Application of Multicriteria Decision-Making Methods in Railway Engineering: A Case Study of Train Control Information Systems (TCIS)

In order to improve its position in the transport market railway, as a complex system, it has to fulfill a number of objectives such as increased capacity and asset utilization, improved reliability and safety, higher customer service levels, better energy efficiency and fewer emissions, along with increased economic viability and profits. Some of these objectives call for the implementation of maximum values, while some of them require minimum values. Additionally, some can be expressed quantitatively, while some, for example, customer service, can be described qualitatively through a descriptive scale of points. The application of MCDM in railway engineering can play a significant role. Therefore, the major objective of this chapter is the review of the application of MCDM methods in railway engineering. As one of the means in achieving the objectives of railways and above all the utilization of capacity are Train Control Information Systems (TCIS). Based on that, the aim of this chapter is the evaluation of the efficiency of TCIS in the improvement of railway capacity utilization through defined technical-technological indicators. The non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model for the evaluation of TCIS efficiency in improvement of utilization of railway capacity using the selected indicators is proposed. The proposed non-radial DEA model for TCIS efficiency evaluation in using railway capacity could be applied to an overall network or for separate parts of railway lines

Site Locating For Inspection Posts of Freight Cars in Railway Network Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) (CaseStudy: Iranian Railway Network)

Freight car inspection and maintenance system have an undeniable role in total costs imposed on system for repair and rehabilitation process of different components of it. This issue shows its importance when railway transportation comes to competition with other modes of transportation. In this competition, lower total cost means more demands and more benefits for optimum systems. Using preventive maintenance methods for rolling stock are among appropriate solutions in order to lower the costs. These methods require to have an exact monitoring system to achieve a reliable scope of system. Inspection posts play an essential role as “wise eyes” on inspection system.Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in this article has developed decision tree including goals, criteria, sub criteria and alternatives. The main criteria are 1-traffic, 2-geographical position, 3-loction of station on railway network, and 4-repair and maneuver equipment of station. These criteria and sub criteria have been weighted and quantified using expert’s opinion. The use of Geographical information system, 403 stations had been evaluated with 26 criteria and sub criteria and prioritized. By considering coverage of network in next step, 43 stations are recommended as required station numbers in railway network to provide 70.53% Coverage of railway network traffic

Railway Container Station Reselection Approach and Application: Based on Entropy-Cloud Model

Reasonable railway container freight stations layout means higher transportation efficiency and less transportation cost. To obtain more objective and accurate reselection results, a new entropy-cloud approach is formulated to solve the problem. The approach comprises three phases: Entropy Method is used to obtain the weight of each subcriterion during Phase  1, then cloud model is designed to form the evaluation cloud for each subcriterion during Phase  2, and finally during Phase  3 we use the weight during Phase  1 to multiply the initial evaluation cloud during Phase  2. MATLAB is applied to determine the evaluation figures and help us to make the final alternative decision. To test our approach, the railway container stations in Wuhan Railway Bureau were selected for our case study. The final evaluation result indicates only Xiangyang Station should be renovated and developed as a Special Transaction Station, five other stations should be kept and developed as Ordinary Stations, and the remaining 16 stations should be closed. Furthermore, the results show that, before the site reselection process, the average distance between two railway container stations was only 74.7 km but has improved to 182.6 km after using the approach formulated in this paper

SELECTING MADIUN–DOLOPO TRACE ROUTE WITH THE FUZZY AHP (ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS) METHOD

Introduction: The National Railway Master Plan (RIPNAS), dated 2018, mentions that the railway network size and railway service capacity for using trains as the main means of transportation can be increased by reactivating non-operational routes and improving the condition of the existing routes. Methods: In our study, we propose the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) method to determine the best option for the reactivated Madiun–Dopolo trace route in East Java, Indonesia. The data obtained were derived from questionnaires filled in by experts in the field. The model used six main criteria: land use, technical aspects, transportation node integration, social insecurity, disaster factors, and funding. Result and Discussion: The analysis reveals that the predominant route selection criterion chosen by the respondents was the Land Use (with a score of 0.25). The least significant Madiun–Dopolo route selection criterion was the Disaster Factors (0.07). Based on the results of weighting the criteria and aggregating the respondent alternatives, the trace route most commonly chosen by the respondents was the Alternative Trace Route (Trace Route 2), with a score of 0.698, while the Existing Trace Route (Trace Route 1) had a score of 0.302. The Alternative Trace Route is longer than the Existing Trace Route, but it will mostly pass through farming regions, which is assumed to create less social conflicts than in the case of Trace Route 1. This also automatically means that Trace Route 2 will need fewer funds in land acquisition

Spatial Statistical Analysis for Potential Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Jakarta Metropolitan Region

Spatial planning on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) concerns with the integration between land use and transportation aspects. However, in some places, public transport management based on transit nodes such as train services which are not well- integrated, and causing spatial chaos, especially surrounding station areas. It is essential to prepare a public transportation plan by maximizing regional potential capacity with TOD model. The purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize potential areas for TOD using spatial statistical analysis with combined models of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Jakarta Metropolitan Regional (JMR), Indonesia. This paper employed two major indicators: main- and sub-indicators depending on relevant references. The weight of each indicator was determined by chosen experts. The result showed that some of the metro areas of Jakarta were highly suitable for TOD and indicated the characteristics of the development of urban areas. This paper’s outcome was useful in order to determine the potential location of TOD and was applicable to other areas within the same geographical conditions

Metrics for Assessing Overall Performance of Inland Waterway Ports: A Bayesian Network Based Approach

Because ports are considered to be the heart of the maritime transportation system, thereby assessing port performance is necessary for a nation’s development and economic success. This study proposes a novel metric, namely, “port performance index (PPI)”, to determine the overall performance and utilization of inland waterway ports based on six criteria, port facility, port availability, port economics, port service, port connectivity, and port environment. Unlike existing literature, which mainly ranks ports based on quantitative factors, this study utilizes a Bayesian Network (BN) model that focuses on both quantitative and qualitative factors to rank a port. The assessment of inland waterway port performance is further analyzed based on different advanced techniques such as sensitivity analysis and belief propagation. Insights drawn from the study show that all the six criteria are necessary to predict PPI. The study also showed that port service has the highest impact while port economics has the lowest impact among the six criteria on PPI for inland waterway ports

Heritage identity conservation of the woodcarving placement and design composition typologies on Johor Malay houses

Woodcarving is a distinct heritage that can promote the identity of a region. However, current practices of using the design composition and woodcarving placement which do not belong to the local region pose a threat to the identity and authenticity of the original heritage. If such practices continue and the identity of the local heritage is not preserved and recorded, the traditional designs and local identity will eventually be lost. The objective of this paper is to identify the placements of woodcarving and the typology of design compositions of woodcarving which form the identity of the Johor Malay houses. Site visits were conducted to Limas Johor in which the wood carvings of 50 houses were examined, photographed and documented. Interviews were also conducted with the house owners or occupants, and the wood carvers. The samples were analyzed and the results were verified by experts. A total of 10 woodcarving placements and 23 typologies were discovered, drawn and coded. The findings of this research suggest that the typology combination of JT2-P5+KT7 of woodcarving represents the identity of Limas Johor houses. It is hoped that this study can bring recognition to Johor woodcarvings, contribute valuable guides for woodcarvers to apply these typologies into their future works to sustain and cherish the Johor local identity