Railway Transport Infrastructure Research Articles

Experimental and Computational Analyses of Sustainable Approaches in Railways

Railway transportation is widely recognized as an environment-friendly and sustainable means for conveying freight and passengers over long distances. This article investigates the effectiveness of utilizing scrap tire rubber granules and geosynthetics to enhance track performance in response to the growing demands for railway transport and the consequent escalation of train-induced loading. A multi-faceted methodology, incorporating experimental, numerical, and analytical techniques, is employed to examine the efficacy of these sustainable approaches. Results from three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analyses conducted on slab tracks for high-speed railways reveal that the addition of a resilient layer, comprising scrap tire rubber granules, reduces vertical stress within the track substructure. Laboratory investigations on an innovative composite material consisting of soil, scrap rubber granules, and polyurethane demonstrate its potential to enhance track performance. Findings from two-dimensional (2D) FE analyses conducted on pile-supported railway embankments highlight an enhanced transfer of load to the pile head following the installation of a geogrid layer at the embankment base. Finally, the results from the analytical approach indicate a reduction in track settlement and a decrease in the track geometry degradation rate on reinforcing the ballast layer with 3D cellular geoinclusion. The novelty of this study lies in the comprehensive assessment of the innovative composite material under drained and cyclic loading conditions, the investigation of the influence of train loading on geosynthetic tension and the load transfer mechanism in railway embankments, and the development of an innovative computational methodology capable of assessing the effectiveness of 3D cellular inclusions in improving the ballasted railway track performance. The findings from this article underscore the effectiveness of these sustainable approaches in mitigating the challenges posed by increased loads on railway tracks, providing valuable insights for the ongoing efforts to optimize railway transportation infrastructure.

Оценка возможности автоматического определения состояния искрового промежутка

Purpose: To consider the possibility of automatic determination of the spark gap condition. Methods: The article analyzes devices and methods of automatic control of the spark gap condition. It also presents their features and disadvantages, based on which conclusions are made concerning the convenience of operation in production, the quality of the spark gap condition monitoring, the possibility of using the system in automatic control systems. Results: A new modernization of spark gaps is proposed, which will allow not only to organize automatic monitoring of their condition, but also to introduce automatic monitoring of spark gaps condition into the system of railway infrastructure monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles, which is currently the subject of special attention from the holding company JSC “Russian Railways”. The justifications for choosing this particaular new modernization include minimal capital investments, while maintaining the necessary and sufficient efficiency of spark gap monitoring. Also, there is the possibility of integration into the existing monitoring system with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Practical significance: The possibility of automatic determination of the spark gap condition is shown, which corresponds to the priority direction of digitalization of railway transport and railway infrastructure of the holding company JSC “Russian Railways”, specified in the holding company’s development strategies up to 2030 and in the perspective up to 2035.

Functional capabilities of the calculation methodology of railway approach embankment to engineering structures taking into account temperature effect and interaction of reinforcing piles with soil

For the smooth operation of the railway infrastructure, it is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the roadbed embankment and engineering structures (pipe-culverts, bridges and overpasses), which corresponds to the long-term development programme of the open joint-stock company «Russian Railways» approved by the Government of the Russian Federation dated 19 March 2019 N 466-R. In the interface zones of nonhomogenous structures, namely roadbed embankments and engineering structures, ground distortion (soil settlement) occur, which leads to a change in the dynamic impact on engineering structures (pipe-culverts, bridges and overpasses) and, as a consequence, to their accelerated damage. The timeliness of the topic is determined by the target programmes for railway transport infrastructure optimisation, ensuring uninterrupted operation, reliability of engineering structures and roadbed. When designing engineering structures, a number of solutions are used to ensure reliable functioning of the roadbed — engineering structure system (pipe-culvert, bridge substructure, tunnel, laying of communications). The problem is that their application is ineffective without scientific and regulatory support and is limited by the lack of effective solutions to ensure the rigidity of the roadbed structure on the approaches to the engineering structure. In this connection, new constructive and technical solutions development for the interface of the roadbed — engineering structure system is an urgent task. The article considers railway transportations as a production process, the smooth functioning of which is ensured by smooth conjugation of approach embankments with engineering structures (bridges, pipe-culverts, underground communications). In the interface zone there are soil settlements, damage to the roadbed integrity, deformations leading to the appearance of additional dynamic forces and the emergence of irregularities and even destruction of the road pavement (on motorways), as well as damage to the engineering structures themselves.

Development of an innovative model for the inter-integration of the architecture of the intelligent computer environment of critical infrastructure facilities of the railway

The object of research is the processes of intelligent management of the computer environment of data objects of the critical infrastructure of railway transport. When developing an innovative model of deep mutual integration of the architecture of an intelligent computer environment for the management of objects in the power supply system of railway transport, the only urgent task is to solve the problems of efficient and reliable power supply of electricity for train traction to ensure the transportation process. The approaches, mathematical models and methods that became the basis for the creation of an innovative model and a new structure of the management system, the integration of the architecture of the computer environment of data of critical objects of the infrastructure of railway transport, meet the requirements of modernity and the strategy of sustainable development of the transport infrastructure. Management of an intelligent computer environment in the context of the railway power supply system is a complex process that includes the use of various technologies and strategies to optimize the functioning of systems, increase reliability, ensure efficient use of electricity, and ensure the transportation process. The basis of the creation of an intelligent computer environment is the principle of a single informational and synchronous space for the formation of primary information, which is an important concept in the development of intelligent control systems for the power supply system of railway transport. This principle requires that all parameters and data that are collected from different systems of power supply facilities should be combined in a single information space and be available for analysis and management in real time. This principle creates the basis for innovative solutions in the field of railway power supply system management, and the use of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning allows the development of systems that meet modern requirements for the efficiency and reliability of energy systems. The use of the approach of deep mutual integration of the architecture of the computer environment is key in the possibility of automating the processes of data collection and analysis, as well as in improving the interaction between the components of the systems of power supply facilities of railway transport, the reliability and efficiency of the system, which makes it more flexible and adaptive to changes in load and working conditions. The research presented in the work can be used in practice in organizations, structural units and at the levels of the management system of critical infrastructure objects in railway transport, transport sector enterprises, which will allow a quick response to an emergency situation and switch to backup modes, ensuring reliability and availability of power supply in conditions of challenges.

IMPROVING TRADE EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH MERCHANDISING: THEORY AND PRACTICE

This article describes the main directions that determine the efficiency of the railway transport services, the relationship between the concepts of railway transport services, transport system and transport infrastructure and the mainfactors influencing the choice of mode of transport, suggestions for improvement are given.

ASSESSMENT OF THE ECONOMIC EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RAILWAY TRANSPORT SYSTEM

This article describes the main directions that determine the efficiency of the railway transport services, the relationship between the concepts of railway transport services, transport system and transport infrastructure and the mainfactors influencing the choice of mode of transport, suggestions for improvement are given.

СЦЕНАРИИ ВЛИЯНИЯ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ КЛИМАТА НА ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНУЮ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРУ

Based on statistics of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena, scenarios for the influence of climate impacts on the railway transport infrastructure have been developed. Within the framework of these scenarios, assessments of climate risks, damage from incidents associated with climate impacts, costs of its elimination, investments aimed at adapting railway infrastructure and preventing damage from incidents on railways caused by climate factors are formed.

Transport carbon emissions reduction efficiency and economic growth: a perspective from nighttime lights remote sensing

The carbon emissions are essential for climate change and 26% of the world's carbon emissions are related to transport. But focusing only on fewer carbon emissions might be biased at times. In order to keep a balance be-tween economic growth and carbon emissions reduction, this paper evaluated the performance of carbon control by considering the input factors and output factors together, which is more comprehensive and reliable. Firstly, this paper has calculated the transport carbon emissions reduction efficiency (TCERE) based on the model of super SBM with undesirable outputs. The input factors include capital stock, labor force and fossil energy con-sumption. And the output factors include gross domestic product and carbon dioxide emissions. Then the influenc-ing factors of TCERE were analyzed using econometric models. The economic growth, transport structure, tech-nology level and population density were posited as influencing factors. This paper creatively proposed the per capita nighttime lights brightness as a new indicator for economic growth. An empirical study was conducted in East China from 2013 to 2017, and this study has found that the relationship between TCERE and economic growth shows an U-shape. Besides, transport structure and technology level both show a positive impact on TCERE. The implications of our findings are that: (a) The TCERE declines slower in East China, giving us reason to believe that the improvement of TCERE is predictable; (b) When economic growth exceeds the turning point, economic growth is conducive to the improvement of TCERE. We could develop the economy boldly and confident-ly; (c) Increased investment in railway and waterway transportation infrastructure projects is needed to strengthen the structure of the railway and waterway transportation systems. Furthermore, the general public and businesses should be encouraged to prefer rail or river transportation; (d) Investment in scientific and technological innova-tion should be enhanced in order to produce more efficient energy-use methods.

Practical training in educational organizations of Roszheldor in 2021-2022

The organization and conduct of the practice of students of Roszheldor in specialized organizations are considered. Documentary materials of the organization and conduct of the practice, annual reports submitted to the Federal Agency for Railway Transport were used. Some statistical data on the results of testing practice in specialized organizations are given.The main points of checking practical training are analyzed. Practical training in terms of practice is the most complex form of the educational process, both in organizational and methodological terms. The difficulty lies in the ability of the organizers of the practice to combine the interests of the specialized and educational organizations, to adapt the learning process to practical tasks. Verification of practical training in terms of practice is checked in two directions in educational organizations and at railway transport infrastructure facilities.There is an increase in the number of full-time students of secondary vocational education who have practiced at paid jobs.Currently, there is no information about the demand for personnel by enterprises in the coming years, which may affect the state of the vocational education system, and this, in turn, will have an impact on the development of social partnership between educational organizations and employers. Based on the cooperation of educational and specialized organizations, including the creation of training and production clusters, it is important to explore new opportunities for innovative trends, taking into account established traditions.

Transformation of Partnership Relations of the Transport Infrastructure Complex

The importance of economic and legal regulation of transport infrastructure by the state is due to the need to preserve and improve the quality of public goods. One of the most important components of the national economy is the railway transport infrastructure, which forms, first of all, the conditions for the functioning of the economy as a whole, as well as ensuring the level of public goods in accordance with the necessary dynamics of natural reproduction of labor resources. The situation at the current level and prospects of structural inflation caused by the macroeconomic role of the infrastructural complex of the economy is problematic at the moment. The basic theory of this study was the results of the Chicago School of Economics of Industrial Economics, which formed the basis for grouping goods and services on a private-public basis. Based on the analysis of scientific discussions on the essence of public goods, the provision on the need for state regulatory impacts on the infrastructure complex in the Russian Federation is given. The connection of infrastructure to economic growth and the quality of people's lives is shown. Based on the analysis of scientific discussions on the essence of public goods, the provision on the need for state regulatory impacts on the infrastructure complex in the Russian Federation is given. The connection of infrastructure to economic growth and the quality of people's lives is shown. The results of the research presented in the article summarize the author's ideas about the transformation of the relationship of the transport infrastructure complex with the main business partners, providing the required level of stability of the entire national economic complex on the basis of the sufficiency of the provision of transport services. The article formulates a scientific hypothesis about the prerequisites and essence of the transformation of partnerships in the infrastructure segment of the public goods market in the Russian Federation.

Identification of economic risks of investment projects of mainline railway transport infrastructure construction

Study of the issues of identification, analysis, and comparative assessment of the risks of violations of the safety of the main railway transport infrastructure. The aim of the study: is to develop a methodology for the identification of economic risks of investment projects of construction of mainline infrastructure of railway transport. The object of the study: railway transport enterprises involved in all stages of the life cycle of the mainline infrastructure of railroad transport. The subject of the study: tools and procedures for the identification of economic risks of violations of the security of trunk railway transport infrastructure. In the turbulent global economy, the effectiveness of project management is based on the perception of the human factor as the main in the formation of aggregate uncertainty. Large infrastructure companies should pay special attention to the identification, analysis, and assessment of project risks. One of the key figures in Russia's transport communication, influencing not only domestic traffic flows, but also international logistics chains, is JSC "Russian Railways". Disruptions of the transportation process due to the realization of risks at the main infrastructure facilities of JSC "Russian Railways" predetermine economic consequences both for consumers of services, operators, and infrastructure owners.

Infrastructural constraints impeding the development of high-speed freight rail transportation in Russia

The article is devoted to the problem of infrastructural restrictions that hinder the development of high-speed freight transportation by rail in the Russian Federation. The relevance of the chosen topic is confirmed by the presence of a significant number of scientific publications that reflect the national specifics of the modern development of freight transportation using HSR and their infrastructure. The purpose of the article is to determine the infrastructural constraints that hinder the development of freight transportation in HSR transport systems tailored to the Russian specifics of infrastructure development. The object of the study is the infrastructure of railway transport and the rolling stock fleet, the subject is high-speed freight transportation. The main methods used in the study are an analysis and systematization of scientific publications on the topic, a quantitative analysis of open-source data, and interviews with Russian experts in the field under study. In the course of research there have been systematized the infrastructural constraints that hinder the development of high-speed freight transportation in Russia, and the possibilities of using special rolling stock have been considered. According to the results of the study of the Russian service market, there are determined the prospects for its further development through the introduction of a new type of railway transport service, “container — express”, and the factors preventing its successful adaptation. The results obtained can be useful both to the business community in terms of developing strategies and tactics for the introduction of high-speed container freight transportation into the segment of the Russian market, and to regulatory authorities in the field of transport in terms of promoting innovative business models and improving the quality of transport customer service.

Determination of Accumulated Deformation of a High-altitude Chimney for its Operational Reliability Restoration

During the operation of any engineering facility, deformations occur in its building elements, which is a natural and inevitable process. Therefore, it is so necessary to carry out periodic observations (monitoring) of the technical condition of buildings and structures for the timely maintenance of their operational parameters. This article provides an example of a geodetic survey of a tower-type structure (60-meter chimney) and presents an approach to developing recommendations for restoring its operational reliability. This chimney is located on the territory of “Kavkazkabel” plant that produces cables and wires for various purposes, including the infrastructure of railway transport. Maintaining of the proper technical condition of the plant engineering facilities affects the timing and quality of products.

Mathematical model of criteria for a comprehensive assessment of the state of railway transport infrastructure

Today, in order to ensure the safety of cargo and passenger transportation on railways, there is no procedure for keeping records on the state of railway transport infrastructures, control of industrial enterprises and organizations over the quality of repairs, conducting examinations in ensuring traffic safety and eliminating identified shortcomings. This, in turn, is one of the main factors leading to the occurrence of accidents and accidents related to rail transport. In this article, the procedure for solving the problem of introducing inspections by inspection based on the collection of points determined based on the results of monitoring of violations carried out on the basis of criteria that assess the risk levels at which there is a probability of committing by business entities engaged in railway transport activities is considered. The mathematical model of mesons for a comprehensive assessment of the state of railway transport infrastructure, presented in the regulation on the procedure for organizing and conducting a commission monthly examination of railway transport infrastructures developed in order to ensure the safety of train traffic, is created on the basis of probability theory and the laws of normal distribution. The percentage, mathematical expectation, variance and mean quadratic limitations of the probability of occurrence of the signs of an offense in each of the points intervals are clarified.

On the necessity of using risk-oriented approaches in the development of railway transport infrastructure control systems

On the necessity of using risk-oriented approaches in the development of railway transport infrastructure control systems

Problems of Railway Transport Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

The transport industry is an independent branch of production, and therefore a special sphere for the investment of production capital. This article deals with the problems and prospects for the development of northern transport, a real opportunity to create networks of railway transport, creating conditions for the republic's economy to enter international markets, integration with other regions of the Far East. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that construction costs are not too high, and compliance with environmental standards is at a high level, even despite the difficult conditions at the installation sites.

Innovative water treatment solutions and experience of introduction at railway transport infrastructure facilities

The experience of operating ozone-sorption water treatment plants in the structural subdivisions of Russian Railways OJSC is provided. Technical solutions that increase the efficiency of water treatment and reduce operating costs are described.

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ РАБОТЫ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРЫ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНОГО ТРАНСПОРТА В УСЛОВИЯХ ЧРЕЗВЫЧАЙНЫХ СИТУАЦИЙ С УЧЕТОМ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ИНВЕНТАРНЫХ КОМПЛЕКТОВ

When break in railway train traffic appears because of the impact of emergencies of natural, technogenic and biological-social character, it’s necessary to restore the sooner the better normal, stable and safe work of railway transport in a whole. Together, if to consider railway transport as a system, the changes proceeding in this system in the case of this kind impact, ‘re possible only above its mathematical model which is built for to describe railway transport infrastructure functioning in conditions of the impact of emergencies and ‘s realized in simulation model. For to raise recovery activity operativity and effectiveness it’s proposed the application of stationary floor recovery kits which include floor devices of railway automatics and remote control. The article describes the simulation model of railway transport infrastructure given stationary floor recovery kit of railway automatics and remote control, the model allows to pursue experiments, to calculate required amount of forces and means for to recover train interrupted traffic on railway stations as well as to assess the effectiveness of being implemented recovery works in emergency impact conditions.

Sustainable Applications of Tyre-Derived Aggregates for Railway Transportation Infrastructure

Scrap tyres are used to produce tyre-derived aggregates (TDA), which can be used as fill material, backfill material, drainage layers, and vibration-damping material, among other uses. This study presents a comprehensive review of TDA applications in civil engineering with a specific focus on railway projects. A review of the existing literature reveals the lack of sufficient knowledge on the use of TDA in slab tracks. This article also analyses the adequacy of different constitutive models to properly simulate the performance of TDA while highlighting the importance of adopting the most suitable constitutive model. The variations in shear stresses and displacements with depth below ballasted and slab tracks in the presence and absence of TDA are discussed. It is shown that TDA effectively reduces the shear stresses for the subgrade layer of both track types. Moreover, the impact of TDA on stress transfer in the vertical and lateral track directions is assessed. The findings from the present analysis reveal that TDA helps in reducing the vertical and lateral stresses near its placement position in ballasted and slab tracks.

An innovative ballasted track utilizing stabilized clayey subgrade

The traditional ballasted tracks have been used widely in railway transportation infrastructure. Construction of ballasted tracks on the clayey soft subgrade causes high settlement and low bearing capacity. Significant maintenance cost and time-consuming operation have been encountered due to presence of clay. Different methods of soil stabilization have been presented in literature. Using road construction experience with Royal Road Product (RRP235 Special), as an innovative method for the first time, the layers underneath the sleeper have been replaced with the clayey subgrade stabilized with RRP 235 special. A series of static and dynamic lab experiments such as Maximum Compaction test, California Bearing Ratio, Unconfined Compressive Strength, Brazilian Indirect Tensile test, Direct Shear Strength, and Uniaxial Cyclic tests were carried out. Samples with different dosages of additive were made, and an optimal percentage was found. As the result, the sample with 0.15 lit/m^3 RRP235 Special was determined as the suitable dosage in terms of mechanical and physicaltests, while only in the Maximum Compaction test, by increasing the additive, the optimum water content decreased.