Railway Transportation Network Research Articles

The angiogenic growth of cities.

Describing the space-time evolution of urban population is a fundamental challenge in the science of cities, yet a complete theoretical treatment of the underlying dynamics is still missing. Here, we first reconstruct the evolution of London (UK) over 180 years and show that urban growth consists of an initial phase of diffusion-limited growth, followed by the development of the railway transport network and a consequential shift from central to suburban living. Such dynamics-which are analogous to angiogenesis in biological systems-can be described by a minimalist reaction-diffusion model coupled with economic constraints and an adaptive transport network. We then test the generality of our approach by reproducing the evolution of Sydney, Australia, from 1851 to 2011. We show that the rail system coevolves with urban population, displaying hierarchical characteristics that remain constant over time unless large-scale interventions are put in place to alter the modes of transport. These results demonstrate that transport schemes are first-order controls of long-term urbanization patterns and efforts aimed at creating more sustainable and healthier cities require careful consideration of population-transport feedbacks.

Совершенствование транспортных технологических процессов железнодорожной сети

Purpose: To increase the efficiency of the railway transport network through the mutually beneficial interaction of lines of various categories. Methods: Methods of control theory, system analysis, synthesis and mathematical modeling were used. Results: The tools for determining the optimal location of logistics centers using the center of gravity method have been improved by taking into account the criteria for minimizing transport costs, category, specialization and social significance of the line, as well as determining the weight values of the criteria using the hierarchy analysis method. Practical significance: The proposed tools allow you to determine the location of the logistics center at the intersection of intensive and lowintensity railway lines, taking into account the criteria for minimizing transport costs, the specialization of the line and the social significance of the lines for the regions under consideration.

Examining the performance of thermal insulation materials used in buildings for noise insulation

Urbanization is spreading throughout the world as a result of rising population. Accordingly, airway, seaway, road, and railway transportation networks are expanding. Advancements in transportation and population growth result in significant increases in environmental noise. Increased noise levels have a negative impact on people's health and cause a variety of issues such as sleep disorders and communication problems. Consequently, various noiseproofing (insulation) regulations and codes have appeared in various countries. However, studies conducted recently have shown that in order for providing sustainable quality of life, it is recommended that the noise level should not exceed certain values. On maximum noise levels for comfortable living places have revealed that adequate and enough insulation levels should be satisfied using the criteria specified in specifications. Nowadays, building energy savings have increased significantly with the use of thermal insulation materials used in buildings. This study investigates the performances of commonly used thermal insulation materials in buildings on noise insulation. Namely, the effects of various wall thicknesses and thermal insulation materials on noise insulation performance were studied. Outdoor and indoor noise levels were measured in a heavily trafficked workplace area of Konya, Turkey, which is identified as sample noise noise source of this study. It was found out in the study that while some thermal insulation materials provide adequate noise insulation in a specific noise frequency range, some others not adequate.

Сompetitiveness assessment of the railway network of Кazakhstan in the performance of transit container transportation

Purpose. To improve the methods for assessing the routes of transportation of containers by transit railway administrations. Methodology. The results of the presented scientific research were obtained on the basis of general methods of cognition such as abstract-logical analysis, systematization, the method of theoretical generalization, as well as on the basis of special methods of economic and mathematical modeling, the theory of railway operation and transport geography. Findings. In the course of the study, an analysis was made of the transport network of the Eurasian continent as a whole and the railway transport network of Kazakhstan, as part of it, in particular. An assessment was made of the socio-economic development of the regions, transportation between which can potentially be carried out through the territory of Kazakhstan. Indicators of the duration and cost of shipping containers by sea and rail between East Asia and Europe have been established. An assessment of the competitiveness of container transportation routes passing through the territory of Kazakhstan in comparison with alternative routes was made. Originality. In this paper, the method for estimating the routes of transportation of containers by transit railway administrations has been improved. Unlike existing methods, the assessment of the duration of transportation is carried out throughout the entire length of transportation “from door to door”. Also, the paper proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of railway routes, taking into account the service of the entire territory through which they pass, and not just the starting and ending points. Practical value. The results of the research allow railway administrations to improve the efficiency of planning the development of transit container traffic on different routes. The regions for which the railways of Kazakhstan can compete with maritime transport both in terms of price and in terms of the speed of transportation for the entire container traffic, as well as regions for which competition can be carried out only for the market share of transportation in containers of valuable and perishable goods, have been established.

GIS-Based Electric Service Resource Management System

<p>With the increasing investment in railway construction, China’s railway transport network is now very sound, the number of operating miles is growing, and the operating speed has also made a qualitative leap. At the same time, the safety and reliability of the operation of railway signal cables and other electrical equipment has also put forward higher requirements. At the present stage, the management of railway electrical services equipment mainly relies on manual management, which is cumbersome, inefficient and unsuitable for multi-user sharing. At the same time, the structure of railway electrical equipment is complex, and the components of the equipment are prone to aging, which can easily cause equipment failure. How to professionally manage electrical service equipment and improve the safety and reliability of electrical service equipment has become an urgent problem for railway electrical service departments. Geographic Information System (GIS) architecture uses spatial data layering technology to achieve multi-level and proportional display of equipment and facilities, which can provide visual display of professional facilities such as railway engineering, electricity and power supply, and carry out multi-source and multi-temporal intelligent analysis of data, provide geographical information service interface for various professions of engineering and electricity to meet their own functional requirements. Knowledge mapping is a key technology for acquiring knowledge and building a knowledge database in the era of big data. In order to explore the hidden information between railway electrical resources, integrate seemingly independent data into the knowledge base and apply them. In this paper, we design a GIS-based electric service resource management system in combination with knowledge mapping that can make data complete and well-structured after processing scattered and redundant information, and analyze and discuss the system’s architecture, functional requirements, key technologies and development prospects.</p> <p> </p>

Ripple effect in China–Europe Railway transport network: Ripple failure risk propagation and influence

Ripple effect in China–Europe Railway transport network: Ripple failure risk propagation and influence

Пути оптимизации дальних, местных и пригородных пассажирских перевозок в современных условиях

In this article, the authors consider the issue of optimizing passenger transportation by rail in terms of competition with other modes of transport that carry passengers both on the territory of Kazakhstan (local and suburban passenger transportation) and in the international direction. The analysis of the current state of passenger transportation in the Republic of Kazakhstan is carried out, divided by types of transport. The trends of changes in passenger traffic by the main modes of transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan are studied. The main priority directions of the development of railway passenger transport are highlighted, which can increase the demand for passenger transportation. The foreign experience of implementation and features of implementation of projects of high-speed and high-speed movement of passenger trains of developed countries are considered. Recommendations of the most cost-effective approach to increasing the speeds of passenger trains on the railway transport network are presented.

Correction: Niu, F.; Wang, F. Economic Spatial Structure in China: Evidence from Railway Transport Network. Land 2022, 11, 61

In the original publication [...]

A belief rule-base approach to the assessment and improvement of seismic resilience of high-speed railway station buildings

As an important part of the railway system and the key node in the railway transportation network, the railway station undertakes the critical task of realizing convenient passenger transfer and efficient mass transportation. Resilience assessment and improvement of complex communal buildings have recently received significant attention, however, the complexity of including components, spatial structure, and engineering facilities made it challenging to find an accepted framework to assess the resilience of high-speed railway (HSR) stations. To overcome this challenge, the included subsystems for various operations of HSR stations are sorted out in detail, and the hierarchical belief rule-base (BRB) is adopted to establish the quantitative relationship between station function and each subsystem at different states after an earthquake through statistical analysis, expert knowledge, and logic analysis. Subsequently, optimization of the initial parameters in BRB is performed as a demonstration in case users need a more accurate BRB based on their experience and statistics. Finally, three subsystems repair sequential solving methods to improve the seismic resilience of HSR stations are proposed and discussed: the traversal algorithm, sensitivity-based method, and simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. The method proposed in this study paves the way for research on the resilience assessment of HSR station buildings.

Research on the Optimization Model of Railway Emergency Rescue Network Considering Space-Time Accessibility

The capability of railway emergency rescue can be enhanced by maintaining the railway emergency rescue network and upgrading its technology. Nowadays, influenced by the factors, such as resource type, personnel distribution, line level, etc., space-time differences may be unavoidable. In the meantime, the general description method of the transportation network may lack the consideration of the rescue transportation particularity, so the strategies of resource allocation, maintenance, and upgrading could be illogical. Hence, in this paper, the gravity model is utilized to improve the classical travel time budget model and to construct the space-time accessibility model, firstly. Then, further exploring the space-time accessibility of nodes and edges of railway emergency rescue network and considering the randomness of travel time, a space-time accessibility measurement method for an emergency network is proposed. Moreover, a global optimization model with accessibility characteristics is then constructed for the maintenance allocation of the emergency rescue transportation network. The results show that the proposed method can solve the maintenance allocation problem of the large-scale rescue network effectively, reduce the risk of maintenance allocation strategy failure caused by unreasonable node index parameters, and provide an effective basis and theoretical support for the rational formulation of railway rescue transportation network maintenance allocation strategy.

Перспективы развития сети высокоскоростных железных дорог в мире на ближайшее десятилетие

Purpose: To find main conceptions of the development of high-speed lines in the world, to outline leading countries in the sphere of high-speed railway network construction, to track high-speed railway network construction dynamics, to compare the shares of high-speed railways by individual continents and countries, to define Russia’s place in the sphere of high-speed transport, to outline individual country and continent perspectives for new high-speed line construction and new technology application during construction of the lines in the next decade. Methods: Comparison of construction scales for the outlined high-speed lines by individual countries, graphical analysis of high-speed network growth dynamics in five the most developed by this matter countries. Results: Leading countries in the sphere of high-speed transport network construction are distinguished, relevant values for volumes of existing high-speed network in the world different parts and some countries are presented, a classification of Russia passenger trains depending on the motion speed is given, specificities of organization of high-speed communication in our country are outlined, plans for new high-speed line construction in China, Russia and other countries are expounded, statistical data on high-speed railway spread in the world countries and by individual continents are presented, high-speed network construction dynamics in China, Japan and leading by this matter Europe countries is shown. Practical significance: The given article can serve as a basis for an acquaintance with a relevant status on the matter of existing high-speed railway transport networks, major countries are outlined herein which experience can be taken while creation of high-speed lines in Russia and being based on demonstrated graphical materials, it’s eventual to evaluate real perspectives by the volume of construction of high-speed network nowdays.

Разработка механизмов повышения эффективности функционирования малоинтенсивных железнодорожных линий

The problem of effective development of transportation management methodology for low-density railway lines has important social-economic and industrial value for railway transport network functioning, provision of industry requirements and of population in transportations. The article proposes measure complex on the settlement of theoretical task row, directed on functioning efficiency rise of low-density lines and their transition from lossmaking category to nonlossmaking one as well as the variants of line transmission into profitable ones are worked out. Methodological bases of railway line functioning in the context of transportation management on low-density lines are presented. There is presented the mathematical setting of stable functioning and development of low-density lines. Target function parameters, standards and limitations are established. Integral mechanism of complex assessment of low-density lines is developed which allows to evaluate line work at various stages of functioning and at being embodied managing impacts aimed to traffic intensification. There are worked out the variants of line functioning at interaction of intensive, low-density and being projected lines. Conceptual model of low-density line effective functioning is presented. There is adapted the assessment mechanism for supposed costs and complex planned effect upon embodiment conditions at low-density lines.

A hybrid approach for designing a railway transportation network of hazardous material tanks

This research proposes a design approach by hybrid optimization, which mainly includes the qualitative assessment and quantitative planning. In view of the multiple qualitative indicators in the location of tank handling stations, the fuzzy calibration is used to determine the ranking index of each candidate station. After that, these indices are integrated into the optimization model of a transportation network as weights. This bi-objective model is to minimize the total risk and the total operating cost. In order to verify the validity of the 0-1 quadratic programming model and the discrete characteristics of solution space, we propose a numerical algorithm. The process of the numerical algorithm is based on linearization conversion and the parallel branch & bound. For large-scale cases with a mass of variables and constraints, a heuristic is made, namely Pareto shuffled frog leaping algorithm. A case study is completed in the railway freight network in north China. This research can provide a theoretical basis and operating reference for railway transportation of hazardous materials.

Analysis of railway commuting factors and customers patronage in Lagos State, Nigeria

Railway transportation is a critical component of countries' transportation sectors worldwide. This is because, in the movement of goods and persons, railway transport networks have a clear advantage over other modes of transportation. However, despite the positive outlook, Nigeria's railway transportation networks have faced several challenges to the country's economic and social development, especially in overpopulated cities like Lagos State. The study population consists of 125 railway transportation users in Lagos state. The data were analyzed using descriptive, multiple and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study revealed that safety is the highest predictor of customer patronage amongst railway commuters in Lagos state. This is followed by price, travel time and service quality. This indicates that if the safety of the railway commuters (customers) is guaranteed, they will continue to use the train regardless of the service quality being offered to them. The study recommended that Public-Private Partnership (PPP) should be encouraged in running the affairs of the Nigerian railways for increased efficiency and that industry players need to be proactive by ensuring adequate professionalism in the sector and putting in place modern railway transport facilities.

Assessing the spread risk of COVID-19 associated with multi-mode transportation networks in China

The spatial spread of COVID-19 during early 2020 in China was primarily driven by outbound travelers leaving the epicenter, Wuhan, Hubei province. Existing studies focus on the influence of aggregated out-bound population flows originating from Wuhan; however, the impacts of different modes of transportation and the network structure of transportation systems on the early spread of COVID-19 in China are not well understood. Here, we assess the roles of the road, railway, and air transportation networks in driving the spatial spread of COVID-19 in China. We find that the short-range spread within Hubei province was dominated by ground traffic, notably, the railway transportation. In contrast, long-range spread to cities in other provinces was mediated by multiple factors, including a higher risk of case importation associated with air transportation and a larger outbreak size in hub cities located at the center of transportation networks. We further show that, although the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 across countries and continents is determined by the worldwide air transportation network, the early geographic dispersal of COVID-19 within China is better predicted by the railway traffic. Given the recent emergence of multiple more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2, our findings can support a better assessment of the spread risk of those variants and improve future pandemic preparedness and responses.

Structure and robustness of China’s railway transport network

ABSTRACT Railway is a fundamental transportation mode for medium and long-distance travel in China. China’s railway transport network (CRTN) has become increasingly complex. Clarifying the structure of the CRTN and its robustness to failures is important for ensuring safe operations. This paper uses train schedule data to construct a railway physical network (RPN) and a train service network (TSN), and proposes a method to simulate the CRTN change processes under different attack strategies, clarify its robustness, and identify its backbone. The results show: First, the RPN is a typical scale-free and small-world network, while the TSN presents a complex hierarchical structure; Second, the RPN is robust to random attacks but vulnerable to targeted attacks, and attacks based on the betweenness centrality as evaluated in the RPN is the most effective mode; Third, the backbone network consists 62 cities including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang.

Economic Spatial Structure in China: Evidence from Railway Transport Network

This study analyzes the structure of China’s overall railway transport network and its sub-networks of conventional railway and high-speed railway, with the aim to understand the country’s economic spatial structure that is reflected by or underlines the railway transport network. First, the results indicate that compared with developed cities, backward cities not only have fewer train services but also lack a symmetrical transport plan; backward cities tend to connect with developed cities rather than within themselves. Second, the national-level urban hierarchy was established using the proposed algorithm, which helped reveal the economic geography of three economic plates in China. Third, the law of the primate city is not prominent in a large country such as China, which is undergoing regional restructuring with the economic center of gravity shifting to the coastal area while also moving south.

Ripple Effect in China-Europe Railway Transport Network: Operational Failure Risk Propagation and Influence

Ripple Effect in China-Europe Railway Transport Network: Operational Failure Risk Propagation and Influence

Robust control strategies facing disturbances in Railway Transport Networks

Objectives: The key objective of this present article is the presentation of a control strategy which consists to compensate the disturbance as soon as it is observed. The main purpose of the proposed control strategy is to guarantee the respect of railway scheduling. The novel strategy allows compensating temporal disruption as soon as it is observed in order to avoid the time constraint violation and to respect planned scheduling. Methods: An algorithm that amends the measured disturbances by compensating the disruption along the mono-synchronized paths is presented. The proposed algorithm allows computing the available control margin for every controllable place. Findings: The main impartial is to compensate partially or totally the disturbance so as to avoid time constraint violation in railway transport networks. In these networks, time may be a significant parameter because it encompasses constraints to avoid adverse events. The temporal constraints which will arise on the railway network may degrade the planed schedules and consequently affect the availability of transportation systems. This leads to many problems in the decision and optimization of the studied transport systems. Novelty/Applications: This paper is devoted to the modeling and robust control of the Tunisian railway network. In this context, a novel robustness strategy is developed to compensate the time disruption in railway networks and to preserve the planned schedule. Keywords: robustness; control; temporal disturbances; railway networks; Ptime Petri Nets

100th anniversary of the main "locomotive" of the Orenburg region

The strategy of socio-economic development of the Orenburg region until 2020 and for the period until 2030 provides for a number of transformations in the region based on the natural resource potential, polycentric settlement system, favorable geopolitical position, transit potential of the Orenburg region. A special emphasis in the Strategy is placed on the development of railway transport, overland Eurasian international transport corridors. The unique geopolitical position of the Orenburg region necessitated the presence of a developed railway transport network in this region and, accordingly, the training of appropriate personnel.The history of one of the oldest educational institutions of the Orenburg region — the Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport is considered.Archival materials, published sources (periodicals, Internet resources), personal memoirs of teachers, employees and students of Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport were used. Methods of historicism, consistency, analysis are applied.The creation of Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport, the position of the technical school in the difficult 1920s, during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period, the expansion of the educational institution and the change of its location, the current state of the technical school and its potential are shown.Today, we can say with complete confidence that Orenburg Technical School of Railway Transport is a kind of "locomotive" that provides highly qualified personnel to a strategically important region of Russia and the development of railway transport in the region.