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Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering
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Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Transportation and Future Mobility".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2025 | Viewed by 17324

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Borna Abramović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Railway Transport, University of Zagreb, P-1, Facility 70, ZUK Borongaj, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: railway traffic organization; integrated passenger transport; traffic statistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Piotr Gorzelańczyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Head of Department of Transportation, Stanisław Staszic State University of Applied Sciences in Piła, 64920 Piła, Poland
Interests: safety; transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is significantly affecting our planet. Decarbonisation is an important focus for decelerating climate change. The transport sector is one of the highest producers of negative climate effects. One of the solutions for lowering the impact of transport on climate issues is changing the paradigm that road transport is always the right answer. Therefore, in recent decades, different modal shift models have been developed to decrease road transport usage in favour of other more ecologically friendly modes, such as railway and inland waterways.

One of the possible solutions is the railway. The railway system is complex and sometimes does not adapt to necessary changes in business models. Today, business models favour the common idea of sustainability, and therefore the railway system’s more old-fashioned business model urgently needs to change.

One of the most complex aspects of the railway system is infrastructure. Infrastructure is fixed equipment that is necessary for running the trains. Very often, some parts of the infrastructure are more than 100 years old but are still able to run the trains. Scholars, therefore, should address the question of whether it is both safe and economical to continue to use these old parts.

Very often, railway lines are overhauled, but after a few years the necessary maintenance ceases, and as a result the speed of the train lines is reduced. This therefore leads to a second question for scholars: “What are the feasible models for maintaining railway lines at their original standards?”.

For future decarbonization, we need now to take a step in the right direction. We call for research on all kinds of aspects of railway infrastructure and new sustainable infrastructure for railway systems.

Prof. Dr. Borna Abramović
Dr. Piotr Gorzelańczyk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • railway traffic
  • railway system
  • railway management
  • railway infrastructure
  • railway maintenance models
  • the economy of railway infrastructure
  • financing of railway infrastructure
  • sustainable railway system

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6545 KiB  
Article
A Fast Simulation Model of Pantograph–Stitched-Catenary Interaction in Long-Distance Travel
by Like Pan, Yan Xu, Zhendong Liu, Chonhui Xiao and Jilin Lei
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(22), 10160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210160 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 335
Abstract
The increasing operation speed of high-speed trains allows the pantograph to continuously interact with the catenary over a long distance in a short time, and many new methods have been developed to efficiently calculate its dynamics. However, the existing methods only consider simple [...] Read more.
The increasing operation speed of high-speed trains allows the pantograph to continuously interact with the catenary over a long distance in a short time, and many new methods have been developed to efficiently calculate its dynamics. However, the existing methods only consider simple catenary systems, which limits their application in high-speed railway systems. In this work, a reduced pantograph–stitched-catenary interaction model is developed to simulate pantograph–stitched-catenary interactions during long-distance travel. Based on the existing reduced catenary model, the stitched catenary system is first considered, where the stitched wire is simplified into a part of the messenger wire supported by two spring-damping elements. The present model is validated by test results and the EN 50318:2018 standard, and it is subsequently used to study the dynamic performance of the pantograph–stitched-catenary system at an overdesigned speed in Sweden. The results show that the proposed model can be seven times faster than the traditional modal superposition method with the same accuracy in a stitched catenary system, and the existing catenary system cannot be operated at an overdesigned speed without increasing the contact wire tension. The present model gives an efficient solution to pantograph–stitched-catenary interaction problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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25 pages, 8891 KiB  
Article
Railway Track Tamping Maintenance Cycle Prediction Model Based on Power-Time-Transformed Wiener Process
by Ru An, Lei Jia, Yuanjie Tang, Yuan Tian and Zhipeng Wang
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5867; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135867 - 4 Jul 2024
Viewed by 817
Abstract
Predicting the tamping cycles of railway track sections based on track geometry deterioration rules is necessary to reasonably allocate the limited tamping maintenance resources. Existing research on track geometry deterioration modeling for tamping cycle prediction lacks simultaneous consideration of the deterioration characteristics including [...] Read more.
Predicting the tamping cycles of railway track sections based on track geometry deterioration rules is necessary to reasonably allocate the limited tamping maintenance resources. Existing research on track geometry deterioration modeling for tamping cycle prediction lacks simultaneous consideration of the deterioration characteristics including heterogeneity, uncertainty, and historical dependence, thereby limiting the accuracy of the prediction results. Thus, this study considers a 200 m track segment as the basic object and uses the power-time-transformed Wiener process to develop a deterioration prediction model for the longitudinal level of a segment between two adjacent tamping operations. Moreover, it individually estimates the model parameters for each track segment to predict the tamping maintenance cycle for each segment combined with the tamping maintenance threshold of the longitudinal level index. Finally, through a case study of the Chinese Lanxin Railway line, the effectiveness of the proposed model and different parameter estimation methods is assessed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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17 pages, 4718 KiB  
Article
Precise Positioning of Primary System of Geodetic Points by GNSS Technology in Railway Operating Conditions
by Jiri Bures, Ondrej Vystavel, Dalibor Bartoněk, Ladislav Barta and Radomir Havlicek
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 3288; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14083288 - 13 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1067
Abstract
This article deals with the analysis of the accuracy of the geodetic real-time GNSS measurement procedure used in railway operating conditions in the Czech Republic. The purpose was to determine to what extent the operating conditions affect the accuracy of the measurement result [...] Read more.
This article deals with the analysis of the accuracy of the geodetic real-time GNSS measurement procedure used in railway operating conditions in the Czech Republic. The purpose was to determine to what extent the operating conditions affect the accuracy of the measurement result and whether an accuracy of standard deviation σx,y = 5 mm in the horizontal plane could be achieved. The use of geodetic GNSS equipment with an IMU unit was also tested. The accuracy obtained in operational conditions is compared with the accuracy obtained on a calibration base using the same measurement procedure. The consistency between the accuracy of the primary system (satellite-based) and the secondary system (terrestrially measured by the traverse method) is also discussed. The analysis includes the issue of residual inhomogeneities of the uniform transformation key when converted to the Czech national coordinate system S-JTSK. It is shown that a homogeneous accuracy in coordinate standard deviation better than σx,y = 5 mm can be achieved. The results indicate that the accuracy under operational conditions is two–three times worse than the accuracy achieved by the same procedure under ideal conditions on a calibration base. This is due to the non-ideal observing conditions, i.e., horizon occlusion by overlays, surrounding vegetation and multipath effects. It has been shown that the effect of multipath can be reduced by repeating short observations 3–4 h apart. Older GNSS instruments using an IMU unit in combination with an electronic compass (eCompass) are at risk of a systematic bias of up to several tens of millimeters, which can be detected by rotating the antenna by 180°. The current uniform transformation key used in the Czech Republic for the conversion of GNSS coordinates into the national system has residual geometric inhomogeneities (p = 0.90 to 10 mm/km, sporadically up to 20 mm/km), which metrologically deteriorate the results of the calculation of the terrestrially measured secondary system inserted into the GNSS measured primary system. Achieving homogeneous accuracy in coordinate standard deviation in a horizontal plane better than σx,y = 5 mm has been demonstrated in non-ideal railway operating conditions with increased risk of multipath. The innovative aspect of the approach used is that it simplifies and thus increases the efficiency of the measurement with respect to the availability of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites, as well as reducing the effect of multipath on the noise by repeating the measurement procedure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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22 pages, 4605 KiB  
Article
Railway Cloud: Management and Orchestration Functionality Designed as Microservices
by Ivaylo Atanasov, Evelina Pencheva, Ventsislav Trifonov and Kiril Kassev
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 2368; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14062368 - 11 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1656
Abstract
The cloudification and virtualisation of railway functions have the potential to improve railway operation efficiency, reliability, safety, and security, as well as to enhance passenger experience by offering innovative services. This paper considers issues related to the management and orchestration of railway clouds [...] Read more.
The cloudification and virtualisation of railway functions have the potential to improve railway operation efficiency, reliability, safety, and security, as well as to enhance passenger experience by offering innovative services. This paper considers issues related to the management and orchestration of railway clouds that host cloudified railway functions. A microservices-based approach to the design of railway cloud management and orchestration functionality is proposed. The basic railway cloud concepts were defined, and functionality related to the basic orchestration of the railway cloud and deployments is analysed in order to derive the requirements of platform resources and workload management. This functionality is further designed in the form of microservices, meaning that they could possibly be used in orchestration applications to enable improvements in scalability, fault isolation, and data security. The design of microservices follows the principles of the Representational State of Transfer (REST) application programming interface (API) as a set of interlinked resources. Resources related to railway cloud orchestration are identified with their associated data, relationships to other resources, and applicable methods. The resources’ methods are used in railway applications to implement the required orchestration functionality and to maintain the state of railway cloud orchestration processes. To verify the synthesised microservices, the common orchestration application logic and microservices’ logic were modelled, and it was proved that the orchestration processes, which run concurrently, expose equivalent behaviour. The proposed approach was validated using a simulation, aiming to evaluate injected latency as a key performance indicator for the reliability and safety of railway operations. Additionally, some safety and security issues related to railway cloud management and orchestration are considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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17 pages, 3413 KiB  
Article
Influence of Different Prioritization Approaches of Maintenance and Replacement Measures on Station Infrastructure Quality
by Felix Lampe, Maren Maus, Lea Elfert and Nils Nießen
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12883; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312883 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1018
Abstract
This paper presents a model that establishes a relationship between the financial resources allocated to maintain and replace railway station infrastructure assets and the resulting infrastructure quality. Until now, there has been no known relationship between quality and financial resources, making targeted planning [...] Read more.
This paper presents a model that establishes a relationship between the financial resources allocated to maintain and replace railway station infrastructure assets and the resulting infrastructure quality. Until now, there has been no known relationship between quality and financial resources, making targeted planning for railway stations and the control of financial resources challenging. This model aims to predict infrastructure quality by analyzing the age-related degradation of infrastructure assets using historical data. The effects of maintenance and replacement measures are implemented in the model to map quality-improving measures. This allows for the comparison and analysis of different budget allocation scenarios on different assets, with different approaches for prioritizing replacement and maintenance measures. In this paper, the influence of budget allocation and prioritization strategies on station infrastructure quality is quantified by comparing different scenarios. Based on the results of the analysis, a quality assessment method can be evaluated, and disincentives can be identified. The analyses in this paper are carried out for quality measurement defined in Germany and the German railway station infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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17 pages, 4634 KiB  
Article
Analyzing Escalator Infrastructures: A Pilot Study in Santiago Metro
by Ariel López, Anibal Tapia and Sebastian Seriani
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11117; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011117 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5423
Abstract
The behavior of passengers in urban railway stations (i.e., metro stations) is dependent on environmental, cultural, and temporal factors. This affects how escalator infrastructures are used, with some passengers standing on one side of the steps to allow others to walk and, in [...] Read more.
The behavior of passengers in urban railway stations (i.e., metro stations) is dependent on environmental, cultural, and temporal factors. This affects how escalator infrastructures are used, with some passengers standing on one side of the steps to allow others to walk and, in other cases, others standing or walking on both sides of the steps. In this research, escalator infrastructures were studied to better understand the relationship between different conditions and passenger behaviors through a method based on video cameras, passenger detection techniques, and a simulation framework. The results indicate that passenger behavior could affect escalator infrastructure as it varies significantly depending on the time of day, type of station, local culture, and other environmental factors. The implications of these findings for the planning and design of the infrastructure of railway stations are discussed, and practical recommendations are proposed to improve the efficiency of escalator usage in urban railway stations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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25 pages, 6609 KiB  
Article
Efficient Railway Turnout Design: Leveraging TRIZ-Based Approaches
by Antonio J. Sala, Jesus Felez and Juan David Cano-Moreno
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(17), 9531; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179531 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4339
Abstract
This study focuses on the design and improvement of railway turnouts, which are critical yet complex parts of the railway infrastructure. As they are responsible for track discontinuity and potential derailments, turnouts pose significant challenges in terms of slack, misalignment and rail breakage. [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the design and improvement of railway turnouts, which are critical yet complex parts of the railway infrastructure. As they are responsible for track discontinuity and potential derailments, turnouts pose significant challenges in terms of slack, misalignment and rail breakage. A new concept related to the design of turnouts, including switches and crossings, is presented in this paper. The application of TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) principles, specifically the use of the contradiction matrix, was instrumental to achieving these innovative designs for railway systems and represents the main contribution of the paper. Based on the systematic use of the TRIZ principles, the proposed design addresses the problems associated with switches and crossings by replacing the classic frog with a movable element that sits in the crossing gap and reduces the existing gap, thus minimising the length of the rail gap and, consequently, providing greater contact with the rail, minimising wheel impacts on the rail gap and, consequently, decreasing the risk of derailment. By reducing rail contact forces, which are a major contributor to derailments, the risk of derailment is reduced. This study also introduces a new design for the switch rail system using a piston mechanism with an up and down stroke, which is accompanied by a rotating motor at the top for controlled movement. Finally, numerical simulations were performed to validate the proposed designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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13 pages, 3569 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influence of Moisture Variation on the Behavior of Tropical Soils of Carajás Railway
by Luisa Carla de Alencar Menezes, Antonio Carlos Rodrigues Guimarães, Maria Esther Soares Marques, Tales Santos Ribeiro and Filipe Almeida Corrêa do Nascimento
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7909; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137909 - 6 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1368
Abstract
The criteria for selecting materials for railway pavement (particle size distribution, California Support Index, and physical indexes) are not suitable for evaluating the hydraulic behavior of tropical soils under unsaturated conditions, often resulting in the rejection of soils with good mechanical and hydraulic [...] Read more.
The criteria for selecting materials for railway pavement (particle size distribution, California Support Index, and physical indexes) are not suitable for evaluating the hydraulic behavior of tropical soils under unsaturated conditions, often resulting in the rejection of soils with good mechanical and hydraulic performance. The railway trackbed is exposed to precipitation, allowing water infiltration into the pavement layers and consequently leading to moisture variation. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the moisture variation over time in the railway trackbed when subjected to the action of rainfall. For this purpose, five soils were analyzed as constituent materials of the subballast, with the infrastructure of the Carajás Railway in Brazil being used as a reference. Water retention curves and conductivity tests were conducted using the HYPROP (Hydraulic Property Analyzer) and WP4-C (Water Potential Four) equipment, and numerical modeling was developed using the IVFlow software. The numerical modeling revealed that sample 1 (lateritic sand) performed better compared to the other analyzed soils, as it exhibited lower moisture variation (3.25% above the optimum content) under the influence of rainfall and it also had low permeability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Railway Infrastructure Engineering)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Application of the thermosyphon technology in the highway roadbed in permafrost regions：a review
Author: Du
Highlights: 1、Highlighted the excellent working performance of the TPCT that improving the stability of the embankments and prevent it degrading due its excellent efficiency of heat transfer. 2、Summarized the industrial applications of the TPCT, along with their limitations. 3、Provide a valuable guidance for the design of the TPCT and construction of the permafrost regions in the future.

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