the track stiffness experienced by a train will vary along the track. sometimes the stiffness variation may be very large within a short distance. one example is when an unsupported sleeper is hanging in the rail. track stiffness is then, locally at that sleeper, very low. at insulated joints the bending stiffness of the rail has a discontinuity implying a discontinuity also of the track stiffn...

The asset management and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) principals perform a vital role in the reduction and optimization of the costs of an infrastructure manager, providing a better decision support technically and financially. It was intended to create an asset management LCC model to rail track superstructure of the Portuguese rail network assembled with the Iberian gauge. This model is able to r...

Scheduling of trains on a single line involves the use of train priorities for the resolution of conflicts. First, a mathematical programming model is described. The model schedules trains over a single line of track when the priority of each train in a conflict depends on an estimate of the remaining crossing and overtaking delay. This priority is used in a branch-and-bound procedure to allow ...

Scheduling of trains on a single line involves using train priorities for the resolution of conflicts. The mathematical programming model described in the first part of this paper schedules trains over a single line track when the priority of each train in a conflict depends on an estimate of the remaining crossing and overtaking delay. This priority is used in a branch and bound procedure to a...

The privatisation of British Rail into twenty five train operating companies and three freight companies has highlighted the need for each company to have efficient operating schedules. Manpower costs are a significant element in any transport organisation, and the ability to minimise these costs is seen as crucial to the well running of these companies. In addition, the need to try out differe...

Commuter rail systems are widely regarded as an effective transportation alternative to reduce energy consumption and emissions in large urban areas. Use of commuter rail systems in the United States is on the rise, with annual ridership increasing by 28 percent between 1997 and 2007 [1]. With growing concerns about the sustainability and environmental impacts of transportation, modal energy ef...

this paper proposes a low voltage (±0.55v supply voltage) low power (44.65µw) high common mode rejection ratio (cmrr) differential amplifier (d.a.) with rail to rail input common mode range (icmr), constant transconductance (gm) and enhanced frequency performance. its high performance is obtained using a simple negative averaging method so that it cancels out the common mode input signals at th...

This paper deals with the threshold radius that warrants the use of single restraining rail for transit and railroads. Different railways use different threshold radius from 91m to 365m to provide restraining rail. These threshold figures are probably experience driven choices. The need for restraining rail may be related to a so-called derailment alarm coefficient of 1.2 sustained over 2m leng...

This paper analyses the requirements for rail infrastructure charging, laid down in directive 2001/14/EC. It calls for marginal cost pricing and allows for mark-ups. Four standard pricing principles are analyzed on their suitability for track charging. It is found that no charging system proves superior and that the EC legislation is in line with economic theory. Scrutinizing the tariff systems...