A Review of Developments in Electrical Battery, Fuel Cell and Energy Recovery Systems for Railway Applications: a Report for the Scottish Association for Public Transport

This report outlines the current status of batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and short-term energy storage systems for railway and tramway applications. The report includes discussion of issues associated with regenerative braking and the recovery of energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat during braking. As well as feeding energy back to the supply grid, as in the case of conventional electrified rail systems, energy recovery may also be achieved using batteries, supercapacitors, flywheels or hydraulic devices and developments in each of these areas are reviewed. The advantages of hybrid systems that involve combinations of different power sources and energy storage methods are emphasised and some associated design optimisation issues are discussed. For each of the developments mentioned, there is a brief account given of some transport applications in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This is a rapidly developing field and operating experience with vehicles currently entering service in various countries will provide important additional insight within the next two or three years

Characteristics of fine and ultrafine aerosols in the London underground

\ua9 2022 The Authors. Underground railway systems are recognised spaces of increased personal pollution exposure. We studied the number-size distribution and physico-chemical characteristics of ultrafine (PM0.1), fine (PM0.1–2.5) and coarse (PM2.5–10) particles collected on a London underground platform. Particle number concentrations gradually increased throughout the day, with a maximum concentration between 18:00 h and 21:00 h (local time). There was a maximum decrease in mass for the PM2.5, PM2.5–10 and black carbon of 3.9, 4.5 and ~ 21-times, respectively, between operable (OpHrs) and non-operable (N-OpHrs) hours. Average PM10 (52 μg m−3) and PM2.5 (34 μg m−3) concentrations over the full data showed levels above the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines. Respiratory deposition doses of particle number and mass concentrations were calculated and found to be two- and four-times higher during OpHrs compared with N-OpHrs, reflecting events such as train arrival/departure during OpHrs. Organic compounds were composed of aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are known to be harmful to health. Specific ratios of PAHs were identified for underground transport that may reflect an interaction between PAHs and fine particles. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) chemical maps of fine and ultrafine fractions show they are composed of Fe and O in the form of magnetite and nanosized mixtures of metals including Cr, Al, Ni and Mn. These findings, and the low air change rate (0.17 to 0.46 h−1), highlight the need to improve the ventilation conditions

Characteristics of fine and ultrafine aerosols in the London underground.

Underground railway systems are recognised spaces of increased personal pollution exposure. We studied the number-size distribution and physico-chemical characteristics of ultrafine (PM0.1), fine (PM0.1-2.5) and coarse (PM2.5-10) particles collected on a London underground platform. Particle number concentrations gradually increased throughout the day, with a maximum concentration between 18:00 h and 21:00 h (local time). There was a maximum decrease in mass for the PM2.5, PM2.5-10 and black carbon of 3.9, 4.5 and ~ 21-times, respectively, between operable (OpHrs) and non-operable (N-OpHrs) hours. Average PM10 (52 μg m-3) and PM2.5 (34 μg m-3) concentrations over the full data showed levels above the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines. Respiratory deposition doses of particle number and mass concentrations were calculated and found to be two- and four-times higher during OpHrs compared with N-OpHrs, reflecting events such as train arrival/departure during OpHrs. Organic compounds were composed of aromatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are known to be harmful to health. Specific ratios of PAHs were identified for underground transport that may reflect an interaction between PAHs and fine particles. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) chemical maps of fine and ultrafine fractions show they are composed of Fe and O in the form of magnetite and nanosized mixtures of metals including Cr, Al, Ni and Mn. These findings, and the low air change rate (0.17 to 0.46 h-1), highlight the need to improve the ventilation conditions

Research on the System Safety Management in Urban Railway

Nowadays, rail transport has become one of the most widely utilised forms of transport thanks to its high safety level, large capacity, and cost-effectiveness. With the railway network's continuous development, including urban rail transit, one of the major areas of increasing attention and demand is ensuring safety or risk management in operation long-term remains for the whole life cycle by scientific tools, management of railway operation (Martani 2017), specifically in developed and developing countries like Vietnam. The situation in Vietnam demonstrates that the national mainline railway network has been built and operated entirely in a single narrow gauge (1000mm) since the previous century, with very few updates of manual operating technology. This significantly highlights that up to now, the conventional technique for managing the safety operation in general, and collision in particular, of the current Vietnamese railway system, including its subsystems, is only accident statistics which is not a scientific-based tool as the others like risk identify and analyse methods, risk mitigation…, that are already available in many countries. Accident management of Vietnam Railways is limited and responsible for accident statistics analysis to avoid and minimise the harm caused by phenomena that occur only after an accident. Statistical analysis of train accident case studies in Vietnam railway demonstrates that, because hazards and failures that could result in serious system occurrences (accidents and incidents) have not been identified, recorded, and evaluated to conduct safety-driven risk analysis using a well-suited assessment methodology, risk prevention and control cannot be achieved. Not only is it hard to forecast and avoid events, but it may also raise the chance and amount of danger, as well as the severity of the later effects. As a result, Vietnam's railway system has a high number of accidents and failure rates. For example, Vietnam Rail-ways' mainline network accounted for approximately 200 railway accidents in 2018, a 3% increase over the previous year, including 163 collisions between trains and road vehicles/persons, resulting in more than 100 fatalities and more than 150 casualties; 16 accidents, including almost derailments, the signal passed at danger… without fatality or casual-ty, but significant damage to rolling stock and track infrastructure (VR 2021). Focusing and developing a new standardised framework for safety management and availability of railway operation in Vietnam is required in view of the rapid development of rail urban transport in the country in recent years (VmoT 2016; VmoT 2018). UMRT Line HN2A in southwest Hanoi is the country's first elevated light rail transit line, which was completed and officially put into revenue service in November 2021. This greatly highlights that up to the current date, the UMRT Line HN2A is the first and only railway line in Vietnam with operational safety assessment launched for the first time and long-term remains for the whole life cycle. The fact that the UMRT Hanoi has a large capacity, more complicated rolling stock and infrastructure equipment, as well as a modern communica-tion-based train control (CBTC) signalling system and automatic train driving without the need for operator intervention (Lindqvist 2006), are all advantages. Developing a compatible and integrated safety management system (SMS) for adaption to the safety operating requirements of this UMRT is an important major point of concern, and this should be proven. In actuality, the system acceptance and safety certification phase for Metro Line HN2A prolonged up to 2.5 years owing to the identification of difficulties with noncompliance to safety requirements resulting from inadequate SMS documents and risk assessment. These faults and hazards have developed during the manufacturing and execution of the project; it is impossible to go back in time to correct them, and it is also impossible to ignore the project without assuming responsibility for its management. At the time of completion, the HN2A metro line will have required an expenditure of up to $868 million, thus it is vital to create measures to prevent system failure and assure passenger safety. This dissertation has reviewed the methods to solve the aforementioned challenges and presented a solution blueprint to attain the European standard level of system safety in three-phase as in the following: • Phase 1: applicable for lines that are currently in operation, such as Metro Line HN2A. Focused on operational and maintenance procedures, as well as a training plan for railway personnel, in order to enhance human performance. Complete and update the risk assessment framework for Metro Line HN2A. The dissertation's findings are described in these applications. • Phase 2: applicable for lines that are currently in construction and manufacturing, such as Metro Line HN3, Line HN2, HCMC Line 1 and Line 2. Continue refining and enhancing engineering management methods introduced during Phase 1. On the basis of the risk assessment by manufacturers (Line HN3, HCMC Line 2 with European manufacturers) and the risk assessment framework described in Chapter 4, a risk management plan for each line will be developed. Building Accident database for risk assessment research and development. • Phase 3: applicable for lines that are currently in planning. Enhance safety requirements and life-cycle management. Building a proactive Safety Culture step by step for the railway industry. This material is implemented gradually throughout all three phases, beginning with the creation of the concept and concluding with an improvement in the attitude of railway personnel on the HN2A line. In addition to this overview, Chapters 4 through Chapter 9 of the dissertation include particular solutions for Risk assessment, Vehicle and Infrastructure Maintenance methods, Inci-dent Management procedures, and Safety Culture installation. This document focuses on constructing a system safety concept for railway personnel, providing stringent and scientific management practises to assure proper engineering conditions, to manage effectively the metro line system, and ensuring passenger safety in Hanoi's metro operatio

The feasibility of monorails

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Sanitary Engineering, 1959Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-93).by Hermann Steffen Dieckmann Botzow, Jr.M.S

Unfulfilled Promise: Electrification and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century electricity made inroads into American life. Industry used electricity to power machines. Homemakers utilized electric appliances such as irons and washing machines to perform household chores. Electric lighting was used in homes, factories, railroad stations, advertising, and on city streets. The promise of electricity transformed everyday life. Electricity also held the promise of making it easier to transport freight and passengers on steam railroads. Despite electricity\u27s superiority to steam, a few railroads decided to electrify because it was necessary. Only one railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, electrified a major portion of its lines for economic reasons

System strategies in the management of transit systems towards the end of their life cycle

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, February 2007.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-97).This thesis explores and evaluates essential strategies needed for the transit authority/operator to deal with end of life cycle challenges of Rapid Transit Systems (RTS) systems. RTS systems are elaborate systems consisting of various subsystems. It is believed that one of the greatest challenges of such systems is the integration of these various sub-systems to ensure that they work correctly; functionally and safely at the onset of development. While this is true there also exist real challenges towards the end of the life cycle which unfortunately is not dealt with during the design conceptualization and implementation. The fact that the RTS system is an elaborate amalgamation of other subsystems functioning together makes the management of its end of life cycle challenging. The life spans of these various subsystems are different i.e. the mismatch in life cycles of these systems could cause serious problems in the future. There are two approaches to manage these challenges i.e. look at it from a design standpoint and start incorporating fixes at the design stage to address end of life cycle challenges (start of the value chain) or look at the already present RTS systems around the world and see what can be done when most of the systems are mid life or nearing end of life and formulate strategies to address these challenges (end of the value chain). This thesis has focused on the latter approach given that systems at mid-life and near end of life are of priority now and further any lessons learnt from these exercises could be incorporated into new designs. Four different strategies were defined and assessed: Public Private Partnerships (PPP), reusability/remanufacturing/ recycling, life extension and leasing. In planning of the end of life cycle challenges it must be acknowledged that no one strategy is always best.(cont.) The strategies at most allow the transit authority/operator to make more meaningful and informed decisions based on risk and cost amongst many other factors. This allows a transit authority/operator to plan ahead. The transit authority/operator should look at their RTS system and evaluate the best strategy. It may be the case that one of these strategies meets their needs or a hybrid of these strategiesby Ajmer Singh Kairon.S.M

A systemic framework for monitoring energy performance of urban railways

PhD ThesisGlobal sustainability challenges are particularly acute in urban conurbations which house the majority of the world’s population and where most of the economic activity takes place. Mobility is at the core of this challenge as transport is one of the highest energy consuming and polluting sectors across the globe. Achieving a low environmental impact transport system fit for all is a clear objective. A modal shift to low energy but highly competitive transport modes is a key target. Urban railway systems have the environmental performance and mass transit capability to be the core provider of mobility in metropolitan areas bringing also other benefits e.g. connectivity, cohesion and social inclusivity. Nevertheless, in a very competitive context where all modes are improving their energy performance, it is crucial that urban rail systems enhance their energy conservation levels without jeopardising their service offer. There is a lack of consensus amongst stakeholders on how to assess energy performance of urban rail systems. This void has been extended to the academic literature, where the issue is largely missing. The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to energy conservation of urban rail systems by supporting the decisionmaking process leading to the deployment of interventions aimed at improving energy efficiency and optimising its usage. A three-phased methodological triangulation approach has been adopted to address three research questions derived from two research objectives. This research has investigated energy usage, interventions and interdependencies that are governed by the complexity of the socio-technical system that are urban railways. A holistic approach has been developed based on an adaptable systemic monitoring framework and associated methodology enabling i) a multilevel analysis of system energy performance using a set of twenty-two hierarchical indicators and four complementing parameters, ii) an appraisal of candidate energy optimisation interventions and iii) the monitoring of the results of implemented measures. To validate and illustrate its execution, the framework has been applied to five different urban rail systems to assess a total of eleven technical and operational interventions. This has resulted in observing up 3.4% or circa 4 GWh usage reduction at system level when considering the influence of the three technical interventions monitored and up to 4.8% or circa 6.6 GWh when the eight operational interventions are evaluated in conjunction. These outcomes have illustrated the universality of the framework and its adaptability to the particularities of each urban rail system.CleanER-D and OSIRIS grants, both co-funded by the European Commissio