Evaluation of green wave policy in real-time railway traffic management

In order to face the expected growth of transport demand in the next years, several new traffic control policies have been proposed and analyzed both to generate timetables and to effectively manage the traffic in real-time. In this paper, a detailed optimization model is used to analyze one such policy, called green wave, which consists in letting trains wait at the stations to avoid speed profile modifications in open corridors. Such policy is expected to be especially effective when the corridors are the bottleneck of the network. However, there is a lack of quantitative studies on the real-time effects of using this policy. To this end, this work shows a comparison of the delays obtained when trains are allowed or not to change their speed profile in open corridors. An extensive computational study is described for two practical dispatching areas of the Dutch railway network.     

沪杭线旅客出行调查报告

本次调查分两方面,一是对公路旅客的调查,通过发放调查表的形式进行.二是对铁路旅客的调查,通过在火车站候车室、随车问卷调查以及个别交谈等形式进行.调查共开展两次,公路旅客回收有效问卷1 801份,铁路旅客回收有效问卷711份.     

Transport policy in Eastern Europe a case study of Hungary

This paper analyses the development of transport policy making in Eastern Europe over the last forty years and describes the role of the CMEA in determining national developments in Poland, Romania, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The USSR, Albania and Yugoslavia are excluded. The planning system as operated in the Eastern Block, is described, followed by a particular case study of Hungarian policy making with respect to the transport sector. Specific tansport issues relating to Hungary are outlined before conclusions are drawn in terms of future developments in relation with the European Community.     

Cost-benefit analysis,government policy and the British railway network

In 1963 the Beeching Report on Britain's railways proposed the closure of a substantial part of the railway network (British Railways Board, 1963). Although many services were withdrawn, disquiet at the Report's failure to analyse the social benefits of rail passenger services eventually led to the application of the technique of cost-benefit analysis to the problem of unremunerative rail services. However, although such studies revealed that the retention of many rural rail services could not be justified on social grounds, these services were not withdrawn. This paper outlines briefly the history of attempts to deal with the question of the optimal size of the rail passenger network. Secondly, it considers the social cost-benefit case for reducing the present size of the network in Britain and the quantifiable benefits from such a reduction. The problem of joint costs is discussed. Finally, it attempts to explain the failure of successive Governments to apply the results of cost-benefit studies in practice, and suggests how the decision-making process might be altered to facilitate a more rational approach towards public transport problems in Britain.     

Transportation policy analysis with a geographic information system: The virtual network of freight transportation in Europe

This paper presents a multi-modal freight transportation model based on a digitized geographic network. A systematic analysis and decomposition of all the transport operations i.e. moving, loading and unloading, transshipping and transiting, leads to the development of a virtual network where each virtual link corresponds to a specific operation, and all transportation modes and means are inter-linked. Software, called NODUS, automatically generates the virtual network so that the model can be conveniently applied to large networks. The analytical structure of the links notation makes it easy to attach specific cost functions to each virtual link. The model is applied to the trans-European freight network of roads, railways and inland waterways for the transportation of wood. Cost functions are built up for each operation by each mode/means combination. A detailed point-to-point origin-destination matrix, calibrated on Eurostat statistics, is generated by a Monte-Carlo technique. Then, the total transportation cost is minimized with respect to the choices of routes, modes and means. This provides estimations of transportation services demands as well as modal splits, to the extent that the two hypotheses of demand based on generalized cost minimization and market contestability are accepted. A sensitivity analysis on the relative road cost is made, which provides measures of arc-elasticities.     

Urban parking policy in Europe: A conceptualization of past and possible future trends

In the last two decades parking has increasingly gained importance in urban planning. Despite the growing number of papers published in recent years, an overall conceptualization of parking policy is still missing. Previous attempts (Shoup, 2005; Litman, 2006; Barter, 2010) focus mainly on the North American planning experience. We try to bridge this gap analysing the evolution of parking policy in Europe. In this paper we first present the key aspects of parking policy, and describe their generic evolution. Next we suggest a novel approach for parking policy making. We conclude by discussing some of the major challenges policy makers will face in the near future regarding parking in urban areas.     

The development of China's railway building

Abstract

At the birth of New China in 1949, 11 000 km of railway track were in use throughout the country. This paper describes the measures taken by the State to develop railways in the interests of the national economy. By the end of 1982 more than 52 000 km were open to traffic and much more is being built in the face of great engineering difficulties. Many lines are being electrified.

The paper also describes other measures essential for the modernization of rail transport: New China's creation of locomotive and vehicle plants, the management organization under the Ministry of Railways and the development of scientific research and educational work.

The rail density and transport capacity is still far from sufficient. Railways face a formidable task in helping China achieve the goal fixed in 1982 of quadrupling the output value of industry and agriculture by the year 2000.     

硬岩掘进机的挑战

从20世纪50年代以来,岩石掘进机获得了重大的发展.新机器、新材料和新工艺大大改进了刀具的能力以及推力和扭矩,使掘进机能对付硬的和磨蚀性强的岩石.     

欧洲公路隧道营运安全技术的启示

本文通过对欧洲公路隧道营运安全思路的分析,结合欧洲现有公路隧道营运安全的调查,以及对勃朗峰隧道和托恩隧道火灾事故的反思,提出了我国公路隧道,尤其是特长公路隧道,营运安全方面值得注意的问题.     

The impact of high-speed technology on railway demand

This paper estimates a passenger railway demand function to analyse effects arising from the introduction and use of high-speed technologies. The paper reports estimates of demand elasticities with respect to price, income, quality of service and a range of exogenous characteristics. The results show that travel time savings from conventional high-speed technology have a larger impact on passenger demand than tilting train technology. The introduction of conventional high-speed technology is associated with an 8% increase in passenger railway demand. Increasing the use of either type of high-speed technology appears to induce small positive effects on demand beyond those obtained from usual traffic density increases on non-high-speed existing technology.

The status of German railway operations management in research and practice

The German railway operations management uses probabilistic and simulation methods in research and practice. The probabilistic methods are based on queuing theory. There are synchronous or asynchronous algorithms for the simulation of time tables, schedule, operation, and disposition. Models were also developed for the simulation of the operation in many parts of the network for the connection between the structure of the track and the capacity of lines and stations, for the evaluation of operating cost depending from the quality of service, and for the design of integrated timetables.     

The effect of railway local irregularities on ground vibration

The environmental effects of ground-borne vibrations generated due to localised railway defects is a growing concern in urban areas. Frequency domain modelling approaches are well suited for predicting vibration levels on standard railway lines due to track periodicity. However, when considering individual, non-periodic, localised defects (e.g. a rail joint), frequency domain modelling becomes challenging. Therefore in this study, a previously validated, time domain, three-dimensional ground vibration prediction model is modified to analyse such defects. A range of different local (discontinuous) rail and wheel irregularity are mathematically modelled, including: rail joints, switches, crossings and wheel flats. Each is investigated using a sensitivity analysis, where defect size and vehicle speed is varied. To quantify the effect on railroad ground-borne vibration levels, a variety of exposure–response relationships are analysed, including: peak particle velocity, maximum weighted time-averaged velocity and weighted decibel velocity. It is shown that local irregularities cause a significant increase in vibration in comparison to a smooth track, and that the vibrations can propagate to greater distances from the line. Furthermore, the results show that step-down joints generate the highest levels of vibration, whereas wheel flats generate much lower levels. It is also found that defect size influences vibration levels, and larger defects cause greater vibration. Lastly, it is shown that for different defect types, train speed effects are complex, and may cause either an increase or decrease in vibration levels.     

The European freight railway system as a hub-and-spoke network

This paper addresses a hub-and-spoke network problem for railroad freight, where a central planner is to find transport routes, frequency of service, length of trains to be used, and transportation volume. Hub-and-spoke networks, often found in air freight, have not been favoured by railways in the past. Such a structure could be profitable, however, if there exist concentrated freight flows on some service links. We formulate a linear integer programming model whose objective function includes not only the typical operational cost, but also cost due to the transit time spent by freight in the network. We then develop heuristic algorithms to solve large scale instances occurring in rail freight systems in France plus Italy; Germany; and a 10-country European network. By assuming that every node is equipped with consolidation capability, we let the final solution naturally reveal potential hub locations, the impact of several of which is studied by sensitivity analysis.     

The development of the railway university of southwest Jiaotong,China

This article outlines the history, present size, achievements and future development of Southwest Jiaotong University since it was set up. It describes its teaching situation, its training of railway talents in science and technology, and its achievements in scientific research. In order to make the education there meet the needs of railway modernization, the university is making great efforts to transform itself into a new type of comprehensive university with more levels of science, engineering and management.     

The treatment of traffic in the Dutch environmental outlooks: the role of science in policy making and policy evaluation

The Dutch National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection publishes Environmental Outlooks in which 25‐year projections are made. These Outlooks quantifying the environmental problems, form the scientific basis for Dutch environmental policy. Traffic and transport is one of the main sectors causing environmental problems. The emissions and energy use of all relevant categories (road traffic, non‐road traffic) are based on model simulations with models. This paper describes the main models used.

If present policy is implemented only a minority of the environmental targets will be met.

If a sustainable transport system for the Netherlands means a large reducton in CO₂ emissions and energy use after 2010 a stronger emphasis on both technical and non‐technical measures (such as land‐use planning combined with public transport improvements) for the period until 2010 is needed than proposed in the Second Transport Structure Plan, unless a sustainable energy source becomes available.     

The development of urban bus regulatory policy in Korea reviewed

The urban bus industry in Korea used to be controlled to provide stable transport services and enable operators to secure proper profits, but there were adverse effects within the industry such as inadequate business management and a downward spiral of low quality services resulting from lower fares. The government began easing restrictions on entry, operation, fares, and some conditions and procedures for licensing in the late 1980s, until in 1993, the government published a package of deregulatory measures that were considerably more drastic than those previously seen, such as freely adjusting the number of vehicles within 10%, easing the restrictions and requirements for operators’ employing staff and drivers, and improving the fare system. However, these measures seem to have been introduced too late and too luke‐warmly to encourage new entrants to the industry. Therefore, to gain the desirable effects of deregulation and to secure the development of the urban bus sector, there needs to be provision of a market atmosphere and greater scope for free competition; a positive attitude among operators for efficient business management and new services; and alert observation and monitoring by passengers.     

The challenge of liberalising domestic airline competition in a less developed country

A new wave of liberalisation of domestic airline competition is taking place in less developed nations, although the initial motivation in most cases is to supplement the capacity of the government's own airline. Liberalisation tends to begin with free market entry and a strong interest in privatisation while other regulatory controls are maintained. This position is untenable and policy makers in the less developed countries are having to learn quickly without the benefit of the detailed analyses that preceded liberalisation in the developed countries. This paper explores these problems and focuses on the lessons that policy makers in the less developed countries can draw from experiences elsewhere.     

The role of VMT reduction in meeting climate change policy goals

This article evaluates the case for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction as a core policy goal for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), concluding the economic impacts and social consequences would be too severe given the modest potential environmental benefits. Attempts to reduce VMT typically rely on very blunt policy instruments, such as increasing urban densities, and run the risk of reducing mobility, reducing access to jobs, and narrowing the range of housing choice. VMT reduction, in fact, is an inherently blunt policy instrument because it relies almost exclusively on changing human behavior and settlement patterns to increase transit use and reduce automobile travel rather than directly target GHGs. It also uses long-term strategies with highly uncertain effects on GHGs based on current research. Not surprisingly, VMT reduction strategies often rank among the most costly and least efficient options. In contrast, less intrusive policy approaches such as improved fuel efficiency and traffic signal optimization are more likely to directly reduce GHGs than behavioral approaches such as increasing urban densities to promote higher public transit usage. As a general principle, policymakers should begin addressing policy concerns using the least intrusive and costly approaches first. Climate change policy should focus on directly targeting greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., through a carbon tax) rather than using the blunt instrument of VMT reduction to preserve the economic and social benefits of mobility in modern, service-based economies. Targeted responses are also more cost effective, implying that the social welfare costs of climate change policy will be smaller than using broad-brushed approaches that directly attempt to influence living patterns and travel behavior.     

Determinants of a northern high-speed railway

This is the first of two background papers sponsored for the Symposium by the Administrative Commission for the north of the Netherlands. The authors have assembled the available information on current rail travel patterns in the corridor of the proposed high speed rail line to Scandinavia and on the historical trends in travel in this corridor. On the basis of this information, their assessment of the likely future European high speed rail network and evidence on the elasticities of demand for rail travel, the authors have then estimated the traffic potential of the proposed Amsterdam-Groningen-Hamburg high speed rail link under four scenarios.