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Just over 10 years after the creation of the Italian National Transport Fund (FNT) and the subsequent start of a new process to improve the efficiency of local public transport, a critical analysis of the regulatory instruments introduced in Italy for this purpose and the related consequences on the equity in the distribution of resources between regions was developed in this paper, highlighting the need for substantial changes. Unfortunately, as emerges from the bibliographic analysis, current knowledge does not allow us to have tools and models to appropriately quantify the real financial needs of each region in the sector. Therefore, some aspects are identified that research will need to investigate further to support a correct distribution of the FNT’s resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essentially as a consequence of the COVID epidemic, there has been recently a large decrease in car registrations in Europe, accompanied by a substantial change in the evolution process of the split of car registrations between the three types of cars equipped with different propulsion systems that are offered on the market. There has been a fall in the proportion of the cars equipped with internal combustion engine (ICE), while there has been a boost to the production, and thus a push for electric car sales, both battery powered (BEV) and hybrid (HEV and PHEV). By using a dynamic model of competition between these three types of cars, this paper explains that this evolution process tends to a situation in which the car market in Europe will be dominated by hybrid cars, with ICE cars and BEV cars in marginal roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes some critical reflections relating to rail transport of people in Europe, with an indepth analysis on the Italian context. Some large numbers relating to high-speed railways and regional railways are compared, highlighting the limits and inequities of the policies pursued by some states that have preferred the logic of corridors to widespread networks. Therefore, the opportunity to change strategy is affirmed, adopting a different approach in the development policies of railway transport, inspired by territorial, economic, social and environmental equity (Fair-Sustainable Transport). The railways system of Calabria is analysed as a representative case study. Through a qualitative-quantitative analysis, the most significant critical issues are highlighted; 2 alternative scenario designs are then illustrated (new high-speed line, upgrading of infrastructures and services on the existing network), with related performance and cost characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is focused on the materials used for the manufacturing of the railway bogie frames. The paper will highlight the allowable and innovative materials after discussing the traditional materials related to the production of this vital rolling stock subsystem. Recently the design optimization is fundamental in all the automotive sectors, also in the railway field. For this reason the rail vehicle manufacturers have been engaged in a process of rolling stock innovation, reduction of cost, weight, material usage and environmental impact during the production and operation of the components. The optimization of the bogie frame has passed from the optimal design of shape, topology, material, the layout of components, the calculation of the strength and load-bearing characteristics of the frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper moves from the scientific literature on Road Ecology and Railway Ecology to merge related concepts and criteria under a single definition: Ecology of Transportation Infrastructure (ETI). Common traits are the negative impacts generated by road and rail infrastructure on natural ecosystems, resulting in habitat loss or fragmentation for flora and fauna. Although not much addressed within transportation studies, the ETI contribution is crucial when addressing the enforcement of regulations in the fields of strategic environmental evaluation for transportation projects and planning, with a focus on landscaping issues. To this end, evaluation criteria are proposed to meet the regulations requirements, along with the main measures to implement. The goal is to increase awareness among transportation researchers and operators of the need to introduce ETI in studies and practice on construction, maintenance and evaluation of railway infrastructures, as a criterion to meet the environmental requirements. Thus, the paper is structured as follows: the development of the fundamental concepts and the related literature review is reported (Section 1) and the relevance within the regulatory tools on environmental assessments at landscape scale is stressed along with some factors of complexity affecting the process (Section 2); eventually, ETI criteria and measures to implement ETI with a focus on railways lines and artifacts are described (Section 3), and guidelines to assess their effectiveness within planning decision-making processes are proposed (Section 4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope of this paper is to give an insight into one of the main deep-sea ports in the United Kingdom, the London Gateway, which is a part of the Thames Gateway project and to indicate how, through becoming more rail focussed, it is possible for both output and efficiency to increase. The aim of this study is ultimately to highlight how gradually shifting the reliance of moving freight to rail from road can enhance the overall throughput and output of a port, while also improving the nation’s overall carbon emissions. However, as the results from this simulation show, there is not always the option to solely rely upon rail freight, this is because an over dependency upon one form instead of the other can ultimately have detrimental consequences upon both throughput and output, as well as questions over whether the current rail infrastructure of the United Kingdom has the capacity and ability to handle longer freight trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at establishing the most appropriate maximum cruising speed for a freight electric multiple unit (F-EMU), i.e., a concept of a new-generation freight train with distributed power, diagnosable and suitable to run also on high-speed lines. Different scenarios were simulated on the Turin-Verona (I) line, trying to achieve a service with five subsequent F-EMUs departing after the end of the passenger service and arriving before the scheduled night-time maintenance operations on the infrastructure. The scenarios considered the current signalling systems (SCMT and ERTMS level 2) and ETCS level 3 with train-platooning. It has been shown that, because of the limitations due to the tarpaulin guaranteed resistance of swap bodies loaded on the flat wagons, the most convenient speed for the design of these trains is 160 km/h, being the best compromise for line capacity and the efficiency of the service. Moreover, given the homotachic nature of the foreseen scenarios, train-platooning would be a viable solution for avoiding delays and pursuing a more reliable service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope of this paper is to describe the new edition of CEI EN 50119, which is the reference standard for the overhead contact lines, focusing on its innovative aspects in comparison with the previous version. Major part of this text refers to an accurate analysis of the contents of Annex D, which represents the most significant innovation: for the first time since 2002, the Italian standard, besides the implementation at the national level of the corresponding European standard, defines some specific conditions applicable in Italy only. In the last part of this paper some calculation examples of the most significant quantities are shown, in order to supply the reader with help for understanding the theoretical aspects described in the previous clauses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the consequences of the imposition of the ban on sale of internal combustion engine cars (ICE) decided by the Parliament of the European Union. By using a dynamical model of the circulation split between ICE cars and electric cars it has been shown that these consequences essentially depend on the attitude to the electric car of Government and Public Administrations on the one hand, and of the ICE owners on the other. The combination of favourable attitude of both Governments and ICE car owners leads, after the ban imposition, to quick disappearance of ICE cars from circulation. Instead the consequences in the case of unfavourable attitude is the permanence in circulation of ICE cars beyond the threshold that have occurred in the absence of ban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper develops a “decision tool” that helps railway infrastructure managers decide the interventions to make at a given railway level crossing of the network in order to improve safety for rail traffic and road users. The current research is based on multicriteria analysis using the PROMETHEE methodology. The proposed methodology is tested on two railway level crossings of the Hellenic railway network. The interventions considered in this study include grade separation, crossing closure, improvement of railway level crossing characteristics, and rehabilitation of underperforming railway level crossings based on standard specifications. The aim of this research is to rank qualifying improvement interventions that deal with railway crossings’ safety through multi-criteria decisionmaking analysis. Visual PROMETHEE Academic Edition version software was used to rank the improvement actions/interventions and select the best ones for each railway level crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper approaches freight and passengers fleets, affected by naval gigantism, to investigate its energetic and environmental effects. Among the emerging trends, we encounter the increase of the installed power and, more relevantly, of the transport capacity of the ships. The result is a decrease of the specific power, particularly in the last 20 years. In the same period, an increase of the performances of ships in terms of environmental and energetic sustainability is ongoing. A further acceleration in this direction could come from the introduction of less pollutant fuels and renewable energies. It is a pillar for the development of future sustainable fleets, with relevant emerging investigation needs. In this context, the paper proposes a synthetic approach, combining dimensions and environmental performances of ships, tested on container and cruises fleets in operation in selected worldwide most frequented locations. The results could be useful to check effective policies, basing on emerging technologies and implementation of new rules and regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Turin-Lyon railway line was completed in 1871. Its first part, between Turin and Chambéry, was previously planned by the Kingdom of Sardinia – which ended in 1861 with the unification of Italy – to connect the Piedmont region to the Savoy region, in particular with Chambéry, ancient capital of Duchy of Savoy. However, today the railway line shows relevant operating problems, due to the high sum of grade and curve resistance. A new line, whose most important section is the Fréjus base tunnel (Fig. 1), is under construction. This paper analyses the competitiveness of the new Turin-Lyon line in the complete framework of rail connections between Italy and the rest of Europe via the Alpine passes. To this end, firstly a great part of European rail network was modelled, with particular detail for the railway lines across the Alps. Three different scenarios were considered: ‘current’, in which only railway lines currently in operation are included; ‘project’, in which railway lines under construction are also considered; ‘future’, in which planned railway lines, but not yet under construction, are also included. In particular only the new base tunnel, between Bussoleno and St. Jean de Maurienne, was considered in the ‘project’ scenario, while the entire new Turin-Lyon line was considered in the ‘future’ scenario. Afterwards, the current freight demand, among European regions, which pertain to Alpine pass railway lines, was calculated using a multi-regional input-output model. Subsequently, a forecast of the freight demand was made for the year 2030, ‘project’ scenario, and 2050, ‘future’ scenario. Finally, the freight transport demand was assigned to the study network by a Probit model, in order to calculate the freight flows on the various Alpine railway passes in the different scenarios considered. This analysis shows that on the future new Fréjus railway line there will be a significant increase in freight flows, until reaching, in the ‘future’ scenario, freight flows comparable to those of the Gotthard and Brenner, albeit lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper develops and presents a framework allowing railway infrastructure managers to effectively assess which railway level crossing of their network may be critically reviewed and potentially cancelled without causing irrevocable and unbalanced burden to the neigh-bouring communities and adjacent / vertical road network users. The proposed methodological approach applies to both passive and active railway level crossings with minimal only daily road traffic (≤100 road vehicles) where pedestrian use is also kept to a bare minimum. The framework developed contributes to all stages of a railway level crossing’s closure process identified through research on the Greek railway network and addresses what has been pinpointed, through the current research, as the main challenge for which railway level crossing closure initiatives often fail – i.e. stakeholder resistance – in a simple, yet concise and frugal way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth investigation of the engineering aspects related to the design and operation of distributed-power freight trains (F-EMU, freight Electric Multiple Unit), and their potential advantages, by evaluating the various components of this new kind of train and comparing its performance with a traditional freight train. Electric motors, distributed along certain motorised carriages of connected wagons, allow, among others, the power necessary to avoid multiple locomotives, used on traditional lines for the heaviest trains, to be supplied, and access to high-speed lines, which were originally designed and constructed – in Italy for example – for mixed use (i.e. for passengers and freight). Interesting speed levels (140160 km/h) could be achieved, subject to the other requirements of the rolling stock, which are indicated later on in the paper. EMU trains are known to be used for passenger services, as they allow high speeds to be reached, energy to be recuperated during braking and, in general, increases in the performances of the rolling stock to be obtained. Analyses of the operation of freight trains have pointed out that distributed-power trains are able to reach appreciable acceleration values, during traction, because of a better distribution of the adhesive weight. High performances can be achieved, during the braking phase, when electro-dynamic braking, which allows energy to be recovered, is adopted together with a dominant electro-pneumatic braking system: this also prevents the infrastructure operator from having to lengthen the block sections to allow any poorly-braking 700-750 m long traditional trains to transit. The use of such innovative freight trains also satisfies the modern requirements of intermodal transport: electrification of the whole train makes it possible to transport units of refrigerated goods and perishable goods, and to conduct a constant monitoring of the load. After having examined the design and functional requirements of the F-EMU train and a traditional one, a comparison is made of the performances of a distributedpower freight train and a conventional one, on the TurinSavona railway line, through the use of a micro-simulating software package that is able to reproduce the railway operations along the considered stretch and saturate the current passenger timetable with freight trains. From the results, it has emerged that the adoption of distributed-power freight trains leads to a marked reduction of the travel times and an increase in the intermodal transport units (UTI) that can be transported over the reference time frame, especially when considering the use of 750 m long trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows some initial results of Assets4Rail, an EU founded project that aims to contribute to the modal shift towards rail by exploring, adapting and testing the most advanced technologies for railway asset monitoring and maintenance, in order to ensure a proactive and cost-effective maintenance and intervention systems on the assets (both rail infrastructure and rolling stock with regard to defects affecting the track). The core of the project is to develop an integrated system to gather and analyse information, collected by specific on-site sensors, as well as train mounted automated monitoring systems, for detecting defects that have non-negligible impacts on infrastructure. The first step of the project, as described in the present paper, is the state-of-the-art review of previous EU/national funded projects, industry solutions and research papers, to identify drivers, benchmarks and emerging solutions and assess potentially applicable technologies and solutions in the fields of sensor system for track geometry monitoring. In this context, the paper defines the requirements, classified into functional, operational, performances and safety for further developments and testing of an on-board sensor system able to measure the transversal position of the wheel in relation to the rail in order to support track geometry measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, more than ever, decision-makers are at the lookout for solutions aimed at dissuading private car use and promoting public transportation; unsurprisingly, urban guided transport systems emerge as the ideal solution. The framework proposed in this paper allows for selecting the most suitable urban guided transport system for given areas. It is based on exhaustive literature review. Our approach adopts sustainable mobility principles at its core assessing holistically what is relevant for economic, social, environmental, operational and technical criteria for comparatively appraising tram, metro, monorail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. Underpinned by a ranking system for criteria weighing and alternatives evaluation, as applicable to each criterion, and scored by a panel of experts, the proposed framework effectively considers the intricacies of the study area into question, eliminating results subjectivity and vagueness in the assessment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called heavy freight trains (over 1600 t), sometimes even long (740-750 m), are now among the leaders of the future of rail transport of goods. The aim of this paper is to analyse, both theoretically and experimentally, the impact that this solution may have on the traction units (hooks with their traction castle or yoke) and the braking system. Concerning the traction units, the technical reference in Italy, no longer binding from 2021, is Tab. 20, art. 61, of the General Preface of the Timetable of Services (named PGOS) containing the correlations between the maximum towed mass and the plan-altimetric characteristics of the line (performance grade). This reference is questioned and compared with other foreign institutional sources and with analytical calculations referring to “quasistatic” conditions of the trainset, departing from a standstill, and again in “dynamic” conditions at high speeds. As far as the analysis in the braking phase is concerned, this was carried out by means of thermal evaluations on data collected from experimental observations compared with data available in the literature. Among the main results, considering a precautionary limit hook load of 400 kN, both in the quasi-static and dynamic conditions, it appears that the maximum load section or degree of performance on which a train of 2000 t can circulate is 15/16, corresponding approximately to an equivalent resistance deriving from the infrastructure (i.e. gradient and resistance in curves) of 15‰, without prejudice to the possibility of using thrust or booster locomotives at the rear, in compliance with the provisions of art. 60 of the mentioned PGOS. The thermal evaluations of the braking system confirmed that the maximum values reached are compatible with those in the literature and that the behaviour of the braking blocks is different according to their type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a market, where two typologies of cars are competing with each other, it happens sometimes that one of them, which is innovative and growing, at a certain point undergoes a decline, which ends with a turn towards a return of growth or towards an increase in decline. Using a dynamic model this paper has shown that the turn is due to an instability typical of innovation processes, and its direction depends on the value of a parameter that measures the resistance of users to giving up the typology of car in the decline phase. Applying this model to the evolution of the market of the Diesel car between 1990 and 2020, it has been shown that the fall in sales of cars after 2015 is due to the little resistance of users to giving up the car during the decline started around 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 containment measures are parts of the key strategies is to reduce human mobility to slow down the spread, thus at a crossroad with transport policy and affecting travel behaviors. In this paper, based on information collected with expert questionnaire and supported by a literature review, we carried out an analysis on how transport policy is affected through various COVID-19 containment measures. Our analysis shows that the COVID-19 measures on public transport are virtually all restrictive, calling for additional behavioral changes, typically wearing face masks and enforced on a precautionary basis, since there seems no epidemiological consensus that public transport is a high-risk superspreading environment at the current status of knowledge. Moreover, from the result of the expert questionnaire, it is clear that a large variety of measures has been enforced, in response to the specific problem of containment, thus demonstrating that there was neither preparedness nor common vision among the public transport operators. On the contrary, for private motorized transport, COVID-19 measures are often oriented on ease of existing restrictions and regulations. This is not in line with the principle of sustainable transport policies to encourage the use of active modes and public transport and to discourage the use of private motorized modes. It shows the vulnerability of current transport policy and policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews and summarizes the technological characteristics of magnetic levitation (Maglev) transport systems from a transport engineering point of view, providing a summary of the international state of the art, research activities and most significant applications over the last five decades. The main development phases of the Maglev systems are included and illustrated in the broader context of the evolutionary process of the railway transport system. This paper aims to categorize and clearly explain the basic principles, technologies and application fields of different Maglev transportation systems. Performances, potentials and limits of Maglev systems are analyzed in comparison with those of traditional wheelon-rail based ones. Additionally, Maglev research needs are included. Particular attention is paid to Maglev systems based on high critical temperature superconductivity technology: on this, the Italian and Chinese experiences are reported. Finally, the current research frontier focused on the development of futuristic evacuated tube transport (ETT) systems with very high speed (close to 1,000 km/h) Maglev vehicles is examined. In this respect, the potential and the main scientific and technological aspects that still need to be explored and resolved are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standard telecommunication system for the railways is GSM-R (The Global System for Mobile Communications Railways). Since 2004 the GSM-R has been the international mobile standard for railway communication, and it is at present the standard radio network solution adopted by the European railways. The ROC Industry Group (Railway Operational Communications Industry Group) has indicated that the support of GSM-R products and services is guaranteed until 2030. Based upon this information, the railway sector has to mitigate the risk of the non-availability of GSM-R as radio system for train operations after this date. With the fast development of high-speed railways, the new radio communication systems can be used to improve operational efficiency and to create important services. The most promising one is 5G-Railway. In this paper the authors give a first vision of the new possibilities and technical solutions regarding the new changer network. A great importance in given to railway services rather than technology and architecture. Technology and architecture will be the target of future articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In railway operations, data provided by wayside measuring systems could be useful for many reasons as ensuring safety and facilitating maintenance of the tracks. For example, measuring devices of wheel-rail contact forces allow the monitoring of any kind of rolling stock under specific operating conditions, like curves at low speed or twisted tracks, which are always present in stations, depots and marshalling yards. For that reason, in this paper we present the evaluation of the robustness of the SMCT wayside measurement system. The system is based on a particular strain gauges configuration on the rail foot, able to isolate the effects of the lateral force from those of the vertical one and record the lateral force using a proportional coefficient between that force and strains. The system has been validated with several field tests directly on a railway line in service: about 4000 transit and different types of trains, up to 110 km/h. The aim of the work is to build a fitting regression model able to predict the value of the ratio between the lateral force and strains in order to test the robustness of the measurement method and its operating range, modifying parameters that experimentally could not have been changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L’articolo si propone di descrivere le attività sviluppate nell’ambito del progetto ASTONRAIL (approcci e pratiche avanzate per la formazione e l’istruzione ferroviaria per rinnovare i programmi di studio e migliorare l’istruzione ferroviaria), finanziato dal programma ERASMUS+. L’obiettivo del progetto è quello di fornire una rassegna di nuove strategie nello sviluppo delle competenze ferroviarie, approcci e pratiche professionali al fine di rafforzare e modernizzare l’attuale sistema di istruzione superiore ferroviario in Europa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a method for identifying the elastic characteristics of the track in order to mitigate the actions produced by the transit of vehicles. The study is based on the use of consolidated analysis theories and outlines the methods of rapid identification of the structural characteristics, the kinematic and dynamic behaviour of permanent way equipment in the 30Hz÷80 Hz frequency range. Therefore the document proposes an application case of the methodology for determining the actions of mitigation of the vibrations induced by rail transit, the results of which have been supported by experimental measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]