Leveraging Connected Highway Vehicle Platooning Technology to Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Train Fleeting Under Moving Blocks

Future advanced Positive Train Control systems may allow North American railroads to introduce moving blocks with shorter train headways. This research examines how closely following trains respond to different throttle and brake inputs. Using insights from connected automobile and truck platooning technology, six different following train control algorithms were developed, analyzed for stability, and evaluated with simulated fleets of freight trains. While moving blocks require additional train spacing beyond minimum safe braking distance to account for train control actions, certain following train algorithms can help minimize this distance and balance fuel efficiency and train headway by changing control parameters

An Integrated Approach towards Building a Simulation Model Supporting the Management of the Passenger Transportation System. Part 1 - Theoretical basis.

This article presents an integrated approach towards building a simulation model of the transportation network. The proposed method is based on the recommendations of the Blue Book for Sector of Public Transport in cities, agglomerations and regions issued by Jaspers (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions). It comprises six steps with such elements as econometric modelling, artificial neural networks and mathematical model. It is dedicated to developing simulation models for the purpose of picturing present situation and dependencies dominating in the transportation network, easily reflecting effects of potential modifications and providing forecasts for the future. The described hybrid method was verified in practice by building the simulation model which is presented in the next article in this series entitled: An Integrated Approach towards Building a Simulation Model Supporting the Management of the Passenger Transportation System. Part 2 – Case Study

Infrastructure Design, Signalling and Security in Railway

Railway transportation has become one of the main technological advances of our society. Since the first railway used to carry coal from a mine in Shropshire (England, 1600), a lot of efforts have been made to improve this transportation concept. One of its milestones was the invention and development of the steam locomotive, but commercial rail travels became practical two hundred years later. From these first attempts, railway infrastructures, signalling and security have evolved and become more complex than those performed in its earlier stages. This book will provide readers a comprehensive technical guide, covering these topics and presenting a brief overview of selected railway systems in the world. The objective of the book is to serve as a valuable reference for students, educators, scientists, faculty members, researchers, and engineers

Why Does Public Transport Not Arrive on Time? The Pervasiveness of Equal Headway Instability

BACKGROUND: The equal headway instability phenomenon is pervasive in public transport systems. This instability is characterized by an aggregation of vehicles that causes inefficient service. While equal headway instability is common, it has not been studied independently of a particular scenario. However, the phenomenon is apparent in many transport systems and can be modeled and rectified in abstraction. METHODOLOGY: We present a multi-agent simulation where a default method with no restrictions always leads to unstable headways. We discuss two methods that attempt to achieve equal headways, called minimum and maximum. Since one parameter of the methods depends on the passenger density, adaptive versions--where the relevant parameter is adjusted automatically--are also put forward. Our results show that the adaptive maximum method improves significantly over the default method. The model and simulation give insights of the interplay between transport design and passenger behavior. Finally, we provide technological and social suggestions for engineers and passengers to help achieve equal headways and thus reduce delays. CONCLUSIONS: The equal headway instability phenomenon can be avoided with the suggested technological and social measures

The economics and engineering of bus stops: Spacing, design and congestion

This paper re-considers the problem of choosing the number of bus stops along urban routes, first by estimating the probability of stopping in low demand markets, and second by analysing the interplay between bus stop size, bus running speed, spacing and congestion in high demand markets. A comprehensive review of the theory and practice on the location and spacing of bus stops is presented. Using empirical data from Sydney we show that the widely used Poisson model overestimates the probability of stopping in an on-call bus stopping regime, and consequently underestimates the optimal number of bus stops that should be designed. For fixed-stop services, we show that bus running speed, frequency and dwell time are crucial to determining the relationship between bus stop spacing and demand, with bus stop congestion in the form of queuing delays playing a key role. In particular, we find that bus stop spacing should be decreased if demand increases at a constant bus running speed; however, if both bus running speed and the speed of the passenger boarding process increase, then the distance between bus stops should be kept long even at high demand levels, a result that is consistent with the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit systems that feature high bus running speeds and long distances between stops relative to conventional bus services

10th EASN International Conference on Innovation in Aviation & Space to the Satisfaction of the European Citizens

This Special Issue book contains selected papers from works presented at the 10th EASN (European Aeronautics Science Network) International Conference on Innovation in Aviation & Space, which was held from the 2nd until the 4th of September, 2020. About 350 remote participants contributed to a high-level scientific gathering providing some of the latest research results on the topic, as well as some of the latest relevant technological advancements. Eleven interesting articles, which cover a wide range of topics including characterization, analysis and design, as well as numerical simulation, are contained in this Special Issue

Schedule-based estimation of pedestrian demand within a railway station

A framework is outlined for estimating pedestrian demand within a railway station which takes advantage of the train timetable and train frequentation data, as well as various direct or indirect indicators of demand. These may include e.g. link flow counts, measurements of density and travel times, or historical information. The problem is considered in discrete time and at the aggregate level, i.e., for groups of pedestrians associated with the same origin-destination pair and with the same departure time interval. The formulation of the framework allows for a wide applicability to various types of railway stations and input data. A preliminary case study analysis of Lausanne railway station provides an example of such an application

SHOW Deliverable 10.1: Simulation scenarios and tools

This document identifies all simulation tools which are used by all partners participating in Work Package 10 of the SHOW project. Their applications range from vehicle level of shared CCAVs up to mobility level, and they are used to enrich all field experiment results of the SHOW pilots. In addition, a relation of tools to application areas and to SHOW pilots is presented. Furthermore, multiple simulation scenarios are introduced, which define the used tools to evaluate the scenario, their expected results as well as the addressed KPIs from A9.4. After a short presentation of the SHOW sites that are investigated in simulation in this WP, the simulation plans of all participating partners are presented and linked to at least one of the pilot sites. Additionally, data inputs that are required from the SHOW sites are stated