Suburban Rail Research Articles

Improving the catchment area identification for suburban railway stations by incorporating whole-journey-based mode choices and unevenly distributed population

Suburban railways have emerged as a predominant transport mode for suburbanization development in megacities. Enhancing transit-oriented development (TOD) in the catchment area of suburban railway stations is an essential strategy. To improve the catchment area identification, we proposed a method for delineating the catchment areas of suburban railway stations from the whole journey perspective and under a multi-mode access travel system. The grey distance delay (GDD) model was constructed to determine the catchment area. A case study was used to illustrate the applicability and advantages of our proposed method in metropolitan areas worldwide. The results indicated that the acceptable access distances vary greatly across access travel modes and are affected by the main travel in the suburban railway at the same time. The range of the catchment areas of bicycle and bus is larger than that of urban rail transit, and the strength of attraction of bicycle and bus shows a trend of increasing at first and then decreasing. Each access travel mode has its competitive advantage area, and these travel modes jointly serve the access trip within the suburban rail catchment area through a competition and cooperation relationship. These findings are able to enhance the identification of the catchment area and provide insights for suburban TOD and transport planning.

Effect of geographical parameters on PM10 pollution in European landscapes: a machine learning algorithm-based analysis

BackgroundPM10, comprising particles with diameters of 10 µm or less, has been identified as a significant environmental pollutant associated with adverse health outcomes in European cities. Understanding the temporal variation of the relationship between PM10 and geographical parameters is crucial for sustainable land use planning and air quality management in European landscapes. This study utilizes Conditional Inference Forest modeling and partial correlation to examine the impact of geographical factors on monthly average concentrations of PM10 in European suburban and urban landscapes during heating and cooling periods. The investigation focuses on two buffer zones (1000 m and 3000 m circle radiuses) surrounding 1216 European air quality monitoring stations.ResultsResults reveal importance and significant correlations between various geographical variables (soil texture, land use, transportation network, and meteorological) and PM10 quality on a continental scale. In suburban landscapes, soil texture, temperature, roads, and rail density play pivotal roles, while meteorological variables, particularly monthly average temperature and wind speed, dominate in urban landscapes. Urban sites exhibit higher R-squared values during both cooling (0.41) and heating periods (0.61) compared to suburban sites (cooling period R-squared: 0.39; heating period: R-squared: 0.51), indicating better predictive performance likely attributed to the less heterogeneous land use patterns surrounding urban PM10 monitoring sites.ConclusionThe study underscores the importance of investigating spatial and temporal dynamics of geographical factors for accurate PM10 air quality prediction models in European urban and suburban landscapes. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and environmental scientists, guiding efforts toward sustainable and healthier urban environments.

Externalities from the confinement of a railway: Analysis of the barrier effect

In this paper, we present a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach to analyse the multiple dimensions of the barrier effect caused by the removal of all at-level pedestrian crossings on a railway in a residential area of Santiago, Chile, as part of a new suburban rail service. A set of interviews with a wide range of stakeholders is followed by a quantitative analysis of time delays and extra discomfort for pedestrians, as we measure both the horizontal and vertical detours on walking distance and time, due to having to cross on pedestrian overpasses and underpasses. We find that (i) the new suburban rail service is a source of social inclusion on a metropolitan scale (accessibility gains) and of social exclusion on a more local scale, due to a barrier effect (ii) the confinement of the railway produces strong negative impacts on pedestrians that need to cross the railway, by increasing walking times and by worsening their perception of security and comfort (iii) underpasses and overpasses increase between twofold and fourfold the time needed to cross the railway on average, relative to the case of at-level crossings, (iv) taking into account the increased physical burden and insecurity perceived on overpasses and underpasses, weighted walking times increase up to ten times relative to at-level crossing, and (v) women, elderly people and pedestrians with heavy luggage are more affected by the increased walking time. Traditional methods employed to analyse large-scale transport projects should assess the negative implications of the barrier effect on local communities, as well as the relief measures designed to reduce local segregation, especially in vulnerable communities. The results of this study are useful to quantify the social value of such relief measures, particularly in highly unequal urban settings.

Field measurements of aerodynamic pressures induced by suburban rail transit train passing through double-track tunnel with mid-partition wall

ABSTRACT Suburban rail lines, which provide fast connections between city centre and the surrounding suburbs, are attracting more and more attention from cities. As a train passes through the tunnel quickly, it tends to produce significant aerodynamic effects. In this study, a series of field measurement experiments were carried out in two tunnels with the mid-partition wall. The influence of train speed and tunnel length on the aerodynamic pressure was analysed. The aerodynamic pressure in adjacent tunnel was also discussed. Furthermore, the attenuation law and coefficient of aerodynamic pressure in tunnels with mid-partition walls were discussed. On this basis, a theoretical calculation model for predicting the peak positive pressure inside tunnels with different lengths and attenuation characteristics was established. The results show that the tunnel length not only affects the amplitude of the pressure, but also significantly affects the distribution trend of the pressure peak in the longitudinal direction. The propagation and reflection processes of pressure waves also exist in the adjacent tunnel on the other side of the partition, and they are synchronous. For the horse-shaped tunnel with mid-partition walls, the peak pressure inside the tunnel is directly proportional to the 2.05–2.20 power of the train speed, and the peak pressure decays exponentially with time. The pressure attenuation coefficient is greatly influenced by the placement of the measuring point, ranging from 4.957 × 10 − 5 to 8.184 × 10 − 5 depending on the position of the measurement point. This work provides important data support for studying the tunnel aerodynamic effects and verifying related numerical simulations.

Integrated Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) with suburban rail network design problem for maximizing profits

ABSTRACT Driven by the transit-oriented development (TOD) policy for rail stations, this study focuses on the network design of rapid suburban railways and the TOD zone design of corresponding suburban rail stations within metropolitan areas. A multi-level rail transit network was introduced, and the newly planned suburban rail network was considered as an expansion of the existing network to provide rapid services between urban and suburban areas. An integrated programming model was proposed to determine the physical and service routes of suburban rail network, the frequencies of each line, and the TOD plan along the selected rail stations. The integrated model is solved using the Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed model and methods is illustrated through numerical experiments, and several scenarios are designed for parameter analysis.

Integrated physical and service network design of suburban rail under the coordination of urban rail

Motivated by a released official policy in China to promote the development of suburban rail within metropolitan areas, this paper investigates the suburban rail network design problem by integrating the physical network and the service network design, while considering a higher level of passenger satisfaction by assigning passengers to trains rather than to service routes widely adopted in previous works. The physical network design problem lies in determining the location of the suburban stations and suburban section tracks to be newly constructed, by considering the coordination of the existing urban rail network. The service network design problem aims to decide the newly operated service routes and the corresponding frequency and timetable of vehicles running on these service routes. We formulate the studied problem as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model, which minimises the weighted sum of the construction cost, operation costs, and generalised cost of passengers. Many practical requirements are considered to ensure the attractiveness of the computed solutions. A variable neighbourhood search-based (VNS-based) heuristic is designed to efficiently solve instances with different scales, including hypothetical instances and a practical-size real-world instance generated based on the Chongqing metropolitan in China.

Length of transfer time between connecting trains – is there an ideal value?

Quality public transport is an essential part of global mobility. In general, there is an effort to ensure that as many transport users as possible use public transport. The public transport subsystems also include rail transport. Nowadays, traveling by train is not only a matter of overcoming longer distances in national and international transport, but also a matter of daily commuting to work, school or service. Suburban rail transport is usually part of integrated transport systems, the principle of which is the possibility to use several types of means of transport in one journey per ticket. An indicator of the proper functioning of these systems is the existence of quality and convenient transfer dates times and reliable transfer links that minimize waiting times and total time spent on transportation. Within these systems, there is no network-specific maximum transfer time, which usually depends on the technical solution of the transfer point, the distance that passengers have to cover between vehicles or check-in technology (for example, front door boarding, turnstiles, etc.). the ideal value of the transfer time in terms of the probability that the passenger will not miss the connection and at the same time represents different aspects of the view of this issue. This is on the specific route Ostrava – Prague, which is the busiest in the Czech Republic. Within it, two reference links will be selected (one for each direction), the mean value of the delay in the stations with connections and other statistical indicators will be determined. Furthermore, a simulation of train delays is created using the Monte Carlo method, from which the probability of a connection is determined and subsequently the degree of dissatisfaction with the route is determined while maintaining the current connections. From which a transfer time is subsequently identified in which the probability of passing is as low as possible, but at the same time in normal situations passengers do not have to wait too long.

Design and research of suburban railway fire alarm system

With the rapid development of suburban rail transit, fire safety issues have received more and more attention. As the first line of the Shanghai Suburban Railway, the fire safety problem of the Shanghai Suburban Railway Airport Link Line is more prominent. In this paper, an automatic fire alarm system is designed and researched for the fire safety problem of the Shanghai Railway Airport Liaison Line, which adopts a hierarchical distributed structure and can realize accurate fire detection thorough immediately sending fire alarm information to the station control room and line operation control center and informing the location of the fire area. At the same time, the system also coordinates with the BAS system and ISCS system or independently realizes the linkage control of fire fighting equipment. The research results of this paper are of great significance for improving the fire safety level of Shanghai railway airport links.

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.

Investigation of the Effects of Important Factors in Suburban Rail Route Determination with MCDM

Thorough evaluation of suburban rail route alternatives is essential for determining the appropriate route. Suburban lines provide transportation services to suburban areas; that is, they provide transportation services to distant points of the city where demand is high. In this study, five alternative suburban rail routes in the commuter rail standard, starting from the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge’s European exit and ending at Istanbul Airport, were determined as a sample corridor in the province of Istanbul. High-standard suburban rail routes and their infrastructure construction costs were determined, and route options were delineated according to their construction costs. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods were examined, including the application of the decision matrix method (DMM) and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to rank the routes in terms of the factors examined in the study. These routes were ranked according to the construction costs and according to the DMM and AHP methods, and the results were compared. In the decision matrix application, geomorphological-geological, geotechnical, infrastructural, and environmental factors were considered in the evaluation and determination process. A solution was developed in which all aspects were weighted to indicate their relevance, and these factors contributed to the determination of the results. The AHP method was also applied, in which five criteria were included in the evaluation: geology (including geomorphology and soil properties), engineering structures, construction costs, population values addressed by the routes, and railroad length. In addition, the distances to the active faults were examined according to the Turkey Earthquake Hazard Map specified in the Turkish Building Earthquake Code (TBDY) 2018. Depending on the factors studied, the ordering of the routes was the same for all three methods.

Exploring the role of public transport information sources on perceived service quality in suburban rail

Information is a powerful tool to enhance the perceived service quality of public transport. Online information sources have become very popular and coexist with traditional sources like posters and signage, however it remains unclear whether those sources impact evenly to the service perception. This paper aims to explore the influence of different information sources on the service attributes and perceived service quality. For that, we take data from the annual Traveller Satisfaction Survey of the suburban rail of Madrid Region and adapt a robust service quality assessment framework to consider information sources. First, four passenger segments arise according to their preferred information source, including online and offline. Then, we assess the perceived service quality of each segment using a combination of CART and IPA techniques. Results expose a relevant role of information on the suburban rail service satisfaction, contrarily to previous studies focused on urban rail. We have also detected some heterogeneity on the relative importance of attributes depending on the information role: online-informed passengers care most about core attributes while traditionally informed passengers are more influenced by comfort. Last, the IPA reveals a general need to improve service reliability, train supply and up-to-date information.

Experimental evaluation and numerical interpretation of various noise mitigation strategies for in-service elevated suburban rail

This research evaluates the efficiency of five noise mitigation measures including rubber floating slab track, straight noise barrier, track acoustic absorber, track-side noise barrier, semi-closed noise barrier, and a combined strategy on an elevated railway through in-situ measurements. In-situ experiments were conducted by sequentially installing various mitigation measures for comparative evaluation. A numerical model was then developed to interpret the noise control characteristics of the mitigation measures. The experimental results indicate that the rubber floating slab track can mitigate bridge-borne noise by 0-4 dB sound pressure level (SPL); the track acoustic absorber can mitigate the railway noise by 3–5 dB(A) and its combination with track-side noise barrier boosts the insertion losses of SPL by 2–7 dB(A). The combined control strategy shows overall better performance than individual mitigation measures within the efficient noise reduction regions. The experimental and numerical results can serve as a guide on the design of noise control strategies for elevated railways.

Modified Ant Colony Optimization as a Means for Evaluating the Variants of the City Railway Underground Section

The railway is one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport, helping to enhance the environment and public health in cities and agglomerations. In this paper, the authors raise the issue of the construction of an underground railway route in Wrocław (Poland) to allow the organization of the suburban rail system in the agglomeration. There are many concepts for the construction of this route, but so far none has been realized. Therefore, it is important to design the route properly. Here, five options for this tunnel are considered and evaluated. To make such an evaluation, the authors construct a modified ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO). The "classic" algorithm considers the determination of the shortest route. The modification of the algorithm will allow a more accurate analysis of the issue, taking into account more parameters than just the length of the route. These are the location of traffic generators in the city center, the number of inhabitants neighboring the stations, and the number of tram or bus lines integrated with the railway. The presented method and exemplary case study should allow for the evaluation, introduction, or development of the city railway.

How to Measure the Impact of Walking Accessibility of Suburban Rail Station Catchment Areas on the Commercial Premium Benefits of Joint Development

As the primary solution to the issue of high passenger traffic in urban areas, rail transit has a significant impact on the structural form of cities and regional development. Additionally, it has varying degrees of a premium effect on land value around stations. Current research on the factors influencing the premium effect of rail transit station areas mainly focuses on the macro level of the station area circle, with more attention given to the premium caused by distance and functional differences. Most research objects are typically urban center lines or stations. However, this study focuses on the core area of the station and concentrates on the impact of the construction of integrated station–city facilities on the choice of pedestrian routes and the enhancement of pedestrian accessibility. It also explores whether this enhancement is associated with the premium benefits of ancillary commercial development. To achieve this goal, this paper integrates models from several related studies to conduct a comprehensive assessment. Firstly, it uses a spatial panel econometric model to improve the classical characteristic price method model. It then combines the ideas and models of the cost–benefit analysis method, taking the Odakyu Odawara Line of the Japanese suburban railroad as an example. This analysis explores the mechanism and factors influencing the rent premium of commercial facilities in the suburban rail station area and systematically assesses the combined station–city facilities. The study evaluates the social benefits (enhanced walkability) and economic value (premium value added from commercial facilities) of the combined station–city facilities systematically. The results of the study show that (1) the premium benefits of suburban railroad station area commercial facilities are significantly related to the type of station–city combination facilities, combination mode, and walking time and weakly related to the location factor. Additionally, (2) the results of the cost–benefit valuation analysis based on the Ebina Station verify that a reasonable design of station–city combination facilities can effectively enhance the proximity of commercial facilities to the station and improve the walking accessibility, thus promoting the premium benefits. The study demonstrates that a reasonable design of the combined station and city facilities can effectively enhance the proximity of commercial facilities to the station and improve pedestrian accessibility, promoting premium benefits, which can quickly feed the construction cost of the station and achieve positive revenue in the short term. Therefore, the results of the study provide a quantitative reference for the planning and design of suburban stations.

A Unique Metro Choice Behaviour of Suburban Rail Passengers in India

This study aims to analyse the inter-rail modal shift behaviour of suburban rail passengers to examine ridership for the proposed metro extension corridor in Chennai, India. This investigation was conducted in 2019 as part of a feasibility study for the extension of the metro line spanning between Chennai Airport and Kilambakkam, a southern suburb of Chennai. The same origin–destination pair is also served by the suburban rail system. It is an extension of the operating line from Washermenpet to the airport of the Phase I metro project. For this inter-rail competition study, a sample of 272 suburban rail passengers covering work, education and other trip purposes were interviewed using a stated preference questionnaire. Six stated scenarios were considered for analyses which included travel time saving by using the metro along with the fare difference between metro and bus. The study revealed that suburban rail passengers were less concerned about travel time saving and gave priority to fare difference irrespective of trip purpose. This shows the unique metro choice behaviour of suburban rail travellers in the Indian context.

End of the line: The impact of new suburban rail stations on housing prices

This study leverages the staggered opening of new Metro stations in a suburb of Washington, DC to estimate the impact of proximity to public rail transit on housing prices. Both hedonic and repeat sales models indicate that housing prices increase as distance increases, suggesting that living near public transportation in Prince George’s County is primarily viewed as a disamenity. For properties at one mile from the nearest station, the preferred repeat sales model estimates a marginal price increase of 4.6 percent for a one-mile increase in distance. I argue that the suburban environment may be key in explaining the results. In the suburbs, a greater share of the population relies on automobiles, and rail stations are typically equipped with large parking lots. The suburban environment allows households the opportunity to both benefit from public transportation access and mitigate the negative externalities associated with living right next to the station.

Текущее состояние и роль пригородного пассажирского комплекса в развитии субъектов Российской Федерации

At present commuter passenger transportations in most regions of Russia are unprofitable and do not correlate to the up-to-date demands for the service quality. Therefore, passengers prefer alternative means of transport. The article is dedicated to the research of the problems of the commuter passenger transportations in the regions of Russia. Statistics on the number of the transported passengers and the passenger flow in the railway transport in 2022 is given. The reasons which result the passengers to choose alternative means of transport are examined on the example of the Sverdlovsk Railways, the analyses of the structure of commuter trains fleet is conducted. Measures to improve the work of the commuter passenger complex are studied. The role of the suburban and urban rail transportation is described in the effective development of the commuter railway companies and intercity agglomerations on the example of Moscow designs “Moscow Central Ring” and “Moscow Central Diameters”

ON THE QUESTION OF DETERMINING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE MODERNIZATION OF ELECTRIC TRAINS

The article presents the results of the development of a methodological approach to determining the components of the efficiency of the modernization of rolling stock using the example of the exploitation of bushing units with new generation bearings. Factors affecting the amount of additional capital costs for the modernization of electric trains with improved bushing units are analyzed. It is shown that additional capital investments arise due to the costs of research and development works, which are associated with the modernization of electric trains, as well as the costs of purchasing and equipping an electric train with new-generation bushing units instead of basic ones. It is proposed to adapt the calculation of the annual operating costs for the operation of the electric train to the conditions of the specific route served by it and to the existing system of maintaining the rolling stock in a technically sound condition. At the same time, the calculation of operational indicators of the use of the electric train on the route was performed. The influence of electric train modernization on the change in the annual operating costs of the suburban rail transport economy is analyzed. The average annual savings in operating costs for the repair and maintenance of the new generation of bogie assemblies per one electric train of the EPL9t series and the discounted economic effect of modernization for the remaining period of operation of the electric train were determined. It was established that the payback period for additional capital investments does not exceed 5.5 years. The proposed scientific and practical procedure for determining the components of efficiency allows to scientifically justify the feasibility of modernizing electric trains with new-generation bogies, taking into account the remaining period of their operation.

NOAH as an Innovative Tool for Modeling the Use of Suburban Railways

The paper presents an innovative method called the “Nest of Apes Heuristic” (NOAH) for modeling specific problems by combining technical aspects of transport systems with human decision-making. The method is inspired by nature. At the beginning of the paper, potential problems related to modeling a suburban rail system were presented. The literature review is supplemented with a short description of known heuristics. The basic terminology, procedures, and algorithm are then introduced in detail. The factors of the suburban rail system turn into “Monkeys”. Monkeys change their position in the nest, creating leaders and followers. This allows for the comparison of the factor sets in a real system. The case study area covers the vicinity of Wroclaw, the fourth largest city in Poland. Two experiments were conducted. The first takes into account the average values of the factors in order to observe the algorithm’s work and formulate the stopping criteria. The second is based on the current values of the factors. The purpose of this work was to evaluate these values and to assess the possibilities of changing them. The obtained results show that the new tool may be useful for modeling and analyzing such problems.

Trip-based Modal Shift Behaviour of Mode Users along the Proposed Extension Metro Corridor in Chennai (India)

Object of this study is to predict the ‘Probability of Shift’ to the proposed metro corridor from two-wheeler, car, bus and suburban rail in Chennai. To achieve this, a Stated Preference survey questionnaire was prepared and survey was conducted among two-wheeler users; car users; bus users and suburban rail users through face-to-face interview method. The collected SP data were coded, analysed and mode-wise/ trip-based binary logit models were developed using Statistical Software Tools (SST) software. From the developed models, it is observed that irrespective of mode & trip purposes, the choice of metro is fully driven by the proposed metro fare. From the predicted Probability of Shift, it is observed that car users are more willing to switch to metro as well as relatively price sensitive when comparing with other mode users.