Minimizing energy consumption is a key issue from both an environmental and economic perspectives for railways systems; however, it is also important to reduce infrastructure construction costs. In the present work, an artificial neural network (ANN) was trained to estimate the energy consumption of a metropolitan railway line. This ANN was used to test hypothetical vertical alignments scenarios, proving

Condition monitoring is used as a tool for maintenance management and function as input to decision support. Thus the key parameters in preventing severe damage to railway assets can be determined by automatic real-time monitoring. The technique of radio-frequency identification (RFID) is increasingly applied for the automatic real-time monitoring and control of railway assets, which employs radio

The present study investigates the determinants of vehicle dwell time at stations in urban light rail networks. Using data collected from an on-board automatic passenger counting system of the tramway network of the French city of Nantes over a long period, the study performs graphical and statistical analyses enabling the identification of cause-and-effect relationships of a number of attributes on

While high-speed train systems have accelerated mobility in China during the twenty-first century, the train systems of normal speed have gradually been replaced and abandoned, resulting in a "rust belt" in some Chinese cities. The reuse of abandoned railways provides a way to rebuild urban public transit based on the traditional tracks, and is also a way to transform towards urban regeneration of

The performance of Tyne and Wear Metro system in the UK is measured on a headway basis, and gaps in service that are 4 min or more in excess of scheduled gaps are investigated and the cause documented. The metro system has a number of infrastructure constraints including single-line sections, junctions and level crossings, all of which have to be taken account of when constructing the timetable, in

The continuing growth of population density in urban areas around the world has placed greater emphasis on the utilisation and development of underground space to meet the increasing demands of the city. Due to limited land space available in downtown areas, many cities in the world are also embarking on integration of major construction projects of metro infrastructure, commercial developments and

The transition from a linear economy to a circular economy is a significant component of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Underground metro infrastructures such as tunnels can play a vital role in a circular economy, resulting in greater sustainability and less contribution to climate change. This paper presents numerical models of small-scale brick-lined railway tunnels to identify

The performance of the West Midlands Metro in the United Kingdom is analyzed in the present study by evaluating the existing timetables of the metro system. Using SIMUL8 computer software, a discrete event-based simulation prototype modeling the metro system is developed and implemented. The model adequately describes the performance of the West Midlands Metro system. By running simulations, the overall

The airport rail link (ARL) was launched in 2010 as a premium rail transit service between the inner city of Bangkok and the airport. In 2014, the express service was canceled due to its unpopularity and transformed into the commuter service. In 2017, the new extended service concept was introduced under the three airport links project. Under this new concept, both ARL and high-speed trains will run

The purpose of this work is to support the transit-oriented development (TOD) in Thailand. The main research objective is to explore the relationship between ridership demand and TOD indicators, which is expected to be the first question that a developer in Thailand must be able to answer in order to direct their development plan in the right direction. Using existing Bangkok metro stations as a case

Design practices in regard to passenger hazard exposure in mass transit stations that are directly open to the atmosphere, so-called open stations, are the focus of this study. The benchmarking exercise intends to provide a comprehensive review regarding the application of existing international and national design codes, standards, and guidelines in terms of their ability to mitigate hazards at key

Under the background of urbanization and the rapid development of urban rail transit (URT), serious attention has been focused on URT network reliability in recent years. In this work, in order to measure network reliability, three indicators are constructed based on passengers’ tolerable travel paths, passenger travel efficiency and passenger travel realization on a URT network. The passenger tolerability

New tramway technologies such as “ground-level power supply systems” fit with the purpose of preserving historical heritage and urban environments of city centers. Such public transportation systems do not require a traditional air supply system (+ 750 V) and are therefore referred to as “catenary-free systems” (i.e., APS system, tramwave system, Primove system). Their implementation is becoming increasingly

This paper explores performance shaping factors associated with holistic design aspects of metro systems affecting driver’s behaviour based on a case study using eye-tracking techniques. Train driving is a highly visual task where the physical environment provides key visual instructions. Eye–mind theories suggest that eye movements closely follow cognitive processes when it comes to interaction with

This paper demonstrates a methodology for flexible, dynamic systems modelling relevant to urban rail decarbonisation. Decarbonisation of urban rail is a vital component of policy and strategy to minimize anthropogenic emissions. Decarbonisation is a systems problem, however, that needs to reflect the interaction between components and processes. Dynamic computer modelling of systems for decarbonisation

Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is the first rapid transit system in Indonesia, built with the aim of alleviating the severe congestion in Jakarta by offering a travel alternative to people using private vehicles. Although Jakarta MRT is the most sophisticated inland transport mode in Jakarta, prior to its launch, there was no evidence or guarantee that the local community was willing to use it. Hence

The rapid expansion of new metro systems in the last two decades shows a globally growing interest in urban rail transit infrastructure. Every time a new metro line is opened, it has the potential to change the existing modal split, which is usually dominated by private (car or motorcycle) transport users. For each new or expanding metro system, a feasibility study is conducted, which focusses mainly

Transit-oriented development (TOD) links residential, retail, commercial, and community service developments to frequent, accessible rail transit services to stimulate sustainable development in the form of decreased land use and transport integration. A mixed-use shopping mall can be developed as a TOD with moderate to high density with diverse land use patterns and well-connected street networks

Owing to wide-ranging searches (there are various alignments between two points) as well as complex and nonlinear cost functions and a variety of geometric constraints, the problem of optimal railway alignment is classified as a complex problem. Thus, choosing an alignment between two points is usually done based on a limited number of alignments designed by experts. In recent years, the study of railway

Inefficient transport systems impose extra travel time for travelers, cause dissatisfaction and reduce service levels. In this study, the demand-oriented train scheduling problem is addressed using a robust skip-stop method under uncertain arrival rates during peak hours. This paper presents alternative mathematical models, including a two-stage scenario-based stochastic programming model and two robust

Based on the first successful application of new prefabricated technology in underground metro stations on line 2 of the Changchun Metro in China, a comprehensive analysis and discussion on research strategies for new prefabricated technology for large underground structures is provided. This paper introduces the application status of prefabricated technology in underground engineering worldwide, illustrates