Monash University, Institute of Transport Studies: World Transit Research (WTR)
Not a member yet
11112 research outputs found
Sort by
Choice of Current and Voltage for North American Commuter Rail Electrifications
No full textEngineers and planners today face challenges of assessing and adopting emerging propulsion technologies for commuter rail, particularly battery and hydrogen power. Early 20th century experiences with electrification technology may offer useful perspectives. When electrifying in the early 20th century, the most important decision facing North American commuter railroads was choosing electrical specifications—first between direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC), and then selecting a voltage. As a result, today’s electrified railroads present a sometimes-confusing array of specifications. Beneath the seeming disorder of specifications for legacy installations lies a logic based on the timing and circumstances of electrification, and on the ultimate size and purpose that railroads envisioned for these electrifications. Only low-voltage DC, delivered via third rail, was available for the earliest electrifications. By 1907, AC had entered the scene, and various overhead-wire DC specifications appeared between 1911 and 1930. Since the mid 20th century, 25,000 V AC at commercial frequency has become the default standard for new electrifications (and re-electrifications of older installations). Yet, even this standard has not been adopted for all reinforcements of overhead-wire electrifications, because of the historical overhang of earlier decisions. In situations where standardization of electrical specifications is not feasible, interoperability of equipment may be a more important priority
Passenger social rerouting strategies in capacitated public transport systems
No full textServices of many public transportation systems are regulated by static timetables. Tactical decisions to improve operations are usually limited to supply-side measures that fail to quickly react to short-term changes in passenger demand and disturbances. Where the realized level of service (LoS) might be substantially different from what was expected, demand management measures, such as advising travelers to use specific routes in the interest of congestion and travel time of the entire population (social rerouting), can be implemented alongside supply-side measures to improve the LoS over different timescales. In this study, we introduce multi-modal social rerouting strategies, considering trains, buses, and trams running with predefined timetables, to improve the LoS of capacitated public transport networks by asking a portion of the passenger demand to change departure time, line, or service. In fact, we aim to balance network load by rerouting passengers using a centrally-coordinated information strategy. The strategy anticipates feedback effects due to failed boardings and discomfort because of overcrowding by incorporating behavioral responses to advice over different timescales. We explore theoretical and practical challenges by evaluating the effectiveness and performance of strategies using real-world data from the Zürich and Twente public transport networks. Numerical experiments reveal that (1) system efficiency can already be improved with the compliance of a small portion of passengers to the social rerouting advice; (2) with 20%–50% steerable passengers, the improvement gradient of system efficiency is at a maximum; (3) targeting a certain level of system efficiency, a smaller detour tolerance requires the compliance of more travelers, and a larger detour tolerance allows fewer travelers to comply with the detour
Long-Term Efficient Control of Structure-Borne Noise Inside Buildings Caused by Underground Railways by Using Novel Damping Fasteners
No full textDamping fasteners provide vibration isolation to railway tracks because of their low vertical stiffness and improve the in-service performance of the tracks. In this paper, a new type of high lateral stiffness and vertical damping fastener is developed. First, the vibration suppression frequency band of the new fastener was determined from a field test, the design vertical stiffness was determined by calculating the P2 resonance frequency, and the vertical stiffness before and after a fatigue load test was found. Then, field experiments were carried out in buildings with known excessive subway train-induced vibration problems to assess the effectiveness of the proposed fastener, which showed that the damping fasteners reduced the vertical and transverse vibrations of the tunnel wall by 10 dB without increasing the transverse displacements of the rail. Furthermore, the structure-borne noise reduction in all measured buildings exceeded 3 dB. The study demonstrated that the replacement of novel damping fasteners is a feasible solution for controlling vibrations and noise in buildings adjacent to subway lines
Business Case for Transit Bus Automated Collision Avoidance Systems
No full textAlthough the National Transportation Safety Board has strongly recommended the application of collision avoidance warning systems and automated emergency braking (CAWS/AEB), the transit industry has lagged behind autos and trucks. CAWS/AEB for buses is more complex than for cars and trucks and represents a niche market. If bus manufacturers and suppliers are to invest in developing this technology, they will need to be convinced there is a market for it. Transit agencies also will need to be convinced that the technology works and is affordable. For both vendors and purchasers, a business case could be made that some or all of the expense of procuring and deploying the technology can be recovered through savings from reduced insurance premiums and claims payouts by preventing or mitigating collisions. This paper describes two methods for estimating the business case for equipping transit buses with CAWS/AEB. First, industrywide data on the numbers of collisions and casualty and liability expenses incurred by transit agencies were examined, and statistical relationships were modeled to determine whether reducing the numbers of collisions would reduce casualty and liability expenses. Second, individual collision claims records for specific transit agencies were examined to determine whether the collisions could have been prevented by CAWS/AEB, and the potential savings
The WCTRS global subway efficiency benchmarking task force inaugural report: The key findings, lessons learned, policy issues investigated
No full textThis study presents the key summary of the inaugural report of the WCTRS Global Subway Efficiency Benchmarking Task Force, focusing on evaluating the operating efficiency of subway systems across Asia, Europe, and North America. Given the increasing need for urban transit authorities to balance multiple objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing public health, this benchmarking initiative provides a crucial assessment of their productivity and efficiency of operations. We employed the Variable Input Productivity (VIP) method intelligently computed by the translog multilateral indexing method, chosen over DEA due to its transitive properties and better suitability for policy applications. Our analysis measures the VIP index, specifically examining labor and soft input productivities, to gauge how efficiently subway systems utilize their variable resources. By adjusting for factors beyond management control through regression analysis, we derived Net VIP scores, offering a more accurate comparison across different cities. The results reveal significant variations in efficiency levels, with some cities demonstrating remarkable productivity despite limited resources while others lag behind due to structural and operational challenges. Our findings underscore the importance of targeted policy interventions to enhance the efficiency of urban rail systems. Above all, the WCTRS Task Force members who volunteered their time and effort hope to raise awareness of efficiency and productivity as an important aspect of managing and operating the subways and other city transit systems
Walkable and Safe Route to Transit for Pedestrians in Greater Montréal: An Environmental Justice Approach
No full textThe experience of walking to transit stops plays a critical role in the use of public transportation. Having a safe and walkable environment for this part of the trip is even more important for vulnerable population groups, who depend more heavily on public transportation. The aim of this paper was to evaluate first mile/last mile walkability and road risks in the Montréal metropolitan area using an environmental justice approach. Using a spatially sound method, we determined that areas where more people identify as visible minorities are disadvantaged as far as walking-to-transit routes are concerned and that areas with higher proportions of people on low incomes and people aged 65 and over have more walkable environments but also have to deal with more road risk
Examining Transit Activity Data from StreetLight Using Ridership Data from Virginia Transit Agencies
No full textResearchers and planners require ridership data to study factors that influence people’s choice to use transit. However, the data can be challenging to obtain directly from transit agencies. Crowdsourced big data platforms such as StreetLight promise easily accessible ridership-related data in standard formats. It is important to assess the reliability of these data, particularly for transit agencies serving small- to medium-sized cities, which are less likely than agencies in large cities to have ridership data in standard formats. In this study, hourly ridership data from 2019 were collected from four bus transit agencies and one rail agency in Virginia and compared with StreetLight data. Comparisons for rail data were made on a station-to-station basis. Bus data comparisons were made at the city-limit level and at an aggregated-route level for each agency. In sum, StreetLight could not provide 2019 bus activity data for more than half of the localities in Virginia. Comparisons between transit agency and StreetLight data showed smaller root mean square errors when longer periods were analyzed (e.g., 4 versus 2 months). Although order of magnitude of ridership may indicate whether StreetLight can provide bus activity data, the former was not found to be correlated with the accuracy of the latter. Using data from StreetLight’s current algorithm might not be appropriate without verification against agency data, especially for agencies in small- to medium-sized cities
Using Wi-Fi Connection Data to Analyze Performance of the Subway System in Toronto, Canada
No full textTypical performance measurements of public transit operations make use of vehicle-based data such as automated vehicle location data or passenger-based data at specific fare collection points. Ideally, the performance of a transit system from a reliability perspective and according to passenger experience should be measured through individual passenger journeys. The growing prevalence of smartphones provides one potential source for this analysis, because passive data collection methods such as obtaining Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth connection data allow us to observe devices as they move throughout the system. In this study we present a collection of methods and performance measures for using Wi-Fi connection data to measure various aspects of customer experience and reliability, including methods for detecting train arrivals at platforms, estimating wait times, measuring origin–destination travel time variation, and developing profiles of various journey types for comparison. In contrast with many other advances toward passenger-based measures, these methods do not require the combination of diverse data sets to generate useful results. These methods are applied to data from the Wi-Fi service in the subway system in Toronto, Canada
Widening the gap? Evidence from Germany for changes in the attitude behaviour gap for transportation during COVID-19
No full textTransportation is a main contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. For a sustainable transformation, consumers play a crucial role. While sustainability gains importance and is reflected in consumers\u27 attitudes, consumers\u27 behaviour does not always align with their sustainability attitudes - a discrepancy called the attitude behaviour gap. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted people\u27s daily lives and transport choices, potentially altering their attitude behaviour gap. Thus, the pandemic presents a unique opportunity to understand how crises and disruptions can lead to changes in the alignment between sustainable intentions and actions. Using local survey data from Germany, we identify socio-economic factors and transport infrastructure as key contributors to misalignments between attitudes and behaviour. Notably, during the pandemic, this gap widened, particularly among women and those with children, increasing inequalities among different socio-economic groups. This highlights the need for tailored policies to address the distinct mobility needs of these groups to allow them to act according to their attitudes and counteract increasing inequalities. Moreover, our findings underscore the importance of transitioning from individual motorized transport to public and more active modes of transport. This transition is particularly crucial in the German context, where levels of individual motorized transport are exceptionally high
Formation of Fear and Adaptive Behavior in Young Ethnic Minority Women Riding Public Transport
No full textYoung ethnic minority women face unique challenges when riding public transport. The present study contributes by providing a narrative-based examination of young ethnic minority women’s formation of fear and adaptive behavior when using public transport. Twenty-nine ethnic minority women, under the age of 30, participated in a semi-structured interview in Auckland, New Zealand. Findings show that adaptive behavior commonly includes pre-planning nighttime trips, relying on their phones to act confident and engage in communication with family en-route, and appearing disinterested to reduce unwanted attention. These measures are expressions of women’s agency and their capacity to prevent victimization and manage fear, particularly in places where they feel unsafe, such as empty stations and dark or enclosed environments. Their lived experiences highlight the level of anxiety they experience on a regular basis. Participants discussed how they are acutely aware of their ethnicity (and appearance) when using public transport at all times of the day. They remain near exits and are constantly on high alert. They also discussed how, from an early age, women are educated in a culture of “stranger-danger” which in the long term erodes their confidence to travel independently and safely. These findings show that the current design of public transport systems does not adequately meet the travel needs of certain groups of women. Public transport authorities are encouraged to gain deeper insights into these issues and develop design strategies which promote inclusiveness