Applications of Engineering and Financial Analysis to the Valuation of Investments in Railroad Infrastructure

This record of study presents the findings of industry research projects performed during a one-year doctoral internship with the Austin Rail Group of HNTB Corporation. Four main internship objectives were established that address infrastructure problems related to the railroad industry and required the integration of engineering and financial analysis to develop effective project evaluation tools. Completion of the objectives resulted in: 1. Transformation of the Federal Railroad Administration methodology currently used to perform highway-railroad grade crossing analyses to a system of equations that can easily be used to evaluate regional rail infrastructure investments. Transportation engineering equations based on queuing theory were extended to new but equivalent formulations that accommodate unlimited, discrete train performance data from computer simulations of rail networks. 2. Application of risk assessment methods and railroad accident statistics to recommend a cost-effective alternative to legislative proposals to relocate hazardous materials transported by rail around metropolitan areas. A risk analysis model was developed to predict the risk of exposure from the release of a hazardous material following a train derailment so that changes in exposure achieved by alternative risk mitigation strategies could be observed. 3. A new method of measuring the susceptibility of railroads to financial distress following the catastrophic loss of a timber railroad bridge. Economic and finance principles were used to predict financial distress by determining of the number of revenue periods required to offset economic loss. 4. Demonstration of the use of financial market data in calculating the discount rate of public railroad companies for engineering analyses that involve negotiations with the public agencies. Surface Transportation Board rulings on the determination of a railroad?s cost of equity were applied to a comparative assessment of costs of capital for Class I railroads. A hypothetical example was used to demonstrate the interrelationship between engineering design strategies and their effects on the pricing of compensation to a railroad for right-of-way acquisition. These results, in fulfillment of the doctoral internship objectives, have provided HNTB with economic decision analysis tools and a series of conclusions used to provide recommendations to the Illinois, Missouri, and Texas Departments of Transportation, the Texas Legislature, and the railroad industry

OPTIMIZATION OF RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION HAZMATS AND REGULAR COMMODITIES

Transportation of dangerous goods has been receiving more attention in the realm of academic and scientific research during the last few decades as countries have been increasingly becoming industrialized throughout the world, thereby making Hazmats an integral part of our life style. However, the number of scholarly articles in this field is not as many as those of other areas in SCM. Considering the low-probability-and-high-consequence (LPHC) essence of transportation of Hazmats, on the one hand, and immense volume of shipments accounting for more than hundred tons in North America and Europe, on the other, we can safely state that the number of scholarly articles and dissertations have not been proportional to the significance of the subject of interest. On this ground, we conducted our research to contribute towards further developing the domain of Hazmats transportation, and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), in general terms. Transportation of Hazmats, from logistical standpoint, may include all modes of transport via air, marine, road and rail, as well as intermodal transportation systems. Although road shipment is predominant in most of the literature, railway transportation of Hazmats has proven to be a potentially significant means of transporting dangerous goods with respect to both economies of scale and risk of transportation; these factors, have not just given rise to more thoroughly investigation of intermodal transportation of Hazmats using road and rail networks, but has encouraged the competition between rail and road companies which may indeed have some inherent advantages compared to the other medium due to their infrastructural and technological backgrounds. Truck shipment has ostensibly proven to be providing more flexibility; trains, per contra, provide more reliability in terms of transport risk for conveying Hazmats in bulks. In this thesis, in consonance with the aforementioned motivation, we provide an introduction into the hazardous commodities shipment through rail network in the first chapter of the thesis. Providing relevant statistics on the volume of Hazmat goods, number of accidents, rate of incidents, and rate of fatalities and injuries due to the incidents involving Hazmats, will shed light onto the significance of the topic under study. As well, we review the most pertinent articles while putting more emphasis on the state-of-the-art papers, in chapter two. Following the discussion in chapter 3 and looking at the problem from carrier company’s perspective, a mixed integer quadratically constraint problem (MIQCP) is developed which seeks for the minimization of transportation cost under a set of constraints including those associating with Hazmats. Due to the complexity of the problem, the risk function has been piecewise linearized using a set of auxiliary variables, thereby resulting in an MIP problem. Further, considering the interests of both carrier companies and regulatory agencies, which are minimization of cost and risk, respectively, a multiobjective MINLP model is developed, which has been reduced to an MILP through piecewise linearization of the risk term in the objective function. For both single-objective and multiobjective formulations, model variants with bifurcated and nonbifurcated flows have been presented. Then, in chapter 4, we carry out experiments considering two main cases where the first case presents smaller instances of the problem and the second case focuses on a larger instance of the problem. Eventually, in chapter five, we conclude the dissertation with a summary of the overall discussion as well as presenting some comments on avenues of future work

Applications of Engineering and Financial Analysis to the Valuation of Investments in Railroad Infrastructure

This record of study presents the findings of industry research projects performed during a one-year doctoral internship with the Austin Rail Group of HNTB Corporation. Four main internship objectives were established that address infrastructure problems related to the railroad industry and required the integration of engineering and financial analysis to develop effective project evaluation tools. Completion of the objectives resulted in: 1. Transformation of the Federal Railroad Administration methodology currently used to perform highway-railroad grade crossing analyses to a system of equations that can easily be used to evaluate regional rail infrastructure investments. Transportation engineering equations based on queuing theory were extended to new but equivalent formulations that accommodate unlimited, discrete train performance data from computer simulations of rail networks. 2. Application of risk assessment methods and railroad accident statistics to recommend a cost-effective alternative to legislative proposals to relocate hazardous materials transported by rail around metropolitan areas. A risk analysis model was developed to predict the risk of exposure from the release of a hazardous material following a train derailment so that changes in exposure achieved by alternative risk mitigation strategies could be observed. 3. A new method of measuring the susceptibility of railroads to financial distress following the catastrophic loss of a timber railroad bridge. Economic and finance principles were used to predict financial distress by determining of the number of revenue periods required to offset economic loss. 4. Demonstration of the use of financial market data in calculating the discount rate of public railroad companies for engineering analyses that involve negotiations with the public agencies. Surface Transportation Board rulings on the determination of a railroad?s cost of equity were applied to a comparative assessment of costs of capital for Class I railroads. A hypothetical example was used to demonstrate the interrelationship between engineering design strategies and their effects on the pricing of compensation to a railroad for right-of-way acquisition. These results, in fulfillment of the doctoral internship objectives, have provided HNTB with economic decision analysis tools and a series of conclusions used to provide recommendations to the Illinois, Missouri, and Texas Departments of Transportation, the Texas Legislature, and the railroad industry

Analysis of the risks related to the logistics of the Hazardous Materials

Today, the number of industrial enterprises producing, using, storing and transporting hazardous materials is constantly increasing worldwide. This growth is linked to the progressive demand in various sectors, which makes our world riskier because of the nature and diversity of the dangerous events that may occur. The risks incurred by the hazardous materials transport activity, in case of the occurrence of an incident that may occur and have serious consequences for persons, the environment, property, a fire as an example accompanied by a release of toxic smoke, pollution of the soil and / or water, it can lead in case of non-control of the fire or the reactivity of the goods transported to an explosion. To this purpose, it is essential to protect the health and safety of personnel and to preserve the environment from any deterioration related to the risks incurred by the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) business, which presents important issues for population, state and highly urbanized areas The aim of this thesis is to propose a systemic approach to risk assessment, taking into account in a global way the risks related to hazardous materials throughout the logistics chain (transport & storage). The approach consists of using the modeling and simulation techniques of an accident, to understand the consequences generated in the various scenarios in the event of the occurrence of a hazardous materials accident. This approach will allow the presentation of an industrial safety reasoning method based on actual case studies, rather than a detailed analysis of how to prevent and protect a given hazard. In the process of assessing the technological risks associated with the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG), the essential step is the evaluation of the risk intensity when an accidental event occurs, which is to quantify the risks involved. effects or impacts, in order to respond quickly and prioritize relief actions for the protection of the population and the environment. The assessment of the intensity of a technological risk can be carried out using an effects model, capable of estimating the effects induced by the hazardous phenomenon from a quantitative point of view, in order to determine the geographical area of the hazard where the intensity of the risk is deemed too high. In this context, the first issue addressed in this thesis is to assess the level of risk of hazardous goods transport areas for both road and marine modes of transportation, while the second issue of assessing risks in an industrial facility fixed

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART ADVISORY SYSTEM FOR HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION RISK ANALYSIS VIA QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES

Safe transportation of hazardous materials is critical as it has a high potential of catastrophic accidents depending on the amount of transported product, its hazardous characteristics and the environmental conditions. Consequently, an efficient, smart and reliable intervention is essential to enhance prediction on the impacts of transportation hazards. Although various risk assessment techniques have been used in industry and regulatory bodies, they were developed for evaluating risk of hazardous materials for fixed installation cases instead of moving risk sources. This study applies the Transportation Risk Analysis (TRA), which is an extension of a well-known Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) technique in developing and design a Smart Advisory Systems (SAS), to determine the safest routes for transportation of hazardous materials according to Malaysia scenario

A Comparison of Emissions-Reduction Strategies to Improve Livability in Freight-Centric Communities

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entered into an interagency “Partnership for Sustainable Communities” to cooperatively increase transportation mode choices while reducing transportation costs, protecting the environment, and providing greater access to affordable housing through the incorporation of six principals of livability (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2014a). This study focuses on strategies to reduce vehicle emissions and improve livability along the Lamar Corridor in Memphis, Tennessee, a location that was designated by the U.S. Government in 2010 as an area to be targeted for livability improvements (Daniels & Meeks, 2010). The results of this study indicate that a common method to reduce emissions at freight terminals, a typical facility along the Lamar Corridor, may actually increase emissions along the corridor itself. Additionally, specific emphasis on the use of alternative fuels as a method to reduce emissions may be warranted

A History of Materials and Technologies Development

The purpose of the book is to provide the students with the text that presents an introductory knowledge about the development of materials and technologies and includes the most commonly available information on human development. The idea of the publication has been generated referring to the materials taken from the organic and non-organic evolution of nature. The suggested texts might be found a purposeful tool for the University students proceeding with studying engineering due to the fact that all subjects in this particular field more or less have to cover the history and development of the studied object. It is expected that studying different materials and technologies will help the students with a better understanding of driving forces, positive and negative consequences of technological development, etc

Hazardous Materials Transportation: a Literature Review and an Annotated Bibliography

The hazardous materials transportation poses risks to life, health, property, and the environment due to the possibility of an unintentional release. We present a bibliographic survey on this argument paying particular attention to the road transportation. We attempt to encompass both theoretical and application oriented works. Research on this topic is spread over the broad spectrum of computer science and the literature has an operations research and quantitative risk assessment focus. The models present in the literature vary from simple risk equations to set of differential equations. In discussing the literature, we present and compare the underlying assumptions, the model specifications and the derived results. We use the previous perspectives to critically cluster the papers in the literature into a classification scheme

Railcar Wheel Impact Detection Utilizing Vibration-Based Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Modules

The current limitations in established rail transport condition monitoring methods have motivated the UTCRS railway research team at UTRGV to investigate a novel solution that can address these deficiencies through wired, onboard, and vibration-based analytics. Due to the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the research team has now transitioned into developing wireless modules that take advantage of the rapid data processing and wireless communication features these systems possess. This has enabled UTCRS to partner with Hum Industrial Technology, Inc. to assist them in the development of their “Boomerang” wireless condition monitoring system. Designed to revolutionize the way the railway industry monitors rolling stock assets; the product is intended to provide preemptive maintenance scheduling through the continuous monitoring of railcar wheels and bearings. Ultimately, customers can save time, money, and avoid potentially catastrophic events. The wheel condition monitoring capabilities of the Boomerang were evaluated through various laboratory experiments that mimicked rail service operating conditions. The possible optimization of the system by incorporating a filter was also investigated. To further validate the efficacy of the prototype, a pilot field test consisting of 40 modules was conducted. The exhibited agreement between the laboratory and field pilot test data as well as the detection of a faulty wheelset demonstrates the functionality of the sensor module as a railcar wheel health monitoring device

Designing and Operating Safe and Secure Transit Systems: Assessing Current Practices in the United States and Abroad, MTI Report 04-05

Public transit systems around the world have for decades served as a principal venue for terrorist acts. Today, transit security is widely viewed as an important public policy issue and is a high priority at most large transit systems and at smaller systems operating in large metropolitan areas. Research on transit security in the United States has mushroomed since 9/11; this study is part of that new wave of research. This study contributes to our understanding of transit security by (1) reviewing and synthesizing nearly all previously published research on transit terrorism; (2) conducting detailed case studies of transit systems in London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.; (3) interviewing federal officials here in the United States responsible for overseeing transit security and transit industry representatives both here and abroad to learn about efforts to coordinate and finance transit security planning; and (4) surveying 113 of the largest transit operators in the United States. Our major findings include: (1) the threat of transit terrorism is probably not universal—most major attacks in the developed world have been on the largest systems in the largest cities; (2) this asymmetry of risk does not square with fiscal politics that seek to spread security funding among many jurisdictions; (3) transit managers are struggling to balance the costs and (uncertain) benefits of increased security against the costs and (certain) benefits of attracting passengers; (4) coordination and cooperation between security and transit agencies is improving, but far from complete; (5) enlisting passengers in surveillance has benefits, but fearful passengers may stop using public transit; (6) the role of crime prevention through environmental design in security planning is waxing; and (7) given the uncertain effectiveness of antitransit terrorism efforts, the most tangible benefits of increased attention to and spending on transit security may be a reduction in transit-related person and property crimes