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Track Access Charges (TAC) represents the fees paid by operators to utilize railway infrastructure, encompassing tracks, stations, and related facilities. These charges play a crucial role in cost recovery for maintaining, expanding, and operating the railway network, while ensuring fair access for multiple operators. TAC regulations typically consider parameters, such as train mass, distance traveled, time of operation, and service type to determine charges, aiming to establish a transparent and competitive system that optimizes network use and to foster sustainability and growth. The paper undertakes a comprehensive comparative analysis of TAC across 18 European countries, delving into both qualitative and quantitative aspects of TAC regulations. It investigates on the intricate relationships between regulations and key network and capacity features. The analysis encompasses both quantitative metrics and qualitative evaluations, focusing on capacity management and network use. Furthermore, the paper provides recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to enhance the efficacy of TAC regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Track circuits (TC) are special electrical circuits composed in part of the rails of the tracks, Electrical signals are circulated in them by which it is possible to determine the status of free (no rolling stock) or occupied (rolling stock presence) within a controlled portion of track can be determined. They therefore represent a fundamental element of the Control command and Signalling Sub-System (CCS) whose operation has a significant impact on the safety and regularity of railway operations. In this paper, the problem of proper TC modeling and simulation setup for the purposes of the issues of interest to be analyzed will be addressed. The discussion will analyze several case studies of interest for Class B systems referring further ones to subsequent publications. The method presented here, excluding the electrical modeling part of the track, consists of a generic method developed by the author during his experience on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]