Tram Network Research Articles

Mapping changes in the availability of electric transport in Moscow

Electric transport is an environmentally friendly way to solve the transport problems of the city. There are four modes of intracity electric transport in Moscow: metro, tram, electric bus, and trolleybus (until 2020, now only the museum route has been preserved). In recent years, large-scale reforms have been carried out in organizing the electric transport of the capital. A transition from trolleybuses to electric buses has occurred, and major overhauls of the tram network have begun, greatly complicating the work of electric transport. This work aims to assess the availability of various electric transport modes in Moscow for different years. It should be noted that the assessment of the development of electric transport (not only between cities but also over time) can characterize the decisions made in the field of city management and help with its further development. The main research method is cartographic, which can be called one of the most evident in visualizing changes in transport networks. As part of the research, such indicators as the Kansky gamma index, the Engel coefficient, and the density of the electric transport network have been calculated and visualized. They make it possible to judge two different aspects of the development of the network: its topological complexity and accessibility to the population. As a research result, it becomes clear that the reforms carried out in Moscow in 2016–2020 have led to a decrease in the topological complexity and the accessibility of electric transport for the population and that ground-based electric transport has become much worse in doing its job. The only mode of transport developing consistently throughout the entire period of development of the transport network of the city is the metro.

Smart and sustainable: collecting urban transport and mobility innovation in the 2020s

How can museums collect transport objects to reflect the changes that we can see happening on the streets around us today? Much of what is changing relates to behaviour and integrated transport systems, both of which lack material ‘objects’ to collect. Some transport changes might be more easily acquired for the historic collection – the arrival of on-street hire bikes, for example – but much of what is different with the emerging systems is about attitudes, behaviour and the use of smart technology. Scotland’s cities are experiencing a revolution in smart, sustainable transport and active travel. City centre transformation schemes, already several years in the planning, have been radically accelerated by the response to Covid-19. During lockdown in 2020 cities prioritised pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles as part of the public health emergency. At the same time electric vehicles, cargo bike delivery collectives, bike and scooter hire schemes, extended tram network and hydrogen-powered public buses are all making an impact on how Scottish cities operate.This article explores the changes we see today to vehicles, systems and infrastructure on the streets of Scotland’s cities as a microcosm of the wider global transport revolution and provides two case studies of recent acquisitions made by National Museums Scotland to illustrate how museums might capture this moment. By considering the Lutz Pathfinder pod, a prototype fully autonomous vehicle, and items relating to Edinburgh’s Cargo Bike Movement, this article brings together two ends of the sustainable transport technology spectrum: futuristic driverless cars and low-tech bicycle deliveries. Furthermore, this article suggests approaches to how museums might collect other areas of change in transport systems and infrastructure.

Selected Indicators of Al-Najaf Road Network: Public Transportation Noise and Pollution

It is urgently necessary to improve the state of transportation and related infrastructure, especially given that the most important indicators of urban development gauge a city's progress. One of the most influential of these indicators is what is known as "smart transport, " which refers to transportation that utilizes modern communication and information technology technologies to address various challenges in various transportation sectors. The holy city of Najaf smart transportation strategy seeks to reduce dangerous levels of traffic-related noise and air pollution while enhancing various aspects of mobility and traffic flow indicators. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the existing traffic network and public transport in Najaf City and its interference with noise and air pollution at selected points for data gathering by using field measurements using cameras, noise meters, and pollution measurement devices. The study states that the public transport sector in Al-Najaf city is significantly poor as private cars are dominant by about 65% of traffic mix with values of pollution and noise above the standards. One of the most effective solutions to traffic problems is the implementation of intelligent transportation systems. Part of these strategies is establishing a tram network and raising road classes’ strategies by proposing some geometric design editing, U-turns reducing, and raised ramps additions.

Influence of the Analytical Segment Length on the Tram Track Quality Assessment

In the track quality analysis, numerical values representing the relative condition of track geometry called track quality indices (TQIs) are calculated along a specific track segment. Segments are defined as linear track geometry datasets with the homogeneous characteristics of factors affecting geometry degradation. The 200m-long analytical segment is used most often on inter-city conventional and high-speed rail networks. However, in the case of the small urban rail networks, the homogeneity of track-geometry degradation influential factors is very low. This segment length is usually too long for efficient track maintenance or reconstruction with minimal disruption of the urban traffic. This paper explores the effect of reducing the analytical segment length in the condition assessment of the tram network in the City of Osijek, Croatia. The research had two main objectives: (1) to assess the narrow-gauge tram-track geometry quality through the application of the established synthesized TQIs, and (2) to analyze how a change in the analytical segment length affects this assessment. Two synthesized track quality indices—one based on a weighted value and the other on a standard deviation of measured track geometry parameters—were calculated for the 27.5 km of tracks on consecutive 200-, 100-, 50-, and 25 m long analytical segments. The comparative analysis of the TQIs’ calculation results showed that the reduction in the segment length increased the resolution of the track quality analysis in both cases, while the index based on a weighted value of geometry deviations proved less sensitive to this reduction. These results contribute to further segmentation process establishment and TQIs implementation on tram infrastructure.

Socio-ecological risks management dynamic simulation in megaproject development of the Edinburgh Tram Network

PurposeThe inherent risks and their interactive impacts in megaproject development have been found in numerous cases worldwide. Although risk management standards have been recommended for the best practice in engineering construction projects, there is still a lack of systematic approaches to describing the interactions. Interactions such as social, technical, economic, ecological and political (STEEP) risks have complex and dynamic implications for megaproject construction. For a better understanding and effective management of megaprojects such as the Edinburgh Tram project, the dynamic interaction of concomitant risks must be studied.Design/methodology/approachA systems dynamic methodology was adopted following the comprehensive literature review. Documentary data were gathered from the case study on Tram Network Project in Edinburgh.FindingsA casual loop of typical evolution of key indicators of risks was then developed. A hypothesised model of social and ecological (SE) risks was derived using the system dynamics (SD) modelling technique. The model was set up following British Standards on risk management to provide a generic tool for risk management in megaproject development. The study reveals that cost and time overruns at the developmental stage of the case project are caused mainly by the effects of interactions of risk factors from the external macro project environment on a timely basis.Originality/valueThis article presented a model for simulating the socio-ecological risk confronting the management and construction of megaprojects. The use of SD provided the opportunity to explain the nature of all risks, particularly the SE risks in the past stages of project development.

In Search of Lost Trams: Comparing 1925 and 2020 Transit Isochrones in Sydney

Has Sydney lost access by removing its extensive tram network? We compare the 1925 tram network with today’s bus network, and conclude that the access provided today exceeds what would have been provided by just trams. The Sydney CBD would have had better access if 1925’s central tram lines were still in operation.

Perceived and actual travel times in a multi-modal urban public transport network: comparing survey and AVL data

Perceived travel times of travelers are usually longer than actually realized travel times, implying that passengers’ experience of travel time savings is different from objectively calculated savings. This study provides additional empirical evidence on this topic, by comparing the passengers’ perceived travel times reported in an (online) survey with their corresponding actual in-vehicle travel times from Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data. The case study involves the metro, tram and bus network of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. On average, travelers perceive their travel time to be 1.9 min (11%) longer than their actual realized travel time. The perceived values match the scheduled values slightly better than the actually realized values. Furthermore, we found a larger travel time over-perception for metro compared to tram and bus. This is a counter-intuitive result, since the metro has been found to have a less negative travel time perception than busses in the public transport choice modelling literature. When the travel purpose is considered, the leisure time purposes recreation and shopping have a significantly smaller travel time over-perception than work-related journeys. Opening a new metro line did not have a significant influence on the travel time perception of travelers in Amsterdam.

The Impact of Rolling Stock Heterogeneity on Tram Stop Dwell Time

The prediction of stop dwell time is a major issue in travel speed modeling, i.e., in the definition of travel time for high-frequency and high-ridership rail public transport. This is due to the numerous influential factors associated with stop dwell time, variable both in space and time, such as passenger flow, vehicle and stop design characteristics, and traffic organization. To investigate the impact of the heterogeneity of tram vehicles on stop dwell time, a survey was conducted regarding the tram network of the City of Zagreb. The dwell time at three consecutive island stops served by three different tram vehicle types was analyzed. The stops are located near the city center, in a separate tram corridor, at the far side of signalized intersections. Dwell time was determined and evaluated through the statistical analysis of observed, measured, and video-recorded data. The results show that at stops with up to 200 passengers per hour, the dwell time is around 15 s. For volumes of 20 passengers or less per tram, the dwell time is mostly affected by the tram door opening mechanism and opening/closing time. As the passenger volumes become higher, the number of doors per vehicle becomes more significant.

Open Tools for Analysis of Elements Related to Public Transport Performance. Case Study: Tram Network in Bucharest

The present paper aims to be useful for public transport operators and municipalities, as it should enable them to make decisions and to optimize public transport schedules during peak hours. In this study, we outline the data and the means necessary for the creation and use of a specific database for a dynamic spatial analysis of the public transportation network. This will facilitate the analysis of public transport vehicle operating programs and the simulation of new transport programs using open-source software. This paper delivers the first digital map of the public transport in Bucharest. Using the QGIS software and the PostgresSQL database, (i) we analyzed the accessibility of public transport stops for residential areas (5-min isochrones, corresponding to walking distances of 400 m), and (ii) we determined the correlation of transport vehicle programs with the existing transport network to optimize the headway of vehicles. These two elements were considered for the analysis of public transport performance. The research study was based on the tram network in Bucharest, but it can be easily upscaled for the entire public transport network and may be replicated in other large cities.

Exposure, timing, and vulnerability: The role of public transport in inducing gentrification

Gentrification is an increasingly common phenomenon in many urban neighbourhoods. While cities invest in more sustainable travel options for their residents, there is limited literature on its connection to gentrification of the surrounding areas. Understanding whether these investments induce gentrification is essential to ensure the positive impacts of public transport are not undermined by the displacement it may create. This paper presents a multi-analysis approach to studying gentrification, defined by a bi-axial definition of neighbourhood change which considers the negative components (displacement) and positive components (neighbourhood upgrading) of gentrification. We focus specifically on the extent to which exposure to public transport induces gentrification-like changes in neighbouring communities, the influence of time on the kind and magnitude of changes, and whether disinvested communities are most vulnerable. We analyse neighbourhood changes in Manchester, UK, in response to the introduction of the Metrolink tram network, and conclude that there is evidence of gentrification in areas with access to new light rail. We conclude that the length of exposure has a significant impact on the magnitude and direction of change for certain indicators of gentrification. We find mixed results regarding the susceptibility of disinvested communities to gentrification.

Optimal Transport in Multilayer Networks for Traffic Flow Optimization

Modeling traffic distribution and extracting optimal flows in multilayer networks is of the utmost importance to design efficient, multi-modal network infrastructures. Recent results based on optimal transport theory provide powerful and computationally efficient methods to address this problem, but they are mainly focused on modeling single-layer networks. Here, we adapt these results to study how optimal flows distribute on multilayer networks. We propose a model where optimal flows on different layers contribute differently to the total cost to be minimized. This is done by means of a parameter that varies with layers, which allows to flexibly tune the sensitivity to the traffic congestion of the various layers. As an application, we consider transportation networks, where each layer is associated to a different transportation system, and show how the traffic distribution varies as we tune this parameter across layers. We show an example of this result on the real, 2-layer network of the city of Bordeaux with a bus and tram, where we find that in certain regimes, the presence of the tram network significantly unburdens the traffic on the road network. Our model paves the way for further analysis of optimal flows and navigability strategies in real, multilayer networks.

A streetcar to be desired? The development of a new approach to measure perception of place quality in the context of tram network modernisation

Recent decades have seen a global resurgence in tram network development around the world. Despite a primary basis in transport, tram network development is increasingly framed as a spatial planning mechanism that is prioritised for its potential place-based outcomes. However, there has been limited academic research to investigate impacts of tram network development on community perception of place quality. This study contributes to the literature by presenting the results of 601 completed questionnaires investigating variation in perception of place quality between legacy and modernised tram streetscapes in Melbourne, Australia. Evidence demonstrates that modernised tram streetscapes were perceived to contain an enhanced physical design compared to their legacy counterparts. Additionally, modernised tram streetscapes were rated as higher quality locations overall that were more likely to facilitate a wide range of place-based activities and amenities. Overall findings provide evidence that tram modernisation can be framed as an opportunity for place quality enhancements, and appear to contradict some of the political complications that have played a role in stalling tram streetscape modernisation projects in Melbourne.

TrafficProblems:Authority, Mobility, and Technology in Mexico's Federal District, 1867–1912

AbstractThis article examines how people in Mexico's Federal District (Distrito Federal) contested transit policies and responded to the introduction of new technical infrastructures, like the electrified tram network. District officials published transit guidelines that reflected elite preoccupation with order, but their heavy-handed policies faced resistance from poor, working-class, and middle-class residents. This defiance took different forms: noncompliance, rule-breaking, public protests, and written complaints to officials and the press. Municipal governments wielded considerable power to shape policy and clashed over jurisdiction and authority over taxation and police mobility. National leaders serving the strongman president, Porfirio Díaz, undermined this influence and consolidated decision-making authority in the office of the district governor and the city council of Mexico City. They justified limiting municipal authority and democratic participation in the district as necessary to improve urban transportation infrastructure, improve tax collection, and streamline transit policy. Nevertheless, this attempt at centralization failed amid public complaints about continuing service problems and allegations of official incompetence in theDirección de Obras Públicas(directorate of public works). After 1910, when the Mexican Revolution brought a new generation of political leadership to power, the policy was reversed, serving as an important symbolic and administrative break with the past.

Analiza bezpieczeństwa ruchu na skrzyżowaniach tras tramwajowych z ruchem kołowym

Ensuring high standard of service of public transport is among the most important goals of sustainable mobility. One of the most promising subsystems of public transport in this respect is the tram transport. Trams are eco-friendly and able to transport large numbers of passengers. However, in order to shape an efficient tram system, it is important to minimize the possibility of occurrence of incidents involving trams and road vehicles at intersections of roadways and tram tracks. The paper presents a proposition of a method of analysis of incidents in such locations. For ensuring a comprehensive approach to safety problem, the analysis encompasses two aspects: temporal and spatial. The proposed method has been presented on the example of tram network of the Metropolis GZM (Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia and Dąbrowa Basin) area. The analysis has enabled identification of causes of incidents for the two most hazardous intersections of roadways and tram tracks. For each of these locations, proposed solutions to improve the level of safety have been determined.

Use of Microsimulation Traffic Models as Means for Ensuring Public Transport Sustainability and Accessibility

This article deals with the issue of a partial problem in the sustainability and availability of public transport using the example of a specific transit node. In every public transport network, it is the transit nodes that can be a threat to the entire transport system in case of a bad design. The article presents a microsimulation traffic model of a transit node, which was created in the PTV VISSIM/VISWALK program. This model was tested by various traffic loads (i.e., normal loads, loads taking into account the extension of the tram network and loads at extraordinary sports or cultural events). As part of the evaluation of the monitored node, the movement of passengers on pedestrian areas, escalators and staircases was analysed. The obtained results demonstrate the importance of monitoring, for example, the Level of Service, average travel times and pedestrian speeds and other parameters, to ensure the functionality of this construction. The use of traffic models can be crucial, as they can be an invaluable aid and a suitable tool in finding the optimal transport solution that respects the requirements for sustainable and accessible public transport.

March 2021 Land Transportation News [Transportation Systems

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) in South Australia awarded Keolis Downer the contract to operate and maintain the commuter rail network of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. This is the first time this network has been managed by a private operator. Formed in 2009, Keolis Downer is a joint venture between Keolis, a leading public transport operator established in 15 countries (including the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and The Netherlands), and Downer, a provider of multimodal public transport services in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this eight-year contract, Keolis Downer has operated and maintained the tram networks of Melbourne (the largest and oldest tram network in the world), the light rail networks on the Gold Coast and in Newcastle, and more than 1,000 buses across Australia.

A Novel Method in Light-Rail Condition Monitoring Using Smartphones

Tram and track interaction inevitably generates undesirable vibration, and the magnitude of this vibration may depend on various factors, including track quality, rail type, rail profile, tram type, ride quality, and speed. To investigate the impact of track quality on vibration, all other factors should be eliminated in experiments. To remove the effects of ride quality, tram type, rail type, and rail profile, various measurements were obtained and analyzed independently for similar trams with the same driver. Another significant factor which plays a crucial role in vibration is speed. The selection of a method which can detect the influence of speed on vibration is very demanding since this evaluation needs to be based on various measurements in similar settings. Therefore, various experiments and data from the same arrangement should be obtained to evaluate the impact of speed on vibration. This paper reports on several practice tests and data acquisition via smartphone built-in sensors on a specific route to investigate the effects of speed on vibration. Two different statistical and non-statistical methods are then proposed to monitor the condition of rail tracks and schedule preventive maintenance for light rail based on Melbourne tram network data. These approaches will optimize the total investment in tram track maintenance for managing authorities.

Comparative demand analysis for repair of the left-bank tram network of the city of Novosibirsk

Comparative demand analysis for repair of the left-bank tram network of the city of Novosibirsk

Interactions between tram passengers and road vehicles at tram stops - a pilot study

Modern urban and metropolitan areas face numerous problems associated with transport activity, such as pollution, congestion, noise or traffic incidents. One of the solutions to cope with these issues may be encouraging people to use means of public transport instead of private cars. However, that requires the fulfillment of demands that present, as well as potential, passengers have. One of the most important passengers' demands is safety of all operations of public transport. In case of tram transport one aspect of safety is associated with the process of boarding the tram and alighting from it at stops separated from tram tracks by roadway, which forces passengers to enter the road. It is hazardous for all passengers and poses an additional risk for disabled passengers. In this paper an analysis of interactions between tram passengers and drivers of road vehicles at such tram stops, during the boarding and alighting from the tram was performed. For that purpose also a classification of tram stops stations was conducted, with the number of traffic lanes that passengers have to pass through being the main criterion. Also, the review of literature on this subject was conducted. For the research during the pilot study the tram network in Metropolis GZM in southern Poland was chosen and all tram stops stations on the network were inspected in order to obtain characteristics necessary for classification. Research during this pilot study allowed to identify conflict interactions that take place at tram stops. Examples of such interactions have been presented in the paper. Paper also contains conclusions and propositions of changes that may be implemented at tram stops that may lead to increase of the level of safety of passengers who try to board the tram or alight from the tram.

Energy Cost Minimization Based on Decentralized Reinforcement Learning With Feedback for Stable Operation of Wireless Charging Electric Tram Network

The convenience and energy efficiency of electric trams have resulted in their rapid adoption in many areas of the world. Despite trams’ many advantages, overhead lines installed along the track cause severe problems, such as safety issues, maintenance problems, and difficulty in renovating the urban road system. To solve these problems, a wireless charging electric tram system has been developed to replace the overhead lines, catenary, and pantograph. With wireless charging segments installed underground, a tram can operate freely without any support from overhead lines. In order to successfully commercialize a wireless charging tram system, it is essential to minimize the energy cost of the wireless charging tram system. In this article, a model of a wireless charging electric tram system and an energy cost minimization algorithm are proposed. The Manchester Metrolink tram network is modeled using the Google Maps API, the Google Transit API, and the Metrolink API to simulate the wireless charging system under massive public transportation network. To determine the minimum energy cost, an energy cost minimization algorithm for the wireless charging tram system is proposed based on decentralized multiagent reinforcement learning with feedback. The numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce costs while ensuring stable operation.