Mainline Railway Research Articles

An event tree-based distance transform algorithm for simultaneously determining mountain railway alignments and station locations

The concurrent optimization of railway alignments and station locations (RA&SL) is a complex task, especially for the main railway lines in mountainous regions. The intricate coupling constraints between RA and SL are very challenging for the conventional RA&SL search methods, which consider limited solution types to generate an optimized RA&SL solution. To solve this problem, an event tree-based distance transform (ET-DT) algorithm is proposed. The study area is first divided into grid cells, followed by a preprocessing step to identify infeasible areas for station locations. Next, an event tree (ET) is constructed to represent all the possible solution types during the RA&SL design process. Afterward, in the ET-DT method, a total of eight types of RA&SL search operators are integrated to generate diverse RA&SL alternatives. Ultimately, the proposed method is applied to a realistic case with significantly-undulating terrain. Results show that ET-DT generates 2.8 times more solutions than a contemporary DT-based method (PreDT) and further improves solution quality through an 8.7% reduction in construction cost compared to the best manually-designed alignment, while PreDT only achieves a 5.7% reduction.

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.

Identifying Potential Areas for New Railway Lines across Different Relief Roughness of Austrian Landscapes

This work presents an operational model to identify potential areas for new railway lines in Austria, utilizing a topographic and passenger potential and considering the different inclination requirements for regional and main railway lines. By applying a GIS digital terrain model based on a 500 m squared reference system, we identified 61,497 cells suitable for new regional lines and 11,347 cells suitable for main railway lines. These cells show a variety of spatial potential classes. Out of Austria’s 83,883 km² total surface, all these identified cells sum up to an area of 15,374 km² for new regional lines and 2,837 km² for new main lines. We validate the identified cells with existing and abandoned railway alignments. The model shows a fit of 80%. Furthermore, we put the results into perspective by comparing individual cell potentials with their public transport quality levels of existing supplied services, and we apply a five-scenario sensitivity analysis to identify the impact of the model’s foundations. After debating the model’s particularities and their impact on planning procedures, we conclude that our model is more comprehensive than today’s strategic rail transport planning procedures, primarily based on political desires or selected expert suggestions.

Integration of HGIS/HBIM to Reveal and Reconstruct the Vanished Metal Bridge Heritage of the Chinese Eastern Railway Main Line

Integration of HGIS/HBIM to Reveal and Reconstruct the Vanished Metal Bridge Heritage of the Chinese Eastern Railway Main Line

Intermodal Transportation Challenges in Eastern Europe: Case Study of Romania

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze data from the Romanian intermodal transportation sector and provide an overview of its main terminals (sea, river, road and rail) and the operational challenges faced by its most important logistics service providers. Intermodal transportation (by rail) is encouraged at EU level as a sustainable alternative to current predominant truck haulage. Most research articles outline issues with connectivity, terminal handling infrastructure and cost efficiency as factors hindering large scale adoption. Other authors tend to emphasize the more reliable delivery schedules, reduced road congestion and emissions as drivers of cost competitiveness on medium term. Relevant cargo volume traffic (tons, TEU and ITU) is analyzed at Romania’s main intermodal hubs in the last 10 years (2014-2023) using quantitative and qualitative data to provide a comprehensive overview of its overall competitiveness in this sector. Most Eastern European countries are faced with the same challenge in terms of intermodal transportation: the shortcomings of their supporting network due to insufficient public investment, highlighted by the results from Romania (case study method). Main results show Constanta Port had record cargo traffic in 2023, but its throughput is hindered by constant congestion issues, similar to the highly competitive road sector where intense truck traffic creates bottlenecks on the major roads leading to Western Europe. Cargo is also shipped via the Danube and freight trains, but to a limited extent due to low average speeds and inconsistent reliability along most sectors. The paper highlights the importance of a country’s strategic hubs and their connectivity (sea and/or river ports, main railway lines and road sectors) as a source of future growth and development perspectives, for terminal operators as well as neighboring regions (EU and EEA) through increased business activity.

Model for Intercity Railway Schedule Optimization Incorporating Metrorail Transfers

The promotion of multimodal coordination is of great significance for the joint development of diverse urban transportation systems. Focusing on a comprehensive urban passenger transport hub that converges both intercity modes and multiple inner-city modes, our study aims to incorporate intercity railway and Metrorail coordination into train scheduling optimization to enhance transfer efficiency and provide a seamless service for passengers in urban railway networks. By considering the variety of passenger demands in different transport modes (e.g., rail transit and traditional mainline railway), train loading capacity, and potential disruption scenarios, we specifically developed a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model to simultaneously generate the coordination strategies, arrival/departure times of trains at each station, and the number of carriages in service in the network. To enhance computational efficiency, we proposed several improvement strategies involving the model linearization to reformulate the MINLP model into a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and the determination of appropriate big- M values. Finally, numerical experiments based on historical passenger data from a realistic urban railway network in China were implemented to verify the effectiveness of our approach. The results demonstrate that our intercity railway and Metrorail coordination strategies could, in practice, significantly improve passenger transfer efficiency by over 35% compared with the train schedule without coordination.

Mainline Railway Modeled with 2100 MHz 5G-R Channel Based on Measured Data of Test Line of Loop Railway

Railway communication is undergoing a transitional period worldwide, and 5G for railway (5G-R), which has been adopted by the Railway International Union (UIC) in China and in many other countries, which is a common concern all over the world. The 2100 MHz frequency band, which ranks among the top three mainstream frequency bands for public 5G network deployment globally, has recently been issued by MIIT for a 5G-R trial in China, and the frequency is fairly close to 5G-R frequency band of 1900 MHz in Europe. Propagation study for railway communication, especially for mainline, which is the most common and widely used scenario, is of great importance, because it is closely related to passengers’ lives and properties. In this article, based on the 5G-R dedicated network testing environment constructed along the test line of loop railway of National Railway Track Test Center of China, the 2100 MHz 5G-R propagation measurement campaign is conducted, with an in-service SS-RSRP signal-based passive 2100 MHz large-scale channel testing system, as well as a SDR-based 2100 MHz 5G-R channel sounding system, based on which the large-scale as well as small-scale channel characteristics are derived and extensively analyzed. With data derived from the passive testing system, the classical FI, CI as well as TR 38.901 large-scale channel models are properly fitted and compared by calculating RMSE as well as MAE values. Moreover, based on the SDR-based channel sounding system, conclusions on the relationship between the parameters of multi-path component numbers, RMS time spread, received power and distance between the transmitter and the receiver are drawn. The 5G-R system studied in this letter is symmetric FDD communication system, apart from the 2 aspects of channel modeling characteristics, which are large-scale and small-scale complementing each other, the research methodology adopted of the letter also has two aspects, passive measurement, as well as active measurement, and both methods have their own advantages and different focuses, which can also complements each other. Relevant research results of this letter will be helpful for facilitating the R&D, deployment, as well as network optimization of a future mobile communication system under railway mainline scenario.

Characteristics and circumstances of rail suicides in England 2019–2021: A cluster analysis and autopsy study

BackgroundAround 4 % of all suicide deaths in Great Britain occur on the railways. This exploratory study was designed to increase understanding of the individuals that take their lives in this way, and the circumstances of their death. MethodData were obtained from fatality investigation files compiled by the British Transport Police (BTP) relating to suspected suicides on the mainline railway in England from April 2019 to March 2021. Cluster analysis was carried out to identify grouped associations of characteristics and circumstances relating to rail suicide. ResultsA total of 436 files were analysed, representing 93 % of all suspected railway suicides during this period. Cluster analysis identified four groups of almost equal size, distinguished principally by age, living arrangements, employment status and location of death. The study is novel in the way it integrates individual characteristics and circumstances of death. The identified clusters may provide a multidimensional way of conceptualising suicide risk that could inform more targeted interventions at rail locations. LimitationsA high proportion of missing data means that the findings need to be interpreted with caution. It also restricted the multivariate analysis to those categories of information for which sufficient information was available. ConclusionThe characteristics and circumstances of suicide deaths on the railways are complex and multifaceted. The typology identified in this study may help to target preventative strategies prior to the incident as well as at different location types.

Particle motion and stress response interacted with machine activity: Railroad tamping strategy

Tamping is a vital maintenance activity to correct railroad track geometry by lifting, aligning, and levelling the track. Traditional tamping practices are often rather empirical and rely heavily on operator’s experience. Railroads have learned that improper tamping parameters impact ballast stability and cause quick track geometry deterioration. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of tamping parameters on ballast performance at the particle level, expecting to figure out the optimized tamping parameters to improve track quality. To achieve this objective, field tamping tests were conducted on Norfolk Southern Railway's mainline. In the tests, four tamping parameter combinations of squeeze time (0.6 s, 1.0 s) and number of squeezes (1 insertion, 2 insertions) were executed by Plasser’s tamper. In addition, “SmartRocks” sensors were preinstalled under the ties to record ballast and contact stresses caused during and after tamping. It was found that 1.0 s squeeze time results in a more compact and stable ballast status than 0.6 s squeeze time, with a more stable rearrangement of particles and stable bulk stress after tamping. employing two insertions appeared to neutralize the impact of squeeze time duration, given a small lifting value of 25 mm. These findings provide insights into optimizing tamping strategies to improve the stability and durability of railroad tracks.

A MODAL SHIFT, BUT HOW?

In this paper, we investigate the conditions that must be met for modal shift (i.e., the transfer of freight transport from road to rail). In addition to describing the competitiveness conditions, the paper makes technical and organizational proposals for rail freight traffic management. One of the most important conditions is that rail-road intermodal freight transport must be competitive in time and price with unimodal road freight transport. The freight transport model presented in this article provides a solution to this problem and an approach to estimating the additional intermodal freight traffic. Another important criterion is the relatively dense network of road-rail links, known as intermodal transshipment points (ITPs) along main railway lines. The proposed model can be compared to the freight transport model described in the term Physical Internet, with the addition that the objective is to minimize road haulage when locating ITPs (or hubs). ITPs are rail-road terminals or, more precisely, transshipment points, which differ substantially from the commonly used continental terminals. The third condition to be met is a horizontal container handling procedure that can be applied efficiently (i.e., at low cost) under the railway catenary and is capable of handling intermodal units used in continental traffic and maritime freight. Finally, an example for the Visegrád countries is presented. The essence of the example is the potential additional freight traffic or modal shift that could be included in the proposed ITP network. We believe that a modal shift could occur for up to 50% of the indicated heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic if the offer is competitive.

Dynamic measurements to assess stress levels on buried hydraulic structures

ABSTRACT Old masonry structures have a very special nature that require periodical inspection and evaluation programs. The problem becomes more sophisticated when dealing with vital buried hydraulic structures under continuous functional operation while bearing additional loads from running public services such as railways. This could add extra challenges for determining their structural performance and engineering characteristics if conventional methods are used. Moreover, traditional methods are sometimes costly, time consuming, and can lead to some damage to the structure. The importance of the current research is therefore providing a rapid methodology for evaluating these structures to confirm their current ability to resist operating loads safely, especially when subjected to aging. In this study, the evaluation depends mainly on analyzing the vibration acceleration response of a structure under dynamic loads. Insight into system identification using formal modal analysis was also conducted. Simultaneously, calibrated numerical model was then adopted to predict the expected level of internal stresses. An old masonry irrigation intake buried culvert underneath the main railway lines was selected for examination. The structure was firstly plugged from both sides and emptied, site inspection as well as core sampling of construction materials were conducted. Vibration time history was recorded due to train passage with different speeds. The filed measurements along with mathematical model were used to estimate the level of stresses among the structure. The results showed the ability of the proposed method to evaluate structures in an easy and rapid fashion compared to traditional methods without stopping serviceability of the structure.

Climate change resilience beyond the mainline railway: a review

The UK’s national railway network has evaluated climate change impacts, risks and adaptation solutions. This review establishes the case for greater attention to be given to the vulnerability of rail transport beyond the mainline network. By considering the resilience of high-speed rail, mass rapid transit systems and light rail transit systems, the overall resilience of journeys can be improved. To this end, this review establishes current knowledge, practice and policy relating to rail beyond the mainline and outlines the next steps to achieve resilience. By providing this overview of advances, challenges and opportunities, practitioners and academics alike will be stimulated to pursue further resilience.

Анализ состояния инфраструктуры систем сигнализации, централизации и блокировки Мурманского региона Октябрьской железной дороги

: Given the prospects for the future development of interstate transportation in the Northwest region and the positive experience of operating the St. Petersburg — Helsinki line, the article conducts an analysis of the state of signaling, centralization, and blocking systems on the main cross-border railway routes of the Oktyabrskaya Railway. The conducted analysis revealed that there are two most promising cross-border railway sections with direct access to the main railway line and the ports of the Barents and White Seas. From the Finnish side: the section from Alakurtti station to Ruchii Karelskiye station, which can potentially be extended to the nearest Finnish station, Salla (approximately 70-75 km). From the Norwegian side: the section from Nickel-Murmansk station to Kola station, with plans to extend it to the Norwegian station, Kirkenes (approximately 50-60 km). On these sections, there is a need for the modernization of signaling, centralization and blocking systems. Additionally, the article proposes a technical solution for the modernization of these systems, with simultaneous reduction in operational costs for their maintenance. The essence of the solution lies in the utilization of a microprocessor-based centralization system with a distributed control architecture, the principles of coordinate train traffic management, and the application of minimally-manned maintenance technologies for signaling, centralization and blocking devices.

Challenges of replacing train drivers in driverless and unattended railway mainline systems—A Swedish case study on delay logs descriptions

Currently, the challenges of driverless or unattended train operation have not been described in detail and are often grouped into one category. This paper contributes to filling a knowledge gap regarding the roles of the train driver about the potential use of automatic train operation (ATO) on high grade of automation (GoA) levels. The results contribute to a better understanding of the challenges with driverless or unattended train operation to support strategies on how to utilize ATO on a wider range of trains than is presently the case. We use the Swedish railway network as a case study and delay logs written by train dispatchers for 2019. Our research quantifies how often unplanned events occur in which the train driver is needed, and the role of the train driver in solving these problems. In addition to this we elaborate on existing GoA levels definitions and propose a revised model that highlights more aspects of the train drivers’ roles. We have identified six categories in which an action by the driver is required: Detect, Report, Inspect, Adjust, Manage passengers, and Respond to train orders. The study illustrates some of the challenges with driverless or unattended train operation, and points to the need to develop strategies not only for the driving aspects of ATO but also for the more general technical operational management of rolling stock in high GoA levels.

The regional economic impacts of the railway gauge muddle in Australia

ABSTRACT The mainline railways in Australia were initially built in three different gauges, with ‘breaks-of-gauge’ where passengers and goods transferred between them. This paper studies how the gauge situation affected regional development and the railway network in the 20th century. Regional breaks-of-gauge caused substantial local growth, with population and employment increasing by around 50% within a decade of them opening. However, these effects were unwound within two decades of a break-of-gauge being closed. There is little evidence of gauge segmentation causing different paces of regional development. The gauge muddle also appears to have limited the extent of the railway network.

Improvement of the demand planning system for freight transportation on the mainline railway transport

Object. Demand forecasting is a vital step for optimal organization resource planning. Many factors may influence the future volume and turnover of railway freight transportation. The quality of forecasts made by expert methods no longer meet the requirements of the time. The purpose of this article is to compare the accuracy of the forecasts by two different methods with the fact.
 Methods. This article uses theoretical research methods, such as auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and expert methods for forecasting and comparing the results using the percentage mean absolute error (MAPE) and mean absolute error (MAE).
 Findings. The results of the comparison show great promise for using time series analysis to improve the quality of the demand forecasts for railway freight transportation in Kazakhstan.
 Conclusions. Time series analysis can be introduced into the practice of the largest enterprises in Kazakhstan, including in the transportation industry. These techniques can significantly improve the efficiency of enterprises through better planning of their operations.

Research of frogs point wear resistance in various conditions for transportation systems: main-line railway and subway

The experience of operating switches shows that load-bearing elements fail for two main reasons: defects and wear. The percentage failure of elements due to one reason or another depends on the operating conditions in which they operate. In this case, the most worn elements of switches are pointers and point frogs and their service life is determined by the amount of tonnage passed through them before reaching the standard values of wear or the appearance defects. The article is devoted to the study of wear resistance of switches operated in various transport systems, namely, mainline transport and subways. The article considers the issues of predicting the standard service life cross elements of typical angles using operational studies for subway conditions and a new theoretical methodology based on the analysis of switches withdrawn from operation after they reach the standard wear values for mainline transport. For analytical calculations, the method of modeling the interaction process and graph-analytical methods were used. As a result of the study, the analytical equations predictive curves for the formation vertical wear as a function of the passed tonnage for the switches point frogs operated on lines of mainline railway transport and the Kyiv subway were established.

Comparative analysis of damages and defects in rails of different railway transport systems

This article provides an analysis of the accumulation of detected damages and defects in the rails of two transportation systems - urban (metro) and mainline railway transport. Summarizing the analysis conducted, it should be noted that defects according to figures 10 and 11 are more often encountered on the tracks of the Kyiv Metro. At the same time, defects according to figure 27 are more often encountered on the tracks of the mainline railway transport, and it is also worth noting a wider range of defects, the share of which does not exceed 5%. According to the authors, this is related to the peculiarities of the conditions for operating transportation systems, particularly the load on the axle of the moving equipment, the movement characteristics, and other operational parameters. In order to make more accurate conclusions, it is necessary to perform a number of works using mathematical modeling methods to take into account the influence of individual parameters on the accumulation of defects and damages in rails.

Diagnostics of the Deformation Resistance of the Track Bed in the Inter -Station Section Palárikovo - Nové Zámky - Track No. 1

Abstract The fundamental pillars of the emerging European integrated railway area include improving the safety of rail transport and the quality parameters of railway lines and ensuring their interoperability. As rail transport is one of the safest transport systems and the most environmentally friendly, the Slovak Railways (ŽSR) have developed strategic and investment plans to increase the competitiveness of rail transport in relation to other modes of transport. The current modernisation or reconstruction in the territory of the Slovak Republic focuses on the main railway lines that are part of significant European corridors (AGC, AGTC, TEN-T corridors). The inter-station section Palárikovo - Nové Zámky, the subject of the article, is a part of the European corridor No. IV, connecting Dresden with Arad and leading through the territory of the Slovak Republic. In this context, the article presents the analysis of the values of deformation characteristics on the reconstructed inter-station section Palárikovo - Nové Zámky, obtained verifying the quality of the implemented individual structural layers of the track bed.

Increasing the efficiency of using backline and private railway infrastructure in the conditions of the transportation market

Purpose. Improving the efficiency of interaction between enterprises that operate public and private railway infrastructure when performing cargo transportation and cargo operations. Methodology. The studies were carried out using the methods of the theory of railway operation and economic and mathematical modeling. Findings. The study found that the transition from a planned economy to a market economy along with increasing customer requirements for the composition and quality of transport services is an objective reason for an increase in carriage downtime at private sidings and junction stations, a shortage of track capacity and shunting locomotives. It is shown that the existing approaches to assessing the effectiveness of the interaction between train tracks of enterprises and mainline railways are aimed at improving the performance of the rolling stock and do not create incentives to solve the problem of the shortage of transfer and processing capacity of the railway infrastructure. Originality. The paper proposes an improved method for assessing the effectiveness of the interaction of participants in the transportation process when performing transportation and cargo operations on the private sidings of industrial enterprises, based on the time the infrastructure is occupied. This approach, unlike the existing one, encourages railways and industrial enterprises to jointly search for the best technological solutions for the use of public and private railway infrastructure. Practical value. The method proposed in the paper for assessing the interaction of participants in the transportation process makes it possible to separate station services in the tariff for the use of the railway infrastructure into separate services of service facilities and track access to them. This will create a competitive environment and encourage participants in the transportation process to use the existing railway infrastructure and develop a new one to obtain a synergistic effect more efficiently.