Railway Bureaus Research Articles

Evaluation of Railway Transportation Performance Based on CRITIC-Relative Entropy Method in China

Railway transportation affects the overall transportation process and integrated sustainable development. Evaluation of the railway transportation performance is of great significance for building an efficient and comprehensive railway transportation system. The research establishes a methodology to evaluate railway transportation performance in China. Firstly, the research determines the indexes for evaluation of railway transportation performance, including railway safety, infrastructure, equipment, operation efficiency, and green development. Second, the weight of each index is calculated by using criteria importance through the intercriteria correlation method (CRITIC). Third, the railway transportation performance is assessed based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM), by applying the CRITIC-relative entropy method. Finally, the empirical analysis shows that, in 2018, the railway transportation performance is underdeveloped in almost half of China’s railway bureaus and that there are obvious differences between railway bureaus in the east and west. The evaluation of railway transportation performance could be used to improve the sustainable ability of railway transportation in China.

How work-family conflict predict HSR drivers safety performance? Empirical evidence from China

PurposeDrawing on ego depletion theory, this study aims to provide insights into the effect of work-family conflict on the high-speed railway (HSR) drivers’ safety performance by examining the mediating role of ego depletion and the moderating roles of work-family centrality and supervisor safety support.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 243 HSR drivers from 7 railway bureaus in China were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsBoth work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict have direct and positive effects on HSR drivers’ ego depletion and indirect effects on both safety compliance and safety participation via ego depletion. Moreover, both the direct effect of work-family conflict on ego depletion and its indirect effect on safety performance are moderated by work-family centrality. Supervisor safety support plays a buffering role in the relationship between ego depletion and safety performance.Originality/valueThis study examined the relationship between work-family conflict and safety performance based on the perspective of ego depletion theory. The findings testify to the importance of reducing work-family conflict among HSR drivers pursuant to maximizing safety.

Group strength in safety performance: the effects of group characteristics on individual personality expression in high-speed railway operators

Objectives. In diverse working situations, the predictive effect of individual personality on job performance is not always the same. Thus, how to best understand and use personality in the workplace has been an important issue in recent years. Methods. Based on trait activation theory, the present study provides initial evidence from high-risk organizations (high-speed railway organizations) regarding interactionist effects of group-level characteristics on the relationship between individual personality (Big Five model) and safety performance (both safety compliance and safety participation). Data were obtained from a sample of high-speed rail operators from nine railway bureaus (N = 1012 from 86 working groups). Results. The results indicate that group conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism enhance the relationship between individual personality and safety performance, while group openness weakens the relationship between individual personality and safety performance, and group extraversion has no effect on their relationship. Conclusion. These results suggest that high-risk organizations should focus not only on individual factors but also on the interactions between individual factors and group situations in individuals’ safety performance.

Effects of personality on job burnout and safety performance of high-speed rail drivers in China: the mediator of organizational identification

Although the rapid development of high-speed rail (HSR) enhanced the national transportation and boosted the economical grow in China, it also has great impacts on the psychology and behaviors of high-speed rail drivers. Personality traits affect individual's psychological and behavioral performance at work. In this paper, two studies were designed to partly investigate whether or not personality factors affects job burnout and safety performance of HSR drivers in China. In Study 1, the data was collected from 273 HSR drivers in China. The results showed the personality of HSR drivers affected their job burnout. In particular, neuroticism, openness and agreeableness negatively influenced job burnout. Organization identification partly mediated the association between neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and job burnout. In Study 2, we collected data from 349 high-speed rail drivers from 6 railway bureaus across the country, and the results are very similar to of Study 1. That is neuroticism, openness and agreeableness positively influenced safety performance. Organization identification partly mediated the association between neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and safety performance. Finally, the difference between the results of this study and other scholars' research results is also discussed, and practical suggestions are put forward.

Pre-evaluating efficiency gains from potential mergers and acquisitions based on the resampling DEA approach: Evidence from China's railway sector

This study combines resampling DEA and the potential merger gains model to pre-evaluate the efficiency gains of three representative M&A schemes (i.e. regional M&A, megamerger, and a coalition between ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ railway bureaus) for China's railway sector over the period 2011–2015. The results reveal that geographically meaningful M&As are better than the other two types in creating efficiency gains due to the special characteristic of the railway sector – network economics. The timing of M&As and the roles and endowments of the railway bureaus must also be considered before any merger. A proper M&A can produce a so-called ‘stimulant’ effect in the short run, but as the ‘stimulant's efficacy’ becomes exhausted over time, the M&A's effect will gradually turn weak. At this time, it is particularly important for policy-makers to introduce a series of desirable institutions. Finally, our empirical findings also support the view that an M&A between two (efficient or not) DMUs does not ensure positive efficiency gains.