Analysis on line capacity usage for China high speed railway with optimization approach

The purpose for the analysis of capacity usage is to utilize the rail infrastructure in a more efficient and practical way. The practical and theoretical challenge of the rail capacity is its dynamics and uncertainty, which are common in China and elsewhere. Based on the capacity balance, a train service-demand intention set (TSDIS) at High-Speed Rail (HSR) line (t@l-TSDIS) is defined, which takes the number of trains, the average speed, the heterogeneity and the stability as the core elements for the capacity usage. For dynamics and uncertainty, we update the norm for capacity measure as the time needed to fulfill the task list t@l-TSDIS. Then we develop the objectives and constraints for the Mathematical Program for Line Capacity (MPLC), which aims at minimization of heterogeneity and running time as well as maximization of reliability. For solving MPLC, the Pareto Archived Evolutionary Strategy (PAES) and fuzzy logic penalty function are introduced. Furthermore we propose a rolling optimization tactic oriented by the practical problem, which combines the improved Pareto Archived Evolutionary Strategy (iPAES) with an interactive technique. In a case study, we apply the proposed ideas and methodology to Beijing-Shanghai HSR (BS-HSR) line much closer to the railway practice. By using the computer language C# to compile the Console program, Pareto optimized results for MPLC are achieved, including the standard and practical values for the heterogeneity indices, reliability indices and running time indices. We also discuss the sensitivity of the heterogeneity index. This research demonstrates that it is useful to analyze the line capacity usage for China HSR with the proposed optimization approach.     

A decision support approach for condition-based maintenance of rails based on big data analysis

In this paper, a decision support approach is proposed for condition-based maintenance of rails relying on expert-based systems. The methodology takes into account both the actual conditions of the rails (using axle box acceleration measurements and rail video images) and the prior knowledge of the railway track. The approach provides an integrated estimation of the rail health conditions to support the maintenance decisions for a given time period. An expert-based system is defined to analyse interdependency between the prior knowledge of the track (defined by influential factors) and the surface defect measurements over the rail. When the rail health conditions is computed, the different track segments are prioritized, in order to facilitate grinding planning of those segments of rail that are prone to critical conditions. In this paper, real-life rail conditions measurements from the track Amersfoort-Weert in the Dutch railway network are used to show the benefits of the proposed methodology. The results support infrastructure managers to analyse the problems in their rail infrastructure and to efficiently perform a condition-based maintenance decision making.     

Are railways really that bad? An evaluation of rail systems performance in Europe with a focus on passenger rail

With a large number of railway development projects in Europe and worldwide, which once completed will be serving rail passengers of the future, this paper aims to take a step back and evaluate current railway systems performance. The objectives are to compare statistical data on various passenger-related parameters of the railway system in a number of selected European countries and draw conclusions on the level of their performance when compared to the European average.Analyses of publically available statistical data, extracted from the Eurostat service at a European level will allow for a comparison of various indicators which influence the performance of the railway systems from an infrastructure and operational perspectives. The analyses will also allow identifying key performance indicators for the accurate assessment of the rail systems.The paper will highlight case studies for various parameters which are important to stakeholders of the railways, including infrastructure managers, rail operators, policy makers and the end users. This knowledge will be to the benefit of today’s railway industry as well as the rail systems of the future, as it will show trends drew upon existing data which might continue in the future.     

Preference heterogeneity in mode choice based on a nationwide survey with a focus on urban rail

The provision of efficient and effective urban public transport and transport policy requires a deep understanding of the factors influencing urban travellers’ choice of travel mode. The majority of existing literature reports on the results from single cities. This study presents the results of a nationwide travel survey implemented to examine multiple modes of urban passenger transport across five mainland state capitals in Australia, with a focus of urban rail. The study aims to explore differences in mode choices among surveyed travellers sampled from the five cities by accounting for two types of factors: service quality and features of public transport, and socio demographic characteristics. A stated preference approach is adopted to elicit people’s valuation of specified mode-choice related factors and their willingness to pay. In particular, the availabilities of wireless and laptop stations – two factors rarely examined in the literature, were also considered in the SP survey. The survey data were analysed using mixed logit models. To test for preference heterogeneity, socio-demographic factors were interacted with random parameters, and their influences on marginal utilities simulated. The analysis reveals that intercity differences, user group status, gender, income, and trip purposes partially explain observed preference heterogeneity.     

Total water requirements of passenger transport modes

With a growing urban population, it is crucial to maintain and develop environmentally friendly transport modes. However, while one of the most important indicators of environmental performance is water use, very few studies have quantified the total water requirements associated with different transport modes.This study uses input-output analysis to quantify the total water requirements of different passenger-transport modes in Melbourne, Australia, including the direct and indirect water requirements of petrol cars, regional diesel trains and electric metropolitan trains.Results show that urban electric trains are the least water intensive transport mode (3.4 L/pkm) followed by regional diesel trains (5.2 L/pkm) and petrol cars (6.4 L/pkm). These intensities result in average daily per capita transport-related water use that can be greater than residential water use. Findings also show that occupancy rates greatly affect the water intensity of transport modes and that when occupied by five passengers, cars are the least water intensive transport mode. Finally, this study shows that water use associated with transport depends on a range of factors across the supply chain and that indirect requirements associated with operations, including administration, advertisement, servicing and others, can represent a significant share of the total. Reducing the total water requirements of transport modes is therefore a shared responsibility between all the actors involved and integrated action plans are needed in order to reduce water use associated with transport.     

苏州市轨道交通天鹅荡停车场站场方案研究

文章结合苏州轨道交通4号线支线及天鹅荡停车场工程概况,阐述了停车场站场设计技术要求及设计原则,并提出了停车场总平面布置的两个方案,并对方案的优缺点进行分析、比较,同时对工程设计过程中存在的问题进行了探讨。     

津滨轻轨客流特征及功能定位研究

津滨轻轨9号线是连接天津市中心城区和滨海新区的骨干轨道线路,对天津市双城格局的形成起到重要的支撑作用.依托天津市轨道交通AFC票务数据,整理分析津滨轻轨9号线的现状客流特征,包括其客流增长规律和客流的时间、空间分布特征,以及津滨轻轨在地铁5号线开通后,对城区客流服务的增强等内容.基于客流特征,研究分析津滨轻轨现状和规划...     

地铁车站轨顶排热系统协同站台排烟技术试验研究

为验证轨顶排热系统协同站台排烟技术的可行性,在某地铁车站现场进行轨顶排热系统协同站台排烟试验,并与站台专用排烟管道辅助排烟模式、站台大系统排烟模式进行试验对比,综合比较各种排烟模式的效果.结果表明:采用轨顶排热系统协同站台排烟技术车站,各楼扶梯口风速均大于1.5 m/s,站台烟气排除效率高,无需开启屏蔽门排烟,满足现行...