Rail Marketing, Jobs and Public Engagement

The chapter briefly explains the marketing mix in a rail context and then discusses marketing strategies to promote rail from two perspectives. Firstly, rail is perceived as a transport service offered to potential users and various marketing tools are used to maximise rail companies’ profit. Secondly rail is seen as a career path and variety of marketing, skills training and public engagement actions are targeting potential talents, already within the industry as well as those beyond the railway sector. The pool of talented individuals includes students, graduates, academics and professionals who are exposed to recruitment and retention activities of the railway sector. Various activities and projects run by the rail industry, targeting audience at school, university, professional and general public’s levels, are presented with their success stories as well as challenges some of the initiatives faced. Also, results of a survey focusing on skills and jobs for rail (and transport sector) of the future are presented and commented on

An exploration of the characteristics of excess travel within commuting

PhD ThesisTravel behaviour research aims to inform and provide evidence for sound transport policy. Excess travel, where individuals demonstrate excessive use of for example time or distance, challenges assumptions underpinning fundamental beliefs of travel behaviour research where travel should be minimised in order to get to the destination. This thesis explores the phenomenon of excess travel and the characteristics of people exhibiting excess travel within a commuting context, using Tyne and Wear as a case study. Building on existing definitions of excess commuting, which include time and distance, this study gradually adds additional parameters of cost, effort, and many other parameters (e.g. value of time, weights for walking and waiting) in the generalised cost formula, and the final sample is analysed to identify similarities and differences between excess commuters (EC) and not excess commuters (NEC). The methodology uses a GIS technique for sampling and a questionnaire approach for data collection. The final sample includes origin-based (home) commuters who completed a questionnaire delivered to their home addresses, and destination-based (work) commuters who completed an online version of the same questionnaire. Analytical methods are used to identify EC and NEC based on self-reported (‘pure’) values of the four key parameters of time, cost, distance and effort while commuting and using a generalised cost approach. For the parameters of time and cost as well as for the generalised cost results seven saving options are considered, where 5% savings is the lowest option and 50% or more savings is the highest option. An analysis of various attributes and their differences in medians together with a series of socio-economic characteristics are used to distinguish between EC and NEC within the four groups in total (time, cost, effort, generalised cost). The results show that within the collected sample EC make up between 32% (in the cost group) and 78% (in the effort group) of the total sample (depending on the parameter/group considered), and that there are some statistically significant differences at the 95% level between EC and NEC within the groups. The fact that the number of EC varies between the groups is to be expected, as the literature review suggested that taking different parameters into account produces different results. Generally, EC seem to behave in a similar manner to the rest of the sample, in terms of most of the factors tested, when making choices about commuting, but for example 41% of the respondents ii drive to work and within this driving group there are more EC than NEC (for example 44% of EC versus 37% of NEC within the time group or 52% of EC versus 36% of NEC within the cost group). More importantly, the median values for the four key parameters of travel to work (actual commute time, ideal one-way commute time, commute cost, commute distance) are higher in majority of the cases for EC than for NEC within the four groups. Attitudes and preferences also play a role, demonstrating that the most frequent trip purpose, the commute, can provide some benefit to travellers. The results also show that in terms of the activities such as listening to music/radio, reading book/newspapers, exercising or concentrating on the road a majority of statistically significant differences between EC and NEC occur within the cost and the effort groups only. The demand for more direct routes and cheaper fares on public transport is emphasised by the majority of the sample. The respondents tend to be well informed about their travel to work alternative transport modes and different transport planning tools available, and the Internet stands out as a primary source of information employed by majority of both EC and NEC. In exploring the characteristics of EC and NEC in more depth, recommendations are identified for public transport providers to improve their services and encourage more commuters to transfer travel time into activity time

Analysis of Benefits to Young Rail Enthusiasts of Participating in Extracurricular Academic Activities.

The paper examines a number of positive academic outcomes achieved by university students who, as young rail enthusiasts representing over 10 European institutions, took part in extracurricular rail-related academic activities. Analyses presented in the paper are based on the evaluation of the responses to the questionnaire distributed amongst participants of three consecutive editions of an intensive program in rail and logistics which took place in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Also, quotes from follow-up one-to-one interviews with participants are used to support the results presented. The sample for each year varies in terms of numbers, nationalities, academic backgrounds, and male:female ratio. Academic benefits are specifically looked into, which includes teaching and learning activities throughout the three weeks of the program. The analysis of results revealed that young rail enthusiasts who participated in the program benefited from lectures delivered in Week 1, especially those focused on multimodal transport and rail infrastructure in 2013, which received positive mean ratings of 4.45 and 4.53, respectively, on a five-point Likert scale. Moreover, academic benefits were strongly supported by non-technical skills improvements in areas such as English language and communication, both reaching the mean ratings of 4.35 or above in 2014. A number of recommendations for improvements of next editions of similar rail-related programs as well as areas for future research are identified in the paper

Curriculum Development and Design for University Programmes in Rail Freight and Logistics

Background: Over the last decade rail freight in many European countries benefited significantly from innovative logistics principles. New business models have been developed, piloted and implemented to serve national and international markets. Knowledge sharing and trans-boundary skills were required to achieve this. Purpose of Study: Rail freight and logistics complement the operations of almost all other sectors; this reveals their multidisciplinary nature. To ensure the smooth operation of other sectors, rail freight and logistics have to be flexible and efficient to be able to response adequately to any changes and/or particular needs of the sectors they complement and work with. Therefore the purpose of study is that rail freight and logistics programme curricula have to be therefore flexible and efficient to be able to response adequately to any changes and/or particular needs. Sources of Evidence: Rapidly changing demands for services and goods, international trade and globalisation call for a reliable, strongly efficient rail freight system, operating at full capacity. Implementation of rapid technology advances is also needed to guarantee service of good quality is delivered. To design and operate efficient rail freight systems responding adequately to the most recent changes of the global economy and local markets creation, promotion and application of knowledge and competence crossing over subject areas have to be secured. Main Argument & Conclusions: Dictated by internationalisation and social needs the higher education is currently changing from an input-output based, professor-led approach towards a more integrated competence-based student-led approach, aiming at employing deep thinking to develop deep understanding of multi-disciplinary concepts and environment to guarantee a sustainable growth across industrial, technological and service sectors. We developed innovative curricula for an MSc in Rail Freight and Logistics (to be further discussed in the paper) which incorporates a flexible mobility-based hybrid model integrating subjects, teaching and learning methods from 4 European Universities

Use of botulinum toxin in children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy in children is a syndrome of disorders resulting from damage to the central nervous system in its early development [1]. Damage to the structure of the upper motor neuron during its early development leads to dysfunction of the central motor control system and, consequently, to impairment of the child’s functional development [2,3]. The consequences of damage to the central motor control system include the presence of muscular tension disorders, especially spasticity [4,5]. Botulinum toxin is one of the many pharmacological agents used to reduce spasticity. Botulinum toxin therapy is one of the most effective and currently safest methods for the treatment of spasticity in children [6]

The importance of international collaboration in transport research: A comparative study of two networking events in Brazil and Thailand

The importance of international collaboration in transport from an early career researchers’ perspective is discussed in this study. Currently, there is a limited literature looking at this issue and its benefits. A comparison of feedback collected on completion of two transport workshops, delivered in Brazil and Thailand, is analysed. The results revealed some differences between the UK and local respondents’ approaches to international collaborations as well as their intercultural skills and post-event initiatives. The outcomes send a message to decision makers, potential sponsors and funders of transport research activities that such initiatives are a foundation for planning future education and international research relationships

Exchange of Higher Education Teaching and Learning Practices Between UK and Thailand: A Case Study of RailExchange Courses

The RailExchange project has been developed in collaboration between two universities, one UK-based and one Thailand-based, to work on educational ideas for rail to benefit the rail industry in Thailand. At the same time, a new rail Master programme has been designed with a strong input from the rail industry in terms of technical and interpersonal skills necessary for a formation of a successful rail graduate. The new programme has been established at the Thai university and aligned with Thai and international higher education frameworks (AUN-QA and TQF). As part of the activities listed in the exchange project, the lecturers from the UK have been invited to conduct short experimental classes to teach on three different subjects, which are part of the new rail Master’s curriculum. The paper presents feedback received from participants of the three courses in terms of learning activities, academic activities and personal experience. The analyses of the feedback reveal that the UK visiting lecturers helped in broadening the perspective of the Thai academics and students in terms of educational content and active learning style, such as a hands-on approach and applied learning style with real-life scenarios and student-led learning. The English language was used to deliver the experimental classes to Thai participants, who represented academia and industry, and for majority of the participants, it was not a barrier in actively participating in a course. Feedback received highlighted differences between the UK and Thai approaches to higher education learning, but also suggested improvements, listed in recommendations, which should be taken into account in the delivery of the Master programme in rail in the near future

DNA methylation:a potential mediator between air pollution and metabolic syndrome

Given the global increase in air pollution and its crucial role in human health, as well as the steep rise in prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which environmental pollution may influence MetS is imperative. Exposure to air pollution is known to impact DNA methylation, which in turn may affect human health. This paper comprehensively reviews the evidence for the hypothesis that the effect of air pollution on the MetS is mediated by DNA methylation in blood. First, we present a summary of the impact of air pollution on metabolic dysregulation, including the components of MetS, i.e., disorders in blood glucose, lipid profile, blood pressure, and obesity. Then, we provide evidence on the relation between air pollution and endothelial dysfunction as one possible mechanism underlying the relation between air pollution and MetS. Subsequently, we review the evidence that air pollution (PM, ozone, NO2 and PAHs) influences DNA methylation. Finally, we summarize association studies between DNA methylation and MetS. Integration of current evidence supports our hypothesis that methylation may partly mediate the effect of air pollution on MetS

Are railways really that bad? An evaluation of rail systems performance in Europe with a focus on passenger rail

With a large number of railway development projects in Europe and worldwide, which once completed will be serving rail passengers of the future, this paper aims to take a step back and evaluate current railway systems performance. The objectives are to compare statistical data on various parameters of the railway system in a number of selected European countries and draw conclusions on the level of their performance when compared to the European average. Analyses of publically available statistical data, extracted from the Eurostat service at a European level will allow for a comparison of various indicators which influence the performance of the railway systems from an infrastructure and operational perspectives. The analyses will also allow identifying key performance indicators for the accurate assessment of the rail systems. The paper will highlight case studies for various parameters which are important to stakeholders of the railways, including infrastructure managers, rail operators, policy makers and the end users. This knowledge will be to the benefit of today’s railway industry as well as the rail systems of the future, as it will show trends drew upon existing data which might continue in the future