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Railway rolling stock must meet the requirements related to its use in the transportation process. The significance of these requirements can be determined using expert testing methods. The current research offers a framework of 9 criteria, which have been developed by the authors of the study, and which contribute to a comprehensive assessment of their importance and priority in relation to each other using expert evaluation methods. The normalised weights of the criteria were determined using Average Rank Transformation Into Weight Linear (ARTIW-L), Average Rank Transformation Into Weight Non-linear (ARTIW-N) and Direct Percentage Weight (DPW) methods. The criteria were given ranks and percentage weights by 18 experts with consistent opinions, which made it reasonable to consider the average of the experts' opinions as the outcome of the task. The normalised weights of the criteria have shown that the most important issues for the experts included passenger and crew safety (0.1619), passenger and train staff ride comfort (0.1330) and environmental protection (0.1201). The least important criteria for the experts cover the range per one electric charge or full tank of fuel (0.0776), the dynamic performance of the traction rolling stock (0.0849), and the purchase price, the rebate system, the duration of the warranty period (0.0911). The other 3 criteria are of medium importance. The outcomes of this study can be used in deciding on the best alternative for rail traction rolling stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper cooperation the current collectors and the overhead line is a pre-requisite for reliable and safe operation of railway transport. Instances of maladjustment and, in some cases, damage to the current collectors, occur between periodic inspections of the rolling stock. In order to detect such anomalies quickly, the test stand was developed, with the aim of monitoring the technical state of the current collectors under operating conditions. The detection procedure is based on the monitoring and analysis of contact wire uplift caused by the pressure of the current collector, as the train passes through the measuring point located on the railway line and is designed with the aim of detecting collectors with incorrect values of a contact force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the importance of planning process of rail transportation. Railway planning problems are presented in this paper. Planning the railways for years, months, weeks or days ahead leads to substantially different problems; in this regard railway planning problems can be strategic, tactical, operational and short-term. Another way to classify railway planning problems is based on their target: they concern the timetable, the rolling stock and the crew. Planning the structure and volume of the rolling stock is a key factor in achieving maximum efficiency of transportation by rail as well as forecasting the demand for these transport facilities. The demand for trains is a time-dependant variable which in each case should be determined by two main approaches. The first method allows us to determine quantitative parameters of rolling stock (i.e. kilometers logged, efficiency, turnover, etc.). The second is based on specially developed mathematical models relying on qualitative characteristics such as relative expenses, efficiency of the particular train, relative expenditure of resources, cost of the trains, etc. Planning the volume of the rolling stock the determination of optimal service life of the trains plays an important role. The calculations involve repair costs, number of overhauls, current expenses and operational characteristics.

Considering the impact of technological factors on the system of passenger transportation, the emphasis is placed on competitiveness as a criteria of evaluation the efficiency of its performance. The system of passenger carriage by railway is analysed in terms of an automatic control system. An algorithm for constructing a formalized competitiveness model is provided defining local competitive abilities in respect to the units of a technological complex including the component of infrastructure determined by its state and the admissible speed and the component referring to rolling stocks. Thorough examination of the routes based on the methods offered in this work is needed to make proper decisions about their efficiency. A number of actions which should be taken to largely improve passenger carriage by railway is also described.

Planning the structure and volume of the rolling stock is a key factor of achieving maximum efficiency of transportation by rail as well as forecasting the demand for these transport facilities. The demand for trains is a time - dependant variable which in each case should be determined by two main approaches. The first method allows us to determine quantitative parameters of rolling stock (i.e. kilometers logged, efficiency, turnover, etc.). The second is based on specially developed mathematical models relying on qualitative characteristics such as relative expenses, efficiency of the particular train, relative expenditure of resources, cost of the trains, etc. Planning the volume of the rolling stock the determination of optimal service life of the trains plays an important role. The calculations involve repair costs, number of overhauls, current expenses and other operational characteristics.

Performed data analysis aims to determine the number of rolling stock breakdowns and how it depends on rolling stock age, the number of passengers and operations. The mathematical model, stated below, analyses correlation between passenger fleet upgrade intensity and the number of faults. When planning to buy some new rolling stock (3÷6 wagons electric or diesel trains) while using this model, the number of faults can be predicted up to five years.

The article analyses the importance of planning process of rail transportation. Railway planning problems are presented in this paper. Planning the railways for years, months, weeks or days ahead leads to substantially different problems; in this regard railway planning problems can be strategic, tactical, operational and short‐term. Another way to classify railway planning problems is based on their target: they concern the timetable, the rolling stock and the crew. Planning the structure and volume of the rolling stock is a key factor in achieving maximum efficiency of transportation by rail as well as forecasting the demand for these transport facilities. The demand for trains is a time‐dependant variable which in each case should be determined by two main approaches. The first method allows us to determine quantitative parameters of rolling stock (i.e. kilometers logged, efficiency, turnover, etc.). The second is based on specially developed mathematical models relying on qualitative characteristics such as relative expenses, efficiency of the particular train, relative expenditure of resources, cost of the trains, etc. Planning the volume of the rolling stock the determination of optimal service life of the trains plays an important role. The calculations involve repair costs, number of overhauls, current expenses and operational characteristics. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010

The article analyses traction rolling-stock for freight transportation presently used by AB Lietuvos geležinkeliai. The paper explores and compares technical data on the above mentioned rolling-stock and estimates exploitation expenses. Following an assessment of forecasting freight flows on the future railway line Rail Baltica, an algorithm for selecting traction rolling-stock is proposed. The efficiency of locomotives operating on the railway is determined taking into account three multi-criteria evaluation methods: the sum of ratings, simple additive weighting and geometric mean method. Locomotives are estimated in accordance with technical, economic and ecological aspects. The results of possible performance efficiency of rolling stock have been determined changing weight coefficient values of the criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes variations in the temperature of axle-box heating of railroad rolling stock considering two modes of the train - driving and parking position. Additionally, the article describes the influence of the axle load and season on the heat of the axle-box, forecasts intolerable residual resources and explains a possibility of detecting likely breakage at the very beginning of defects. The paper also deals with scientific literature related to axle-box heating and focuses on the conducted practical and theoretical experiments. The carried out research has established the rates of operating heating and critical heating. The application of numerical values for the algorithm of automatic control devices could help with detecting the breakdowns of the axle-box before they reach a critical state and assist in forecasting residual operating resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite reduced resistance to wheel rim wear, after every grinding, only geometrical parameters of wheels are restored at maintenance depots. A tendency towards a decrease in the exploitation of wheel rim working edge induces the acquisition of new wheels, is related to a considerable increase in axle load and train speed as well as linked to the ineffective methods of repairing wheel rim working edge. A solution to the problem of restoring the surface of wheelset rolling, as a wider problem of rolling stock durability, is determined by the fact that the breakdown of the rolling wheelset and the loss of its efficiency shortens the service time of the wheelset. The cost of pointless and inefficient renovations of geometrical wheelset parameters increases and is of a very high rate. The problem of efficient renovations to rims and steel used for wheels within the maintenance of wheelsets becomes a burning issue today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performed data analysis aims to determine the number of rolling stock breakdowns and how it depends on rolling stock age, the number of passengers and operations. The mathematical model, stated below, analyses correlation between passenger fleet upgrade intensity and the number of faults. When planning to buy some new rolling stock (3÷6 wagons electric or diesel trains) while using this model, the number of faults can be predicted up to five years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To carry passengers, diesel and electrical trains, railcars, passenger carriages and hauled locomotives are used in AB 'Lietuvos geležinkeliai' (Lithuanian Railways). In certain sections, the number of passengers is very low (e.g. several or up to twenty passengers per 24 hours), and therefore rolling stock is used inefficiently. For this reason, it is necessary to optimize the choice of vehicles on different routes taking into account the possibilities of their application and fluctuations in the number of passengers. To this end, a mathematical model has to be developed which would allow selecting an efficient means for carrying passengers in each case and, if required, to choose rational routes by applying the above introduced model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article dwells upon the Information System (IS) of Latvian railways providing the analysis of the queuing system (QS) used to removing defects occurring in the infinite linear queuing system. The author of the article analyzes research data about the failures of system functioning in order to establish the parameters of the before mentioned system and other information systems used by Latvian railways. The structure of accidents happening in the informative systems and the removal of possible defects are researched. The present investigation provides evidence that substantiates a Markov hypothesis about the peculiarities of IS service. The author also examines the organizational structure of IS taking into consideration the level of the danger of possible accidents. The statistics of the failures of IS relates to the statistics of accidents that might happen to rolling stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the impact of technological factors on the system of passenger transportation, the emphasis is placed on competitiveness as a criteria of evaluation the efficiency of its performance. The system of passenger carriage by railway is analysed in terms of an automatic control system. An algorithm for constructing a formalized competitiveness model is provided defining local competitive abilities in respect to the units of a technological complex including the component of infrastructure determined by its state and the admissible speed and the component referring to rolling stocks. Thorough examination of the routes based on the methods offered in this work is needed to make proper decisions about their efficiency. A number of actions which should be taken to largely improve passenger carriage by railway is also described. First Published Online: 27 Oct 2010

The article presents a mathematical model for assessing the real operating conditions of railway rolling stock, taking into account the situations when the wheel loses contact with rail. The obtained amplitudinal fluctuation characteristics depend on the set roughness function and the running speed of the wheel. When calculating dynamic processes, the contact between wheel and rail should be considered unstable. With the increase of speed, the impact of this instability increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major economic criteria is associated with the growth of maintenance costs of old rail vehicles. The research aims to determine the ageing criteria of passenger rolling stock, which could take into account fuel, diesel oil and repair costs. Therefore, economic criteria based on the above costs are generated and their comparative analysis is made. The research object is Vilnius locomotive depot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the importance of planning process of rail transportation. Railway planning problems are presented in this paper. Planning the railways for years, months, weeks or days ahead leads to substantially different problems; in this regard railway planning problems can be strategic, tactical, operational and short-term. Another way to classify railway planning problems is based on their target: they concern the timetable, the rolling stock and the crew. Planning the structure and volume of the rolling stock is a key factor in achieving maximum efficiency of transportation by rail as well as forecasting the demand for these transport facilities. The demand for trains is a time-dependant variable which in each case should be determined by two main approaches. The first method allows us to determine quantitative parameters of rolling stock (i.e. kilometers logged, efficiency, turnover, etc.). The second is based on specially developed mathematical models relying on qualitative characteristics such as relative expenses, efficiency of the particular train, relative expenditure of resources, cost of the trains, etc. Planning the volume of the rolling stock the determination of optimal service life of the trains plays an important role. The calculations involve repair costs, number of overhauls, current expenses and operational characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning the structure and volume of the rolling stock is a key factor of achieving maximum efficiency of transportation by rail as well as forecasting the demand for these it transport facilities. The demand for trains is a time — dependant variable which in each case should be determined by two main approaches. The first method allows us to determine quantitative parameters of rolling stock (i.e. kilometers logged, efficiency, turnover, etc.). The second is based on specially developed mathematical models relying on qualitative characteristics such as relative expenses, efficiency of the particular train, relative expenditure of resources, cost of the trains, etc. Planning the volume of the rolling stock the determination of optimal service life of the trains plays an important role. The calculations involve repair costs, number of overhauls, current expenses and other operational characteristics. First Published Online: 19 Dec 2011