{"title":"Identifying subway commuters travel patterns using traffic smart card data: A topic model","authors":"Peng He , Danyong Feng , Yang Yang , Zijia Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2024.100497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2024.100497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper presents a novel approach using Hierarchical Dirichlet Processes (HDP) integrated with K-means clustering to analyze public transit commuting behaviors using smartcard and POI data. The HDP, an unsupervised model, is designed to discern travel activities, however, little is done for this purpose. Our study proposed representing each trip using four features (duration, date, arrival time, and station type classified using POI-data) as inputs to the HDP model, which outputs the identification of specific activities such as home, work, and leisure. A comparison to other methods including trip frequency, activity duration, and Hidden Markov models demonstrates that our approach offers superior fit, as evidenced by lower perplexity and higher similarity metrics. To further refine the classification of commuting behaviors, we applied a two-step clustering algorithm that considers features such as regularity, temporality, and spatiality, resulting in the identification of strong and weak commuting behavior patterns. This classification provides urban planners with insights into the spatiotemporal characteristics of travelers in urban rail transit systems, thereby supporting more effective urban planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100497"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143592148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arsen Benga , María Jesús Delgado Rodríguez , Sonia de Lucas Santos , Glediana Zeneli
{"title":"Efficiency analysis of European railway companies and the effect of demand reduction","authors":"Arsen Benga , María Jesús Delgado Rodríguez , Sonia de Lucas Santos , Glediana Zeneli","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing the efficiency of railways is key to the future of sustainable transport. The objective of this work is to identify leading railways in Europe, investigate sources of inefficiency, and guide underperformers towards best practices. We explore efficiency for some selected 21 prominent railways during 2016–2018 using Network Data Envelopment Analysis. The ranking obtained indicates averagely low efficiency scores, with slight improvements over time. Next, we build a performance matrix to determine the priority improvements for each company. The Tobit regression implies that the nation's wealth, length of haul, length of trip, and traffic density have a significantly positive relationship with the efficiency scores. We also observed no significant impact of companies' outputs on their efficiency scores, indicating that any minor decrease in transport demand is unlikely to impose significant constraints on efficiency scores.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100516"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predicting primary delay of train services using graph-embedding based machine learning","authors":"Ruifan Tang, Ronghui Liu, Zhiyuan Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Train delays can cause huge economic loss and passenger dissatisfaction. The Train Delay Prediction Problem has been investigated by a large number of studies. How to best represent certain features of a train is key to successful prediction. For instance, due to its complex topological nature, a train's route (i.e., origin, intermediate stations and destination) is one of the most difficult features to effectively represent. This study introduces graph embedding to understand and model the complex structure of a railway network which is able to capture a comprehensive collection of features including network topology, infrastructure and train profile. In particular, for the first time, we propose an approach to embed a train's route in a network topology perspective based on Structural Deep Network Embedding (SDNE) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). Compared to a conventional advanced method, Principle Component Analysis (PCA), our route embedding not only significantly reduces feature vector length and computational effort, but is also highly accurate and reliable in terms of capturing network topology as evidenced by K-means clustering. Computational experiments based on real-world cases from a UK train operator (TransPennine Express) show our graph-embedding based models are competitive in prediction accuracy and F1-score while are substantially computationally efficient compared to PCA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100518"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143549163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Rao , Qiangqiang Liu , Qingyuan Wang , Tianxiang Li , Mingyu Zhang
{"title":"A new look at the shape characteristics of optimal speed profile for energy-efficient train control considering multi-train power flow","authors":"Yu Rao , Qiangqiang Liu , Qingyuan Wang , Tianxiang Li , Mingyu Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The key point for the energy-efficient train control (EETC) in a multi-train system is effectively utilizing the output power of other trains. However, obtaining the optimal solution of the EETC problem considering multi-train power flow requires high-precision calculation of the adjoint variables, which is time-consuming. In this paper, we revisit the problem and introduce a speed volatility functional to analyze the shape of the optimal speed profile and the corresponding optimal control modes for the train under different external power and track gradients. Based on this analysis, a fast-solving algorithm is devised. Case studies are conducted to validate our theoretical results, and demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves a significant improvement in computational speed (over 99%) compared to the global optimal algorithm (Rao et al., 2023a) while ensuring the energy saving effectiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100515"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prediction of the estimated times of arrival of freight train based on operational and geospatial features","authors":"Masoud Yaghini, Amirhosein Ezati","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100508","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100508","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In many railway systems, freight train schedules are often adjusted based on passenger train timetables at the operational level. Predicting the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for freight trains is a challenging task due to the high variability in transit times. This study introduces ETA prediction models developed using two years of operational data combined with geospatial features for freight trains operating within a sub-network of the Iranian railway. Prediction models for all origin-destination pairs in each direction (north-to-south and south-to-north) were created, predicting ETAs at three distinct locations along the routes. Four machine learning algorithms were evaluated, and the most accurate model was determined through comparisons with a baseline statistical model. The random forest algorithm demonstrated superior performance among the models at most locations. The performance improvements of the best prediction models with and without geospatial features were also investigated. Models incorporating geospatial features showed notably higher accuracy than those relying solely on non-geospatial predictors. These improvements were particularly more evident in the south-to-north direction and at locations closer to the destination. The results of this research offer practical insights for logistics centers, enabling optimized loading, unloading, and resource allocation strategies, thereby enhancing the efficiency of freight railway operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100508"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new approach to identify critical causal factors and evaluate intervention strategies for mitigating major railway occurrences in Taiwan","authors":"Yannian Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100507","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Following two consecutive catastrophic railway accidents in Taiwan, public safety concern has been raised in railway transportation services. To improve train operation safety, this study integrates the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), Fuzzy Logic Modeling (FLM) method, and Human Factors Intervention Matrix (HFIX) to develop a safety assessment framework. Twenty eight major railway occurrence investigation reports published by the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board are collected for data extraction. Using the HFACS, causal factors causing major railway occurrences are first classified, followed by critical causal factors identification through FLM method. The HFIX is applied to categorized safety recommendations which were issued based on the identified causal factors of occurrence investigations and pair the results with critical causal factors for accident rate evaluations and effectiveness assessment. The evaluations reveal that the statistical accident rate in 2023 was higher than the predicted accident rate. The results also reveal that mitigating the frequency of identified causal factors is more efficient for occurrences reduction than through safety recommendations enforcement. Therefore, decision makers can determine the best intervention strategies based on available resources and develop relevant countermeasures for implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100507"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Knutsen , Nils O.E. Olsson , Jiali Fu , Tomas Rosberg
{"title":"Capacity evaluation of ERTMS/ETCS HTD and moving block","authors":"Daniel Knutsen , Nils O.E. Olsson , Jiali Fu , Tomas Rosberg","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper compares the capacity effect of different implementations of ERTMS/ETCS (European Rail Traffic Management System/The European Train Control System): Hybrid Train Detection (HTD) and moving block. This is done both on a conceptual level by looking at a scenario involving two trains, and for a simulated network. The effects are studied by modelling HTD and moving block in the simulation tool RailSys, looking at the performance indicators related to capacity: headway, capacity utilisation, and punctuality. The model uses existing infrastructure and a complete timetable. The results of the scenario with two trains show that similar results on headway can be achieved with HTD compared to moving block This is true even with relatively long virtual blocks of 500 m. The results from the simulated network show that various shares of trains with train integrity, as well as moving block, have a minor effect on the performance indicator punctuality. Moving block gives some improvements on capacity utilisation compared to HTD. However, by implementing shorter virtual blocks at sections of lower speed, it is possible to achieve results on capacity utilisation like that engendered by moving block.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100506"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anirban Bhattacharyya , Matthew Forshaw , David Golightly , Seb Merricks , Roberto Palacin , Ken Pierce , Pedro Pinto da Silva
{"title":"Using Time Signal at Red (TSAR) as a tool for analysing rail network performance","authors":"Anirban Bhattacharyya , Matthew Forshaw , David Golightly , Seb Merricks , Roberto Palacin , Ken Pierce , Pedro Pinto da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100505","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100505","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reactionary delays can adversely impact train service performance. This is particularly true for parts of the rail network at or near capacity. To detect the causes of such delays, a metric with a granularity smaller than those of typical rail delay metrics is required. We present an approach based on the Time Signal at Red (TSAR) metric. The purpose of TSAR is to measure the duration a berth is continuously occupied by a train or reserved, which is closely related to information regarding the red aspect of the berth signal at an entrance to the berth. Thus, TSAR provides a low-level metric to measure individual service and berth performance, and to observe system effects that reflect reactionary delay. The paper defines TSAR and describes a data processing methodology to extract TSAR and signal aspect on berth entry from disparate data sources. The use of TSAR is demonstrated for a case study area – comparing different service patterns, identifying patterns of reactionary delay, and showing the impact of adhesion at different times of year. The implications of TSAR are discussed, including its utility for applications such as analysis of simulated network performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100505"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher Szymula, Nikola Bešinović, Karl Nachtigall
{"title":"Demand-based capacity assessment using mixed integer programming","authors":"Christopher Szymula, Nikola Bešinović, Karl Nachtigall","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2024.100502","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2024.100502","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding railway network capacity and potential reserves proves crucial for optimal planning decisions, which are required due to the high utilization of European railway networks and the intended future modal shift to rail. Capacity reserves emerge where the network structure does not match the demand. We propose a mixed integer program (MIP) for investigating the demand-based capacity reserves in the network. Extending the MIP-based railway network utilization model by adding demand structures, our model allows to optimize the train ordering and the locations of trains in the network, whilst regarding for the traffic demand to be served. The infrastructure is mesoscopically modelled by the individual blocks of the railway system. The demand is represented by a corresponding line plan and its given frequencies. The model determines the interrelations of demand and network capacity and thus allows to investigate between transport demand and network infrastructure. We test the proposed model on different artificial networks and a case study. In particular, the results show clear capacity effects of mismatched infrastructural demand and supply. It is thereby shown, that the efficient use of network capacity depends on the fit between demand and network structure. Furthermore, we can see that the emergent utilization behaviour is network specific and often non-linear, which strengthens the necessity of network approaches for global capacity assessment. Also providing support to other fields such as urban planning, the models incorporation to integrated and interdisciplinary planning approaches is left for future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100502"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Miguel I. Grilo, Gonçalo F. Neves, Guilherme Ribeiro, Virgínia Infante, António R. Andrade
{"title":"Enhancing railway operational safety: A quantitative risk assessment of signals passed at danger","authors":"Miguel I. Grilo, Gonçalo F. Neves, Guilherme Ribeiro, Virgínia Infante, António R. Andrade","doi":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrtpm.2025.100504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unauthorized ‘Signals Passed At Danger’ (SPADs) are common accident precursors in the Portuguese railways. Critical events in the past highlight the need to assess the risk posed by SPADs. This study proposes a quantitative risk assessment of SPADs in Portugal as a decision support tool, utilizing a three-step procedure, and data from 2016 to 2021. The first step involves statistically modeling the SPAD frequency, including the spatio-temporal and operational factors using Generalized Linear Models, such as Binomial and Poisson regressions. The Binomial models exhibit the best goodness-of-fit statistics. The second step involves statistically modeling the severity of SPADs and creating a severity prediction model based on incident-related data, with Ordinal and Multinomial models compared for prediction performance. Finally, the risk is assessed by estimating the cost magnitude for one year. Additionally, the influence of the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system on SPAD risk is evaluated. The findings suggest that a fully operational ATP system could further reduce SPAD risk by 19%. This study highlights the importance of considering SPAD risk for safe and efficient railway operations. The results of this risk assessment can support decision-makers in prioritizing prevention and mitigation measures to improve railway operational safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51821,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100504"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}