Railway Nodes Research Articles

Overdue waiting of wagons on railway branch tracks: problems and solutions

The purpose of the study: to prevent wagons from being waited aimlessly by freight owners (Railway customers) on the branch roads of freight cars in rail transport, and to improve wagon turnover indicators Method of study: on the basis of statistical data, comparisons were made on the example of regional railway nodes of the railway in the case of the fact that cars remain standing due to the fault of Railway customers on Branch roads for more than a specified period. The history of the occurrence of the coefficient of the amount of the current fine was studied. it was studied to what extent the statement of the indicators of the amount of fines on the main myory cells was correctly interpreted on the secondary myory cells, and analyzed by comparing the definition of fines for leaving wagons waiting for myory abroad. The main result from the research. The amount of the fine levied for the time of waiting for railway-owned wagons without a goal is obtained as a result of increasing their effectiveness in relation to Railway customers, the wagons on the branch roads received a traffic jam. The number of re-releases of wagons decreases, Efficient use of shunting locomotives and freight fronting over-unloading machines. The station leads to a mutadillation of the operating mode, in a word, by increasing the turnover of wagons, an improvement in the indicators of the effective use of wagons is achieved.

Research on safety supervision and management system of China railway based on association rule and DEMATEL

Safety management is a key issue in the railroad industry that needs to be continuously focused on. And it is essential to study causes of accidents for preventing accidents. However, there is a limited academic discussion on the systematic study of organizations and accidents, as well as their safety-related interactions and accidents, as opposed to human-caused disasters. Thus, the model of China’s railway safety supervision and management system by sorting out the existing organizations involved in management in China is established in this paper. Firstly, social forces and auxiliary enterprises are specifically added to the model. And then, the relationship between organizations and accidents, as well as the relationship between safety interactions among organizations and accidents are explored by analyzing 224 accident reports, which led to 4 principles for accident prevention. Finally, based on these principles, measures to secure organizational nodes, as well as measures to promote safe interactions among organizations are proposed. The results showed that: (1) China Railway node is not only the most critical node in the safety supervision and management system but also the most vulnerable to the influence of other nodes. (2) The accident occurred due to the simultaneous occurrence of an accident at the China Railway node and the social force node. (3) When there are often safety risks in auxiliary enterprises and social forces simultaneously, the government’s management is likely to be defective. The findings in this study can provide helpful references not only for improvement of safety management system structure and supervision and management mechanism but also for the formulation of safety supervision and management policies in China and other countries.

Раціоналізація спільної роботи залізничних станцій у вузлі

In this work the variants of rational technology for the redistribution of the sorting and shunting work between sorting and freight stations in the formation of the gear trains, taking into account possible detailed the selection of individual groups of cars for specific cargo fronts .This gives the possibility of optimal use of screening devices and shunting locomotives as sorting and freight stations, as well as the reduction of the length of time of local cars during the execution of the basic technological operations in the railway node. The studies of the structure of volumes with the processing of coming to the sorting stations, it was found that of the total local traffic volume ranges from 7% to 12% and the accumulation time of trains gear trains – up to 8 hours or more. Given that the time for the completion of the formation of these compounds through an slide in the rail yard for much less than freight (depending on the number of groups of wagons ) and that the cost of recycling of one car on the yard and station at 5 – 6 times less than the cargo, was asked to undertake the completion of the formation to the exactions of railway freight fronts in the rail yard, especially at this time when the reduction in the total amount of work sorting slides have sufficient reserve processing capacity. The dependences for determining the number of groups of wagons with defined assignment freight station in trains transfer trains, as well as finding the average number of uncoupling , which determines the amount of shunting work on the exhaust paths.

Communication architecture for real-time decision support systems in railway nodes

Rail transport nodes are complex systems providing transport for goods and people. The dispatcher providing operational control is essential for the proper functioning of these nodes. His role mainly consists of decision-making connected with the allocation of limited resources such as tracks or personnel. These decisions are complicated because of many unexpected influences, e.g., train delays. Recognizing the importance of decision support for the dispatcher's decision-making process, we had designed a real-time decision support system with a simulation model at its core. Such a system requires a high-quality information source for its operation, that needs to be efficiently acquired, processed, and used. In this paper, therefore, we address the possibilities of obtaining up-to-date information about the railway system. Moreover, we designed a communication architecture that allows the distribution of information to the designed decision support system with a simulation model in the core.

Influence of Signalling Systems on the Capacity of Railways by Lines and Nodes Assessment Methods

In the complex railway networks characterized by mixed traffic, a key focus is the increase of railway capacity by high-performance signaling systems, including ETCS/ERTMS and beyond. Nevertheless, the estimation of effects on the headway of the introduction of innovations in signaling systems is not consolidate for complex networks.This study highlights several challenges in the line-node capacity calculation of congested networks considering a combined effect of routes conflicts in the station on lines and propagation in stations of delays suffered along the lines. The paper describes some results of the ongoing research based on the integrated use of analytical methods and simulation to networks controlled by different standard signaling systems and able to increase the capacity under specific operational conditions.The paper introduces the application of the methods to the complex mixed-traffic network nearby the Trieste railway node, situated in Northeastern Italy, including the main passengers and freight terminals and the lines operated for both services. The objective is to identify the most appropriate technological solutions and methodological approaches for the optimization of the network capacity and the minimization of delays.

Application of an optimization software to a real-life case: Optimization of the partial electrification of a railway node

Within the transport accounting for 30% of GHG emissions in France, more than 2500 freight, shunting or passenger vehicles still run-on diesel in France. To reduce the carbon footprint of rail transport, battery-powered trains coupled with partial electrification of some lines could be a less expensive alternative to full electrification for low-traffic lines. In this paper, we present the interest of using an optimization software as an operational tool for a real use case of partial electrification of several lines in a territory. The systemic approach and the technical-economic approach of this operational research tool leads to a solution that minimizes the overall costs of decarbonization of a railway line from the infrastructure and rolling stock point of view: the electrification of 11% of non-electrified lines coupled with the battery train.

Capacity Assessment in Freight-Passengers Complex Railway Nodes: Trieste Case Study

An integrated approach to node and station operation analysis is possible by means of analytical methods, customized to this scope. Alternatively, the simulation models allow more in-depth analyses aiming at the optimization of the use of capacity. The general goals of the research are the comparison of methods for the assessment of railway lines and nodes’ capacity, suitability for specific tasks, and stability of the results under variable scenarios. The comparison is finalised to quantify the relative level of confidence of the concerned literature methods. The work is part of a larger research project with the final goal of identifying the most appropriate approach for the optimization of the network capacity and the setup of specific guidelines. In this framework and perspective, the paper introduces synthetically the methods and applies them systematically to a real complex mixed-traffic network in Trieste, situated in Northeast Italy, including the main passengers and freight stations and a set of lines used for both services.

An Integrated Methodology for the Multi-Objective Optimization of Port Railway Capacity: The Case Study of the Port of Trieste

The relevant pressure exerted on ports following the advent of globalization and containerization has contributed to transform the role of such intermodal transport facilities, increasing their complexity with reference to both performed activities and involved actors. The potential of solid hinterland connections in enhancing port competitiveness has sustained the larger embracement of the railway mode, which has proved to be a financially and environmentally sustainable solution, especially on long hauls. However, the limited residual capacity currently characterizing several railway network and nodes may threaten the accommodation of additional future traffic volumes and, thus, it requires the adoption of a coordinated strategy to more efficiently manage existing railway infrastructures, other than the realization of some new ones. In this regard, an integrated methodology has been developed to specifically model, simulate and optimize port railway processes, as part of a more complex system, imposing the maximization of capacity with the concurrent minimization of used shunting locomotives, to varying of infrastructural and operational conditions. This combination of techniques has been applied to the case study of the Port of Trieste, Italy, showing the greater influence of tracks availability over changes in the operational conditions, in terms of a shorter duration of specific administrative tasks and the employment of more shunting locomotives.

The concept of the extension of the railway overpass in the central part of WWK

Abstract: The Wrocław Railway Node (WWK) was briefly characterized in the introduction to the paper. The attention to the need to increase the level of rail use in servicing city traffic in Wrocław was drawn too. Reference was made to the original proposals of the agglomeration railway system for Wrocław. The scope of necessary investment and non-investment activities was analyzed in order to increase the capacity of the cross-city railway route and the adjacent routes. It was proposed to build the fourth track on the south side of the overpass of Wrocław railway diameter and new stops "Świdnicka" and "Grabiszyńska". In the conclusion, the need to create a second railway tunnel diameter in the longer term was signaled. Keywords: Agglomeration railway; Cross-city route; Railway overpass; WWK (Wrocław Railway Node)

Simulation-based methods to support the real-time management of railways nodes

The quality of operative management of railway nodes is crucial for the effective operation of whole railway system. Current disposition systems often do not provide sufficient support for dispatchers in their decision-making. This paper describes a design proposal of a real-time decision support system based on the simulation model. Due to the properties of employed simulation model (ability to perform experiments and verify solution proposals, capability of obtaining partial results, graphical representation of the results etc.), the proposed system is suitable for decision-making support of dispatchers in railway node, as well as for new dispatchers training. The basis of the proposed system will be formed by a simulation model created in Villon simulation software, which enables creation of highly detailed microscopic simulation models reflecting many important aspects of the operation, including personnel and other types of resources. Necessary adjustments and improvements of the simulation software (e.g. introduction of sophisticated resource selection algorithms for modeling of dispatcher’s decision, thus reducing the dependence on the human factor) are discussed as well.

Why China must build Sichuan-Tibet railway: From the perspective of regional comprehensive transportation network optimization

We not only firstly applied the theory of hub-and-spoke network to the field of integrated transportation network planning, but also combined our proposed method with Sichuan-Tibet railway, one of super large projects in China, to discuss the optimization and the layout of hub-and-spoke integrated transportation network along the Sichuan-Tibet railway after it is put into operation in the future and put forward some directional policy recommendations. In our study, we have made clear the topological structure of the multi hub and single allocation hybrid hub-and-spoke integrated transportation network in the passenger transportation corridors, established the integer programming model aiming at the minimum generalized travel cost in the network, and we designed the simulated annealing algorithm to solve this problem. In the empirical study, we find that if 5 nodes are selected as hub nodes in hub-and-spoke integrated transportation network, the generalized cost of network travel will be minimized and these specific location of 5 hub nodes can be determined by the selecting principle of hub nodes location, which we proposed in our study. The simulated annealing algorithm can help us to find the connection relationship between nodes. Then we can achieve three types of hub-and-spoke integrated transportation network layout patterns with railway, highway and aviation as the hub nodes. Though further comparative analysis, we find that it is more feasible to choose the integrated transportation network with railway nodes as the hub in transportation organization. Based on this understanding, we put forward policy recommendations on transportation organization to support high-quality planning and operation of integrated transportation network to Sichuan Tibet region in China in the future.

Railway freight node capacity evaluation: a timetable-saturation approach and its application to the Novara freight terminal

This paper presents a timetable-based approach to assess the capacity of a railway freight node, based on the microscopic simulation and saturation of the timetable. Saturation is done by scheduling additional saturation train paths without introducing any traffic conflict, while respecting the required technical and operational constraints, until no more paths can be added. The approach is applied to analyze the potential effects on capacity of some infrastructure improvements planned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) for the rail freight node of Novara, Italy. The capacity is evaluated by means of two KPIs computed on saturated timetables: the number of daily pairs of saturation freight trains and the infrastructure Occupancy Time Rate (OTR). The first KPI represents an absolute estimation of the capacity (theoretical or practical, depending on the presence of buffer times). Instead, the OTR is computed by the UIC 406R compression method and it is used to identify local bottlenecks. For the analysis, we use SASTRE, an analysis environment for railway systems developed at Politecnico di Torino, which combines a MILP formulation for the timetable saturation problem with a saturation strategy layer. The saturation strategy considers a given set of priorities between the different network areas and the train types to be used during the saturation process. The results reveal that using a microscopic model to schedule traffic flows on a complex railway node allows for a good accuracy of the timetable, but at a high computational cost.

An Integrated Approach to Transportation and Land-Use Planning for the Analysis of Former Railway Nodes in Sustainable Transport Development: The Case of the Vasco-Navarro Railway

The disappearance of kilometers of railways that once structured their surrounding territory has become an alarming issue in the last decades. These days, several disused railway infrastructures have been converted into non-motorized transport infrastructures. Meanwhile, most of the railway nodes have been abandoned or reused without consideration of the linear infrastructure. This paper argues that former railway nodes can have potential in their surrounding environment and as part of a non-motorized transport axis, i.e., to again be nodes of the former linear infrastructure. Accordingly, the objective of the paper is to analyze the potential of disused railway nodes, focusing on the possibilities they could offer in the area, and defining future approaches for more sustainable development. For that purpose, relations between former railway nodes and their surrounding environment are studied considering transport and land use in the non-motorized influence areas. Existing node/place models were adapted and a multiaxial model was created to measure the balance between transport and land use and typify the defined area. The proposed methodology was applied in a case study, classifying node areas in different development typologies that will be related to different future approaches.

High density European Rail Traffic Management System (HD-ERTMS) for urban railway nodes: The case study of Rome

The ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) system has been created to standardize the European railway signals and to improve the performance of the railway network. Nowadays the growing rail traffic demand has carried to the congestion of the railway nodes, which turn out to be the bottle necks of the railway infrastructure. The High-Density European Traffic Management System (HD-ERTMS) has been developed as a solution to resolve this problem because, being perfectly superimposable to the Italian national signalling system, it can be applied without changing the current infrastructure. This paper describes the benefit that it will possible to reach by introducing this new signalling system analyzing the case study of the railway node of Rome.

From dust till dawn – Baubetriebliche Erfahrungen aus 14 Kilometer „Trockener Vortrieb”

AbstractAs part of the reorganization of the Stuttgart railway node, many tunnels had to be driven through the rock formation of gypsum Keuper (Grabfeld Formation), which contains anhydrite. In contact with water, the mineral anhydrite converts into the mineral gypsum with a resulting increase of volume. To prevent damage to the tunnel structure and the buildings above the tunnel as a result of this swelling process, the tunnelling work had to be carried out dry. No water was allowed for cleaning, drilling or for dust reduction. Dry tunnelling for hundreds of metres in this form and intensity is a novelty. There were no empirical values. In this article the special features of a dry tunnelling are presented. A target‐actual comparison or geotechnical deformations should be deliberately avoided, although some peculiarities only result from changes to the contractual framework.

Extending UIC 406-based capacity analysis – New approaches for railway nodes and network effects

Railway capacity planning aims to determine the amount of traffic that can be operated on a given infrastructure. The timetable compression method described in UIC Code 406 has become one of the standard tools in this area. Motivated by the Swedish Transportation Administration's timetable independent adaptation of the methodology and its need for extension we explore how the compression method can be applied to evaluate the capacity of the underlying infrastructure for strategic planning rather than the occupation ratio of a specific timetable. By performing ensemble averaging of scheduled train sequences we abstract from a single timetable concept and perform a distributional analysis of timetable utilization. To mitigate decomposition-induced underestimation of network effects the compression area is extended and approaches to include interdependencies between stations and lines are investigated. The methodology is applied for capacity assessment of railway stations and line segments in a case study based on the Swedish Southern Main Line rail corridor.

The geographical distribution of passenger railway hubs in Russia

The geographical distribution of 550 passenger railway nodes that are serving longer distance trains were studied. It’s containing 622 stations, which encompass more than 97% of passenger departures total number on the railway in 2016 were selected and grouped according to its size and the main nodes’characteristics were analyzed. Studying dependence of node’s rank and size from number of people, which live in its area, revealed that the less population size center is, the more other factors influence. The factual and ideal Zipf’s curve for the hierarchy of railway nodes were analyzed and its discrepancy was identified. An excessive role of Moscow as a main node and of Saint Petersburg as the second center is a feature in the hierarchy of nodes. This research also represents the analysis of nodes’ upper groups (more than 250 000 passenger departures per year). Spatial distribution of passenger railway nodes on the territory of Russia is descripted and the similarity of it with area of main resettlement was found. However, the density of relatively large nodes increases in Central and Central Black Earth economic regions and in Circum-Pontic region

A methodological proposal for the analysis of disused railway lines as territorial structuring elements: The case study of the Vasco-Navarro railway

The thousands of kilometres of disused railway lines that make up a fascinating body of heritage have been the subject of studies by several authors over recent decades. Several interventions for their reuse and reconversion have been carried out. However, there is a mismatch between theoretical and practical achievements. This research claims that an analysis of the railway lines under discussion should develop a comprehensive vision in order to establish common criteria for their preservation and for future interventions. As such, the objective of this paper is to create a methodological proposal for the analysis of disused railway lines as complex systems, thus demonstrating their potential as part of situated proposals for sustainable development. Accordingly, a Comprehensive Analysis Method (CAM) is created based on three theoretical and methodological underpinnings: disused railways as heritage systems; former linear infrastructures as non-motorised axes; and a balance between transport and other land uses around former railway nodes. The conclusions make reference to the potential of disused railways as territorial structuring systems, including both the potential of the linear infrastructure and the potential of the railway nodes, in order to encompass repurposing beyond the current greenways while continuing to promote the preservation of railway heritage. Both general strategies and specific action points have been identified for the repurposing of disused railway infrastructure. The proposed methodology has been applied in the case study of the Vasco-Navarro Railway, identifying strategic points in the infrastructure and areas where specific strategies can be implemented.

An Optimal Management Model for Empty Freight Railcars in Transport Nodes

The paper presents the actual problem of increasing the efficiency of empty railcars management in rail nodes. This problem lies in considering the set of constraints. The main constraint is the requirement of railcars ‘owners on their loading by certain freights and sending to certain customers. This problem is complicated with the complexity of the traffic volumes structure that making them uneven. Hence, it creates an uneven loading factor of railway stations in the node. Moreover, railway stations are required to comply with the schedule of loading and unloading of railcars, as well as the schedule of trains and features of their formation in the rail nodes at large industrial enterprises. In order to optimally manage empty railcars at rail nodes, both the mathematical model and its solving method are presented. One of the distinctive features of the developed model lies in the application of a fuzzy logic method to evaluate online the loading factor of railway stations in the rail node. Moreover, this model takes into account these evaluations by optimizing the distribution of empty railcars at the loading points. The present study puts forward the method and algorithm of the developed mathematical model for empty railcars management. They could additionally take into account the possibility to include empty railcars groups in the composition of trains moving on schedule within large railway nodes or in systems of railway transport at large industrial enterprises. The proposed model significantly reduces the complexity of operational planning of dispatchers for distributing the empty railcar traffic volumes. Furthermore, the developed model minimizes the total handling time of railcars in rail nodes and ensures the timely supply of empty railcars to the loading points.

Improvement of efficiency in the organization of transfer trains at developed railway nodes by implementing a "flexible model"

We have studied the efficiency of organization of transfer trains at developed railroad junctions based on the criterion of total hours of railroad wagon downtime under accumulation. We have constructed discrete-event simulation models (Java SE, AnyLogic) of the organization of transfer trains in line with a rigid and under accumulation to the standard for trains. The models take into consideration the stochastic nature of wagon arrivals to the accumulation points and meeting the established norm for the mass of trains. It is considered at modeling that track development of railroad stations and intranodal passages is rational and does not significantly affect delay in the motion of transfer trains. The transfer trains schedule is rational and rhythmic. The throughput capacity of open tracks at a node and the processing capability of subsystems at railroad stations are sufficient. We have experimentally compared the efficiency of four models of the organization of transfer trains, including a flexible model, which combines dispatch upon accumulation to the standard of a train and a rigid at the same time. It was established that the minimal hours of wagon accumulation are achieved when transfer trains are organized via a combined variant: a simultaneous dispatch in line with a rigid and at accumulation to the standard. Organization of transfer trains in line with a rigid requires the organization of additional trains, otherwise there is an increase in the queue of wagons at accumulation points. When increasing the number of daily trains by 10‒11 %, the process of forming and dispatching becomes sufficiently reliable and efficient. The specified recommendations would make it possible to improve the typical process of operation of railroad junctions in terms of dispatcher control over the formation, dispatch, and passing of transfer trains during intranodal traffic