Railway Infrastructure Facilities Research Articles

Показатели и алгоритмы оценивания качества результатов идентификации состояния прилегающих территорий

Machine learning methods for identification of territories near railway infrastructure facilities are considered. The main sources of initial data are presented, as well as algorithms for assessing the quality of the results for landscape elements automated identification using the forest vegetation example. Forest vegetation state identification is carried out based on spectral-brightness characteristics determined using multispectral aerospace imaging materials. Quality indicators for the results of survey materials automated processing and algorithms for calculating the considered indicators are proposed. Examples are given to assess the results quality of using machine learning methods.

Design and Construction of Automatic Railway Crossing Gate Control Using Proximity and Infrared Sensors Based on Omron CP1E E30-SDRA PLC

Railway crossing gates are one of the railway infrastructure facilities. Currently, there are still many problems, especially in traffic accidents. The cause of traffic accidents at railway crossings generally occurs due to the lack of facilities and infrastructure (rail crossing gates) and negligence of guards in carrying out their duties. Therefore, it is necessary to design an automatic railway crossing gate. The prototype of the automatic railway crossing controller uses proximity and infrared sensors to detect the arrival and departure of trains. When the infrared or proximity sensor detects the arrival of a train, the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) activates Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), buzzer, and Light Emitting Diode (LED), so that the crossing motor goes down. After the crossing touches the limit switch, the motor stops and the buzzer and Light Emitting Diode (LED) remain on. The infrared or proximity sensor detects the departure of the train so that it reverses the motor so that the crossing goes up, then turns off the buzzer and Light Emitting Diode (LED). In this way, it is hoped that this design can be used to increase the efficiency of the system's operational costs and optimize the railway crossing system and is expected to reduce the number of traffic accidents at railway crossings.

Increasing the theoretical and practical capacity of the Eastern Operating Domain by means of advanced train separation systems

Aim. Currently, the mainline railway network does not fully meet the market’s needs in terms of capacity, which is why every day JSC RZD is forced to reject 2 to 4% of applications for the transportation of goods across routes passing through limited-capacity railway infrastructure facilities. Increasing the practical capacity of railway lines by building additional tracks at stations and on open lines is unacceptably long and requires massive capital investments. Methods. It is proposed to solve the above problem by increasing the utilization of railway infrastructure by reducing the succession times and station operation times in the traffic schedule by deploying moving block and virtual coupling. This approach allows reducing capital investments up to 32 times and the duration of project implementation up to 8 times with a comparable capacity increase. The paper details the functionality of train separation technology and its technical parameters. Conclusion. The train separation technology has been deployed and is in operation on the Far Eastern, Trans-Baikal, East Siberian, and Krasnoyarsk Railways, branches of JSC RZD, that are part of the Eastern Operating Domain of JSC RZD network. By the end of 2023, the total length of track covered by the train separation solution was 5,734 km. Conclusion. In 2023, the lines of the Eastern Operating Domain handled almost 36 thousand pairs of trains with reduced spacing. The train separation technology also allows improving the safety and the level of digitalisation of the transportation process.

Автоматизация контроля перемещения тормозных башмаков на железнодорожном транспорте: анализ существующей системы на ОктЖД РЖД

An analysis of the existing system for montoring the movement of brake shoes on railway transport was carried out. Problematic issues of safety and control of the movement of brake shoes have been identified, and ways to solve them have been proposed. The features of the functioning of the system are considered using the example of railway infrastructure facilities of October Railway RZhD.

Assessing the prospects of distributed ledger technology (DLT) development as an element of digital ecosystem of railway transport

Purpose: to evaluate the practice of implementing projects for digitalization of the life cycle management processes of railway infrastructure facilities based on distributed ledger technologies (DLT). Methods: general scientific methods such as observation, analysis, comparison, generalization and analogy were used. As a result of the conducted research: the main characteristics of the distributed ledger technologies, which determine the parameters and scope of their use in life cycle management of railway transport facilities, have been systematized; the effects of the implementation DLT as an element of the digital railway transport ecosystem have been identified; recommendations for the implementation and rollout of design solutions using DLT in the railway transport area have been developed. Conclusion: as a result of the study, recommendations for the implementation and rollout of the solutions using DLT have been developed. The findings and conclusions may be useful for railway companies, government agencies and other participants in the railway transport and logistics market when planning and implementing projects for optimizing asset life cycle management.

Reliability and Safety Management of the Transportation Process Using Systems for Continuous Monitoring of Railway Infrastructure Facilities

While analysing the problem of increasing reliability and safety of the rail transportation process, it is shown that modern train traffic control systems do not automatically consider the events of decrease in reliability of railway infrastructure facilities; however, such a linkage is quite possible. The proposed architecture of a promising train traffic control system can be based on railway automation and remote-control (telemechanics) systems, which have a safe information interface with the means of continuous monitoring of railway infrastructure facilities.The objective of the article is to present theoretical principles of managing reliability and safety of the transportation process using «new generation» automation systems, closely integrated with technical monitoring tools. A demonstrated simplified structure of the train traffic control system has an information interface with the means of continuous monitoring of railway infrastructure facilities. The developed reliability models of the train traffic control system consider the state of railway infrastructure facilities. It is shown that it is necessary to consider the safe state of the infrastructure system in the train traffic control system. Possibilities of managing the risks of reduced reliability and safety of the transportation process are shown using stationary monitoring tools for railway infrastructure facilities. The improvement of monitoring technology and the effective use of stationary monitoring systems makes it practically possible to implement the function of managing reliability and safety of the transportation process and the entire railway complex.

Анализ последствий изменения климата для управления климатическими рисками на железнодорожном транспорте

Purpose: Meta-analysis of the consequences of climate change for climate risk management in railway transportation. Methods: Analysis the consequences of climate change, based on an array of statistical data for the period from 1990 to 2019, thermal risks for railway infrastructure facilities have been identified. Results: It has been shown that the degree of heating of railway infrastructure objects can vary significantly depending on the specific location and type of object. The causes of failures associated with thermal risks on the railway network have been identified: most of the incidents associated with the heat occur during the period from the beginning to the middle of summer. There is a significant vulnerability of equipment to heat. A wide range of equipment fails due to heating at ambient temperatures within the operating range, as well as within the climatic norms of the given region. Practical significance: Ways to increase the stability of transport infrastructure and adaptation to climate change have been formulated. It is shown that climate change increases the likelihood of natural disasters and dangerous natural processes that can initiate emergency situations in transportation. The growth of annual extremums of air temperature is predicted in most of Russia. In this case, an increase in the number of days with abnormally high values of air temperature and a decrease in the number of days with extremely low night air temperatures is expected. The assessment shows that in some cases, the factors of climatic risk may not be dangerous natural phenomena themselves, but the dangerous technogenic events created by them.

Electronic Atlas of Climatic Changes in the Western Russian Arctic in 1950–2021 as Geoinformatic Support of Railway Development

The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is one of the most intensively developing regions of the country. Amongst the major domains of economic and industrial growth and improvement is transport infrastructure and particularly the railway network. This area is being exposed to negative factors of rapid climate change that can significantly affect and compromise this activity. Thus, it is vital to take them into account during design, construction, and operation of the railway infrastructure facilities. This work details the production of a digital atlas comprising the 1950–2021 dynamics of the main hydrometeorological parameters: air and soil temperature, precipitation, wind speed, air and soil humidity, and snow cover thickness. The maps are based on climatic data derived from the MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2) reanalysis. In total there are 459, which are arranged into 7 chapters. The atlas geographically covers the western part of the Russian Arctic encompassing the regions of quite intensive transport development, which includes the construction of the Northern Latitudinal Railway. Original algorithms of geospatial data processing and their further representation as well as the maps compiled in GIS environment are discussed. Comprehensive analysis of climatic changes in the region of the Russian Arctic including detailed quantitative evaluation over 40 years is given. In the Discussion, we focus on those changes of the regional climate which, from our point of view, are the most significant for consideration by railway operators. The obtained results contribute to framing the theoretical basis of design, development, and sustainable operation of the railway infrastructure in the Arctic and facilitate the decision-making process. This is the first experience of building a specialized climatic cartographic product for the needs of the Russian railways, and to our knowledge the first atlas such as that in the world. In the future, the amassed experience may be transferred to other regions of the Russian Federation as well as similar regions in Canada, Sweden and Highland China that are also subject to significant climate change.

Conceptual Foundations of the Synthesis of Safe Train Traffic Control Systems

The article analyses the problem of synthesis of the systems of safe control of critical technological processes on the example of railway automation and remote control systems.It is shown that modern control systems for complex distributed systems, such as a railway transport system, are not implemented with absolute safety. The safety of such systems is limited by considering only their own failures, external failures of control systems and their components, as well as failures of infrastructure objects that directly interact with control devices. Other infrastructure facilities are not considered in any way during automatic control and data transfer to on-board automation.The objective of the article is to present theoretical concept of the synthesis of safe train traffic control systems, considering the capacity of equipping infrastructure facilities with highly reliable and safe means of technical diagnostics and monitoring.A shown simplified structure of the central train traffic control centre considers the results of diagnosing and monitoring all the components of the transportation process.The conditions for the synthesis of completely safe train traffic control systems are formulated along with the accompanying tasks. A comprehensive accounting of the parameters of railway infrastructure facilities and rolling stock will allow reaching a qualitatively higher level of train traffic safety.

Использование программного комплекса ЕКАСУИ при содержании элементов инфраструктуры

The article describes the main flaw detection tools, their features and conditions of use, describes the process of transferring information between railway infrastructure facilities, considers the software package “Unified Corporate Automated Infrastructure Management System” (UCAIMS), and offers suggestions for improving the system.

Analysis of Spatial Distribution Processes for Forest Fires Near the Railway Infrastructure Using Clustering: Case Study

Almost all the states of the world community have territories along which railroad tracks pass. In a number of states, these railway lines pass through forests. As known, railway facilities are a source of anthropogenic load on forested areas. This causes the occurrence of forest fires near railway infrastructure. For medium-term and long-term prediction of forest fire danger, it is often necessary to process data on the forest fire retrospective. In this paper, the processing of statistical data on forest fires has been carried out by using cluster analysis. The purpose of the study is cluster analysis and processing of statistical data on forest fires near the infrastructure facilities of Russian Railways in the context of assessing and predicting forest fire danger. Main objectives: 1) collecting data from forestries; 2) preparing samples; 3) classifying two sets of samples; 4) analysing clusters obtained. In the work, data processing has been carried out for a typical territory of the Republic of Buryatia (Russian Federation), along which the railway passes. Hierarchical clustering algorithms have been used for data processing. The initial information for data processing has included meteorological parameters, forest stands description, statistical data on forest fires and data on the location of railway infrastructure facilities. By using the QGIS software, digital maps have been built showing the spatial distribution of forest fire clusters near the railway infrastructure, forest conditions and typical meteorological conditions. Based on the results of the work, conclusions and proposals have been formulated on the use of cluster analysis in predicting forest fire danger. An analysis of the spatial distribution of forest fire clusters over the territory of the Zaigraevsky district of the Republic of Buryatia shows that a large number of forest fire clusters are located near the railway infrastructure. In fact, railway facilities are a serious source of anthropogenic load. In the future, it is necessary to define the so-called buffer zones near railway infrastructure facilities, whose forested areas require careful attention when predicting forest fire danger. The results of cluster analysis confirm the data of descriptive analysis for a number of positions. For example, forest fires occur near railway infrastructure, which is explained by the presence of attractive points in forest areas due to logging, hunting, picking berries and mushrooms, as well as recreational pressure. As a result of the descriptive analysis, reasonable assumptions have been made and explanations have been given for the presence of local maxima of forest fires for the period 2016-2020, as well as during the fire danger season. The article also presents a plan for further research in this direction.

Effects of Railway Market Liberalisation: European Union Perspective

Network activities are an essential part of the economy. They represent services of general economic interest and include electronic communication, electricity, postal and railway services. At the end of the 1980s, the European Commission brought forward legislative proposals to open the monopolistic service markets of general economic interest. In that way, states would prepare the legislation to liberalise services, and state-owned monopolistic enterprises would adapt to the new conditions in the market. State-owned railway companies were megalomanic, exerting a triple role of managing the railway infrastructure and service facilities and providing railway transport services. In the early 1990s, the European Union (EU) adopted new legislation that would open the railway freight transport market. This initiated a new era of the railway. Separation of the functions within state own monopolistic companies into infrastructure management and railway undertakings quickly became a reality, paving the way for new railway freight operators. EU directives are implemented differently throughout the EU, which leads to various solutions. We have analysed various scientific and professional sources to understand better different correlations between the traffic parameters of the railway freight transport market. The key parameters were: (1) number of new undertakings, (2) ton-kilometres, (3) infrastructure charges and (4) quantity of transported goods. This paper researches the current state of the railway freight transport market and aims to define the shortcomings in the analyses of the impact of railway liberalisation on freight transport. Our research pointed out the need for seeing a broader picture of state interventions and infrastructure manager independence in the context of preventing market marginalisation. In addition, we have concluded that a number of the new undertakings is not a crucial parameter for understanding the railway freight transport market.

Optimization of Empty Wagon Flows in the Formation of the Technical Work Plan for the Railway Network

At present, the Russian railway network is experiencing a shortage of throughput capacity. At the same time, for a number of reasons, the direction of empty cars for loading is not always performed optimally, which leads to the presence of empty runs of cars of the same type and additional loading of limiting railway infrastructure facilities. In order to improve the rationality of empty wagon direction, it is proposed to calculate the optimal empty wagon directions at the stage of calculation of technical standards of operational work with their subsequent use in operational management and creation of economic incentives for their implementation.

LIGHTING CONCRETE PRODUCTION FEATURES AND PROSPECTS OF APPLICATION IN RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION

The prospect of light-conducting concrete in railway construction is associated with an increase in recent years in interest in creating a barrier-free environment, including at railway stations, platforms, pedestrian crossings, in pedestrian tunnels, and so on. The material makes it possible to duplicate marking elements in hazardous areas of passenger movement at night without breaking the material environment, which will facilitate care for it in the winter.
 When creating innovative pedestrian crossings (equipped with interactive lanes that duplicate the traffic light for pedestrians), the use of light-conducting concrete will increase the antivandistance of the engineering arrangement. Unlike polymeric materials, the litracon material considered in the article does not change its properties under the influence of high temperatures, is not susceptible to instantaneous violation of the integrity and loss of surface properties under mechanical stresses.
 The high cost of the material does not yet allow its widespread use in the construction of railway infrastructure facilities on an industrial scale, however, with an increase in the production of optical fiber (the most expensive component of light-conducting concrete) and the search for new technologies that reduce the cost of its production, a drop in prices for this type of raw material is naturally expected.
 One of the areas of application of light-conducting concrete can be transport construction and landscaping of on-site territories (sidewalks, stairs, platforms) in terms of increasing their interactivity in the dark.
 The article proposes a composition (No. 1) corresponding to the compressive strength and tensile strength when bending, the requirements for products used in railway construction, for which light-conductive concrete can be used. The problem of light-transmitting concrete in the maintenance of railway infrastructure in the Republic of Belarus is being raised for the first time

Влияние геоиндуцированных токов на дроссель-трансформаторы рельсовых цепей железнодорожной автоматики

Objective: To consider the possibility of DC magnetization of the core of the impedance bond with secondary winding when using AC electric traction. To determine the possible influence of solar activity, and in particular the geoinduced currents, on the signaling arrangements (SAs). Methods: Analysis of the conditions and causes of magnetization of the core of the impedance bond with a secondary winding, which is the reason for a decrease in its inductance and a change in the track circuit coefficient of transmission. Description of the influence of geoinduced currents on the operation of traction substation power transformers and the using this scenario for modeling the operation of impedance bonds with secondary windings. Results: The conditions and reasons for the incorrect operation of the impedance bonds with secondary windings associated with the magnetization of the core by direct current, when using electric traction with alternating currents, have been stated; the possibility of saturation of the magnetic system of the impedance bond with geoinduced current has been analyzed; the possible consequences of the transition of the impedance bond to the saturation mode have been determined. Practical importance: The study findings broaden the knowledge about the possible influence of solar activity on the railway infrastructure facilities, which in its turn is necessary for the development of methods and means aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted operation of railway transport.

Efficiency of Planning the Reconstruction of Railway Facilities Using BIM

The development of industrial enterprises and the growth of the logistics market require a new approach of planning the construction and reconstruction of railway infrastructure facilities. For the efficient functioning of the transport system, it is necessary to balance the infrastructure capacity and the needs of the freight and passenger transport market. Uneven growth in traffic volumes applies an extra load to the railway network.Reconstruction of an infrastructure facility can be considered as a phased increase in the production capacity of an enterprise, considering the indicators of net present value (NPV) and labour costs based on the dynamic programming method.The article analyses the issue of using BIM‑modelling in planning the reconstruction of railway infrastructure facilities. The concept of a digital railway is considered as an example since digital railway projects are the main drivers of the economy of many countries.Reconstruction of railways in the context of a lack of information about the existing infrastructure facility is an urgent problem for the design organization when conducting surveys in difficult conditions, agreeing on the list of engineering networks and linking the infrastructure of the design object with external asset holders.The objective of the article is to consider the dominant role of BIM for the infrastructure reconstruction projects using a method for economic assessment of investment options based on dynamic programming according to NPV indicator.

Introduction of the Latest Railway Technology based on Intersectoral Cooperation

The article studies direct and external effects produced by the development of railway infrastructure facilities. Examples of intersectoral cooperation in the transport sector in Russian and international practices confirm that development of intersectoral production and transport interaction of business entities allows to radically accelerate scientific and technological progress in the railway industry, namely, to develop and introduce new models of railway rolling stock, new transportation technology, considering also regional features of the transportation market.The practical part considers the advantages of introduction of freight electric multiple-unit trains (FEMUT), identifying the main groups of cargo owners, for whom this type of rolling stock is intended. The results of calculations show possible reduction in running time and in specific consumption of electric power when introducing FEMUT. The calculated costs of self-propelled (motor) and trailer wagons of FEMUT are followed by the results of economic calculations of NPV of life cycle operation of FEMUT in comparison with a train with locomotive traction. To achieve the stated objectives of the research, the work uses methods and tools of technical comparison and of financial planning.

Исследование точности определения геометрии железнодорожного пути по цифровым снимкам

Digital infrastructure as an element of the «Digital Railway» of JSC «Russian Railways» involves the provision of objective, complete and up-to-date information about infrastructure facilities in digital form to solve a wide range of tasks - from engineering surveys carried out as part of the construction, repair and reconstruction of railway infrastructure facilities to the operation of autonomous (unmanned) rolling stock. One of the methods of obtaining such information is digital photogrammetry. At the same time, the highest measurement accuracy is required when determining the geometry of the railway track. When determining the geometry of the railway track with high accuracy through digital images, it becomes necessary to take into account not only the parameters of aerial photography and the quality of digital images, but also the features of image processing programs. The article presents the results of experimental studies of the accuracy of determining the geometry of the railway track using digital images as a result of processing them on the digital photogrammetric systems (DFS) PHOTOMOD and Agisoft Metashape (PhotoScan). The technical characteristics (CFS) of PHOTOMOD and Agisoft Metashape (PhotoScan) are given, the goals, objectives and content of the experimental studies performed are considered, the features of the experimental object, the characteristics of the aerial survey equipment and the methods of control determinations are described.

АВТОМАТИЗАЦИЯ ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ ВОССТАНОВЛЕНИЯ ПРЕРВАННОГО ДВИЖЕНИЯ ПОЕЗДОВ НА ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНЫХ СТАНЦИЯХ С ПРИМЕНЕНИЕМ АДДИТИВНОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА

An analysis of wars and armed conflicts shows that the share of railway traffic during mobilization and operational deployment can make up from 70 to 85% of the total traffic volume, which significantly increases the requirements for the stability of the entire railway transport infrastructure [1]. In this case, the safety of railway transport infrastructure refers to the state, where there is no unacceptable risk associated with causing harm to the life or health of citizens, property of individuals or legal entities, state or municipal property, as well as the environment, life or health of animals and plants [2, 3]. Railway troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are intended for technical cover, reconstruction, demining and blocking of sections (objects) of the railway transport infrastructure within the area of responsibility of the Armed Forces, increasing its survivability and traffic handling capability, as well as planning guidance and operation of floating railway bridges. When reconstructing railway infrastructure facilities, management work organization and rapid recovery of interrupted train traffic are quite important. In turn, this largely depends on the preparation and decision making, which require certain engineering calculations, as well as the provision of a certain spare parts, the lack of which can be replenished through the use of additive manufacturing technology.

Factors Influencing Development of Longitudinal Profile Deformations of the Roadbed in the Permafrost Zone

Up to 2025 operations at the network of the Northern Railway (a subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways) may increase according to forecasts by 28,4 %, which is associated with construction of the Northern latitudinal railway. At the same time, a significant part of the Northern Railway is characterized by difficult climatic conditions: permafrost, polygonal-vein ice, peat bog areas, sharp temperature drops, significant amounts of precipitation in the form of snow. In the context of the planned increase in cargo intensity, the diagnostics of the roadbed in the zone of distribution of soils with weak bearing capacity against the backdrop of global climate change is of key character. The article is devoted to survey of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. The results of diagnostics of the state of the railway track make it possible to forecast the state of railway infrastructure facilities, to categorize subsidence of the roadbed according to the degree of danger, and to develop measures for its stabilization. The objective of the work is to study the factors affecting degradation of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. The methods of the work are based on field examinations of «sick» places of the roadbed and statistical forms of analysis of longitudinal profile deformations (subsidence) of the track. The result of this work is the study of influence of a number of factors on dev elopment of deformations of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. In the future, it is planned, based on the results of diagnostics of the state of the railway track, to forecast the permafrost state of railway infrastructure facilities, to categorize subsidence of the roadbed according to the degree of danger, and to develop measures to stabilize it.