This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Prof. Felix Schmid
University of Birmingham (UK)

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Railway Signalling
0 Railway capacity
0 Railway communications
0 Railway Power Systems
0 Rolling Stock Engineering

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

Felix graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute with a masters degree in electrical and electronic engineering. He worked as a software engineer for two years and then joined GEC Traction of Manchester as a locomotive control engineer. After three and a half years he became a research assistant at UMIST and then Salford University. From 1985 he was a lecturer in control engineering at Brunel University, where he also completed his part-time doctoral studies in the area of engineering education. He joined the University of Sheffield in 1994 and created the MSc programme in Railway Systems Engineering and undertook research into railway control systems (signalling). In 2005 he moved to The University of Birmingham as a full professor in railway systems engineering and integration.

Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 08 July 2021 in Future Transportation
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Urban mobility is increasingly becoming accepted as a basic human need, as socio-economic opportunities depend on the ability to reach places within an acceptable time. Conversely, the emergence of megalopoleis as dominant features of the global landscape has increased commuting effort to unprecedented levels, due to the ever expanding urban areas and the associated travel distances. This now poses a risk to the efficient accessibility of cities, but there is an assumption that the problem can be overcome by increasing the speed of transport systems. However, advocates of this approach overlook important utility trade-offs that arise from the conflict between greater vehicle speeds and the additional time required to access the services. In this paper, we investigate this approach and show that higher speeds in metro systems do not always result in faster travel in cities. We then propose a new approach to addressing the problem, which culminates in a solution that can overcome the current paradoxes and increase door-to-door speeds more effectively. The resulting operational concept optimizes speed and coverage in urban rail systems in megalopoleis, accommodating the longer trips within time budgets. We position this research as a starting point to a new perspective on developing complex urban systems in the future.

ACS Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. Using Radical Innovation to Overcome Utility Trade-Offs in Urban Rail Systems in Megalopoleis. Future Transportation 2021, 1, 154 -168.

AMA Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. Using Radical Innovation to Overcome Utility Trade-Offs in Urban Rail Systems in Megalopoleis. Future Transportation. 2021; 1 (2):154-168.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2021. "Using Radical Innovation to Overcome Utility Trade-Offs in Urban Rail Systems in Megalopoleis." Future Transportation 1, no. 2: 154-168.

Journal article
Published: 07 June 2019 in Reliability Engineering & System Safety
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Learning from past accidents in railway operations is valuable for ensuring the future safety of railway operations. Railway operational accidents are of different types, such as collisions and derailments. Different types of railway operational accidents are related to each other due to the interactions between hazards leading to accidents. It is useful to explore the nature of accidents as a set. In this paper, a new network theory-based approach to understanding railway operational accidents is proposed, which aims to reveal latent patterns of hazards from an overall high-level perspective. This approach serves as a complement to conventional network theory-based analyses. Its originality is in the customization of a topological analysis for studying accidents, with several tailored indicators adapting to the characteristics of railway operational accidents. It also provides a practical way to extract and construct the accident causation network from numerous accident investigation reports. The outcomes of this approach could assist railway operators in formulating more targeted accident prevention strategies and approaches. The method has been applied to real railway operational accidents in the UK. The results show that the proposed approach is effective and practical in terms of capturing important causes of accidents and revealing latent rules of railway operational accidents.

ACS Style

Jintao Liu; Felix Schmid; Wei Zheng; Jiebei Zhu. Understanding railway operational accidents using network theory. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 2019, 189, 218 -231.

AMA Style

Jintao Liu, Felix Schmid, Wei Zheng, Jiebei Zhu. Understanding railway operational accidents using network theory. Reliability Engineering & System Safety. 2019; 189 ():218-231.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jintao Liu; Felix Schmid; Wei Zheng; Jiebei Zhu. 2019. "Understanding railway operational accidents using network theory." Reliability Engineering & System Safety 189, no. : 218-231.

Conference paper
Published: 01 December 2018 in 2018 International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT)
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The railway control system is designed to act as a safety system that prevents collisions between trains and that maximises the utilisation of the rail network. Different signalling systems are widely used to achieve safety, but to achieve higher capacity, these existing systems may have to be updated or replaced in the future. Combining moving block and aspects of relative distance braking, a novel signalling system is proposed in this paper. The simulation shows that the novel concept has an excellent capacity outcome. The safety risk is also discussed to ensure its feasibility.

ACS Style

Huayu Duan; Felix Schmid. Optimised Headway Distance Moving Block with Capacity Analysis. 2018 International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) 2018, 1 -5.

AMA Style

Huayu Duan, Felix Schmid. Optimised Headway Distance Moving Block with Capacity Analysis. 2018 International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT). 2018; ():1-5.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huayu Duan; Felix Schmid. 2018. "Optimised Headway Distance Moving Block with Capacity Analysis." 2018 International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) , no. : 1-5.

Conference paper
Published: 18 April 2018 in 2018 Joint Rail Conference
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Models have the ability to represent a specific viewpoint of situations or circumstances in the real world. This paper facilitates the understanding of the relationship between railway safety and operational performance by providing an overview of performance models and presenting a model framework that incorporates both elements of safety and operational performance in the rail industry. This framework, if further developed into a working model with complex equations will facilitate decision making by governments and stakeholders in the daily operations and investments of railways.

ACS Style

W. Wemakor; Anson Jack; Felix Schmid. Modelling the Relationship(s) Between Safety and Operational Performance. 2018 Joint Rail Conference 2018, 1 .

AMA Style

W. Wemakor, Anson Jack, Felix Schmid. Modelling the Relationship(s) Between Safety and Operational Performance. 2018 Joint Rail Conference. 2018; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

W. Wemakor; Anson Jack; Felix Schmid. 2018. "Modelling the Relationship(s) Between Safety and Operational Performance." 2018 Joint Rail Conference , no. : 1.

Conference paper
Published: 01 January 2018 in 8th International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2018)
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Platform screen doors (PSD) are the sliding barrier doors installed at the edges of station platforms in many modern metro stations and occasionally on heavy rail systems. They serve many functions among which are the suicide prevention, optimisation of station energy consumption and safety, particularly by shielding passengers from gaining access to the rail tracks. PSD can prolong dwell time, increase the danger of mantrap and can extend emergency evacuation periods, among others. These pave way for the existence of PSD to have both positive and negative effects on the railway system. This research identified the benefits that could be derived from installing PSD at train stations and the drawbacks associated with its presence, with a view of evaluating the overall effects that the PSD has on the railway system. Upon identification of both factors, a causal loop diagram (CLD) has been developed to enable a pictorial demonstration of the various PSD effects, their systematic interrelations, the polarity of effects, and how they combine to affect the entire railway system. The conclusion reached in the present study was that PSD as a system can have significant impact on many aspects of the railway such as delays, capacity, safety, platform climate control, energy consumption, air quality and so on. But there are no studies that attempt to combine them all into an overall evaluation.

ACS Style

U.T. Abdurrahman; A. Jack; F. Schmid. Effects of platform screen doors on the overall railway system. 8th International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2018) 2018, 1 .

AMA Style

U.T. Abdurrahman, A. Jack, F. Schmid. Effects of platform screen doors on the overall railway system. 8th International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2018). 2018; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

U.T. Abdurrahman; A. Jack; F. Schmid. 2018. "Effects of platform screen doors on the overall railway system." 8th International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2018) , no. : 1.

Conference paper
Published: 01 June 2017 in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Driving style has emerged as an important determinant of fuel economy. There is now evidence that driving style can be influenced to improve fuel economy as well as other aspects such as safety. However, it is not clear which are the most appropriate and influential factors that affect an individual's, or a group's, driving style with respect to improving fuel economy. In this paper, such factors were identified from the literature and by way of driver training programmes for fuel economy. The factors were then categorised under driver factors, operating the vehicle, vehicle dynamics and driver awareness. The influences of the factors on fuel economy were prioritised using a multi-criteria analysis method called the analytical hierarchy process to determine their relative importance. It was found that driver awareness, measured in terms of culture change and better management, was considered the most influential category. The second most influential category of factors concerned operating the vehicle or vehicle control where acceleration and speed were dominant. The driver-related factors were considered to have the least influence on fuel economy. The results can be used to improve interventions such as driver training by emphasising the most influential driving factors.

ACS Style

Robert Akena; Felix Schmid; Michael Burrow. Driving style for better fuel economy. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 2017, 170, 131 -139.

AMA Style

Robert Akena, Felix Schmid, Michael Burrow. Driving style for better fuel economy. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport. 2017; 170 (3):131-139.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Robert Akena; Felix Schmid; Michael Burrow. 2017. "Driving style for better fuel economy." Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 170, no. 3: 131-139.

Journal article
Published: 15 January 2017 in International Journal of Transport Development and Integration
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Wendy D. Wemakor; Anson Jack; Felix Schmid. Establishing the relationship between railway safety and operational performance. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration 2017, 2, 98 -114.

AMA Style

Wendy D. Wemakor, Anson Jack, Felix Schmid. Establishing the relationship between railway safety and operational performance. International Journal of Transport Development and Integration. 2017; 2 (1):98-114.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wendy D. Wemakor; Anson Jack; Felix Schmid. 2017. "Establishing the relationship between railway safety and operational performance." International Journal of Transport Development and Integration 2, no. 1: 98-114.

Conference paper
Published: 03 November 2016 in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This paper supplements two previous papers written by the authors and addresses three issues arising from those papers. The three issues are follows: (1) the robustness of a crashworthy design in scenarios different from the design conditions, (2) the correlation of structural crashworthiness with passenger safety and (3) behaviour characterisation of vehicle materials in train collisions. The investigation of these issues provides an increased understanding of the research conclusions gained from a number of varied conditions, and targeting the development requirements in these three areas will promote crashworthiness applications in rail vehicles.

ACS Style

Xiangdong Xue; Mark Robinson; Felix Schmid; Roderick Smith. Development issues for impact safety of rail vehicles: Robustness of crashworthy designs, effect of structural crashworthiness on passenger safety and behaviour characterisation of vehicle materials. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit 2016, 232, 461 -470.

AMA Style

Xiangdong Xue, Mark Robinson, Felix Schmid, Roderick Smith. Development issues for impact safety of rail vehicles: Robustness of crashworthy designs, effect of structural crashworthiness on passenger safety and behaviour characterisation of vehicle materials. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 2016; 232 (2):461-470.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xiangdong Xue; Mark Robinson; Felix Schmid; Roderick Smith. 2016. "Development issues for impact safety of rail vehicles: Robustness of crashworthy designs, effect of structural crashworthiness on passenger safety and behaviour characterisation of vehicle materials." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit 232, no. 2: 461-470.

Conference paper
Published: 13 October 2016 in 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT)
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The majority of drive chain losses in railway vehicles are attributable to motor inefficiency. An attractive solution to reduce these losses, and the associated energy consumption, is the implementation of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) technology. PMSMs are not only more efficient, but smaller and lighter than traditional induction machines, which can further benefit energy saving. However, introducing this technology and the associated control systems can be expensive and complex. Therefore, in this study, the authors evaluate the cost benefit of introducing PMSMs into different railway sub-modes to see where this solution is most appropriate, in terms of energy saved. The impact of regenerative braking on the cost is also considered, by simulating dynamic braking characteristics and the receptivity of different systems.

ACS Style

Heather Douglas; Felix Schmid; Clive Roberts; Stuart Hillmansen. Evaluation of Permanent Magnet Motor energy saving technology for different types of railways. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) 2016, 123 -129.

AMA Style

Heather Douglas, Felix Schmid, Clive Roberts, Stuart Hillmansen. Evaluation of Permanent Magnet Motor energy saving technology for different types of railways. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT). 2016; ():123-129.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Heather Douglas; Felix Schmid; Clive Roberts; Stuart Hillmansen. 2016. "Evaluation of Permanent Magnet Motor energy saving technology for different types of railways." 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) , no. : 123-129.

Conference paper
Published: 13 October 2016 in 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT)
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Considering the growing demand for railway transportation, especially metros, and the changing social context, regular 24-hour operation is becoming a requirement. The railway is an inherently complicated and complex system and extending the service hours increases the level of difficulty in operating. In order to run all the services safely, punctually and reliably, we have to manage this complexity. In this paper, the authors suggest the application of system dynamics tools to model 24-hour metros in terms of sub-systems, sub-components and behaviour. An initial causal loop diagram (CLD) has been developed to study the relationships and interactions between different sub-systems of system. The proposed causal loop diagram is intended to allow planners, designers and managers of 24-hour metros to develop a proper understanding of the non-linear environment of such systems. In metros, due to the high level of diversity and variability, there are many system interfaces that must be managed systematically. Causal loop diagram empower managers to understand the effect of their decision-making in managing the interfaces and related changes. The causal loop diagram can be applied as a system optimisation tool when upgrading the existing metros to 24-hour operation and developing new lines while considering risks, complexities and complications. Causal loop modelling allows a rapid identification of the problems of 24-hour operation and will result in safer, more punctual and more reliable system.

ACS Style

Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. Application of system dynamics tools to model 24-hour metro systems: Integration of system engineering and operation management. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) 2016, 224 -230.

AMA Style

Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. Application of system dynamics tools to model 24-hour metro systems: Integration of system engineering and operation management. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT). 2016; ():224-230.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohammad Reza Zolfaghari; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2016. "Application of system dynamics tools to model 24-hour metro systems: Integration of system engineering and operation management." 2016 IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation (ICIRT) , no. : 224-230.

Conference paper
Published: 01 October 2016 in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Strategy documents are used across different industries to communicate the envisioned direction of a system or organisation. In recent years, a range of strategy documents relating to the UK rail sector have been produced, including European publications and the UK's Rail Technical Strategy. However, such documents are written by a multitude of stakeholders and can vary noticeably in structure, content and style. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the perceived quality and value of strategy documents can also be variable. This paper presents a study of three prominent railway documents, using information modelling and a user evaluation exercise. The findings show that inconsistent approaches to producing strategy can result in documents of varying quality and usefulness. The implications of poorly communicating strategy, it is suggested, are significant and far-reaching. The work supports a broader research project towards a new systems approach to designing strategy.

ACS Style

Rhianne Evans; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. A systems study of influential railway strategy documents. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 2016, 169, 272 -282.

AMA Style

Rhianne Evans, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. A systems study of influential railway strategy documents. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport. 2016; 169 (5):272-282.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rhianne Evans; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2016. "A systems study of influential railway strategy documents." Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 169, no. 5: 272-282.

Conference paper
Published: 01 October 2016 in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The significant growth in the size of cities has led to an increase in distances travelled that emphasises the systemic shortcomings of metros. Metro systems are hindered by a paradox between the time to access stations and the average speed on the line, which prevents them from offering competitive door-to-door speeds within the natural time budgets of users. The authors present a novel methodology that combines the back-casting method with a systems engineering approach to develop a robust problem-solving process that can cope with the uncertainty of future scenarios. The approach has been used to develop a solution to the paradox, that is based on an operational strategy where autonomous vehicles stop in different patterns at stations along a line. It is proposed that vehicles will travel in platoons and be controlled by vehicle-to-vehicle communication algorithms similarly to those in automated highways. Simulations show that this strategy can increase the average speed on a line by 129%, reducing door-to-door journey times by up to 45%, compared to conventional operations. Moreover, capacity is increased by 30% within conventional platform lengths. In conclusion, this process can lead to solutions that accommodate future demands and change current trends into more desirable futures.

ACS Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. A systems approach to developing a new metro for megalopoleis. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 2016, 169, 249 -261.

AMA Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. A systems approach to developing a new metro for megalopoleis. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport. 2016; 169 (5):249-261.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcelo Blumenfeld; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2016. "A systems approach to developing a new metro for megalopoleis." Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport 169, no. 5: 249-261.

Research article
Published: 01 September 2016 in IET Electrical Systems in Transportation
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Over recent years, high-speed rail (HSR) has increased its maximum speed of operation and strengthened its presence as a major transportation mode. However, the energy consumption of HSR has in general increased as well. In the current climate of rising concern about environmental and economic problems, energy-efficient operational strategies should be investigated, which requires a precise understanding of the relationship between energy consumption and maximum speed. There is some previous research in the field; however, it is presented in different ways and shows different pictures of energy consumption. In this study, the authors present a review of previous work and highlight the inconsistencies between the calculations. In addition, a standardised approach for energy consumption calculations for HSR is provided and an investigation of the cause of inconsistencies in previous work is presented. Through this process, the worth of the proposed standardised approach is demonstrated.

ACS Style

Daisuke Hasegawa; Gemma L. Nicholson; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. Standardised approach to energy consumption calculations for high‐speed rail. IET Electrical Systems in Transportation 2016, 6, 179 -189.

AMA Style

Daisuke Hasegawa, Gemma L. Nicholson, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. Standardised approach to energy consumption calculations for high‐speed rail. IET Electrical Systems in Transportation. 2016; 6 (3):179-189.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daisuke Hasegawa; Gemma L. Nicholson; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2016. "Standardised approach to energy consumption calculations for high‐speed rail." IET Electrical Systems in Transportation 6, no. 3: 179-189.

Rruka conference special issue
Published: 01 February 2016 in IET Intelligent Transport Systems
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The application of Lean principles to terminus operations of high-speed railways has the potential of enhancing the efficiency of resource usage during both the construction and operation periods, through faster turnarounds and, hence, a reduced space requirement thanks to fewer platform tracks being needed. However, this greater efficiency must not be allowed to result in less robust services. The robust design of products and processes has been studied extensively in the manufacturing industry. By contrast, the robustness of high level railway operational concepts and system design has been investigated rarely. In this study, Taguchi methods that originated in the manufacturing industry are applied to a robustness assessment of system designs in the context of railway operations. The approach is used to assess terminus designs with different numbers of platform tracks, layouts with particular conflict patterns, minimum required turnaround times and signalling facility capability. The authors use a Monte–Carlo simulation with statistical delay distributions. The simulation results show that the signalling system's capability is the most important factor in achieving high capacity and that the robustness of railway terminus operations is not affected by adopting faster turnaround and having fewer platform tracks at termini. Finally, some suggestions for future planning are presented.

ACS Style

Daisuke Hasegawa; Gemma Nicholson; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. Analysis of the robustness of terminal turnaround arrangements for railways. IET Intelligent Transport Systems 2016, 10, 41 -49.

AMA Style

Daisuke Hasegawa, Gemma Nicholson, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. Analysis of the robustness of terminal turnaround arrangements for railways. IET Intelligent Transport Systems. 2016; 10 (1):41-49.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daisuke Hasegawa; Gemma Nicholson; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2016. "Analysis of the robustness of terminal turnaround arrangements for railways." IET Intelligent Transport Systems 10, no. 1: 41-49.

Rruka conference special issue
Published: 01 February 2016 in IET Intelligent Transport Systems
Reads 0
Downloads 0

To become more competitive, railways are developing methods and technologies that enable cost reduction, higher capacity, better punctuality and greater sustainability. The authors of this study address the last two objectives and propose a method that can be used to minimise the impact of a single delay on the system by reducing both the deviation from timetabled arrival at timing points and the energy consumed by trains. The technique uses a combined macro- and microscopic level approach in an optimisation algorithm to calculate the maximum speed a train should travel at on different sections of its route, so that the train meets time constraints and saves energy. The algorithm interacts with the traffic management system to obtain the applicable time constraints. The initial results from a case study based on a single-track railway line show that applying this method to a freight train that needs to pass a late running passenger train at a loop and to arrive on time at its last station allows a 9% reduction in energy use by comparison with a situation where the freight train trajectory is not adjusted as a function of the actual traffic conditions.

ACS Style

Silvia Umiliacchi; Gemma Nicholson; Ning Zhao; Felix Schmid; Clive Roberts. Delay management and energy consumption minimisation on a single‐track railway. IET Intelligent Transport Systems 2016, 10, 50 -57.

AMA Style

Silvia Umiliacchi, Gemma Nicholson, Ning Zhao, Felix Schmid, Clive Roberts. Delay management and energy consumption minimisation on a single‐track railway. IET Intelligent Transport Systems. 2016; 10 (1):50-57.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Umiliacchi; Gemma Nicholson; Ning Zhao; Felix Schmid; Clive Roberts. 2016. "Delay management and energy consumption minimisation on a single‐track railway." IET Intelligent Transport Systems 10, no. 1: 50-57.

Conference paper
Published: 01 January 2016 in International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2016)
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

M. Blumenfeld; F. Schmid; C. Roberts. A systems approach to developing future urban systems: creating a metro that fits the megalopolis. International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2016) 2016, 1 .

AMA Style

M. Blumenfeld, F. Schmid, C. Roberts. A systems approach to developing future urban systems: creating a metro that fits the megalopolis. International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2016). 2016; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Blumenfeld; F. Schmid; C. Roberts. 2016. "A systems approach to developing future urban systems: creating a metro that fits the megalopolis." International Conference on Railway Engineering (ICRE 2016) , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Energy Conversion and Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Rail is becoming an increasingly popular choice to satisfy transportation demands locally, nationally and internationally, due to its inherent efficiency and high capacity. Despite this, operators are facing pressure to reduce rail energy consumption to meet efficiency targets, whilst still maintaining service quality and managing increased demand. A number of individual measures have been proposed to reduce energy in the rail sector, often showing good results on specific case studies. It is generally agreed that the attainable savings of a given measure change dependant on the route, vehicle and service characteristics. However, there is little information in the literature specifically regarding which measures are most suitable for given network types, or how they interact. This paper therefore aims to begin evaluating the available measures in terms of their suitability for different systems. Firstly, networks are defined in terms of their distinguishing features. As traction accounts for the majority of all energy use in the rail sector, the traction flow through a vehicle is considered as the starting point for an evaluation of measures. Current technologies and procedures are reviewed and categorised based on which area of traction use they target. Thought is given to the factors that affect implementation and the networks where they are applied. A key output of this paper is a comparison of the achievable energy savings of different measures dependent on the network type. It is hoped that this will provide a good starting point for identifying which measures are most applicable for a given network, and the characteristics that affect their success.

ACS Style

Heather Douglas; Clive Roberts; Stuart Hillmansen; Felix Schmid. An assessment of available measures to reduce traction energy use in railway networks. Energy Conversion and Management 2015, 106, 1149 -1165.

AMA Style

Heather Douglas, Clive Roberts, Stuart Hillmansen, Felix Schmid. An assessment of available measures to reduce traction energy use in railway networks. Energy Conversion and Management. 2015; 106 ():1149-1165.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Heather Douglas; Clive Roberts; Stuart Hillmansen; Felix Schmid. 2015. "An assessment of available measures to reduce traction energy use in railway networks." Energy Conversion and Management 106, no. : 1149-1165.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

A prototype evaluation framework has been used in railway traffic simulator benchmarking and in the quantitative evaluation and comparison of timetables and of real time traffic management decision taking for railway systems in the presence of both small and large-scale service disruption in the EU FP7 project ON-TIME. Quantified key measures allow an assessment of performance and can be used to compare timetables, control methods or delaying incidents. The resilience measures additionally provide a visualisation and information that can be analysed as an aid to the understanding of delay propagation, based on both real and simulated data. This benchmarking and evaluation method is based on collecting data at selected observation points on train and service ID, position, and time from either simulation or from data feeds of real operations. With the addition of data on train and network characteristics, this collected data can be processed in such a way as to evaluate the key measures outlined in a previously defined Quality of Service framework. The key measures quantify the following KPIs of the model: transport volume, journey time, connectivity, punctuality, resilience, energy consumption and resource usage.

ACS Style

Gemma L. Nicholson; David Kirkwood; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. Benchmarking and evaluation of railway operations performance. Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management 2015, 5, 274 -293.

AMA Style

Gemma L. Nicholson, David Kirkwood, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid. Benchmarking and evaluation of railway operations performance. Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management. 2015; 5 (4):274-293.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gemma L. Nicholson; David Kirkwood; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid. 2015. "Benchmarking and evaluation of railway operations performance." Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management 5, no. 4: 274-293.

Journal article
Published: 08 January 2015 in IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems
Reads 0
Downloads 0

There usually exists a high density of traffic through bottleneck sections of mainline railways, where a perturbation of one single train could result in long consequential delays across a number of trains. In the event of disturbances, rescheduling trains approaching the bottleneck will be necessary to increase the throughput of the section. To model the real-time train rescheduling problems around bottleneck sections, a mixed-integer programming model is presented in this paper. An innovative improved algorithm (DE_JRM) is developed to solve the problem. The model and the algorithms are validated with a case study using Monte Carlo methodology, which demonstrates that the proposed algorithm can reduce the weighted average delay and satisfy the requirements of real-time traffic control applications.

ACS Style

Lei Chen; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid; Edward Stewart. Modeling and Solving Real-Time Train Rescheduling Problems in Railway Bottleneck Sections. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 2015, 16, 1896 -1904.

AMA Style

Lei Chen, Clive Roberts, Felix Schmid, Edward Stewart. Modeling and Solving Real-Time Train Rescheduling Problems in Railway Bottleneck Sections. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. 2015; 16 (4):1896-1904.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lei Chen; Clive Roberts; Felix Schmid; Edward Stewart. 2015. "Modeling and Solving Real-Time Train Rescheduling Problems in Railway Bottleneck Sections." IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems 16, no. 4: 1896-1904.

Research article
Published: 03 December 2014 in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In this paper, the authors investigate the characterisation of the structural collapse of steel-bodied rail vehicles and propose modifications to a cab structure for improved structural crashworthiness. This is a mechanical- and simulation-based investigation, comprising three parts: after a mechanical description of the impact forces and energy conservation in collisions between trains, the characteristics of rail vehicle structures are examined to identify structural weaknesses in the context of impact stability. This is followed by a computer simulation of a cab structure to validate the conclusions from the theoretical analysis and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the design modifications. Focusing on the correlation between structural characterisation and impact stability, the authors highlight the following three findings: first, rail vehicles have a propensity to be unstable in the vertical direction due to the asymmetrical geometry and unbalanced impact loads; second, high shear stresses tend to be generated at the top corners of the rear pillars of the door region, leading to a localised fracture tendency; and third, impact stability can be enhanced through structural modifications by adopting symmetric cross sections or enhancing the stiffness in the weak direction for asymmetric structures, i.e. achieving geometric symmetry or stiffness balance on impact. The findings result in a better understanding of the mechanisms in structural crushing and advance the research into passive safety of rail vehicles.

ACS Style

Xiangdong Xue; Roderick Smith; Felix Schmid; Mark Robinson. Rail vehicle impact analysis: The instable propensity of structural responses and the critical scenarios of structural failure. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit 2014, 230, 681 -696.

AMA Style

Xiangdong Xue, Roderick Smith, Felix Schmid, Mark Robinson. Rail vehicle impact analysis: The instable propensity of structural responses and the critical scenarios of structural failure. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 2014; 230 (3):681-696.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xiangdong Xue; Roderick Smith; Felix Schmid; Mark Robinson. 2014. "Rail vehicle impact analysis: The instable propensity of structural responses and the critical scenarios of structural failure." Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit 230, no. 3: 681-696.