Railway Services Research Articles

Means of Transport and Population Distribution in Metropolitan Areas: An Evolutionary Analysis of the Valencia Metropolitan Area

The purpose of this research is to find out how transport modes shape the configuration of a metropolitan area in terms of population. Evolutionary analysis is undertaken to ascertain the impact of mobility on population distribution over a number of stages. The case study analysis puts the spotlight on the Valencia Metropolitan Area (Spain) over a long period of time, from 1900 to 2021. The research focuses on quantification, first in terms of how different means of transport affect population distribution, and subsequently, on the time gap between the emergence of a means of transport and its potential in distributing the population. Results show that the prevalence of the means of transport in structuring a metropolitan area has varied over time. At first, trains and trams played a major role in shaping the urban area while, in more recent eras, cars have remodelled the urban space. It was found that municipalities which did not have a railway service had very low, or even negative, increases in population until 1981. By contrast, since then, they have outstripped the increases in municipalities with rail connections. The time gap between the emergence of a means of transport and its potential to distribute the population is quantified in terms of decades. Automobiles took less time than trains and trams to have an impact on population distribution. These results can be understood as an indicator of the length of time needed to change previous dynamics and can be used to guide new policies in the field.

Influence of the deformed state of a road bridge on operational safety

The article deals with the issues of vehicle traffic safety on artificial constructions. Ensuring safety in the field of rail transport is an essential element in the activities of all subjects of the market of railway services, including passenger carriers. To fully study the issues of the deformed state of beam superstructures, it is necessary to conduct static and dynamic tests. Before the start of the tests, it is mandatory to check the technical condition of the artificial structure: 1) visual inspection, special checks with verification of necessary parameters; 2) carrying out control linear measurements; 3) selective determination of concrete strength by non-destructive methods. First, the static tests is conducted to determine the total deformations of each beam of the superstructure at the control point with maximum deformations of ½ L. Then dynamic tests with determination of periods of natural oscillations and deformations (stresses). Processing of the results of surveys and tests of the overpass with an assessment of the possibility of passing design loads on the road bridge, after which a dynamic passport of the transport structure is compiled. The study of the stressed state of vehicles gives a clear idea of the causes of deformations in the structural elements when analyzing the work of the span of the automobile bridge in conditions of increasing axial loads and traffic flow speeds. Deformation processes lead to defects, structural failures and accidents on the vehicle, which leads to premature wear, material damage and environmental damage. Periodic measurements of deformations (stresses) of the superstructure structure over several years will make it possible to predict changes in its condition over time and determine the remaining resource in terms of load-bearing capacity and load capacity. As a result of experimental studies, it was proved that the presented technique, developed in the classical version for detecting structural defects between a single-layer coating and a base of various types, can also work effectively in the case of non-destructive testing of multilayer structures

Estimating aggregate railway performance from realized empirical data: Literature review, a test case and a research roadmap

Railway operations are organized according to a complex interplay of resources and according to a rigid time separation of train runs over infrastructure elements. The system dynamics are complex, and span in time and space. We use in this work the concepts of macroscopic fundamental diagrams, or more in general the analysis in a density-flow-speed diagram, to analyse and describe realized railway operations.Specifically, we review the state of the art in aggregated models of railway performance. We illustrate a possible application by means of a test case. We consider realized railway operations, aggregated on a railway line with heterogeneous traffic, as measured in a set of stations. We use a density-flow-speed diagram to represent the recorded operations, similar to the concepts of macroscopic fundamental diagram or network fundamental diagram. In this sense, it is a first try to estimate a macroscopic relationship, from realized data based on heterogeneous railway services with different stopping patterns.The analyses show the challenges of aggregate operations for different railway stretches, from realized data. We report what is the influence of delays, represented in those diagrams by a shift of the operating point. Future promising directions of research are concluded from the analysis.

Effects of Railway Market Liberalisation: European Union Perspective

Network activities are an essential part of the economy. They represent services of general economic interest and include electronic communication, electricity, postal and railway services. At the end of the 1980s, the European Commission brought forward legislative proposals to open the monopolistic service markets of general economic interest. In that way, states would prepare the legislation to liberalise services, and state-owned monopolistic enterprises would adapt to the new conditions in the market. State-owned railway companies were megalomanic, exerting a triple role of managing the railway infrastructure and service facilities and providing railway transport services. In the early 1990s, the European Union (EU) adopted new legislation that would open the railway freight transport market. This initiated a new era of the railway. Separation of the functions within state own monopolistic companies into infrastructure management and railway undertakings quickly became a reality, paving the way for new railway freight operators. EU directives are implemented differently throughout the EU, which leads to various solutions. We have analysed various scientific and professional sources to understand better different correlations between the traffic parameters of the railway freight transport market. The key parameters were: (1) number of new undertakings, (2) ton-kilometres, (3) infrastructure charges and (4) quantity of transported goods. This paper researches the current state of the railway freight transport market and aims to define the shortcomings in the analyses of the impact of railway liberalisation on freight transport. Our research pointed out the need for seeing a broader picture of state interventions and infrastructure manager independence in the context of preventing market marginalisation. In addition, we have concluded that a number of the new undertakings is not a crucial parameter for understanding the railway freight transport market.

Parallel Redundancy Protocol for Railway Wireless Data Communication Network

In order to solve the problem that the railway application services have strict requirements on the reliability, delay, and other indicators of mobile data communication, a parallel redundancy protocol for the railway wireless data communication network is proposed. By introducing a redundancy adaptation layer into the standard TCP/IP model, multi-link parallel data transmission is realized and transparent to the network layer and above. Transmitting multiple copies of the same packet through different paths makes the application systems have redundant communication capability without changing the existing data transmission mode. At the same time, according to the requirements of the receiving entity for redundant data elimination, an improved Bloom filter is proposed. By expanding the bit array and using the countdown mechanism, the elements in the data set can be dynamically inserted, deleted, and retrieved over time. Theoretical analysis and test results show that the proposed protocol can meet the requirements of data transmission between the on-board and trackside equipment and has the characteristics of simple deployment, high reliability, and high stability. Compared to using a single transmission link, the packet loss rate from field test can be reduced by 39.67% at the maximum, and the throughput and end-to-end data transmission delay are also significantly improved. The test in this paper also shows that the additional delay introduced is a maximum of 5.07 μs, which will not significantly affect the data transmission performance.

Demand-driven train timetabling for air and intercity high-speed rail synchronization service

ABSTRACT Synchronizing air and intercity high-speed railway (A-IHSR) services has recently been developing vigorously. Train timetables are critical for improving A-IHSR synchronization. This paper proposes a method to optimize intercity high-speed railway (IHSR) timetables based on the dynamic passenger demand of the A-IHSR. An integer non-linear programming (INLP) model is formulated to minimize the passenger waiting time, in which rigorous train capacity, oversaturation situation, and skip-stop are also taken into consideration. We also extend the train timetabling model by considering the synchronization events of flight-train and the train circulation plan. Then, this model is reformulated as a relaxed non-linear programming (NLP) model. . A multimodal nomad algorithm (MNA) is proposed to solve it. The train circulation plan solves by the Gurobi solver. A numerical experiment based on data of the operation of the Jinnan–Binzhou HSR is implemented to demonstrate the efficiency and performance of our proposed model and algorithm.

Analisis Kualitas Pelayanan PT Kereta Api Divre Ii Sumbar Rute Padang – Pariaman

This study aims to analyze the effect of service quality on community satisfaction of users of the West Sumatra Divre 2 Railroad service on the Padang - Pariaman route. Can be seen from the 5 service quality indicators, namely 1) tangible 2) reliability 3) responsive 4) assurance 5) Empathy. This type of research is a descriptive study using a quantitative approach that uses primary data as research data and was obtained from a questionnaire filled out by the community users of the West Sumatra Divre 2 Railroad service, specifically the Padang - Pariaman route. The sample of this research is 100 people or users of the Railroad service. The sampling technique used is probability sampling using accidental sampling method. The data analysis technique used is descriptive analysis and GAP analysis (gap or difference between perception and expectations) using Cartesian diagrams. The results of the analysis show that the five indicators of service quality in PT KeretaApiDivre 2 West Sumatra - Padang route Pariaman are in both categories in terms of perception and expectations of service users. Providers of the results of the analysis with the importance of matrix performance and Cartesian diagrams of all indicators in the table of recipient or service user satisfaction index. The results showed that the quality of service at PT KeretaApiDivre 2 West Sumatra route Padang - Pariaman has provided good service to the people who use Railroad services. Therefore, it is suggested to PT KeretaApi to continue to improve the quality of service to the community of Train users.

Improving the Quality of Offered Railway Services through the Implementation of New Rolling Stock

Railway transport, through its socio-economic benefits, contributes to territorial cohesion. Via railway, the main transport corridors of each country connect the main cities with the peripheral regions and territories. Rail transport in Bulgaria is often hampered by outdated business and operational practices and the presence of obsolete infrastructure and rolling stock. These obstacles can be overcome by reducing operating costs which, along with accelerating innovation, will allow rail transport to reach its full potential, while ensuring the functioning of the internal market and improving safety and security. That is precisely why the railway sector needs to be further stimulated to be more appealing to passengers by investing in new infrastructure and rolling stock. The main object of the study is the quality of the transport service offered by BDZ “Passenger Transport”. A SWOT analysis is presented, and the main problems that worsen transport services and discourage passengers from using rail transport are identified. The main purpose of the article is to outline the prospects for the development of railway transport by the implementation of new rolling stock.

Competitive tendering for rail track capacity: The liberalization of railway services in Spain

Congestion in infrastructure capacity is a barrier to entry to markets under liberalization. The Spanish rail infrastructure manager, ADIF AV, has implemented an innovative model to reduce such a barrier. ADIF AV optimized capacity by defining the schedule with the most efficient use of tracks, building packages with such track capacity and putting them for tender. Three railway undertakings, the incumbent and two newcomers, will compete in the high-speed market, increasing at least 55% the number of services. This model can be exported to other countries reforming the rail sector.

Learning-based dynamic ticket pricing for passenger railway service providers

This article proposes a data-driven ticket dynamic pricing methodology for passenger railway service providers. There is a finite purchasing horizon, and the ticket prices should be set under varying conditions to affect the customer booking behaviour. A three-step process including machine learning and optimization tools is employed to maximize the revenue under a constrained train capacity. First, a multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP-ANN) model is proposed to predict the demand intensity due to seasonal situations using the ticket reservation data. Then, some regression models as price elasticity functions are used to quantify the effects of price, seasonal conditions and competition on the company’s sales. Finally, a nonlinear integer programming model is proposed to maximize the total revenue in the purchasing horizon. The results of the numerical studies on the Fadak Five-Star Trains’ reservation data indicate that the proposed methodology has high-grade potential to improve the service provider’s revenue.

Heterogeneity in Personal Attitudes and Preferences for High-Speed Metropolitan Railway Service by Travel Contexts in South Korea: A Hybrid Choice Modeling Approach

High-speed metropolitan railway services have been introduced in several mega cities to solve traffic problems stemming from urban sprawl. The success of such huge public transportation projects depends on how to design them more attractively based on profound insight into people’s preferences in the context of travel mode choice. Although many previous studies have investigated factors affecting the preferences for high-speed metropolitan railway services in general, possible heterogeneity in the preferences by different travel contexts tends to be largely ignored. In addition, the effects of personal latent attitudes toward travel mode choice have not been investigated thoroughly in the context of using high-speed metropolitan railway services. Incorporating such latent attitudes in mode choice analysis is helpful for better understanding the motivation of choosing a travel mode. The present study investigates people’s preferences for high-speed metropolitan railway service and their heterogeneity by different travel contexts using stated choice data. In addition, the hybrid choice modeling approach is employed to identify simultaneously the relevant latent attitudes and their effects on the preference for high-speed metropolitan railway service. The data collection was conducted in 2021, with respect to the great train express (GTX) project of the Seoul metropolitan area. The estimation results suggest that the latent attitudes about risk-minimizing and comfort-seeking have different effects on people’s intention to use GTX according to travel contexts. Moreover, the difference in sensitivity to the attributes of GTX exists depending on the travel contexts.

Risk identification methodology regarding the safety and quality of railway services

Abstract The paper deals with the implementation of a modified FMEA methodology according to the EU Commission Regulation no. 402/13 on a common safety method for risk assessment and evaluation in the railway sector. The basic goal is to create a methodology for risk identification regarding the safety of services in railway transport concerning railway crossings. Reason for this research was the fact that the manager of the railway infrastructure in Slovakia has problems related to accidents at railway crossings including problems with the quality of services when trains are delayed. Based on previous research, this area has been defined as a priority for risk identification. Accidents at level crossings are often the result of complex interactions between several factors. The results of the authors’ long-term research bring direct impact on the safety and quality of rail transport services. The first effect of the research is a detailed investigation of the causes of accidents, on which the new methodology is based. This is important because understanding the causes of accidents is the first step in eliminating them. The proposed new framework of the methodology provides guidance to the railway infrastructure manager on how to identify, analyze, evaluate and eliminate the risks of their effects.

Contemporary Problems of Tariff (Price) Regulation of Transport Services on Non-Public Railway Tracks

Rail transport cannot be considered without non-public railway tracks and their operations, if we based on the technological point of view. The cargo railway service’s market, in the same time, amount a unified whole with the enterprises of industrial transport. The large portion of cargo’s flow usually is forming on the non-public railway tracks and is processed on the same tracks after arriving. Regulation of haulage services of rail transport enterprises – first of all, tariff (price) regulation – in it’s development have congealed on the level of the middle 1990s. The legislative power has no interest in it, and executive and judicial branches of power both have conservative observations about this question, which making situation worsen. Some of contemporary problems are represented in this article.

Proposed Hybrid model for Sentiment Classification using CovNet-DualLSTM Techniques

The fast growth of Internet and social media has resulted in a significant quantity of texts based review that is posted on the platforms like social media. In the age of social media, analyzing the emotional context of comments using machine learning technology helps in understanding of QoS for any product or service. Analysis and classification of user’s review helps in improving the QoS (Quality of Services). Machine Learning techniques have evolved as a great tool for performing sentiment analysis of user’s. In contrast to traditional classification models. Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) has obtained substantial outcomes and Convolution Neural Network (CNN) has shown promising outcomes in sentiment classification. CNN can successfully retrieve local information by utilizing convolutions and pooling layers. BiLSTM employs dual LSTM orientations for increasing the background knowledge accessible to deep learning based models. The hybrid model proposed here is to utilize the advantages of these two deep learning based models. Tweets of users for reviews of Indian Railway Services have been used as data source for analysis and classification. Keras Embedding technique is used as input source to the proposed hybrid model. The proposed model receives inputs and generates features with lower dimensions which generate a classification result. The performance of proposed hybrid model was compared using Keras and Word2Vec and observed effective improvement in the response of the proposed model with an accuracy of 95.19%.

Estimating the Benefits of Korea’s Intercity Rail Speed Increase Project: An Agent-Based Model Approach

In the cost–benefit analysis of urban transportation investment, a logsum-based benefit calculation is widely used. However, it is rarely applied to inter-regional transportation. In this study, we applied a logsum-based approach to the calculation of benefits for high-speed projects for inter-regional railways in Korea’s long-term transportation plan. Moreover, we applied a behavioral model in which an agent travels beyond the zones assumed by an aggregate model. In the case of South Korea, such a model is important for determining transportation priorities: whether to specialize in mobility improvement by investing in a high-speed railway project, such as the 300 km/h Korea Train eXpress (KTX), or to improve existing facilities, such as by building a relatively slower railroad (150–250 km/h) to enhance existing mobility and accessibility. In this context, if a new, relatively slow railroad were constructed adjacent to a high-speed railroad, the benefits would be negligible since the reduction in travel time would not sufficiently reflect accessibility improvements. Therefore, this study proposes the use of aggregate and agent-based models to evaluate projects to improve intercity railway service and conduct a case study with the proposed new methodology. A logsum was selected to account for the benefits of passenger cars on semi-high-speed and high-speed railroads simultaneously since it has been widely used to estimate the benefits of new modes or relatively slow modes. To calculate the logsum, this study used input data from both the aggregate and individual agent-based models, and found that an analysis of the feasibility of inter-regional railroad investment was possible. Moreover, the agent-based model can also be applied to inter-regional analysis. The proposed methods are expected to enable a more comprehensive evaluation of the transport system. In the case of the agent-based model, it is suggested that further studies undertake more detailed scenario analysis and travel time estimation.

Fixed-Route vs. Demand-Responsive Transport Feeder Services: An Exploratory Study Using an Agent-Based Model

Feeder transport services are fundamental as first and last-mile connectors of mass rapid transit (MRT). They are especially beneficial in low-demand areas where private transport is usually the main transport mode. Besides, the rapid spread of new technologies such as vehicle automation and the shared mobility paradigm gave rise to new mobility-on-demand modes that can dynamically match demand with service supply. In this context, the new generation of real-time demand-responsive transport services can act as on-demand feeders of MRT, but their performance needs to be compared with conventional fixed-route fixed-schedule feeders. This article aims at presenting an agent-based model able to simulate different feeder services and explore the conditions that make a demand-responsive feeder (DRF) service more or less attractive than a fixed-route fixed-schedule feeder (FRF). The parametric simulation environment creates realistic constraints and parameters that are usually not included in analytical models because of high computational complexity. First, we identified the critical demand density representing a switching point between the two services. Once the demand density is fixed, exploratory scenarios are tested by changing the demand spatial distribution and patterns, service area, and service configurations. Main results suggest that the DRF is to be preferred when the demand is spatially concentrated close to the MRT station (e.g., in a TOD-like land-use area) or when station spacing is quite high (e.g., a regional railway service), whereas the FRF performs better when the demand is mainly originated at the MRT station to any other destinations in the service area (e.g., during peak hours). Besides, automated vehicles could play a role in reducing the operator cost if the service is performed with many small vehicles rather than higher-capacity vehicles, even if this would not imply a major benefit gain for the users.

Study of wear performance of wheel and rail steels under dry sliding conditions

The demand for efficient railway services has significantly increased in the past years due to an increased demand for the high-speed transportation of goods with high loads. The increase in loads and velocities has resulted in increased problems associated with rolling contact fatigue (RCF), rolling and sliding wear on the wheel and rail materials causing a reduction of service life of wheel/rail systems. Rail operating companies spend significant funds in maintenance and replacing damaged rails and wheels caused by wear. In addition, unscheduled maintenance due to wear and RCF often lead to poor availability of railway networks. For this study, dry sliding wear was investigated on wheel and rail steels using RTEC Multi-Function Tribometer. The results demonstrated that the rig was successful in simulating sliding wear, and that the fractions of the wear components could be varied, and it also provided instrumentation. Information on coefficient of friction against sliding distance and applied force were obtained which were used to compare sliding wear performance of both wheel and rail steels. The wheel was found to perform better than the rail under the same conditions due to its high initial hardness values and smaller interlamellar spacing.

Digitalization of railway service with the use of post-covid-19 events

Every year there is a digitalization of transport systems where it is discussed how stations will play an important role in the digital railway revolution and highlights a project that aims to accelerate the adoption of new technologies. The world of transport is undergoing a digital revolution and railway stations may be a key platform for the implementation of new innovations. A project undertaken by the transport is seeking to accelerate the adoption of new technologies in this space. New technologies, an increased focus on integrated travel solutions and the need to maximise capacity across the rail network to cope with demand, is placing a new emphasis on innovation in railway stations. Every year, billions of people travel by rail around the world. But as passenger numbers continue to grow, and the expectations of passengers continue to be more demanding, the pressure on rail organisations to deliver high-quality passenger journeys increases. Transport for Wales (TfW) has today launched its new smartphone app, providing enhanced features and, for the first time, a bilingual service. Passenger rail has been one of the most impacted sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic, suffering a catastophic decrease in passenger numbers since March 2020

Development of railway services and financial regulation in market conditions

The financial regulation of transportation services turns to be crucial for each economy. In a long–term perspective Mr. Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” ideally provides for this regulation. However, the analysis proves that on the mid–term horizon the basic supply and demand rules do not work properly and cyclically may lead either to a proficit or a deficit of the required amount of rolling stock. To smooth out these extremes, the state financial regulation of railway operators is required. This article considers one of the crucial elements of state financial regulation – tax incentives for active investors – and provides for the new ideas in fiscal stimulation for railway operators in Russia. These ideas can be widely used in various countries all over the world to reduce negative consequences of macroeconomic cyclical extremes.

Progressive Tendering of Regional Railway Services

Progressive Tendering of Regional Railway Services