in predictive ability by a multinomial and mixed logit model. Ultimately, the models are found to predict transit route choice more accurately than PNR location choice, improving on the PNR choice prediction by about 11%. Similarly, choice set alternatives that overlap with a user’s observed route are found to generally have higher choice probabilities than non-overlapping alternatives.

Research on Dynamic Response Characteristics of Hydraulic Steering Control System of Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit

Research on Dynamic Response Characteristics of Hydraulic Steering Control System of Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit

Transport's historical, contemporary and future role in shaping urban development: Re-evaluating transit oriented development

This paper reviews transport's historical, contemporary and future role in shaping urban development since industrialisation. Previous definitions of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) starting in the late 20th century are challenged. Three distinct eras of TOD are identified: from the mid-19th century to early 20th century; Planned TOD in the mid-20th century; and TOD for urban regeneration and/or urban expansion since the late 20th century, now featuring rail and bus rapid transit, cycling and walking, shared use mobility, and automated transport. Future links with disruptive transport technologies are highlighted as themes that must be examined for assisting TOD's further development. The authors make the case, using empirical evidence from selected TOD applications from around the world, that high frequency transit service is essential for successful contemporary and future planned TODs. TOD is then redefined for the 21st century and best practice policy recommendations are made.