In the article, possible ways of using energy recovered during regenerative braking of trains are presented. It is pointed out that the return of recovered electricity directly to the catenary and its use in the energy cooperation of vehicles can be a no-cost method (without additional infrastructure). The method of energy cooperation between trains and its main assumptions, that uses the law of conservation of energy, are described in detail. An original model is proposed which assumes optimization by controlling the train arrival time at the station within the technical time reserve. Optimization method was used metaheuristic and adapted swarm algorithm called the firefly algorithm. An exemplary simulation of the energy cooperation of trains for selected stops of a double-track railway line of the Tricity Rapid Urban Railway has been done and the obtained results are presented. Finally, in discussion and conclusions, the results were summarized and the significance of the development of the discussed method for transport rationalization was presented.

The main aim of the paper was to develop an innovative approach to the preliminary estimation possibility of train energy cooperation based on data from timetables, without traction calculations. The article points out the need to strive for sustainable and environmentally friendly transport. It was pointed out that rail transport using electric traction is one of the more ecological branches of transport. It also offers a number of possibilities for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, one of which is the recovery and reuse of energy lost in the electrodynamic braking process. The main ways in which such energy can be used are listed, but the focus is mainly on the aspect of the so-called “energy cooperation” of trains. Then, the current state of the research and knowledge on the narrowed scope of rail traffic management and recuperative braking in rail transportation is presented; an innovative approach to the indirect optimization of the amount of recuperated electrical energy immediately usable by another vehicle by maximizing the duration of energy co-optimization is proposed; and the authors’ function is proposed to enable optimization, taking into account various parameters. The optimization was performed with the use of a proprietary, multi-criteria objective function and the Solver optimization module. Finally, the results obtained using the proposed approach are presented and illustrated with the example of train timetables used by some of the largest railway stations in Poland.

Unbalanced accelerations occurring during tram travel have a significant impact on passenger comfort and safety, as well as on the rate of wear and tear on infrastructure and rolling stock. Ideally, these dynamic forces should be monitored continuously in real-time; however, traditional systems require high-precision accelerometers and proprietary software—investments often beyond the reach of municipally funded tram operators. To this end, as part of the research project “Accelerometer Measurements in Rail Passenger Transport Vehicles”, pilot measurement campaigns were conducted in Poland on tram lines in Gdańsk, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, and Olsztyn. Off-the-shelf smartphones equipped with MEMS accelerometers and GPS modules, running the Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite Pro app, were used. Although the research employs widely known methods, this paper addresses part of the gap in affordable real-time monitoring by demonstrating that, in the future, equipment equipped solely with consumer-grade MEMS accelerometers can deliver sufficiently accurate data in applications where high precision is not critical. This paper presents an analysis of a subset of results from the Gdańsk tram network. Lateral (x) and vertical (z) accelerations were recorded at three fixed points inside two tram models (Pesa 128NG Jazz Duo and Düwag N8C), while longitudinal accelerations were deliberately omitted at this stage due to their strong dependence on driver behavior. Raw data were exported as CSV files, processed and analyzed in R version 4.2.2, and then mapped spatially using ArcGIS cartograms. Vehicle speed was calculated both via the haversine formula—accounting for Earth’s curvature—and via a Cartesian approximation. Over the ~7 km route, both methods yielded virtually identical results, validating the simpler approach for short distances. Acceleration histograms approximated Gaussian distributions, with most values between 0.05 and 0.15 m/s², and extreme values approaching 1 m/s². The results demonstrate that low-cost mobile devices, after future calibration against certified accelerometers, can provide sufficiently rich data for ride-comfort assessment and show promise for cost-effective condition monitoring of both track and rolling stock. Future work will focus on optimizing the app’s data collection pipeline, refining standard-based analysis algorithms, and validating smartphone measurements against benchmark sensors.

Aerosol emission and dispersion in transport corridors are central to urban air quality, human exposure assessment and transport planning. Although near-road air pollution has been widely studied, much less is known about analogous processes in rail-related environments, especially in at-grade and semi-open rail corridors. This study presents a comparative systematic mapping review of evidence on air quality, with a focus on aerosol emission, dispersion and exposure in road and rail transport corridors. The literature search was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed for publications published between 2000 and 28 June 2026, using a PRISMA-based screening procedure. A total of 2958 records were identified. After deduplication, 1693 records were screened, and 1431 records were retained for thematic analysis. Retained set consisted of 885 road/near-road only records, 337 rail/near-rail only records, 193 shared/comparative records and 16 records assigned to other transport microenvironments. The road literature was well developed in relation to concentration gradients, dispersion, monitoring, modelling and exposure assessment. In contrast, the rail literature was dominated by metro systems, underground railways, tunnels and underground stations, which accounted for 435 records, or 82.1% of rail-related records. Only 95 rail records addressed at-grade, open, semi-open or general rail environments. The main research gap concerns aerosol emission, dispersion and human exposure in at-grade railway, tram and light rail corridors.