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Trip chains, consisting of multiple interconnected trips serving different functions and/or purposes, occur commonly among urban residents. Non-metro trips (NMTs) between a pair of metro stations as parts of trip chains predominantly carried by metro systems have received little attention in the existing scholarship and practice. They contribute, however, to "Life between Stations" (LbS)—various activities engaged in by metro riders and other urban residents around or between stations. LbS affects residents' level of satisfaction for trip chains, sense of belonging, and even overall quality of life. But for a given city, where do those NMTs occur more frequently and how long are the durations? Using the 12-weekend metro smartcard swipe records in 2019 in Hong Kong, we defined, quantified, and visualized NMTs and associated metro station pairs in a real-world setting. We found that (a) the NMTs and LbS occurred between as many as 179 metro station pairs, involving 84 out of the 95 local metro stations, (b) the NMTs and LbS varied across the station pairs and/or metro lines, and (c) commercial and densely populated areas saw more than elsewhere. These findings shed light on efforts undertaken to better understand and improve LbS of metro riders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing reliance on subterranean infrastructure, spurred by the expansion of urban landscapes, the escalating population densities, the pressing need for efficient transit systems, the many environmental imperatives, and spatial constraints on surface development accentuate the pivotal role of metro tunnels akin to those found in Shiraz. These tunnels, crafted, using Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) and Tunnel Boring Machines, and fortified with segmental linings, undergo meticulous scrutiny for displacement and stability, employing static and quasi-static methodologies. Employing the sophisticated FLAC 2D software, the investigation delves into the nuanced impact of altering segmental lining thickness on displacement dynamics. Analysis results unveil a notable augmentation in displacement under quasi-static conditions, notably accentuated when the lining thickness is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the drastic increase of travel demands in urban areas, more and more metro lines are nowadays suffering from oversaturated situations, leading to the accumulation of passengers on platforms with potential accident risks. To further improve the service quality and reduce accident risks, this paper proposes an effective method for collaboratively optimizing the train timetable and accurate passenger flow control strategies on an oversaturated metro line. Through considering the dynamic characteristics of passenger flow, a rigorous integrated integer linear programming model is firstly formulated to minimize the total passenger waiting time at all of involved stations, in which the train timetable provides a service-oriented operation plan and optimal passenger flow control is imposed to avoid congestion on platforms within the transportation capacities. To solve the problem of interest efficiently, a hybrid algorithm, which combines an improved local search and CPLEX solver, is designed to search for high-quality solutions. Finally, two sets of numerical experiments, including a small-scale case and a real-world instance with operation data of the Beijing metro system, are implemented to demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread implementation of smart cards and with more travel details being recorded, travel patterns can be studied more precisely and deeply. Although considerable attention has been paid to travel patterns, the relationship between travel patterns and the functional structure of a city is yet to be well understood. In this research, we study this relationship by analysing metro passenger trip data (in Beijing and Shenzhen in China and London in the United Kingdom), and we present two unprecedented findings. First, through averaging, a linear relationship is found to exist between individual travel distance and the distance between the origin and the city centre. The underlying mechanism is a travel pattern we call “ring aggregation”, i.e., the daily movement of city passengers is aggregated into a ring (with approximately equal distances to the city centre). Then, for commuting trips, the daily travel pattern can be regarded as switching between the outer residential ring and the inner work ring. Second, this linear relationship and the ring aggregation pattern seem to be exclusive characteristics of metro systems (and may also fit other moderate- and long-distance transportation modes) but do not apply to short-distance transportation modes, such as bicycles and taxis. This finding implies that the ring aggregation pattern is a product of the relationship between travel patterns and the city functional structure at a large scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess metro ridership fluctuation caused by weather conditions in an Asian context (Nanjing, China) on metro single line and network levels. The daily ridership data utilized in the study is obtained from Nanjing Metro Agency, while meteorological data is from the Nanjing Meteorology Bureau. To address the main research questions of this paper, time-serials moving average method is extended and refined to define benchmark and to model ridership fluctuation (expressed as ridership residual). On the other hand, analyses of variance (ANOVAs) are introduced to examine meteorological events and temporal effects on ridership residuals. The data and result demonstrates that the impact of meteorological variables on daily ridership fluctuations generally results in a decrease in passengers on single lines and the travel network, especially on weekends. Precipitation related events produce more significant ridership fluctuations than temperature related events. Snowfall related events and large temperature deviations in winter account for the most dramatic changes in ridership. However, seasonality is not a significant factor in meteorological events-ridership residual relationship. This paper contributes to extending research on the weather-ridership relationship around the world especially to refining and extending the nine-term moving average method in this field. This could benefit metro operators by enabling them to add meteorological effects into their ridership prediction and budgeting work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assigning passenger flows on a metro network plays an important role in passenger flow analysis that is the foundation of metro operation. Traditional transit assignment models are becoming increasingly complex and inefficient. These models may even not be valid in case of sudden changes in the timetable or disruptions in the metro system. We propose a methodology for assigning passenger flows on a metro network based on automatic fare collection (AFC) data and realized timetable. We find that the routes connecting a given origin and destination (O-D) pair are related to their observed travel times (OTTs) especially their pure travel times (PTTs) abstracted from AFC data combined with the realized timetable. A novel clustering algorithm is used to cluster trips between a given O-D pair based on PTTs/OTTs and complete the assignment. An initial application to categorical O-D pairs on the Shanghai metro system, which is one of the largest systems in the world, shows that the proposed methodology works well. Accompanying the initial application, an interesting approach is also provided for determining the theoretical maximum accuracy of the new assignment model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the daily operation of metro systems, the train scheduling problem aims to find a set of space-time paths for multiple trains that determine their departure and arrival times at metro stations, while train operations are in charge of selecting the best operational speed to satisfy the punctuality and operation costs. Different from the most existing researches that treat these two problems separately, this paper proposes an integrated approach for the train scheduling problem on a bi-direction urban metro line in order to minimize the operational costs (i.e., energy consumption) and passenger waiting time. More specifically, we simultaneously consider (1) the train operational velocity choices that correspond to the energy consumption of trains on each travelling arc, and (2) the dynamic passenger demands at each station for the calculation of total passenger waiting time in the planning horizon. By employing a space-time network representation in the formulations, this complex train scheduling and control problem with dynamic passenger demands is rigorously formulated into two optimization models with linear forms. The first model is an integer programming model that jointly minimizes train traction energy consumption and passenger waiting time. The second model, which is formulated as a mixed-integer programming model, further considers the utilization of regenerative braking energy on the basis of the first model. Due to the computational complexity of these two models, especially for large-scale real-world instances, we develop a Lagrangian relaxation (LR)-based heuristic algorithm that decomposes the primal problem into two sets of subproblems and thus enables to find a good solution in short computational time. Finally, two sets of numerical experiments, involving a relatively small-scale case and a real-world instance based on the operation data of Beijing metro are implemented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficient techniques are receiving increasing attention because of rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Railways, along with other transport modes, are facing increasing pressure to provide more intelligent and efficient power management strategies. This paper presents an integrated optimization method for metro operation to minimize whole day substation energy consumption by calculating the most appropriate train trajectory (driving speed profile) and timetable configuration. A train trajectory optimization algorithm and timetable optimization algorithm are developed specifically for the study. The train operation performance is affected by a number of different systems that are closely interlinked. Therefore, an integrated optimization process is introduced to obtain the optimal results accurately and efficiently. The results show that, by using the optimal train trajectory and timetable, the substation energy consumption and load can be significantly reduced, thereby improving the system performance and stability. This also has the effect of reducing substation investment costs for new metros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and environmental sustainability in transportation are becoming ever more important. In Europe, the transportation sector is responsible for about 30% of the final end use of energy. Electrified railway systems play an important role in contributing to the reduction of energy usage and CO 2 emissions compared with other transport modes. For metro-transit systems with frequently motoring and braking trains, the effective use of regenerated braking energy is a significant way to reduce the net energy consumption. Although eco-driving strategies have been studied for some time, a comprehensive understanding of how regeneration affects the overall system energy consumption has not been developed. This paper proposes a multi-train traction power network modelling method to determine the system energy flow of the railway system with regenerating braking trains. The initial results show that minimising traction energy use is not the same as minimising the system energy usage in a metro system. An integrated optimisation method is proposed to solve the system energy-saving problem, which takes train movement and electrical power flow into consideration. The results of a study of the Beijing Yizhuang metro line indicate that optimised operation could reduce the energy consumption at the substations by nearly 38.6% compared to that used with the existing ATO operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Algerian Government has recently promoted transportation projects such as the Algiers metro and tramway services that represent a key part of its political and financial effort to improve mobility in the country. However, public transport systems' profitability requires a thorough diagnosis of the services provided based on users' perceptions and expectations. That is, to invest money according to users' requirements. A methodological approach, which combines an Importance-Performance Analysis and a decision tree model, is proposed as means of analyzing rail services performance in Algiers and identifying the aspects that should be prioritized for improvement actions. Three railway transit services were analyzed in Algiers: the tramway, the metro and the commuter rail. More than 450 surveys were collected per mode. After applying the proposed methodology, results show that there are lines of action common to the three services, and specific strategies that may improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty with the three railway transit services in Algiers. This is the first full experience analysis about service quality in Algiers' railways transit modes. The proposed two-step methodology is, for the first time, applied for analyzing service quality in public transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose a novel two-step linear optimization model to calculate energy-efficient timetables in metro railway networks. The resultant timetable minimizes the total energy consumed by all trains and maximizes the utilization of regenerative energy produced by braking trains, subject to the constraints in the railway network. In contrast to other existing models, which are NP -hard, our model is computationally the most tractable one being a linear program. We apply our optimization model to different instances of service PES2-SFM2 of line 8 of Shanghai Metro network spanning a full service period of one day (18 h) with thousands of active trains. For every instance, our model finds an optimal timetable very quickly (largest runtime being less than 13 s) with significant reduction in effective energy consumption (the worst case being 19.27%). Code based on the model has been integrated with Thales Timetable Compiler - the industrial timetable compiler of Thales Inc that has the largest installed base of communication-based train control systems worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the case of a metro disruption, the planned timetable cannot be operated and a large number of passengers are left stranded in the stations. When the disruption is over, some stations may be skipped in the recovery period, which speeds up the circulation of trains and makes the number of stranded passengers reduce faster. Considering an over-crowded and time-dependent passenger flow, this paper proposes an optimization model to reschedule a metro line. To achieve a balance between theoretical validity and computational convenience, the optimization model is decomposed, and an iterative algorithm is proposed to solve the model. Numerical experiments based on the Beijing Metro are carried out, the results of which verify the effectiveness and efficiency of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transit-oriented development literature has focused on the built environment around stations in operation, largely neglecting how the station location was selected. We hypothesize that city governments in China are likely to put stations outside established suburban centers. By putting metro stations at relatively underdeveloped places, city governments can lower right-of-way cost and gain more revenue from future land transactions. Using Shenzhen as a case study, we test this hypothesis with metro planning examples and land transaction data from 2000 to 2014. We found that metro alignment and station placement has bypassed the core of established communities. This planning practice is supported by a strong real estate market that appreciates transit accessibility, despite the high transit operation subsidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) operated metro lines, headway can be reduced by taking advantage of the system's train–track continuous communication, thus increasing transport capacity. When a train runs close enough to the preceding one, a tracking algorithm is triggered to control the distance between the trains. The following train receives the LMA (limit of movement authority) via radio, which is updated periodically as the preceding train runs. Besides transport capacity, one of railway operators’ main goals is the reduction of energy consumption, for environmental and economic reasons. This paper firstly shows that the existing basic CBTC tracking algorithm is not energy efficient, due to the application of short braking–traction cycles. It then proposes a new efficient algorithm that makes use of coast (null traction) command, and models the uncertainty associated with the speed of the preceding train. This fuzzy algorithm is compared to the basic one in terms of energy consumption, running time and steady state interval (resulting tracking interval). Simulation results show that the proposed fuzzy tracking algorithm provides important energy savings with minor influence on running time and steady state interval. This algorithm is suitable for implementation in on-board CBTC equipment to reduce the energy consumption of traffic operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a representative metro station in Beijing as example, this research has newly developed a random coefficient model to predict the short-term passenger flows with sudden increases sometimes into an urban rail transit station. The hierarchical Bayesian approach is iteratively applied in this work to estimate the new model and the estimation outcomes in each of the iterative calibrations are improved by sequential Bayesian updating. It has been proved that the estimation procedure is able to effectively converge to rational results with satisfying accuracies. In addition, the model application study reveals that besides sufficient preparations in manpower, devices, etc.; the information of the factors affecting the passenger flows into an urban rail transit station should be timely transferred in advance from important buildings, road intersections, squares and so on in neighborhood to this station. In this way, this station is able to cope with the unexpectedly sharp increases of the passenger flows into the station to ensure its operation safety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The stochastic nature of the train standing times at metro stations directly influence the minimum operational headway that can be sustained over longer period of time as well as the possible delays on the line. Therefore, any analysis of the performance of a metro line by a simulation of its operation is closely related to the problem of modelling the station dwell times. The model presented here has been based on the data collected from the Bloor metro station in Toronto, Canada. Metro trains were videotaped during two-hour study period and data were obtained on the time needed for boarding/alighting of different number of passengers per train door. The results of the statistical analysis have shown that a family of Gamma distributions with parameters that are function on the number of passengers per door appear to be a good model to represent the passenger boarding and alighting times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The walking, waiting, transfer, and delayed in-vehicle travel times mainly contribute to route’s travel time reliability in the metro system. The automatic fare collection (AFC) system provides huge amounts of smart card records which can be used to estimate all these times distributions. A new estimation model based on Bayesian inference formulation is proposed in this paper by integrating the probability measurement of the OD pair with only one effective route, in which all kinds of times follow the truncated normal distributions. Then, Markov Chain Monte Carlo method is designed to estimate all parameters endogenously. Finally, based on AFC data in Guangzhou Metro, the estimations show that all parameters can be estimated endogenously and identifiably. Meanwhile, the truncated property of the travel time is significant and the threshold tested by the surveyed data is reliable. Furthermore, the superiority of the proposed model over the existing model in estimation and forecasting accuracy is also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All around the world, many studies and experimental results have assessed elevated concentrations of Particulate Matter (PM) in underground metro systems, with non-negligible implications for human health due to protracted exposure to fine particles. Starting from this consideration, an intensive particulate sampling campaign was carried out in January 2014 measuring the PM concentrations in the Naples (Italy) Metro Line 1, both at station platforms and inside trains. Naples Metro Line 1 is about 18 km long, with 17 stations (3 ground-level and 14 below-ground ones). Experimental results show that the average PM 10 concentrations measured in the underground station platforms range between 172 and 262 μg/m 3 whilst the average PM 2.5 concentrations range between 45 and 60 μg/m 3 . By contrast, in ground-level stations no significant difference between stations platforms and urban environment measurements was observed. Furthermore, a direct correlation between trains passage and PM concentrations was observed, with an increase up to 42% above the average value. This correlation is possibly caused by the re-suspension of the particles due to the turbulence induced by trains. The main original finding was the real-time estimations of PM levels inside the trains travelling both in ground-level and underground sections of Line 1. The results show that high concentrations of both PM 10 (average values between 58 μg/m 3 and 138 μg/m 3 ) and PM 2.5 (average values between 18 μg/m 3 and 36 μg/m 3 ) were also measured inside trains. Furthermore, measurements show that windows left open on trains caused the increase in PM concentrations inside trains in the underground section, while in the ground-level section the clean air entering the trains produced an environmental “washing effect”. Finally, it was estimated that every passenger spends on average about 70 min per day exposed to high levels of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The railway system represents one of the most resource-efficient answer to the ever-growing demand for transport service. Development trends for the following years project substantial increase in this sector. To date, environmental effects caused by railway transport services have been rarely inspected systematically and existing studies focus on single typologies of environmental aspects, like energy consumption and air emissions. The article presents a predictive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a heavy metro train that will operate in the urban area of Rome. A predictive analysis on recyclability/recoverability at the end of life has also been performed according to the ISO 22628. The LCA inventory captures the whole vehicle Life-Cycle (LC) subdivided in four stages: Material acquisition, Manufacturing, Use and End of life. In comparison with existing studies, this work examines a broader range of impacts to human and ecosystems health using primary data supplied by vehicle manufacturers whenever possible to reduce the uncertainty of results. Results show that Use is largely the most influential stage for the majority of the considered impact categories. This fact is due to the energy intensity of Use stage since it accounts for almost the entire amount (98.3%) of electricity consumed during vehicle LC. Material acquisition is the second most influential stage based on resource consumption and emissions during extraction of Iron and Bauxite: vehicle parts that mainly contribute to impacts of Material acquisition are body structure and bogies. The impacts associated with Manufacturing and End of life are low compared to the other stages. The projected recyclability and recoverability rates at the end of life stage are respectively 87.4% and 92.1%. A sensitivity analysis of the LCA results stresses the influence of vehicle occupancy on the electricity consumption during operation and the overall LCIA results. In light of LCA results, major improvement potential is identified in the reduction of electricity consumption during use stage, primarily due to Traction and Heating systems. The key recommendations for future design strategies are the decrease of vehicle mass by the application of lightweight materials for metro construction and the improvement of efficiency of the Heating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding travellers' behaviour is key element in transportation planning. This article presents a route choice model for metro networks that considers different time components as well as variables related to the transferring experience, train crowding, network topology and socio-demographic characteristics. The route choice model is applied to the London Underground and Santiago Metro networks, to make a comparison of the decision making process of the users on both cities. As all the variables are statistically significant, it is possible to affirm that public transport users take into account a wide variety of elements when choosing routes. While in London the travellers prefer to spend time walking, in Santiago is preferable to spend time waiting. Santiago Metro users are more willing to travel in crowded trains than London Underground users. Both user groups have a similar dispreference to transfers after controlling for the time spent on transfer, but different attitudes to ascending and descending transfers. Topological factors presented on a distorted Metro map are more important than actual topology to passengers' route choice decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An optimization method is developed to improve the operations of metro rail system. [•] It gives quantitative analysis on net energy consumption. [•] It optimizes the scheduling and speed control to minimize the energy consumption. [•] It reduces the net energy consumption of Beijing Metro Yizhuang Line around 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the constant expansion of metro network scale, the existing metro automatic fare collection system encounters severe challenges including, but not limited to, high construction cost, low resource utilization rates and complicated maintenance. To solve these problems, this paper designed an absolutely new metro automatic fare collection system(CAFC system) based on cloud computing technology. Firstly, it established the system framework, cloud architecture, physical topology and software system construction. Compared to the existing one, owing to its much more simple architecture, the new CAFC system performed excellently on the aspects of decreasing its capacity and lowering its investment. Then, it analyzed the logic processes of all the business among certain hierarchy, as well as between system and the users, system and its external interfaces. Finally, it proposed a security solution program concerning firewall, intrusion detection system, data backup and PKI. Besides the traditional function like fare collection automatically and ticketing management, the new CAFC system greatly lowers the investment cost and increases resource utilization rates simultaneously. It could be believed that the new CAFC system has significant meaning to low-carbon operation of metro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We presented the results of field measurements on the long-term deformation behaviour of the metro tunnels in Shanghai. [•] We presented the geological and geotechnical conditions of Shanghai and the soil properties. [•] We explained the mechanism of the long-term settlement of the metro tunnels in different aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Optimised user wayfinding, orientation and visibility are key requirements in underground stations. [•] Soft requirements of public transport users in underground spaces can be measured. [•] Space syntax tools produce measurable parameters on ‘soft’ design aspects. [•] Performance indicators include point-depth, all-lines, isovist and agents. [•] A comprehensive, but effective, method is developed to improve the design and renovation of urban underground spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatalities due to railway accidents occur rarely and some railways identify risks from potential accident precursors. By lowering precursor frequency, the probability of more serious incidents and accidents may be reduced, following the idea of a reverse pyramid between precursors, top events, injuries and deaths. This paper analyses precursors, top events, injuries and deaths and their relationships both to each other and to incidents and accidents for a set of 17 major global metro railways. The 27 precursors analysed, for the period 2002-2008, fall into six categories: human performance, technical failures, passenger actions, fires, malicious action and management action. Statistical analysis indicates a positive correlation between injuries and top events as well as between injuries and precursors. Using these results, this paper proposes a number of measures to improve metro railway safety in each precursor category based on the experience of best practice observed among the metros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approx. 2.2 km long section of the U5 in the city centre of Berlin is currently under construction to close the gap between the existing underground structures at the Berliner Rotes Rathaus and Brandenburger Tor stations. Construction started early 2012 and the connection between Alexanderplatz and Brandenburger Tor is planned to open in 2019. The alignment starts from the newly built Rotes Rathaus Metro station, passing under the River Spree, the planned new Berliner Schloss and the Spree channel, and then follows the street Unter den Linden before arriving at the Brandenburger Tor. Three new stations have to be constructed at Rotes Rathaus, Museumsinsel and Unter den Linden, with the centrepiece being the Museumsinsel station where ground freezing techniques are being used. Geplant und derzeit im Bau ist die Herstellung eines ca. 2,2 km langen Lückenschlusses der Trasse zwischen den bestehenden Tunnelanlagen am Berliner Roten Rathaus und der Station Brandenburger Tor. Baubeginn war im Frühjahr 2012. 2019 soll die Verbindung zwischen Alexanderplatz und Brandenburger Tor eröffnet werden. Die Linienführung der Trasse verläuft innerstädtisch von der neu zu errichtenden U-Bahn Station Rotes Rathaus unter der Spree, unterhalb des zukünftigen Neuen Berliner Schlosses und dem Spreekanal entlang der Straße Unter den Linden zum Brandenburger Tor. Die Trasse beinhaltet drei neue Stationen (Rotes Rathaus, Museumsinsel und Unter den Linden). Herzstück ist die Station Museumsinsel, die im Schutz einer Vereisung hergestellt wird. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to combat the complexity and uncertainty that comes with mega-infrastructure development, planners often seek to simplify the process and scope of their projects, making plans that consist of rigid sequential steps. The question is how this approach influences planners' responsiveness to uncertainty and complexity in megaproject decision making and planning. To answer this question I introduce two concepts: adaptive capacity and strategic capacity. I develop these concepts and apply them to three large infrastructure projects in the Netherlands in order to analyze the potential of these projects to deal with change and inertia. In this paper I first look at the concepts individually and then link them together. This shows that, to be successful, planning needs to navigate a project through uncertainty and complexity and that it is important that these concepts are taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Attiko Metro S.A., the state company ensuring the development of the Athens Metro network, has recently initiated a new extension of 7.6km, has planned for line 3 of Athens Metro from Haidari to Piraeus “Dimotikon Theatre” towards “University of Piraeus” (forestation), connecting the major Piraeus Port with “Eleftherios Venizelos” International Airport. The Piraeus extension consists of a Tunnel Boring Machine, 2 tracks and, tunnel sections, as well as 6 stations and a forestation (New Austrian Tunnelling Method) at the end of the alignment. In order to avoid the degradation of the urban acoustic environment from ground borne noise and vibration during metro operation, the assessment of the required track types and possible noise mitigation measures was executed, and for each section and each sensitive building, the ground borne noise and vibration levels will be numerically predicted. The calculated levels were then compared with ground borne noise and vibration level criteria. The necessary mitigation measures were defined in order to guarantee, in each location along the extension, the allowable ground borne Noise and Vibration max. levels inside nearby sensitive buildings taking into account alternative Transfer Functions for ground borne noise diffusion inside the buildings. Ground borne noise levels were proven to be higher than the criterion where special track work is present and also in the case of the sensitive receptor: “Dimotikon Theatre”. In order to reduce the ground borne noise levels to allowable values in these sections, the installation of tracks and special track work on a floating slab was assessed and recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents two case studies on the transportation system in Dubai, United Arab Emirates analyzing transportation mode recommended by advertising campaigns and daily movement of inhabitants through a survey involving interviewees belonging to different nationality. It mentions that Dubai metro is the first choice opted by commuters as it can be linked to shopping. The finding of the survey states that commuters prefer metro to taxi for traveling due to high cost involved in taxi ride.

As part of Delhi's redevelopment, aimed at creating a 'global city', new public transport infrastructure is being built. The Metro, in particular, has become iconic of what city authorities and developers refer to as Delhi's 'cosmopolitan' and 'world city' status. Authorities have attempted to change commuting practices embedded in the culture of Delhi, a crowded, economically and culturally diverse city, in line with desired new behaviours including an emphasis on cleanliness, order and quiet. To explore these developments this paper presents findings from a qualitative study (conducted in 2009) analysing the urban mobility of a diverse group of young people. Their experiences of the Metro revealed interacting fields of power in the city, between passengers, and between passengers and those in control of the network. These relationships were situated within wider processes of urban reconstruction that intersect with global flows of capital, technology and ideologies of 'modernity' and development. The findings also highlighted the contestation of cosmopolitanism: its use to describe a desired urban imagination and its deployment as everyday competencies of negotiation and flexibility designed to manage change, unfamiliarity and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]