Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

The Integraler Taktfahrplan (ITF) strategy for coordinating intercity rail and other modes at multiple timed-transfer hubs is described. The ongoing Swiss experience in establishing a countrywide ITF system is presented, and the ITF strategy is applied to North America, using a region within the United States. The Swiss Rail + Bus 2000 Plan will bring all intercity public transportation modes into a comprehensive fixed-interval, timed-transfer, multihub system, including high-speed intercity trains, regular intercity and regional trains, buses, ferries, and funiculars. Timed connections with urban transit systems will be provided. The repeating schedule, associated with the ITF strategy, allows for two powerful analysis and communication tools: (a) a schedule map and (b) symmetrical train graphs. The schedule map helps planning, marketing, scheduling, engineering, and operations work together as they iteratively design the system. The map, which graphically combines routes and schedules, is easy to understand and sell to policy makers and the public. Symmetrical train graphs help with the detailed engineering and cost-benefit analyses. The ITF strategy first develops the schedule on the basis of the potential market and then selects the most appropriate mode and infrastructure improvements to make any required travel-time savings needed for the timed transfers. Because a view of the system as a whole is provided, the benefits of a large capital investment or an ongoing operating subsidy can be properly weighed. For intercity passenger rail, this strategy provides a way to capitalize on the existing rail resources in a cost-effective manner: to build and fund only what is needed, but also to build and fund what is truly needed.

A feasibility study of a system of high-speed rail lines for the kingdom of Thailand is described. Absent comprehensive local data and any intercity forecasting models for the nation, an incremental demand model and an incremental mode-choice model were chosen as the modeling techniques to use for the study. The incremental demand model used variables of population, gross provincial product, and the log sum term of level of service from the mode-choice model. The mode-choice model itself was synthesized using parameter values from similar efforts in other countries, adjusted to local currency values and income per capita. The steps taken to estimate base-year demand and market shares are described, and the application of the models to forecasting demand for four alternative technologies is discussed. Within the context of the input forecasts of population and gross domestic product, the models were found to produce reasonable results, with intuitively appropriate sensitivities. The results were also found to be adequate to guide initial assessments of feasibility.

In any organization there is a limit on the amount of resources that can be used for risk reduction. By examining strategies for reducing the risk of fatalities on the East Japan Railway (JR East), a framework in which risk-reduction resources can be used well is described. Basic principles of risk assessment are introduced. Various analyses and models to study collisions, earthquake effects, level-crossing accidents, and operating policies regarding natural hazards are presented. The concept of a global risk assessment of JR East is included. The question of perceived versus objective risk is discussed in the context of safety-related investment.

The performances of a 2984-kW (4,000-hp) gas turbine–powered passenger locomotive fueled with different biofuels are compared with the performance of the same locomotive fueled with Diesel #2. The process of selecting a small number of biofuels from a detailed evaluation of 13 readily available biofuels is explored. A simulation of operation in an actual high-speed corridor is used to develop exhaust emission values in terms of tonnes (tons)/year for a complete service, and then in terms of g (lb)/trip of primary smog-producing pollutants. Energy use and cost per trip are developed from the same simulation. All of these values are compared with Diesel #2 values developed in previous research. Bio-fuel use in respect to turbine maintenance costs is discussed. Explored are the implications of carrying and delivering the biofuels on a locomotive in terms of (a) projected range with a given fuel tank size and (b) the minimum fuel tank size required to serve a typical corridor.

The development of a railroad track–evaluation computer program called TRACK is described, and its application is summarized. TRACK was created to provide a simple tool to help determine the need for track rehabilitation. The program assesses the track’s vertical load–carrying capability and shows some relative effects of track improvements or deterioration. The evaluation is based on five equations that provide values for rail bending stress, tie bending stress, tie reaction, ballast surface stress, and subgrade surface stress. This information is important for initial design, rehabilitation planning, and basic track evaluation, but has not always been readily available in an easy-to-use format. Although the evaluation method in TRACK is simplified, it illustrates the complex interaction among the main track components—namely, that a change in one component affects the others. TRACK automatically selects values for equation variables from information about track characteristics and types of cars handled; the program then solves the equation. Calculated stresses are displayed beside suggested limiting values for the track. The basic approach is that if none of the four main track components (i.e., rail, ties, ballast, and subgrade) are overstressed, the track structure is considered suitable for the given traffic loading. TRACK is intended for low-speed, low-traffic railroad lines—those with conventional wood-tie track, with either jointed or welded rail, on which traffic is less than approximately 5 to 8 million gross tons per year, with maximum speeds of 25 to 30 mph.

Tests on 480 240- × 290-mm (nominal 10- × 12-in.) bridge ties, both old and new, indicate that the characteristic strengths for shear given in most North American codes of practice seem to be unduly conservative. As a result of this test program, it is suggested that design requirements for shear in timber codes of practice be revised to reflect more correctly the structural behavior of the material, using concepts such as the weakest link principle and fracture mechanics considerations. The test program also clearly demonstrates that in many cases the allowable shear capacity can be doubled by using an overhang equal to the beam depth. The research indicates a savings on paper of over Can$200 million for the Canadian National Railway Company if the recommendations presented in this research are followed instead of those in the current Canadian Standards Association design code (086.1, 1994), the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association’s manual of recommended practice, or other typical North American codes of practice.