Regional Rail Research Articles

Influencing Factors of Employment Competitiveness in Relation to The Effects on Compensation of Higher Vocational Graduates Serving Regional Rail Transit Sectors

Influencing Factors of Employment Competitiveness in Relation to The Effects on Compensation of Higher Vocational Graduates Serving Regional Rail Transit Sectors

Comprehensive examination of regional railway passenger behavior and dwell time components: Insights from video-based observations in Victoria, Australia

In understudied regional railway operations, this study explores passenger boarding and alighting patterns and how station design impacts them, particularly dwell times. Despite extensive metropolitan and suburban train research, regional railways have been overlooked. This study investigates regional rail passenger flow and dwell time to bridge this gap. This article studies dwell times and passenger boarding and alighting at two regional stations in Victoria, Australia, using CCTV data. The objective is to identify insights that might improve regional railway services' efficiency and user experience and advocate for sector-specific solutions. Analysis indicates distinct station boarding and alighting features, highlighting the discovery of the ‘blinded phenomenon’ for train conductors particularly in the afternoon peak (PMP). The results of the study showed that PMP services, which prioritise alighting passengers, had higher dwell times than the morning peak (AMP) services, which emphasise boarding passengers. Obstructed views make it difficult for train conductors to monitor passenger alighting, prolonging dwell times. Better human resource strategies, artificial intelligence for crowd surveillance, and strategic CCTV system deployment to streamline operations and improve passenger experience on regional railways are proposed in the paper, laying the groundwork for future research and operational changes in this vital transportation sector.

Evolutionary game and system dynamics for analysis on stakeholder strategies of regional high-speed rail project in investment decision stage

This paper studies the strategic choices under the conflict among stakeholders of regional high-speed rail project at the investment decision stage in the context of the ‘high-speed rail controversy’. This study develops a tripartite evolutionary game model among the central government, the local government and China Railway, analyzes the evolutionary stability strategy, discusses the influence of multiple factors on the choice of tripartite strategy, and further calculates and analyzes the stability of the equilibrium point in the tripartite evolutionary game system. Then the dynamic change trend of strategy choice brought by the change of each factor is investigated through system dynamics simulation. The results show that the lower the intervention cost and reward to the other two parties, and the increase of the opportunity cost of non-intervention and punishment to the other two parties, the faster the convergence of the central government's choice of intervention strategy. The increase of the rewards and punishments, and the increase of negotiation profits, non-negotiation costs, and loss of reputation for non-negotiation, and the decrease in the negotiation costs and non-negotiation profits all contribute to the shortening of the convergence time of the local government's choice of negotiation strategy. The increase of the rewards and punishments, the increase of support profits, the loss of reputation for non-support, and the decrease of the profits for non-support and the extra cost for support will promote the convergence of China Railway's choice of the support strategy. Finally, the simulation results are discussed so as to target feasible coordination strategies, which provides a theory basis for the practice of conflict coordination among stakeholders of regional high-speed rail project at the investment decision stage.

Prospects for a Megacity Region Transition in Australia: A Preliminary Examination of Transport and Communication Drivers

Australian governments continue to search for a model capable of planning future urban settlements at an extended spatial scale (the mega-metropolitan region) to accommodate high population growth more sustainably. Attempts at decentralisation over the past half century have failed, as state capital cities continue to sprawl in an unsustainable manner and increase their primacy at the expense of regional cities. This paper examines how two technologies, broadband and fast rail—both infrastructures capable of re-shaping space–time relationships—could underpin a transition of Australia’s largest capital cities into megacity regions by functionally integrating regional cities into their core metropolitan agglomerations. With the Melbourne megacity region as a spatial framework, changes in population and economic development are examined for Melbourne and several regional cities in Victoria following the introduction of regional fast rail (RFR) and broadband. The impact of high-speed rail (HSR) for intercity corridors in southeast England is analysed as a possible analogue for future application in Victoria. The results revealed that RFR primarily served to extend capital city suburban development. Only HSR had the capacity to ‘punch through’ and boost growth for ‘basic’ new economy industries in ‘on-line’ urban centres in corridors linked to London. High-speed broadband proved most attractive to Melbourne’s agglomeration of high-skilled information workers. Lower speed broadband services were more uniformly taken up across all centres. This discussion speculates on the impacts of these and other green economy and digitalisation drivers on prospects for a future megacity region transition in Victoria.

Determinants of irregular demand for regional rail passenger services – case study of High Tatras in Slovakia

AbstractThe demand for public transport by tourists increases significantly in tourist-attractive destinations. This is in addition to regular passengers commuting to school and work. The level of irregular demand is influenced by several factors related to the characteristics of the day of the week, the period of the year, and the current weather. The main goal of the paper is to verify which factors most influence the irregular demand for transport in a tourist-attractive area to ensure operational planning of public passenger transport. Thanks to this, it is possible to ensure sufficient capacity and, at the same time, the efficiency of the operation of public passenger transport. The paper analyzes the main determinants of the irregular demand for regional public rail passenger transport in the High Tatras region of Slovakia. Multiple linear regressions were used to model the number of irregular passengers. The variables representing the day of the week, the attractiveness of the period, and the holiday were found to be the most significant. The variables describing the weather such as maximum daily temperature, precipitation, clouds, and wind had less influence. The obtained mathematical models for forecasting the irregular demand for public passenger transport can help optimize the timetable’s operational setting and the train sets’ size.

TRAM-TRAIN SYSTEM AS A POTENTIAL TRANSPORT SOLUTION FOR THE OLOMOUC REGION

The article is focused on the frequently discussed topic of suburban and regional railway system modernization comparing different approaches to consider by local authorities. To make a precedent and to better contribute to practical problems, a middle-sized city of Olomouc (Czechia) is chosen to demonstrate the upgraded regional transport system design with respect to the regional specifics and utilizing of the current railway and tramway infrastructure. With a new, innovative approach to the potential tram-train implementation in the Olomouc Region, the technical and operational features of the current tram-train systems and vehicles are analysed. By implementing the most suitable ones, the regional tram-train system proposal in the conditions of Olomouc may serve as a guide for similar planned systems in the countries with limited legislative and technical experience regarding the tram-train systems (especially in Central Europe), their suitability for the region, their design, and introduction. For the qualitative assessment of the different relevant approaches, a comparative analysis is used. As a result of the analysis, a tram-train system is recommended for the further transport planning stages as it significantly improves both urban and suburban public transport in the Olomouc Region by increasing their average speed and accessibility. For better financial and technical implementation, the project is divided into several stages. Unlike the already presented solutions, it combines shorter travel times of the regional rail and the populated area coverage reached by regional buses and serves as both an attractive and financially sane extension of a regional public transport system.

Modern vehicles for regional railways

The paper analyses the history of two-axle rail vehicles (rail buses) used for operation on regional lines in Czechoslovakia. It also shows trends in the development of modern light autonomous rolling stocks usable for passenger transport on unprofitable regional lines in Western Europe. The measures adopted in the transport policy of the Czech Republic for the period 2021–2027 for regional railway vehicles in the Czech Republic are presented. The final part of the paper presents the results of study of the concepts of a two-axle hybrid and electric rail buses and a conceptual design of a modular solution of a partially low-floor vehicle BEMU and HEMU for passenger regional rail transport. This paper shows that it is very problematic to create a light rail vehicle (LVR) that will be economical and environmentally friendly for regional transport and at the same time will meet the requirements of standards ČSN EN 12 663, category P2 and ČSN EN 15 227, category C I and will be friendly to road users.

From Rate Regulation to Financial Control: Accounting and Public Policy at the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1887–1933

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the Interstate Commerce Commission’s (ICC’s) application of accounting to achieve public policy goals for the U.S. railroad industry. The ICC began in 1887 with a mandate to ensure competition in the transportation industry, with rate oversight as one tool. During the Progressive Era, from 1901 to 1921, the ICC used accounting to ensure rate equity; a second implicit goal was to reduce the rail industry’s informational asymmetries to investors, morphing over time to ensuring a reasonable return to investors. In the 1920s, the ICC used accounting to reduce securities speculation, facilitate regional rail consolidation, and govern industry finance. This accounting-based model of regulation continued until the Great Depression of the 1930s, when new economic circumstances called into question the ICC’s ability to serve the most pressing public policy concerns. The technologies used by the ICC, however, continued to be exploited by other regulatory bodies.

Correction: Sustainable regional rail system pricing using a machine learning-based optimization approach

Correction: Sustainable regional rail system pricing using a machine learning-based optimization approach

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC ON RAIL TRANSPORT IN EUROPE

The aim of the study is to assess the scope of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the rail transport market in Europe. To this end, both the passenger and freight transport market were analysed. The period under study covers the years 2019-2022. The COVID-19 epidemic has affected all European countries; and this extends to the demand and supply side of all modes of transport, including rail transport. Restrictions implemented in various areas of economic activity caused Railways to lose a significant part of their passengers. In 2020, the number of passenger-kilometres decreased by an average of 48% compared to 2019. Countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom saw the biggest change (a decrease of 65%). With regard to the transport of cargo by rail, the scale of the restrictions was already significantly smaller. As a result, the volume of transport performance expressed in tonne-kilometres decreased in 2020 by 7% compared to 2019. The years 2021-2022 represent the end of the reconstruction of the railway market, where the number of passengers transported by rail and the rate of rail use increased significantly and widely. Countries such as Germany, Spain and France have taken initiatives to promote public transport, mainly railways. For the further development of rail transport, it is necessary to continuously improve the quality of services, reduce journey times, improve the accessibility of modern rolling stock and integrate rail with other regional, urban and suburban rail networks and other modes of transport.

A ridehailing access program for regional rail

Transit agencies and municipalities partner with ridehailing providers to establish programs that improve first/last mile connections, extend service areas, or provide service at times when transit does not operate. Though many agencies that have implemented these programs report success, there are still open questions about what types of programs best serve what types of communities and geographies. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in travel patterns and presented an opportunity for individuals to re-evaluate travel choices. As the pandemic wanes, we may observe longer-term changes in travel behaviors including the adoption of alternatives to driving alone. Introducing a new program at this time might spur more use than would have occurred if one of these things were to happen on its own. In this paper I use survey data collected in the City of Davis, California in the summer of 2020 to assess the expected use of planned shared use mobility programs to access regional rail for different types of travelers and trips; and whether and how the pandemic is relevant to those expectations. For those living in the Davis area, the programs would provide ridehailing and rideshare access to the Davis Amtrak station and the Capitol Corridor rail service that runs between Sacramento and San Jose, California. The majority of participants reported that they have an interest in the programs. The programs would likely increase the use of the train for non-commute travel.

Analysis on increasing energy efficiency in regional railways by the introduction of permanent magnet synchronous motors

Enhancing efficiency has become a fundamental requirement across contemporary technological endeavors aimed at energy conversion. The imperative lies in achieving global energy resource preservation objectives. Novel methods of energy utilization with heightened efficiency are progressively gaining traction, accompanied by the intricacies of refining existing technologies. This research undertakes an examination of the amplified energy efficiency within regional rail systems, achieved through the adoption of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) as primary electric propulsion systems, particularly when juxtaposed with induction motors. Delving into the theoretical engineering attributes of PMSMs, coupled with the establishment of dynamic motion characteristics and comprehensive simulations, offers a pathway to amassing empirical insights pertaining to efficiency studies.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Sustainable regional rail system pricing using a machine learning-based optimization approach

AbstractRegional transport pricing is indeed very vital in urban settings where the transportation network is spread out across large areas and can influence travel behavior and the sustainability of cities. Therefore, in addition to existing pricing systems, such as flat fare, distance-based fare, and zonal pricing, this study proposes a sustainable approach to regional rail system pricing using rent prices and a transportation affordability index. The proposed model aims to reduce commuters' overall travel distance in order to reduce air pollution and maintenance costs for public transportation vehicles. Rent-based pricing encourages people to rent houses in regions that shorten their travel distances and fill a gap in the literature on regional rail system pricing by dealing with the decentralization of the cities. A two-step clustering and non-linear optimization modeling approach are proposed based on face-to-face surveys with regional rail system passengers. For various clusters of stations, rent per income rates and rental-based ticket prices were obtained. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate different conditions of the affordability index and rent prices in the studied regions. Compared to the current pricing system, ticket revenues increased by 3.88% and 1.68% in rent-based pricing.

Pathways to integrating paratransit and formal public transport: Case studies from Tshwane, South Africa

At its core public transport integration is about the collaboration of actors. Collaboration is elusive and difficult to achieve, especially in developing countries where insufficient regulation and dispersed, quasi-formal public transport operations are common. Asymmetries in information and objectives between paratransit and formal sector actors create barriers and may prevent synergies from emerging. A simplified framework for assessing the collaboration of actors during the implementation of integrated public transport projects is proposed. The position of the framework is that it is critical to identify actors’ objectives and barriers to collaboration, and then to action decisions to remove these barriers and achieve objectives at every step of the STO (Strategic Tactical Operational) decision-making process to maintain structural and horizontal consistency. The framework is tested ex-post on two public transport integration projects in Tshwane, South Africa: the Gautrain regional rapid rail and A Re Yeng Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), both of which are supported by paratransit feeders. The case study shows how collaboration is achieved when all the key actors' objectives and barriers are understood, planned for and implemented across the STO levels and how failure to do so can lead to failed integration outcomes. The framework may be useful to authorities pursuing collaboration with paratransit for the purposes of implementing integrated public transport in the Global South.

Factors affecting state railway of Thailand (SRT) passenger train service use decision: A structural equation model

The State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) rail passenger ridership has dropped from a peak of 88 million rides in 1994 to less than 23 million in 2022, with the reasons for this collapse being numerous. Therefore, the authors set out to examine how organizational image (OI), service quality (SQ), service motivation (SM), and service satisfaction (SS) affect SRT use decision (SUD) making. From August–October 2022, multiple-stage random sampling was used to select a sample of 1,250 SRT passengers from five regional rail lines and their associated 25 stations. A confirmatory factor analysis goodness-of-fit was used to confirm the model's fit. A structural equation model (SEM) using LISREL 9.10 was then used to analyze the ten hypothesized relationships. The quantitative research used a 5-level questionnaire to measure the study's five constructs and 22 observed variables. The reliability of the items ranged from 0.86 to 0.93. The data analysis included calculating various statistical measures. Results showed that the model's causal variables positively affected passenger SRT use decision, with an R2 of 71%. When ranked by total effect (TE) values, service quality (SQ = 0.89) was viewed by the surveyed passengers as most important, followed by service satisfaction (SS = 0.67), organizational image (OI = 0.63), and service motivation (SM = 0.53). Additionally, all ten hypotheses were supported, with service satisfaction judged the most essential to SRT Use Decisions. The study's novelty is the ever-growing requirement for the SRT to serve as a regional hub in a more extensive East Asian rail and infrastructure strategy. The paper contributes significantly to the academic literature on factors affecting rail transportation use intent.

State of the BART: Analyzing the Determinants of Bay Area Rapid Transit Use in the 2010s

Peaking on public transit—the concentration of ridership in peak times and directions into and out of central areas—has waxed in the U.S. over the past century, as public transit has lost more mode share at off-peak times, in off-peak directions, and among non-commute trips. A notable pre-pandemic manifestation of this chronic problem was on Bay Area Rapid Transit, the San Francisco Bay Area’s regional heavy rail system. While BART staved off an absolute ridership decline longer than most American transit operators in the mid- and late-2010s, it did so almost entirely due to peak gains in riders offsetting off-peak losses. As a result, the system experienced worsening passenger crowding at some times and places, expanding underutilization of capacity at many others, and the prospect of enormous expenditures to accommodate rising transbay passenger demand. To examine the factors driving transit use in the 2010s, we model peak and off-peak BART trips as a function of station area and system characteristics. We uniquely use origin–destination pairs as the unit of analysis in order to separately measure influences at both ends of the trip. We find that transfers and travel time most influence peak and off-peak BART ridership and that station-area employment and time-competitiveness with driving particularly influence peak patronage. Over time in our models, the associations between ridership and transit travel time weakened, while the associations between ridership and transfers, employment, and time-competitiveness with driving grew stronger. In sum, we find that the peaking problem plaguing public transit systems for decades worsened in the years leading up to the pandemic—on this one nationally significant U.S. transit system, at least—which poses potentially substantial financial challenges in the years ahead.

Polish railways from the perspective of the European Green Deal

In January 2020 the European Parliament approved a resolution on the Green Deal, which aims to ensure that the EU achieves climate neutrality by 2050. Crucial to achieving the strategy’s goals is sustainable and green mobility. Rail transport as the most sustainable mode of transport is an important factor in achieving these changes.This article presents a synthetic diagnosis of the position of railways on the passenger transport market in Poland, in the context of the Green Deal assumptions. The essential analysis was preceded by a discussion of the structure of external transport costs, which is one of the determinants of the Green Deal. Trends in passenger transport were then identified and attention was paid to the shift of inter-industry relations in favour of rail transport. An analysis of the structure of regional and agglomeration rail transport was also carried out. Developments in this market area show a revitalisation of agglomeration rail links, which fits in with the sustainable mobility strategy.

Efficient Deployment of Dual Locomotives in Regional Freight Rail Transport

The present article focuses on the efficient deployment of dual locomotives in regional rail freight transport considering the quantification of traction energy and energy savings. In the first part of the article, a categorization of dual locomotives, according to their power output in electric and alternative traction (and ratio of both power outputs) is proposed. The potential of deployment of chosen dual locomotives in Central European conditions (a sub-network of Czech railway network around mainlines electrified with AC) is verified by calculation of traction energy consumption of the model train (with two examples of dual locomotives). In addition to non-stop running through the entire line, traction energy consumption of stop (and following acceleration) in each intermediate station is calculated, for a particular direction. Then, appropriate freight train paths for passing passenger trains and saving of traction energy are proposed. The results are supplemented by sensitivity analysis in the form of calculation of traction energy consumption with variable numbers of loaded wagons, with the help of iPLAN/FBS timetabling software. The limitations are the maximum length or gross mass of the train. Finally, the conclusions obtained from the computational examples are evaluated and recommendations for appropriate deployment of dual locomotives and planning of targeted improvements of infrastructure are formulated.

Causal analysis of the interinfluence of workforce productivity and rail freight intensity in the regions of the Ural Federal District

Relevance. The development of the railway industry has a significant positive impact on socio-economic dynamics at both the state and regional levels, which has been confirmed by numerous domestic and foreign studies. However, the issue of mutual influence of such categories as regional labour productivity and rail freight intensity has been little studied. At the same time, the most important task today is to find effective icentives for the growth of regional labour productivity. Research Objective. This study aims to econometric analysis of the relationship between rail freight intensity and workforce productivity in the Ural Federal District (UFD). Data and Methods. The study uses official statistical data on Russian regions provided by the Federal State Statistics Service. The methods of Vector Error Correction Models (VECM) and pooled mean group estimates (PMG method) formed the methodological basis of the study. Results. The study has shown that there is a relationship between workforce productivity and rail freight intensity. At that point, in a short-term period growth of rail freight intensity leads to an increase in workforce productivity, which in a long-term period itself becomes an incentive to increase the shipped commodity mass and rail freight intensity. Conclusions. The findings can be of interest to public authorities at the national and regional levels, for heads of industrial structures and functional institutions, representatives of business and scientific communities interested in the development and modernization of transport infrastructure, being a basic condition for the increased intensity of cargo transportation in the region.

Modelling and analysis of virtual coupling for increasing service performance in the case of single-track rail lines

Smart and green mobility systems are key factors for the sustainability of our cities which are experiencing increasingly growing density conditions. The goal is to make public and sharing transport systems more attractive than private vehicles, thus reducing congestion levels as well as air and noise pollution in favour of the quality of life in our urban and suburban areas. In this context, the proposed paper presents a simulation-based methodology for increasing the efficiency level of railway operations, through the implementation of virtual coupling systems, intending to lead the modal split towards a more sustainable scenario. To show the feasibility of the proposed approach, it has been applied in the case of a real regional rail line. Results confirm the benefits of the adoption of such systems on the attractiveness levels by showing an increase in carrying capacity with a related reduction in user waiting times.