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Railway operations are highly susceptible to delays and disruptions caused by various factors, such as technical issues, operational inefficiencies, and unforeseen events. To counter these delays and ensure efficient railway operations during real-time management, several rescheduling approaches can be implemented. Among these approaches, passenger-oriented rescheduling considers train rescheduling while taking passenger data into account, as opposed to operation-oriented rescheduling. This paper provides an overview of the former group of approaches. Particular focus is put on different ways passenger data is exploited to optimize rescheduling and on the measures, the approaches can decide on. The rescheduling measures typically considered vary from decisions on maintaining transfers, canceling trains, adding emergency trains, changing routes and orders of trains, skipping or adding stops at stations, short-turning trains, applying speed control, and modifying rolling stock compositions. In this regard, the paper presents a comprehensive analysis of real-time rescheduling approaches adopted in both the conventional railway and urban rail transit and points out possible directions for further research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The railway industry forecasts growth in passenger and freight traffic over the next 30 years. This places additional demands on rolling stock depot facilities, many of which were designed and built before the modern age of information technology. This paper explores the potential of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of rolling stock maintenance management to meet the challenges of the near future, by utilising advanced computing techniques. The objective of the work is to create optimised maintenance plans for a fleet of trains, considering optimal use of resources. As a "glue" for joining up functions and operations, a generic Depot and Vehicle ontology (called the Virtual Depot) is introduced. The ontology captures the structures, relationships, and attributes of objects in the Depot (rolling stock, sensors, depot assets, tools, resources, and staff). The ontology is populated with example company and fleet-specific knowledge using an automated knowledge acquisition method. This paper describes the systematic method for the creation of a Virtual Depot. Two particular aspects are discussed in detail—knowledge acquisition of fleet-specific information obtained from a manufacturer's Vehicle Maintenance Instruction manuals and the construction of a short-term scheduling process within the Virtual Depot. Our evaluation considers the integrative aspects of the method, demonstrating how the ontological structure and its acquired specific information informs and benefits the scheduling process, in particular with respect to schedule optimisation. Results from an initial case study show there is significant potential to optimise short-term maintenance schedules, and the ability to automatically consider resource availability in short-term scheduling is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of the metropolitan area, the application of express/local mode is gradually increasing. In contrast to the normal mode, the express/local mode has advantages in reducing energy consumption and saving total travel time by having express trains skipping some stops. This paper aims to minimize the total energy consumption of express and local train throughout the day by optimizing the train operation strategy in the same power supply section and increasing the overlap time between train traction acceleration and train regenerative braking to obtain the optimal energy‐efficient timetable. As the consumed energy of a train is highly dependent on the rolling stock weight and the on‐board passengers' weight. An integer programming model is proposed with on‐board passengers considered accurately, in which the dwell times, departure headway, and total turnaround time of express and local trains are determined. An improved grey wolf algorithm is designed by improving convergence factor and incorporating differential evolution to solve the proposed problem. The real data on Guangzhou Metro Line 18 is adopted for numerical studies. The results show that the optimized timetable increases the regenerative energy utilization rate by 21.37% and reduces the total energy consumption by 5.02% compared to the operational timetable. This paper aims to minimize the total energy consumption of express and local train throughout the day by optimizing the train operation strategy in the same power supply section and increasing the overlap time between train traction acceleration and train regenerative braking to obtain the optimal energy‐efficient timetable. An integer programming model is proposed with on‐board passengers considered accurately, in which the dwell times, departure headway, and total turnaround time of express and local trains are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the history of two-axle rail vehicles (rail buses) used for operation on regional lines in Czechoslovakia. It also shows trends in the development of modern light autonomous rolling stocks usable for passenger transport on unprofitable regional lines in Western Europe. The measures adopted in the transport policy of the Czech Republic for the period 2021-2027 for regional railway vehicles in the Czech Republic are presented. The final part of the paper presents the results of study of the concepts of a two-axle hybrid and electric rail buses and a conceptual design of a modular solution of a partially low-floor vehicle BEMU and HEMU for passenger regional rail transport. This paper shows that it is very problematic to create a light rail vehicle (LVR) that will be economical and environmentally friendly for regional transport and at the same time will meet the requirements of standards ČSN EN 12 663, category P2 and ČSN EN 15 227, category C I and will be friendly to road users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents IRONEDGE, an architectural framework that can be used in different edge Stream Processing solutions for "Smart Infrastructure" scenarios, on a case-by-case basis. The architectural framework identifies the common components that any such solution should implement and a generic processing pipeline. In particular, the framework is considered in the context of a study case regarding Internet of Things (IoT) devices to be attached to rolling stock in a railway. A lack of computation and storage resources available in edge devices and infrequent network connectivity are not often seen in the existing literature, but were considered in this paper. Two distinct implementations of IRONEDGE were considered and tested. One, identified as Apache Kafka with Kafka Connect (K0-WC), uses Kafka Connect to pass messages from MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) to Apache Kafka. The second scenario, identified as Apache Kafka with No Kafka Connect (K1-NC), allows Apache Storm to consume messages directly. When the data rate increased, K0-WC showed low throughput resulting from high losses, whereas K1-NC displayed an increase in throughput, but did not match the input rate for the Data Reports. The results showed that the framework can be used for defining new solutions for edge Stream Processing scenarios and identified a reference implementation for the considered study case. In future work, the authors propose to extend the evaluation of the architectural variation of K1-NC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rolling stock might function at an optimum level in reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety with comprehensive maintenance. The past decade has seen rapid development in the management of maintenance costs in many sectors such as the automotive and aviation industry. However, there is a lack in a number of studies focusing on rolling stock maintenance costs. This article provides comprehensive knowledge on the rolling stock maintenance cost. Recently, the research found no specific literature reviews that focus on typical rolling stock maintenance costs. This paper attempts to review, identify and discuss the influential costs involved in rolling stock maintenance. This research systematically reviews and classifies a substantial number of published papers and suggests a classification of specific cost categories according to rolling stock needs. The results revealed that 27 variables have contributed to the rolling stock maintenance costs. The highest among the influential costs are 13.8% spare part cost, 11% life cycle cost, 6.4% preventive maintenance cost, and 4.6% for the workforce, corrective maintenance, and cost of ownership, respectively. The interrelationship between influential costs and their effects on rolling stock costs is further discussed. More importantly, the paper is intended to provide a comprehensive view of influential costs affecting rolling stock maintenance and give useful references for personnel working in the industry as well as researchers. This research has highlighted the possibility of future major studies to minimize the identified maintenance cost and industry to optimize its operational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a deep learning approach for predicting rail corrugation based on on-board rolling-stock vertical acceleration and forward velocity measurements using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN-1D). The model's performance is examined in a 1:10 scale railway system at two different forward velocities. During both the training and test stages, the CNN-1D produced results with mean absolute percentage errors of less than 5% for both forward velocities, confirming its ability to reproduce the corrugation profile based on real-time acceleration and forward velocity measurements. Moreover, by using a Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) technique, it is shown that the CNN-1D can distinguish various regions, including the transition from damaged to undamaged regions and one-sided or two-sided corrugated regions, while predicting corrugation. In summary, the results of this study reveal the potential of data-driven techniques such as CNN-1D in predicting rails' corrugation using online data from the dynamics of the rolling-stock, which can lead to more reliable and efficient maintenance and repair of railways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the problem of obtaining a given dynamic behavior of simply supported bridge beams from the impact of rolling stock. Resonant vibrations of beams become a reality at high speeds if the train is formed of identical cars, which is typical for passenger trains. The phenomenon of suppression of beam vibrations by a train, known from publications, is possible only with an exact ratio of the length of the car and the beam. This significantly reduces the possibilities of choosing the necessary spans of beams. Consideration of issues of interaction in the "bridge–track—train" system for security purposes requires the involvement of a rather complex mathematical apparatus and appropriate software. The paper proposes a new method for determining the specified dynamic behavior of bridge beams, suitable for any spans and available to engineers at the stage of pre-design assignment of dynamic parameters of beams. The requirements that are necessary and sufficient conditions for preventing the resonance of bridge beams on the HSR are determined. At the same time, it does not require the involvement of software based on a complex mathematical technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the dynamic behavior of rolling stocks is an essential problem. In dynamic simulation, the correct wheel-rail contact modeling is an important task. In this paper, the stiffness of the wheel-rail contact zone is found by a new, direct, and simplified formulation. This subject is developed by applying more details, such as surface roughness based on the surface topography and hardening effects of a real contact problem. These characteristics have not been considered altogether in other similar works. In this work, the contact stiffness and frequency results are obtained for different material properties and verified with analytical and experimental research. It is shown that the presented new direct method with an acceptable accuracy is easier to use than the complicated existing methods. This paper discusses the effects of contact parameter variations on contact stiffness and frequency. For example, it is shown that the contact stiffness decreases by increasing the surface roughness and increases by increasing the strain-hardening factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rolling stock manufacturers are finding innovative structural solutions to improve the quality and reliability of railway vehicles components. Structural optimization processes represent an effective strategy for reducing manufacturing costs, resulting in geometries easier to design and produce. In this framework, the present paper proposes a new methodology to design a railway metro bogie frame, combining structural–topological optimization methods and sensitivity analysis. In addition, manufacturing constraints were included to make the component design suitable for production through sand-casting. A robust sensitivity analysis has highlighted the most critical load conditions acting on the bogie frame. Its effectiveness was verified by carrying out two different structural optimizations based on different loadings. Two equivalent designs were obtained. Computational times were positively reduced by about 57%. The maximum value of stress was reduced about 23%. This new methodology has shown encouraging results to streamline the design process of this complex mechanical system, allowing researchers to also include manufacturing requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Track deterioration models (TDMs) help to allocate maintenance work (direct costs) to vehicle runs. Furthermore, these models demonstrate the impact of rolling stock properties on infrastructure. This paper review provides an overview of the state of the art in railway track deterioration modelling and outlines the research potential in this domain. The main focus lies on ballast degradation, rail surface wear and fatigue, and their description in an empiric analytic wear formula. The basis for discussion is the wear formula of the Graz University of Technology. While the TDM demonstrates effectiveness, enhancements are sought, particularly with regard to adjusting the track parameters that vary across railway networks. Further exploration aims to refine the description of rail surface wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF), incorporating factors such as traction energy and short-wave effects and adapting mathematical functions such as the t-Gamma function. This review underscores the need for ongoing research to develop TDMs that are both simple and detailed enough to encourage track-friendly rolling stock design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses real-world experiments in which selected ground imperfections were dynamically analysed in terms of track susceptibility for a linear and non-linear system. The imperfections included wheel pressure on local ground irregularities within the railway turnout. In this study, susceptibility was assumed as an element between two points (two masses)—most often susceptibility is assumed as a Voigt model (parallel combination of stiffness and damping). The tests were carried out for two configurations of train passage through a railway turnout on straight and diverging track. The track stiffness parameters of the railway turnout were determined from deflection measurements measured by sensors positioned at different points of the turnout. The components of the railway turnout were loaded with different forces. The damping parameter was determined from bench measurements of the actual track component. The function describing this damping is dry friction and such a function was determined. The second part of the study was concerned with measurements of stiffness and moments of inertia in a railway switchyard. The analysis carried out indicated the significance of the adverse effects of selected factors on the operation of the railway track (e.g., increasing the length of non-contact of the track with the ground or additional deflections of the railway track rail arising). The paper points out that such imperfections, in addition to the calculated additional deflections, cause, among other things, disturbances in the progressive movement of the rolling stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the motivations for the application of actively controlled elements in the running gear of a rail vehicle and the challenges that need to be addressed before deploying vehicles with actively controlled elements in real operation. Furthermore, the paper presents the design of an active element concept and its control for steering the axles of an urban rail vehicle to improve the vehicle's passage through small radius curves. The design takes into account the fundamental issues of cost and safety of the application of active elements, which are addressed in the presented control design by using data from autonomous driving subsystems such as the environmental database or the anti-collision system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opening up of the railway to competition in Europe has been accompanied by many technical challenges never before seen in the railway field. One of these challenges concerns precise energy metering. As European railways have been a monopoly until now, the current systems can only measure the energy consumption of a single operator. In accordance with European law, the installation of an energy meter has been mandatory in new or refurbished rolling stocks since 2014. Nevertheless, these energy meters are still not fully reliable, with misreadings and missing readings being common occurrences. To address the problem of energy metering data reliability, this paper presents a method for validating the reading measurement based on a physical model and validates it in two different case studies. For the issue of energy metering data availability, different estimators are developed, and their performance are shown with the aim of calculating the missing consumptions for both case studies. Finally, the paper suggests how these methods may be implemented in other types of trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the technical condition of a railway track throughout its service life is crucial to ensuring functional safety. However, it is important to note that current approaches have theoretical and practical gaps that require attention. The purpose of this study is to discuss the reconceptualization of an integrated approach to assess changes in the technical condition of railway tracks caused by rolling stock over their service life. Improving existing systems for assessing the condition of the track can be achieved by modifying the model concept and, subsequently, the measurement and assessment procedures. This paper presents an alternative method for addressing technical issues related to the monitoring and diagnosis of railway tracks, with a particular focus on natural phenomena: energy transfer by elastic waves. The primary aim of this work is to propose an approach for designing a 'closed' measurement system that enables tracking of the cause-and-effect relationship. This system takes into account both the elastic dissipative characteristics of the track–rolling stock interaction and the influence of the dynamics of various components in the 'train-track' system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the railway sector, rolling stock and infrastructure must be maintained in perfect condition to ensure reliable and safe operation for passengers. Climate change is affecting the urban and regional infrastructure through sea level rise, water accumulations, river flooding, and other increased-frequency extreme natural situations (heavy rains or snows) which pose a challenge to maintenance. In this paper, the use of artificial intelligence based on predictive maintenance implementation is proposed for the early detection of degraded conditions of a bridge due to extreme climatic conditions. For this prediction, continuous monitoring is proposed, with the aim of establishing alarm thresholds to detect dangerous situations, so restrictions could be determined to mitigate the risk. However, one of the main challenges for railway infrastructure managers nowadays is the high cost of monitoring large infrastructures. In this work, a methodology for monitoring railway infrastructures to define the optimal number of transductors that are economically viable and the thresholds according to which infrastructure managers can make decisions concerning traffic safety is proposed. The methodology consists of three phases that use the application of machine learning (Random Forest) and artificial cognitive systems (LSTM recurrent neural networks). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railway infrastructure is generally classified as either fixed or movable infrastructure assets. Failure in any of the assets could lead to the complete shutdown and disruption of the entire system, economic loss, inconvenience to passengers and the train operating company(s), and can sometimes result in death or injury in the event of the derailment of the rolling stock. Considering the importance of the railway infrastructure assets, it is only necessary to continuously explore their behavior, reliability, and safety. In this paper, a proactive multi-criteria decision-making model that is based on an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set and some reliability quantitative parameters has been proposed for the evaluation of the reliability of the infrastructure assets. Results from the evaluation show that the failure mode 'Broken and defective rails' has the most risk and reliability concerns. Hence, priority should be given to the failure mode to avoid a total system collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of the statistical values of wear of brake pads in operation, based on which a wear model was developed, is presented in this paper. This model can be used for predicting the remaining service life of brake pads according to the wagon mileage. The distribution function of wear on the upper and lower parts of the pad was determined, which made it possible to find the main qualitative characteristics, namely, the wear intensity, the γ-percentage wear, and the average pad wear at a specified wagon mileage. The results of the study can be factored for solving complex engineering problems of excessive wear of composite brake pads used for freight rolling stock; they could also help to extend the guaranteed overhaul period and improve the railway traffic safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, when optimizing a rolling stock schedule, the locations of the depots, or places in the network where the composition changes and maintenance occurs, are assumed known. The locations where maintenance is performed naturally influence the quality of any resulting rolling stock schedules. In this paper, the problem of selecting new depot locations and their corresponding capacities is considered. A two-stage mixed integer programming approach for rolling stock scheduling with maintenance requirements is extended to account for depot selection. First, a conventional flow-based model is solved, ignoring maintenance requirements, to obtain a variety of rolling stock schedules with multiple depot locations and capacity options. Then, a maintenance feasible rolling stock schedule can be obtained by solving a series of assignment problems by using the schedules found in the first stage. The proposed methodology is tested on real-life instances, and the numerical experiments of different operational scenarios are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of transport in underground hard coal mines is very rarely described in the literature. The financial aspects of this issue are even less often analyzed. Publications in this area focus on technical issues and the safety of mining crews. More attention is paid to transport in open-pit mines. The above premises and practical needs imply the need to conduct economic analyses of transport systems in underground hard coal mines. This paper is a scientific communication, which presents the concept of a multi-criteria cost analysis as a tool to support the selection of the optimal transportation option in an underground hard coal mine. Considerations in this area have not been carried out in the relevant literature, and the problem of selecting a transportation option is a complex and necessary issue in the practice of underground mines with extensive mine workings. The methodology presented includes five cost criteria (costs of carrying out the transportation task; route expansion costs; rolling stock maintenance costs; depreciation costs; and additional personnel costs). The simultaneous application of criteria relating to utility properties in addition to cost criteria makes it possible to adopt a specific technical and organizational model of the transportation system based on the indication of the optimal solution, resulting from the mathematical construction of functions of objectives relating to utility and cost. The optimal variant of the designed system and configuration of the material transportation system in underground workings takes into consideration the following: (1) seven utility criteria (KU1—transportation task completion time; KU2—compatibility of transportation systems; KU3—continuous connectivity; KU4—co-use with other transportation tasks; KU5—safety; KU6—inconvenience; KU7—operation under overplanning conditions) and (2) five cost criteria (KK1—costs of implementing the transportation task; KK2—costs of route expansion; KK3—rolling stock maintenance costs; KK4—depreciation costs; KK5—additional personnel costs). Based on the aforementioned criteria, two objective functions are built for each option: utility and cost. They present divergent goals; therefore, they are non-cooperative functions. Both utility and costs strive for the maximum. In the developed methodology, an ideal point is usually a fictitious solution representing a set of maximum values among all the achievable values in a set of solutions, but it is impossible to achieve this simultaneously based on all the criteria. This point illustrates the maximum utility and lowest cost among the alternatives considered, which is obviously impossible for any of the variants to meet at the same time, although it indicates the possibilities of the technique and the range of costs. For the developed method, a so-called "PND" nadir point is also determined, representing the least-preferred level of achievement of all goals simultaneously, determined from the set of optimal points in the Pareto sense. The originality of the conceptual considerations undertaken stems from: filling the gap in the economic methodology of complex transportation systems evaluation; embedding considerations in the trend concerning complex transportation systems of underground mines; and focusing considerations on the pre-investment phase, making it possible to optimize costs before expenditures are incurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electric Drive for Locomotives is the property of Electric Drive for Locomotives Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a systematic literature survey on diagnostic methods used for railway materials and systems. The authors analyze various railway accident reports, focusing on the types of failures described and their causes. Previous review papers have addressed various aspects of railway systems diagnostics; however, most of the existing research focuses on specific parts of the rail vehicle or subsystems. In contrast, this survey focuses on railway diagnostic systems rather than general diagnostic methods used in mechanical and electrical engineering. The authors classify the types of failures and diagnostic methods that are used in rail transport into two categories: infrastructure and rolling stock. The purpose of this paper is to systematize the types of failure that occur in railway transport systems; identify the state-of-the-art means and methods of diagnostics in railway materials and systems, with particular focus on new research findings; and identify trends and possible research gaps in need of further development.

Public safety is prime concern in rail industry and driver training on hazard perception is crucial. Additionally, a new driver's skill set determines the productivity and quality of existing driver training methods. Apprentice train drivers are required to complete massive hours under supervision of experienced drivers to attain the required skill sets causing productivity issues. Traditional driver training is paper based, and assessments are individually evaluated without any scientific rigor, resulting in quality challenges. This paper proposes a Metaverse embedded learning and training framework for drivers in rolling stock. The framework includes driver vision analysis by eye tracking and pupil dilation focusing on enhancing the productivity and quality of driver training and hazard detection for drivers in rolling stock. Metaverse embedded training and learning enhances experiential learning with unique benefits. In this paper, a metaverse-based training framework is proposed for train drivers to enhance productivity, quality, and safety aspects through case studies including: (i) driver sightline studies and (ii) vision analysis. The studies developed quantifying driver hazard perceptions and related comprehension rates based on eye tracking and vision studies. In conclusion, the overall savings on cost and time are 95% effective using Metaverse-based training method compared to traditional methods. Stakeholders need to supervise on driver tasks, knowledge retention, damage control due to the occurrence of hazards. The framework substantially reduced hazards to 50% with saving up to 3696 man-hours. The assessment was completely automated to provide real time assessment thus providing 93% more positive results compared to traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing the chemical composition of phosphorus cast iron for the manufacture of brake shoes, which are used in the rolling stock, is based on specific tests, and the results must be within the specified limits of railway standards. This paper presents the processing of data taken from an economic agent producing brake shoes—with chemical composition and hardness values determined through the Brinell method—as well as optimizing these data by obtaining optimal variation intervals. These technological intervals are useful in the case of foundries in order to obtain superior products from a qualitative point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns the assessment of railway track surface conditions in relation to the degree of weed infestation. The paper conceptually describes the proposed method using a visual system to analyse weed infestation level. The use of image analysis software for weed detection is also proposed. This new measurement method allows for a mobile assessment of the track's weed infestation status. Validation of the assessment method in real conditions will allow for further expansion of the system using new shades of green from the RAL palette, and will take into account a more extensive and detailed assessment of weed infestation on the track in accordance with applicable railway regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to overcome the contradiction between the rolling stock scheduling problem of EMU at a macro level and the problem of EMU train passing station route at a micro level in some special cases, this paper comprehensively optimizes the electric multiple unit train passing station route and rolling stock scheduling. By taking the operation of the Chinese high-speed railway EMU trains as the actual background and using the actual situation that the first-level inspection and repair cycle time is twice the cycle of a high-speed railway train timetable, based on the establishment of a 48-hour continuous network, a 0-1 type integer linear programming model is constructed. While obtaining the rolling stock scheduling of EMU trains, the EMU train passing station route scheme is obtained. The experimental results show that, compared with solving the problem in two stages, the comprehensive optimization according to the method in this paper can better ensure the feasibility of the passing station route scheme and provide decision support for the actual operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The paper aims to investigate the increase of fuel efficiency of a mainline freight locomotive in the case of separate loading of diesel generators of its individual sections. Methodology. The study was carried out for the non-electrified section between Kharkiv-Sorting and Sumy stations during the movement of a freight train with 45 loaded and empty freight cars in both directions. The movement of a train with a freight mainline two-section diesel locomotive 2TE116 was taken. To determine the parameters of the movement, a mathematical model was developed, which was used to solve a series of traction problems. The traction problems are calculated for the cases of train movement with a series diesel locomotive and a diesel locomotive with separate loading of diesel generators of its individual sections. A method of loading sections is proposed for modeling and the traction characteristics of the locomotive are constructed in accordance with this method. Findings. It has been established that the use of separate loading of diesel generators of individual sections of a diesel locomotive when running a train with loaded cars reduces fuel consumption by 18.7...19.6 % compared to running a serial diesel locomotive. For the case of a train with empty cars, the reduction in fuel consumption is 8.1...10.3 % compared to a train with a serial diesel locomotive. It has been found that the movement of a train with empty cars can be carried out with traction by one section of a diesel locomotive. In this case, the reduction in fuel consumption is 29.5...31.0 %. In all the studied cases, the duration of the movement is practically the same. Originality. The authors of this paper have solved traction problems for a real track section when a train with a freight diesel locomotive is moving, where separate loading of diesel generators of its sections is used. A method for forming the traction characteristics of a locomotive with separate loading of diesel generators is proposed. Practical value. The developed mathematical models of train movement, including for the case of separate loading of diesel generators of diesel locomotive sections, can be used in the modernization of diesel locomotives or the creation of diesel rolling stock using a multi-diesel power plant.

In the paper, the present state of scientific knowledge in authorising the types of railway vehicles in Slovakia and abroad is analysed by the authors. The aim of the authorisation of the types of railway vehicles is to take into account the interests of the whole society in the field of transport in the manufacturing of these vehicles or their import from abroad. These interests mainly include a greater security of transport, as well as a greater quality, reliability and lifespan of railway vehicles. The authors also analyse the Commission Recommendation 2014/897/EU of 5 December 2014 on matters related to the placing in service and use of structural subsystems and vehicles under Directives 2008/57/EC and 2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, which should contain instructions related to the matters in question. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union, and Directive (EU) 2016/798 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the railway safety. In addition to ensuring the applicability of interoperability regulations (new directives, regulations, decisions, recommendations, etc.), the aim of this paper is to present a methodology of authorising the types of railway vehicles and a software model (SW) of authorising the types of railway vehicles, with European legislation as a possible tool to speed up and simplify the entire process. The paper is concluded by three types of authorisation processes for different railway vehicles and their accessories, comparing the length and complexity of processing using the standard authorisation process and using the SW tool proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review on techniques used to monitor rolling stock equipment in order to predict the maintenance needs and activities before failure could actually occur. There is limited number of research on this study which has focused majorly on the infrastructure, and very little has covered the topic on maintenance or the rolling stock maintenance. This paper explores the available current source and findings about three maintenance strategies, two which are currently the most commonly practiced in South Africa and one which is taking the focus on this research. The review also revealed that artificial intelligence techniques are rarely used in monitoring of railway equipment. Part of the discussion in this paper is about the use of these AI techniques in maintenance. A discussion of a proposed maintenance strategy that uses the application of AI techniques is included and the whole review is closed off by outlining the possible challenges and future considerations relating to the predictive maintenance of Electric Trains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 involves interfacing multiple models together and running them in parallel in order to observe and predict systems-level effects. This is challenging due to the diverse nature of models, achieving parallel model integration and concerns around intellectual property (IP). One solution is the multi-modelling paradigm, which supports integrated, diverse, secure interfacing of models. This paper demonstrates the application of the multi-modelling approach, using the INTO-CPS tool chain. A multi-model was developed comprising key components required for urban rail decarbonisation problems. This multi-model was tested for power consumption in four different scenarios with an example drawn from the Tyne and Wear Metro in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom. These scenarios compared combinations of decarbonisation intervention (baseline rolling stock versus lightweight, regenerative braking rolling stock and baseline driving style versus energy-efficient defensive driving style), generating different power consumption profiles for each. As such, this serves as a proof of the application of the multi-modelling approach and demonstrates a number of benefits for flexible and rapid systems modelling. This paper fills a knowledge gap by demonstrating a potentially valuable tool for future systems-level decarbonisation challenges in urban rail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Electric Drive for Locomotives is the property of Electric Drive for Locomotives Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Pollution usually accumulates on the surface of the insulator rapidly on high‐speed electric multiple units (EMUs) under operation condition, and the flashover can occur frequently, especially when the EMUs is running on a high‐altitude line. To solve the problem, this paper proposes the calculation method of insulator withstand voltage under the condition of non‐uniform fouling distribution of high‐speed airflow based on the characteristics of high altitude of Lanzhou‐Xin Line in China, and gives the design and test verification of insulator support insulator for 3500‐km altitude. The design and test verification of the supporting insulator of the rolling stock applicable to 3500 km altitude are presented. The result shows that the insulator should be reliable operation on 4430‐km high altitude area if the insulator structure height is 430 mm, the creep distance is 1250 mm. The anti‐pollution performance is fine in high‐speed wind if the radiuses of the large and small shed of the insulator are 196 and 145 mm, respectively, and the shed spacing is 45 mm. The 50‐Hz withstand voltage of the developed insulator is 131 kV and the light impulse voltage is 228 kV which is suitable for lines running on 3500 m. This research provides a theoretical basis and data to support the safety of high‐speed rolling stock in high‐altitude areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissivity variations are one of the most critical challenges in thermography technologies; this is due to the temperature calculation strongly depending on emissivity settings for infrared signal extraction and evaluation. This paper describes an emissivity correction and thermal pattern reconstruction technique based on physical process modelling and thermal feature extraction, for eddy current pulsed thermography. An emissivity correction algorithm is proposed to address the pattern observation issues of thermography in both spatial and time domains. The main novelty of this method is that the thermal pattern can be corrected based on the averaged normalization of thermal features. In practice, the proposed method brings benefits in enhancing the detectability of the faults and characterization of the materials without the interference of the emissivity variation problem at the object's surfaces. The proposed technique is verified in several experimental studies, such as the case-depth evaluation of heat-treatment steels, failures, and fatigues of gears made of the heat-treated steels that are used for rolling stock applications. The proposed technique can improve the detectability of the thermography-based inspection methods and would improve the inspection efficiency for high-speed NDT&E applications, such as rolling stock applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintenance and safety inspection of trains is a critical element of providing a safe and reliable train service. Checking for the presence of bolts is an essential part of train inspection, which is currently, typically carried out during visual inspections. There is an opportunity to automate bolt inspection using machine vision with edge devices. One particular challenge is the implementation of such inspection mechanisms on edge devices, which necessitates using lighter models to ensure efficiency. Traditional methods have often fallen short of the required object detection performance, thus demonstrating the need for a more advanced approach. To address this challenge, researchers have been exploring the use of deep learning algorithms and computer vision techniques to improve the accuracy and reliability of bolt detection on edge devices. High precision in identifying absent bolts in train components is essential to avoid potential mishaps and system malfunctions. This paper presents "BoltVision", a comparative analysis of three cutting-edge machine learning models: convolutional neural networks (CNNs), vision transformers (ViTs), and compact convolutional transformers (CCTs). This study illustrates the superior assessment capabilities of these models and discusses their effectiveness in addressing the prevalent issue of edge devices. Results show that BoltVision, utilising a pre-trained ViT base, achieves a remarkable 93% accuracy in classifying missing bolts. These results underscore the potential of BoltVision in tackling specific safety inspection challenges for trains and highlight its effectiveness when deployed on edge devices characterised by constrained computational resources. This attests to the pivotal role of transformer-based architectures in revolutionising predictive maintenance and safety assurance within the rail transportation industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to design a new system to reduce the risk of derailment at crossings, which are critical points in railway lines. Crossings are a common element in conventional lines of current railway systems and are the only point on the track where there is a discontinuity. Our proposal is based on adding an element to the crossing that occupies part of the crossing gap, providing a larger support surface next to the wing rail, such that the wheel does not fall into the gap. The lateral force—which is the most influential parameter in derailments—is substantially decreased, thus reducing the risk of derailment due to lifting on the rail. The proposed approach also increases the safety of the dynamic behaviour, which has a direct impact on passenger comfort and influences the service life of both the rolling stock and the track, thus reducing the cost and even increasing safety at higher speeds. It has a simple structure that is easy to assemble and does not interrupt traffic during installation. The results of simulations using this innovative solution indicate a significant reduction in lateral stresses and strains on the track, which undoubtedly produces an improvement in traffic safety; however, the results cannot be fully quantified in terms of accident reduction with only the data obtained from simulations. Therefore, it was concluded that implementation of the new crossing design provides better conditions for rolling stock to run on turnouts, increasing safety by reducing the risk of derailment. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to carry out a program of experimental tests, which we intend to make the subject of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a new design of the gondola car hatch cover to increase the carrying capacity. The results of calculations the CAD model of the gondola car hatch cover showed that the maximum equivalent stresses do not exceed 216.4 MPa, the maximum equivalent displacements are 3.323 mm, and the maximum equivalent strains are 6.834×10-4. A new design of the gondola car hatch cover helps reduce the tare weight of 1.2%, i.e. increase the load capacity of the gondola car of 0.9 tons. The proposed design of the gondola hatch cover allows one to reduce the amount of rolling stock in the train by one unit while maintaining the total mass of the train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a method for continuously measuring the contact position between the wheel and rail using strain gauges. The authors investigated the relationship between the bridge output sensitivity rate and the change in the placement of strain gauges using the result of finite element analysis for the instrumented wheelset. It is noted that the bridge output sensitivity rate is defined as the bridge output change per unit distance of the contact position (load position). Based on the result, strain gauges position suitable for measuring contact position was identified. On the other hand, static load tests were conducted on the instrumented wheelset with strain gauges attached to measure contact forces (wheel load, lateral force, and tangential force) and positions, respectively. The test results were found to be generally consistent with the finite element analysis results, and it was also observed that the load position of each contact force influenced each bridge output. Finally, this paper proposes a method for calculating the contact position by solving a nonlinear equation. The calculation uses the results of the load tests and also wheel rotation angle, bridge outputs, wheel load, lateral force and tangential force which measured in running railway vehicle. Simulations were performed for various cases, and the contact positions were obtained stably and continuously. This suggests that the proposed method is reasonable and applicable to various situations.

As rail operators look for efficiency improvement, a new trend towards integration of detection technologies on revenue raising rolling stock has emerged, the objective being that a saving can be made by eliminating specialised rolling stock and reducing network scheduling. An area currently attracting research attention in the Australian heavy haul segment is the detection of rail foot flaws from moving vehicles through the use of Infrared Thermography. This paper presents a modelling and simulation methodology for full train simulation using a co-simulation approach for calculating heat transfer in the rail under a number of different vehicle system dynamics cases. The excitation source for the heat transfer focuses only on wheel/rail contact mechanics. The paper will explore the problem from a Modulated Thermography perspective that uses periodic heating and observation of the heating process for flaw detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many cities and regions, decision makers independently develop Train Operation Plan (TOP) for each line in the rail transit network, resulting in a lack of TOP Synchronization (TOPS). Considering the entire network as a whole, researchers have realized that synchronous optimization is of great significance. In this paper, we formulate two Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) models to optimize demand-driven TOP in the network. The former is an Asynchronous TOP Optimization (ATOPO) model, while the latter is a Synchronous TOP Optimization (STOPO) model. The bi-objective models simultaneously determine train frequency, train timetable, and rolling stock circulation under small-granularity passenger demand to minimize trains' total cost and passengers' total time. Then, we propose the Nondominated Sorting Coevolutionary Memetic Algorithm (NSCMA) to solve the combinatorial optimization problems. The hybrid heuristic algorithm incorporates Coevolutionary Memetic Algorithm (CMA) into Advanced and Adaptive Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (AANSGA-II) to ameliorate the evolution process for elite individuals. On this basis, we study the case of Shenyang Metro to verify the models and the algorithm. The results demonstrate that the STOPO model is better than the ATOPO model in reducing trains' total cost and passengers' total time. In addition, NSCMA is better than AANSGA-II in obtaining elite individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper outlines the basic goals for modern rail transport in the Czech Republic. This contribution points out some challenges and technical tasks that project engineers and operators of the rail transport in the Czech Republic will have to deal with if they want to succeed in the conditions of the liberalized European railway market after the year 2035. Moreover, the article assesses the demands placed on safety of the railway transport and presents suggestions for reduction of the consequences of a rolling stock-car collisions in the regional transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of reliability theory has led to the setting of tasks requiring consideration of the efficiency and functional safety of technical objects of transport over the life cycle. The paper demonstrates the possibility of using the universal laws of elastic wave theory to describe natural phenomena occurring in complex dynamic systems, on the examples of solving issues arising in the interaction of rolling stock and the railway track. The accounting of the time component and the ability of elastic waves to propagate energy in time and space allowed considering any interaction process as a chain of processes, incidence-reflection-refraction of force impulses of interaction. Understanding the physics of dynamic processes that occur in objects while performing their intended functions allows developers to improve objects in such a way as to minimize their life cycle cost and maximize their ability to perform their intended functions under different operating conditions. In addition, it allows the expansion of existing methods and approaches to diagnostics of dynamic transport systems. All this is a base for making it possible to develop an innovative and effective tool for engineers and scientists to assess the impact of technosphere transport objects on human habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of tests of a system for monitoring the tread of moving freight car wheelsets using dynamic strain gauge. The studies were carried out at a test ring under the conditions of multiple repetition of train load to evaluate the reproducibility of the results of strain gauge measurements. During each passage of the train through the measuring section, the high-speed system with a sampling frequency of 64 kHz measured the strain of the rail web caused by the impact of the wheels of the rolling stock. A specially developed software was used to automatically detect defective wheels from the obtained data and determine the dynamic force of wheel impact on the rail. The repeatability of strain gauge measurements was evaluated by comparing them with the results of visual and measuring control of the rolling stock conducted before the beginning of the tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squats are a type of short-wave rolling contact fatigue defect whose early detection can contribute to cost reductions in the railway industry. This paper demonstrates how the early detection of squats is possible via enhanced instrumentation based on axle box acceleration (ABA) and adequate postprocessing. Three improvements are discussed. The first corresponds to the use of longitudinal ABA to enhance measurement sensitivity to light squats. Compared to vertical ABA, longitudinal ABA does not contain the vibrations of the rail, fastening, sleepers, and ballast, and thus, the impact-related vibration is considerably stronger in the signal. The second improvement considers the use of multiple sensors, noise-reduction techniques, and repeated measurements. Due to hunting, the wheels of a measuring train do not always pass over small squats; thus, light squats are more likely to be detected using multiple sensors and multiple measurement runs. The third improvement concerns the signal-processing solution for the reduction of disturbances from wheel defects. Extensive field measurements show that these improvements make the characteristics of squats more visible in signals and allow the squats to be distinguished from vibrations of other origins. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To realize the design of mixed-traffic railway lines, the choice of radius must ensure a comfortable ride for passenger vehicles, safe freight transport, and acceptable maintenance costs of vehicle wheels and railway infrastructure. This is not a straightforward task, and what is worse, there is a worldwide lack of clear criteria to limit the design parameters involved in the geometric definition of high-speed railway lines. The proof of this is the great number of technical standards (or recommendations) that are applied depending on the period of time, the administrations involved, or the technicians in charge. If the line is going to be aimed at mixed-speed traffic, this indetermination is even more severe, as the different type of trains that are forecasted to use the tracks (with different loads, speeds, etc.) should affect the limits of the design parameters. To begin to solve this problem, this paper aimed (1) to analyze the design parameters and limitation defined in several technical standards that are used to design high-speed railway lines, (2) to propose a graphical method for designing the horizontal alignment (the cant, the radius, and the clothoid), and (3) to apply the method to a real example to compare our proposed design with the original project for a case study in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brake system of Melbourne's High-Capacity Metro Train (HCMT) suffers from consistently extended braking distances after repeating a set of high-speed tests and the commission process. The degradation of brake system performance affects the safety of rolling stock and its conformance to the design standard. In this paper, the root cause leading to the degraded brake performance was analyzed. The brake discs and brake pads of the affected train and another train with normal working conditions were removed and a series of examinations was to determine the reason for the change of friction coefficient between friction surfaces. The results revealed that brake disc samples from the affected TS02 trainset suffered from changed transfer film and surface morphology after multiple consecutive high-speed braking applications. The factors that may affect the brake system performance were analyzed in the laboratory. It was found the brake disc surface had a lower hardness level, coefficient of friction, and smaller contacting area with the brake pad when compared to the brake disc and pad samples from another trainset. These factors harmed the performance of the braking system, and the decrease in the braking effort led to a longer braking distance than expected and failed braking tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrification of railway lines provides more economical, faster, safer, and quieter railway transportation as well as significant reductions in carbon emissions. To accomplish the electrification of railway lines, an electrical system needs to be installed on bridges. However, old existing railway bridges were not designed considering a vertical clearance (height) required for electrification. Thus, structural modifications are needed for some steel truss railway bridges. In this paper, a study on structural modifications of a 70-year-old two-span continuous steel truss railway bridge still giving service was presented to increase a safe clearance between the overhead line electrification equipment and rolling stock. Before beginning with modifications, it was firstly aimed to assess the actual bridge condition as well as the load-bearing capacity. For these goals, in situ field dynamic tests were conducted, and a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) model of the bridge was calibrated based on the field measurements captured. Then, rating factors and safety indices of the bridge were calculated using the calibrated 3D FE model. Finally, a modification procedure including replacement of portal bracing without reducing transversal rigidity and load-carrying capacity of the bridge was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents a framework for simulation on IoT based CBM (condition based monitoring) for rolling stocks. This enables to allocate maintenance resources effectively while satisfying preventive maintenance requirements. Methodology/Approach: We exploits Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) based on KTX (Korea Tran eXpress, Korea's high-speed rail system) motor reduction unit failure data for three years by utilising the internet of things (IoT) and RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Safety) methods. Findings: We come up with the predictive maintenance indicator; reliability functions as to the desired service level; and the failure and defect prediction indicator takes the form of cumulative failure function in the form of probability distribution function, which aim to realise the real-time condition monitoring and maintaining technical support services. Internet of Things (IoT) has been an important apparatus to improve the maintenance efficiency. Research Limitation/implication: This paper has limitations that the data are collected from references, not actual data; the detailed descriptions of IoT application to the railway rolling stocks are omitted, and it is not dealt in depth how maintenance efforts and performance are improved through the suggested reliability centered maintenance. Originality/Value of paper: This study has the academic importance in a sense that it integrates RAMS based maintenance methods and IoT. RAMS centered maintenance provides powerful rules for deciding a failure management policy; when it is technically appropriate; and for providing precise criteria for deciding how often routine tasks should be carried out. It will lead to the improved cost efficiency, sustainability and maintainability of railway maintenance system since the staff do not have to visit installation sites frequently. Lately, there is general agreement that prevention was better than inspection and that an increase in preventive cost was the means of reducing total quality costs. In connection with this issue, we will address the way of reducing failure costs and prevention costs with IoT: new appraisal method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A person is forced to travel constantly throughout its entire life. The more modern the society, the greater the pace of life, and the greater the need to be present in many places that are distant from each other. Rail transport occupies second place in this regard, after air transport. This means of transportation has many advantages, however the time of travel requires continuous improvement, in particular, to match the competition. One factor limiting the speed of travel is inter-operation between the wheels - rail kinematic pair. When rolling on a rail, a wheel is subject to wear, which unavoidably leads to its degradation. Frequent damage to both the wheel and the rail necessitates consideration of this problem. Because any changes to the rail are very expensive and time-consuming, this paper focuses on possible changes to the wheel. This paper is of an analytical nature and is based on sources in the literature, as well as on own simulations. The objective of the paper is to indicate the advantages of using ADI (Austempered Ductile Iron) as a material for the wheel of a railway rolling stock through analysis of available scientific materials and analysis based on a conducted simulation. The application of ADI on a large scale would certainly make a large impact on the development of railway engineering, significantly reducing the costs of manufacturing the product and its future exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding and management of station stops continues to be a key issue in the operation of urban railways. This paper reports a statistical meta-analysis of passenger alighting and boarding rates from an expansion of a real-life worldwide data set which includes 34 different variables reflecting characteristics of passenger flow, rolling stock design, infrastructure and management actions. This has enabled the authors to identify, test hypotheses about, and quantify the impact of, previously-untested variables. A stepwise regression method using the R statistical package was proposed and developed into a more tractable model with fewer variables. This process eliminated those variables shown to provide no statistical explanation (including the presence of platform edge doors). Of the remaining 18 hypothesised variables, all provided some form of statistical explanation at the 90% level (or more) in one model or another. The results will help railways and transport authorities around the world manage station stops, through timetabling and appropriate investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents experimental research carried out to determine the possible actions to reduce the noise generated by trams in a highly urbanised area. A few design strategies affecting tram ride quality have been presented - especially in the aspect of the acoustic phenomena. Main sources of the noise in trams were characterised. The paper includes selected results of comprehensive studies of tram noise in the pass-by test based on the authors' research methodology. The tests were carried out on various types of trams to recognise the acoustic phenomena characteristic for the rolling stock in a selected tram system. The results of the measurements were analysed both in the field of amplitudes based on noise maps and in respect to frequencies based on noise spectra. The results indicated the rolling noise as important issue demanding taking some actions in order to reduce its level. In this area, elements for the application of individual attenuation solutions, i.e. at the source and during propagation, were presented. The results of the measurements were used as input data to the assumptions of the noise attenuation passive system, which was the final outcome of the study. Dedicated external dampers were used in the case of wheel and rail pairs, where the dominant power of the noise is emitted. The acoustic properties of the bogie area and the bogie side covers were redeveloped to hamper the noise propagation, which is a novel application. The presented results indicate measurable benefits from the applied solutions on the tram noise reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]