Search

A company has to address its position within its industry. It is crucial to know and to recognize what the competitors did and which strategy works best to win the market share. Therefore tailoring a competitive strategy is vital; hence it has to be tailored specifically for each product and market condition. Thus making it more critical for developing industry in ASEAN, the purpose of this paper is to recognize a competitive strategy for a developing rolling stock manufacturer in South East Asia. In creating a competitive strategy, we propose a game theory approach. An industry analysis among rivals must be done first using the Hirschman Herfindahl Index (HHI) for a specific product, Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU). Based on the HHI calculation, the DMU market rivalry often falls into a Dominant Firm category. This finding is interesting because there are a few number of dominant players in the same strategic market. Once the rivalry within the industry is known, using historical data gathered between dominant players, what strategy they execute, and seeing the differences they make on how much payoff gained utilizing the strategy; a game matrix is then deployed between players in the market. The result shows that the Indonesian Railway Industry has successfully increased its market share by reducing costs and shortening delivery time. Though it seems general, an interesting finding shows that it still has room to opt for the strategy to increase the price and lengthen the delivery time by focusing on quality and still win the market share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The requirements of stepping gap in railway stations are defined in Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT) and traced into different Rail Transport Operator (RTO) standards and specification. It is also included in AS 38561.1:2021 clause 5.1 in which any opening between movable platforms should be limited to 40 mm wide and 12 mm vertically. This requirement may create a challenge for the existing stations, where the track alignment is not perfectly straight (including the straight distance of minimum 20 m beyond the platform ends). However, the So Far as Is Reasonably Practicable (SFAIRP) framework under Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) mandates all designs of renewal, construction or maintenance works to provide a safe solution in compliance with the RTO's Safety Management System (SMS). The intent of this paper is to provide a methodology to demonstrate a SFAIRP approach to platform gap mitigation in different platform and track arrangements and elaborate on the justifications from a technical perspective. This involves train quasi-static clearance analysis considering the impact of curve and cant and rolling stock quasi-dynamic behaviour on the approaches of the platform when a noncompliant curve abuts the platform edges. The construction constraints of platform coping, track alignment and track form in the context of the platform gap is also investigated. This paper also provides a pre-text on the first principles of the requirements, the competing risks (train strikes) and methods available to raise the platform. The conclusion is a suggested approach in different platform/track arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to determining the optimal positioning of the rail track alignment within a tunnel for an underground rail transit system. One of the main challenges with rail tunnel design is effectively spaceproofing for assets within the tunnel to meet the functional and operational requirements of a railway. Mott MacDonald's technical experts have developed a methodology that assesses the spatial requirements for various systems, utilising an iterative design process, to provide a functional and efficient solution. This approach ensures sufficient space for the track infrastructure and rolling stock vehicle dynamics and kinematic envelope clearances, whilst considering provision of tunnel services and other tunnel assets. A benefit of carrying out this process early on in the design process includes definition of key project technical parameters, including tunnel size, which may impact project capital costs. Further, this paper discusses the development of automating the process to adequately position the track alignment within the tunnel, which enables efficiencies in the design modelling of the 3D rail tunnel and can potentially add value to future construction and maintenance. The overarching principles and key considerations discussed in this paper can be applied to a broad range of projects and facilitate a deeper understanding of the spatial relationship between the rail tunnel alignment and track alignment, which are intrinsically linked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban transportation currently has a very important or crucial role because it is one of the factors that strongly support the ongoing economy. One of the transportation modes that is currently had a very high demand in Greater Jakarta is Kereta Rel Listrik (KRL). KRL need to provide not only availability and facility, but also focus on reliability and safety. Had a good operational strategy, especially in the maintenance of rolling stock should be done. Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is one of approach to optimize the rolling stock maintenance practices given that several critical components have been operating for certain number of periods. The maintenance concept that focuses on reliability brings a good on determining treatment decisions or maintenance strategies. It is also minimized the technical problem in operation by knowing its failure mode. Purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the reliability concepts for rolling stock maintenance from several research journals. This paper contains of several up-todate literature for improving the effectiveness of rolling stock maintenance from each case of journals and papers. Future maintenance work is based on establishing reliability-based systems. To provide high reliability rolling stock, it is important to introduce reliability analysis methods and to make use of new management indices that consider the impact of faults on transport and cost performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines topical issues concerning the digital economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The authors look at possibilities of using digital technology in the transport industry. Together with digital economy intelligent transport systems are also related to transport industry. The paper considers the current state of affairs and the prospects for development of railway transport and the role of «the locomotive of digital economy». It takes into account the presence of electronic data interchange of delivery notes (EDI-D) among the railways of neighboring countries. Meeting customer requirements for a uniform digital platform should enhance reliability and efficiency of all aspects of the transportation process. The paper examines the implementation of new information technologies, scheme of work of crossing borders. The electronic commercial platform «freight transportation» at National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy enables consignors to place orders for transportation on rolling stock belonging to different owners from anywhere in the world. Attracting private investment in carriages, the structure of export nodes stimulates the attraction of additional fleet. The needs of the participants in the transportation process will take into consideration the traffic capabilities of port infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Train driving strategies are dictated by the need for meeting timetabling and energy-efficient control. The magnitude and duration of traction and braking efforts can vary significantly and is strongly dependent on heavy haul train operating parameters. There is a lack of tools to estimate rail wear for a complete network, and considering full train operation, including the contribution of different types of rollingstock. Rail wear simulation studies require high-fidelity multibody models which make the simulation work computationally expensive, and the obtained results often just describe a particular individual vehicletrack interaction case. With the advent of high-performance computing facilities, a full train co-simulation that consists of multiple rail vehicle physics-based (multibody) models can now be performed using parallel simulations in a single run. In this paper, a digital twin method has been proposed to investigate the impact of train driving strategies on rail wear. The method has been demonstrated with a case study. The limitations of the proposed method have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers Australia's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 and the contribution of the rail industry, and in particular diesel passenger rolling stock, to achieving the targets. In reviewing alternate fuel technologies that could be implemented to reduce emissions, it proposes key parameters that should be considered when evaluating options to lower or replace diesel propulsion with zero emission alternatives. Since 2018 Mott MacDonald has been involved with the zero-emission multiple unit ('ZEMU') due to enter service in San Bernadino County, California in 2024. Lessons learnt from this experience are applicable to the Australian rail industry, including the factors that influenced the selection of alternate fuel technologies for that application. This paper discusses these lessons covering the importance of a well-established project objective to allow comparative assessment, consideration of industry acceptance of alternate technologies and cost implications. Infrastructure impacts, existing fleet conditions, maturity of technology, operations and maintenance impacts including range, and safety are also all explored as part of this review. The paper draws on the above lessons to propose a way forward for the Australian rail industry to consider potential options to lower emissions with the goal of progressing to zero emissions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAM (Reliability, Availability and Maintainability) is a term used in the Systems Engineering and Asset Management field that addresses uncertainty in engineering design and its asset performance. The word "Reliability" is a common word used in daily conversation to describe how a product, equipment or services perform and, the trustworthiness its performance over a period, in each operating environment and condition. Availability - ability of an item to be in a state to perform a required function under given conditions at a given instant of time or over a given time interval, assuming that the required external resources are provided (EN50126). Maintainability - ability to be maintained in, or restored to, a state to perform as required, under given conditions of use and maintenance. Availability is essentially a product of Reliability and Maintainability. It is found that a railway specific RAM database populated with RAM information extracted from field data is not readily available. Rail operators and project teams are required to develop their own models to understand their asset performance and to establish a baseline for forecasting and doing 'what-if' options analysis. This paper presents a case using Reliability Block Diagram to model and forecast the RAM performance of rolling stock and the application of such a model to decision making in maintenance strategy optimisations, design targets and provision of spares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has grown in popularity over recent years, driven largely by a boom in hobbyist applications. Until recently, the application of AM technology to produce high end components or assemblies in industry sectors such as rolling stock has been limited to niche and experimental fields, such as rapid prototyping. While prototyping remains as a key use of AM, there is a growing desire within the industry to expand the usage to AM production of final use components. This paper will outline some of the recent novel applications of AM in the railway industry. The paper outlines how recent developments could clear a path forward past key roadblocks to wider adoption within the railway industry. Finally, the paper uses an example from the Author's experience to examine the production level of application potential for Additive Manufacturing in an Australian railway context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows that the main structure of the regional system for ensuring the operability of city buses can be centralized specialized production (CSP), specialized in specific types of maintenance and repair (M&R) of rolling stock. When considering this structure, the concept and principles of a node airport (hub) were applied, where the system is conventionally represented as a wheel with "spokes" (connections with specific consumers of material and labor resources) and a "hub" (node points). The conceptual scheme of centralization according to the "hub" principle can be extended by using specialization and cooperation of production. The centralization block allows to improve the production and technical base (PTB) of the service, increase its load, and improve the quality of service. The specialization of production contributes to an increase in the quality of work due to a narrower, but higher qualification of repairmen. Cooperation expands the possibilities of using third-party PTB without special capital expenditures. The paper analyzes the option of cooperation between the CSP for the maintenance and repair of city buses with the subdivisions of the production and technical base of the Russian Railways. An assessment of the base from the point of view of the capabilities of technological equipment, its employment and needs is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Victorian Government is investing in a large pipeline of new rolling stock to improve services and replace ageing trains. As new rolling stock enters the network, it is critical that older units are safely and efficiently decommissioned and removed from the network to free up stabling capacity for the new vehicles. Since 2021 the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) has been working through retirement of ageing Comeng trains that were originally manufactured between 1982 and 1989. The Comeng trains have been the backbone of our metropolitan fleet for over 30 years, but it is now time to make way for new vehicles including the High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT) and upcoming X'Trapolis 2.0 trains. The retirement process for the Comeng train fleet consists of two parts - decommissioning and disposal. Decommissioning is a reversable process of removing the unit from service, while disposal is an irreversible process that results in the unit being unable to be returned to its original state. Disposing the retired Comeng train fleet is freeing up storage and stabling capacity on the metropolitan network. This paper will outline the Comeng disposal project scope, objectives and potential challenges including environmental considerations and responsibilities, industry engagement, and the various technical challenges associated with disposing of large rolling stock assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualification of a rolling stock design involves a number of tests that ensure safe and acceptable performance under a range of conditions. However, the test conditions prescribed in the standards may not necessarily reflect the condition of the network as there is often misalignment between the rolling stock and track maintenance standards. Aligning the requirements of vehicle qualification test conditions to the track maintenance standards is critical to ensure that the performance of the rolling stock on the network is acceptable. This challenge is pertinent for rolling stock qualified as per European/UIC standards. For example, UIC 518 provides guidelines for the assessment of rolling stock performance in relation to safety, track fatigue and ride quality. It defines test conditions as a combination of inertial vertical and lateral faults. However, track geometry, particularly in Australia, is typically managed with respect to chordal fault amplitude or a track condition index (TCI), which is a statistical combination of various geometry parameters. This paper explores semi-analytical means to align the requirements of rolling stock qualification conditions to the track maintenance requirement. To the best of the authors' knowledge the methodology described in this paper is a first of its' kind. The paper also described the limitations of the proposed methodology and some pragmatic considerations in implementing the technique described in this paper. An application of this method is demonstrated using track geometry data from the Sydney Trains network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling noise at the source is more cost-effective than path or receiver control. However, the projectbased delivery model for freight rail infrastructure in Australia limits opportunities to implement noise control at source. Since many of the sources (locomotives and wagons) are outside of the control of each individual project, projects are forced to rely on traditional noise barriers or property treatments as mitigation measures. As such, each new project must pay again to mitigate the same problem. Meanwhile, rolling stock and network operators are disincentivised to make improvements by typeapproval hurdles and the upfront cost of change. This paper proposes a framework of policies and mechanisms that would shift noise control investment from freight rail infrastructure projects to the rail noise source (freight rolling stock). The objective is to provide substantial network-wide noise benefits for the community while also achieving an overall reduction in costs to government, reduced maintenance and operational costs for operators, and improvements to asset life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and precise mapping of geospatial data is imperative for the effective utilisation of condition monitoring system data in the management of railway infrastructure health. The health of track assets can be determined in several different ways: visual or manual inspections conducted via track maintenance crew, routing of automated dedicated track recording cars to periodically traverse assets or by using autonomous condition monitoring systems such as instrumented revenue vehicles which perform continuous measurements of assets during normal revenue services. Continuous condition monitoring systems generate vast amounts of performance data which are associated with track asset locations using GPS coordinates, track chainage values and other unique identifiers (such as track codes and asset IDs). It is critical that performance data is spatially aligned with GIS data so that it can be used effectively to draw valid, actionable conclusions and informed asset management decisions. This paper provides a discussion on the conventional methods used to determine the geospatial position of rolling stock at a point in time such as GPS, wheel encoders and wayside system transponders and considers the benefits and limitations of each approach. Novel post-processing alignment methods devised by Monash Institute of Railway Technology (IRT) are detailed that tackle real-world GIS alignment challenges such as a fully underground urban commuter railway line. The effectiveness of these approaches is validated for precision via repeatability of measurement signatures and for accuracy against known track asset locations using track geometry measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides the analysis of regulatory requirements and description of the actual state of emissions of harmful substances in exhaust gases of the modern series-produced traction rolling stock of Russian railways. The trend for the strategy of reducing harmful substances emissions of exhaust gases and greenhouse gases of OJSC "Russian Railways" transport infrastructure for the prospective period up to 2030 is provided. The assessment of reduction of negative environmental impact of traction rolling stock with natural gas driven power units is provided. Estimation of carbon footprint in conditions of container transportations through the East-West Transport Corridor is performed. Ways to minimize carbon footprint and reduce the level of harmful substances emissions are specified. Environmental advantages of railway transport, including the possibility of using transportation process provision technologies with zero carbon footprint, are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During braking, the process of friction between the brake shoe and the wheel occurs at the points of their actual contact. The total area of these contacts is negligible compared to the area covered by the brake pad. Since the release of heat occurs only at the points of actual contact, the densities of heat fluxes and temperature flashes in them can reach large values, causing the friction surface to glow and the transition of the metal at these points to the plastic state. In this paper, calculation methods of estimation of rolling stock brake system wear are reviewed, and temperature fields and also stresses in material of wheelpairs tires at operation are studied. Estimations of temperature fields in the tire material during braking of locomotives were studied in the course of the methodology. Assumptions were used in the considered problem, such as choosing a wheel set tire model under loads, sliding speed and friction force. Methods for controlling the braking power of the wheel NT in each cycle of braking time is shown to be absorbed by the part of the tire mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, experimental and analytical studies of the energy consumption of rolling stocks in real operational conditions have been carried out. The Human factor, which significantly affects the consumption and recuperation of electrical energy, is minimized, as well as the influence of the railway profile. The measurements provide data on the energy consumption and on the total energy recuperated to the traction grid. The main indicators used in the analysis of the energy consumption have been calculated: relative operating energy consumption for acceleration and traction, relative energy recuperated to the traction grid during regenerative braking and relative net energy consumption. A comparative analysis of the energy indicators in terms of energy consumption with on and off air conditioning systems of the studied trains has been done. Digitization of the results has been made by two approaches – depending on the time range (peak, off-peak and night schedule) and the specifics of the route (the distance traveled). Recommendations have been done in various aspects in order to increase the efficiency of transport and optimize energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper is devoted to the study of the practical dynamic impact of the tram rolling stock on city bridges. The authors analyzed the current state and prospects for the tram rail lines' development in conjunction with bridge crossings in Novosibirsk and Rostov-on-Don. It is considered the requirements for the dynamic impact accounting of the tram traffic specified in domestic and foreign regulatory documents. Using a mobile measuring complex, which includes accelerometer sensors, an experiment was carried out, and according to the obtained results the natural frequencies of vertical, horizontal transverse and horizontal longitudinal vibrations of the 71-619K and 71-605 tram cars were determined. The technique used in the experiment makes it possible to obtain the initial data for the dynamic calculation of structures for the tram traffic, to clarify the real dynamics of the rolling stock, depending on the state of the rail track on the bridge. The data obtained can be used in vibration diagnostics when assessing the state of an engineering structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection equipment in rail transport infrastructure is part of the environmental protection process. Railway infrastructure is the railway equipment and facilities in their interconnection, enabling the safe, regular and continuous movement of rolling stock. In order to improve the state of the natural environment, a number of activities are carried out to protect it along with legal regulations. The paper discusses selected environmental protection devices in the rail transport infrastructure for environmental protection, focusing primarily on devices designed to combat noise. Attention was paid to the development of strategic noise maps. These studies are drawn up for the overall assessment of noise exposure from the various sources in a given area, as well as for the purpose of making overall forecasts for the area. Both environmental protection devices and strategic noise maps are directly reflected in civil engineering and transport works with elements of surveying works. In the field of installation and exploitation of acoustic baffle (acoustic screens, noise barriers) they are applied to all kinds of surveying works. A map of noise sensitivity of railway areas in Poland is presented, developed in the portal Interactive Map of Railway Lines. These works in the process of shaping the condition of railway infrastructure are of particular importance in environmental protection devices as a whole in the market economy system. The paper presents the author's observations and conclusions and was made as a part of statutory research of AGH University of Science and Technology No. 16.16.150.545. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological, social and safety implications of railway transport freights of dangerous cargo require addressing the fact that while hazardous substances are an integral part of people's way of life in the modern age, they can adversely and severely affect living standards. The incorrect storage, transportation, loading and unloading of dangerous cargo could pose a serious threat to people, their property and the environment. In recent years, accidents involving the transportation of dangerous cargo have become more frequent. An indicative example in this regard is the explosion of several cisterns containing propanebutane at the railway station in the village of Hitrino - a severe accident which killed seven people and injured ninety-nine. This can be classified as an ecological and social disaster. The present article is a response to a multitude of such accidents and to issues such as poor conditions of railway infrastructure, outdated and obsolete rolling stock, lack of qualified personnel and lack of measures for limiting harmful impact on the environment. The goal of this paper is to justify the necessity for improving the environmental friendliness and safety of railway transport freights of dangerous cargo within the Republic of Bulgaria and to indicate specific measures and guidelines to this effect. The topicality of the paper is supported by the probability of reoccurrence of these ecological disasters with irreversible consequences for people and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to development of methods for measuring the parameters of train movement based on the scattering signal from the distributed optical sensor located along the railway track. The accuracy of identifying the area of vibration impact on the distributed sensor depends on the applied methods of reflectometer signal processing. The paper offers to determine the location and length of the moving rolling stock by the characteristic inflection points of the reflectometer moving average signal function. Measuring the speed of the train is important for the tasks of increasing the throughput of the railway line and ensuring the minimum interval for passing trains. The article offers to arrange the continuous measurement of the speed of the object of vibration exposure based on the analysis of the correlation function of the reflectometer signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, based on the developed mathematical 3D model of the interaction between the rolling stock current collector and catenary, the current collection quality was assessed during the operation of high-speed rolling stock at speeds up to 400 km/h, considering the influence of natural and technical factors on it, such as the speed of the rolling stock, the vibrations of the roof of the electric locomotive, the installation height of the current collector above the roof of the electric locomotive, the wear of the current collector plates of the current collector, the temperature of the contact suspension and the environment, the wind across the track, ice. The mathematical model was developed taking into account the actual geometric and mechanical characteristics of the current collector and contact suspension. As a result of the study, recommendations were offered on the permissible limits of the operation of the rolling stock in terms of the quality of the current collection, the ranking of the considered technical and climatic factors according to the degree of influence on the quality of the current collection was made, and the restrictions on the speed of movement under their influence were indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the case study conducted in the South African railway sector. This research aimed to identify the challenges that affect the Thabazimbi channel of rolling stock, identify critical success factors and the level of adoption to improve and optimize the reliability and maintenance of rolling stock. The study found that critical success factors had been well adopted in the study area. Age-related failures, vandalism, financial resources and weather conditions have been identified as key factors affecting reliability. It was suggested that the company use benchmarking to develop, maintain and improve its current state of affairs. The company should invest in security to combat vandalism and identify non-value-added activities to reduce maintenance costs. The organization should consider implementing an overhaul program and replacing components with high failure rates to address age-related factors. Although the results showed that senior management was committed to improving reliability, the company still needs to develop an integrated asset management policy that adheres to international asset management standards such as ISO55000 to reduce maintenance costs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of evacuation as part of fire safety management, is mandatory in railway transport. Thus, in any safety assessment of a railway transport, the evacuation of people to a safe refuge in case of fire must be ensured within a short time. For this assessment, fire drills are undertaken. However, conducting fire drills necessitates a certain amount of time and cost. Furthermore, fire drills may not be realistic in the worst-case scenario. For these reasons, Evacuation modelling technology can be a very useful tool for emergency evacuation planning which allows realizing a lot of different simulations and which is less expensive than real scale test. In this paper, the Moroccan atlas train, is used as case study and the selected model for simulations is Pyrosim. Five scenarios were created to better analyze the impact of various incoming data (modification of the architecture, the localization of the fire and the running time) on passenger evacuation performances. Simulation runs were executed and evacuation time was determined. In the simulations, evacuation time (from ignition to the moment when the coach is empty) of 32 passengers from a train to a platform was average 128s. Between stations, the simulations of 32 escaping passengers gave an average RSET of 311s. This study provides a further understanding of passengers rolling stock evacuation by evaluating the factors that affect evacuation time and demonstrate that numerical simulations of evacuation can be used to substitute the full-scale test required by regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the interface between the nationally applicable construction gauge 1-CM2 in the Republic of Bulgaria and the European kinematic gauge GC. From previous studies it was found that the sections for gauge 1-CM2 do not allow the movement of rolling stock for gauge GC, as it is found that there is an outline of the construction gauge GUC-BG (construction gauge for GC) from that of gauge 1-CM2. The paper presents the results from the calculations for different railway profiles and graphical comparisons for profiles 1-CM2 and GUC-BG. It is established at what value of radius and can't the maximum exit from the profile of 1-CM2 is identified. Based on the obtained results, the possibility of redefining the coordinates of one point of the profile for the inner part of the curve and one point for the outer part of the curve is considered, so that the obtained profile allows entering GUC-BG in all possible variants. The resulting modified profile of 1-CM2 allows the movement of rolling stock for gauge GC, and the study can be used for future changes to the regulations so that the nationally applicable gauges meet the requirements of the European gauges GC, GB and GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body structures of most modern Australian freight rolling stock were designed to the 1992 ROAAAR standard. The introduction of AS 7520.2 in 2012 constituted a revolutionary change in approach to established structural design practice. Prior to AS 7520.2 there had been a steady evolution of freight rolling stock structural design standards used in Australia. This evolution was based on extensive service experience and the results were invariably successful when standards were properly applied. The significant change in direction indicates an imperative for a quantitative comparison of AS 7520.2 with antecedents to fully appreciate the relative change in mitigation of the risks of structural failure. The inevitable complexity of rolling stock structural design standards eliminates any possibility of a simplistic comparison along the lines of "A is more or less conservative than B, by a factor of C". Here, a practical quantitative method of comparison is shown, using a contemporary style of coal wagon as an example. It is concluded that the degree to which structural failure risks are mitigated by AS 7520.2 is significantly less than for ROA-AAR. It is further concluded that application of AS 7520.2 does not result in a uniform rating of structural capacity, a fundamental requirement for any such standard. Caution should, accordingly, be exercised when relying on AS 7520.2. Recommendations for further development to surmount material deficiencies identified in AS 7520.2 are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the case study conducted in the South African railway sector. This research aimed to identify the challenges that affect the Thabazimbi channel of rolling stock, identify critical success factors and the level of adoption to improve and optimize the reliability and maintenance of rolling stock. The study found that critical success factors had been well adopted in the study area. Age-related failures, vandalism, financial resources and weather conditions have been identified as key factors affecting reliability. It was suggested that the company use benchmarking to develop, maintain and improve its current state of affairs. The company should invest in security to combat vandalism and identify non-value-added activities to reduce maintenance costs. The organization should consider implementing an overhaul program and replacing components with high failure rates to address age-related factors. Although the results showed that senior management was committed to improving reliability, the company still needs to develop an integrated asset management policy that adheres to international asset management standards such as ISO55000 to reduce maintenance costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers an approach to predicting the risks of emergency situations in transport and improving its safety. The authors show that the forecasting of risks in railway transport is determined by the processes of deformation and destruction at dangerous points in highly loaded zones of critical elements of transport objects. Managing the degradation of transport facilities by using diagnostic systems and innovative technologies at all stages of the life cycle ensures that it is safer and more secure from emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores some of the major factors affecting the environmental friendliness of urban bus transport, with a focus of the modernization of rolling stock and alternative sources of fuel. The surveys are based on an 11-year period, from 2008 to 2019, for which an analysis was made of how much emission reductions in buses with a higher Euro standard are being followed, as in the case of Sofia Motor Transport EAD in Sofia, Bulgaria. As a result, we conclude that transport research and innovation are crucial to ensuring fast, safe and clean transport for citizens and businesses in big cities. The transport sector is more than ever in need of innovative solutions, as the cost of transporting passengers will increase in value and time. This is especially urgent for Bulgaria as the available rolling stock is outdated and in need of renovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper calculation methods of estimation of rolling stock brake system wear are reviewed and temperature fields and also stresses in material of wheelpairs tires at operation are studied. Estimations of temperature fields in the tire material during braking of locomotives were studied in the course of the methodology. Assumptions were used in the considered problem, such as the choice of wheel set tire model under loads PT, sliding speed VT and friction force FT. Methods for controlling the braking power of the wheel NT in each cycle of braking time t is shown to be absorbed by part of the tire mass. Tire heating temperatures TB were calculated using the formulas with the thermal conductivity equation assumptions introduced and the results of the temperature value increment over braking time were obtained. In addition, the cooling of the tire by time was evaluated. According to the results, the tire has a tire temperature after 120 seconds, ∼ TB ≍ 30°C [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we deal with a preventive maintenance (PM) scheduling and spare parts problems for a rolling stock system. We determine the optimal PM interval and the optimal number of spare parts for components in the rolling stock system to minimize the system life cycle cost during satisfying the system target availability. The system availability and system life cycle cost are estimated by simulation. A genetic algorithm and a simulated annealing are proposed to find the optimal PM intervals and the optimal spare parts number of all components. Numerical examples are also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electrical Railroads provide electric power, which can operate vehicles, via feeder wires. And the supplied current returns to the transformer substation through lines and ground net. The used load current depending on the railway vehicles operation returns to the substation through a track which is a return circuit. The load current contains harmonics because of the power conversion equipment used in rolling stocks and such harmonic currents should not affect train control system. In this paper we present the test result in order to verify that the harmonics produced by the operation of rail vehicles in the newly built electric railway sections can affect interlocking systems. The test in question was performed in a linking section that trackside equipment under railway operating conditions and interlocking are linked in order to identify whether or not the interlocking fitted in a signal machine room can be affected by harmonics due to railway operation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When operating a railway rolling stock, one may face a situation that locomotives encounter various obstacles or trains collide with each other, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to create locomotive cab structures that would provide protection for the crew of drivers and cab equipment in such accidents. To absorb the impact energy, installation of various damping structures is provided in the design of a locomotive cab. It is necessary to determine the absorbing capacity of such damping structures at the product design stage, before carrying out full-scale tests. This paper presents the results of calculating the energy-absorbing capacity of damping honeycomb elements for the cab of a GT1h gas turbine locomotive. This does not exclude the operation of some elements of the cab and honeycombs in the region of plastic deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused to the study of the influence of lateral displacement of open box type cargo wagon bogies on their main dynamic indicators and indicators of the interaction of rolling stock with rails. The theoretical study was carried out using the model of spatial oscillations of the five wagons set. During the calculations, the change in the angle of rotation of the central axis of the wagon body was considered, which leads to a mutual transverse displacement of the bogies. As a result of research, the dependences of the indicated indicators of a freight wagon on the magnitude of the angle of rotation of the body and speed of movement were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s high-speed railway industry is growing fast, the side effect is that plenty of rolling stock come to the end of life each year. However, there are not relevant standards nor regulations for the recycling of rolling stock in China, which causes pollution and a waste of resources. In this paper, the basic meaning and characteristics of the circular economy is reviewed and applied to the rolling stock industry. The recycling steps are elaborated in detail according to the characteristics of rolling stock. The result proves that circular economy has both the theoretical and practical meaning in the rolling stock recycling industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of the article used a thermodynamic model of an air spring with an additional reservoir to simulate the second stage of spring suspension of high-speed rolling stock. In this model, the pressure in the air spring was determined by the differential form of the ideal gas equation of state. Since the air spring is connected to an additional reservoir by means of a pipeline, the equation took into account the change in air mass due to its overflow. When determining the mass flow rate, the flow was considered turbulent, which provided for finding the appropriate Reynolds number and head losses, which consisted of three components: friction, compression and expansion losses. The law of conservation of energy was considered taking into account the heat transfer between the air spring and the environment, as well as the transfer of energy between the air spring and the auxiliary reservoir. Using a simplified mechanical model of high-speed rolling stock, the dependence of the force with which the air springs acts on the elements of the rolling stock on its deformation was obtained, and energy dissipation when changing the parameters of the connecting element was investigated. Using of the selected thermodynamic model of the air spring in the spatial model of high-speed rolling stock will further allow assessing its dynamic performance when interacting with the railway track, traffic safety indicators and choosing the optimal parameters of the rolling stock and railway track at the design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are several criteria for traffic safety, which used to establish the possibility of derailing the rolling stock from the track. The methods of their determination, given in the regulatory documents and in the scientific literature, differ in their approaches, the choice of basic parameters and have both certain advantages and significant disadvantages in determining the conditions for the safe movement of rail vehicles. This makes it much more difficult to establish the critical stability parameters for rolling stock. In this regard, it was proposed to use the time during which the static load on the wheel is less than the load, at which the process of rolling the wheel onto the railhead begins, as a criterion of derailing the freight wagon. Provided that this time will be more time, during which the wheel flange can rise onto the railhead, occur the rolling stock derails from the track. This criterion allows, in addition to the parameters of the bogies of freight wagons, to take into account the deviations of the technical condition of the rail track from the maintenance standards. It could be used not only in the study of railway accidents caused by the derailment of freight wagons in trains, but also in the assessment of their main dynamic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of statistical data on failures of traction engines of electric locomotives, a mathematical model of the distribution of the electric motor mileage to failure is proposed. The calculation results show a good agreement between experimental and theoretical data. Based on the proposed model, it is possible to optimize the use of the service life of electric locomotive equipment and electric rolling stock as a whole. Preliminary results show that the use of such technologies reduces the number of unscheduled work by half, logistics losses when moving electric locomotives are reduced by an average of 60%, the waiting time for repairs is reduced by 50%. The coefficient of technological readiness for the serviced fleet of locomotives is increasing. The throughput capacity of repair production can increase by up to 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the technology of organizing intracity freight transport by modular freight electric trains (MFET), the advantages of the introduction of such trains in comparison with locomotive traction freight trains are mentioned, the main directions of transportation are indicated, the technology of loading and unloading operations during the initial final operations with MFET is given. The foreign and historical experience of organizing freight transportation by rail is described. A list of economic effects from the introduction of this type of traction is given. Due to the modularity of the structures produced railway equipment nowadays, the creation of MFET is possible on the design and production base of modern passenger electric rolling stock – trains of the EP2D, EP3D, EG2Tv, ES1, ES2 series. This will reduce the cost of design and development and testing of such trains, significantly accelerate the launch of the MFET into permanent operation and obtain positive effects for the economy of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traction rolling stock is a key element for the implementation of all types of transportation activities on the railway transport. The costs associated with ensuring its functioning amount to about 30% of the costs of the transport company for transportation activities, this actualizes the task of building a model of acquisition, current maintenance and repair of the locomotive fleet. The methodology of contract management and components of the life cycle of technical means and traction rolling stock in particular was considered, the existing models of interaction between transport company, locomotive supplier, service company and plants performing overhaul of traction rolling stock were analyzed. In order to ensure targeted responsibility for the quality of operational work, safe and uninterrupted movement at the speed specified in the traffic schedule not only by service options, but also including factory repairs, which will not only guarantee the transport availability factor in accordance with the stated technical specifications for locomotives, but also ensure cost savings on freight and passenger transportation and form the long-term competitive advantages of the transport company in the Russian and global freight and passenger transportation markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, development of diagnostic systems and digital twins is a promising direction in terms of Digital Railway development program of JSC "Russian Railways". In connection with providing the possibility rolling stock remote under all major assemblies, we can avoid motion safety-related accidents, and prevent coming-off. Development of diagnostic systems or just the use of advanced monitoring for diagnostics of any objects, even more, as complicated as modern electric multiple units, requires not only the skill of measuring and presenting the measurement results; the solution of this task requires deep knowledge of the object design, its integral properties and properties of individual assemblies and parts, nature of processes, operation and repair experience. Research Information and Analysis Center of JSC "All-Russian Institute of Railway Transport" has the experience in the field of diagnostic systems manufacture (АСКРСПС, БУК, ПАУК), that will be applied for developing the concept of methods of electric multiple units technical state control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high level of provision of the inhabitants of many world cities with cars and the large volume of transportations performed by freight vehicles, in addition to the ability to assess the well-being of the population, leads to a number of transport problems. First of all, these problems will be observed in places referred to as "bottlenecks", which are often formed in regulated areas due to the heterogeneity of the rolling stock and the prevalence of trucks in the general traffic flow. In order to increase the throughput of this kind of sections - controlled intersections, within the framework of this research work, an analysis of the main methods for assessing the throughput of controlled intersections was carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the largest infrastructure projects in recent times in Australia, the Southern Cross Station in Melbourne represents a specific marker of transition from craft-based, manual techniques to digital and industrialized techniques in building design and construction. Using this project as a case study, this paper analyzes implicit opportunities and challenges in large scale complex design and construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signaling and control systems for a network rail need to have timely information on the position of trains. That is essential for performing its primary function of traffic management for preventing collisions and derailments. The fundamental requirements of train detection systems are proof of train presence for controls and updating of train position. The aim of the article is to search for promising innovative technical solutions that increase the accuracy of the definition of the train and ensure the safety of train traffic control on the main and industrial railways. Existing technologies for trade-based train detection are track circuits and axle counters. These systems have the capability of providing a failsafe occupancy status of the track section. But the train position is only available at a specific point and time and therefore a continuous update about the position on the train is not possible. The advantage of using fiber-optic sensors is that they overcome some of the limitations associated with track circuits and axles count. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to studying the influence of dynamic loading on the polymer element characteristics of rolling stock shock absorbers and to the description to creating a mathematical model of their work. The results of mathematical modeling are further used to solve problems of the rolling stock longitudinal dynamics. While studying, the initial loading rate varied, the room temperature and the effect of the wear factor remained unchanged. For the operating speeds of a freight car movement, a mathematical model of RMCP (rectangular, metal-ceramic, polymer) -110 draft gear was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]