"uuid","repository link","title","author","contributor","publication year","abstract","subject topic","language","publication type","publisher","isbn","issn","patent","patent status","bibliographic note","access restriction","embargo date","faculty","department","research group","programme","project","coordinates"
"uuid:ed1adf57-aa4f-4e1e-98bf-d6c2e86723ed","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ed1adf57-aa4f-4e1e-98bf-d6c2e86723ed","Condition monitoring of railway transition zones through axle box accelerations using multi body simulation software","van Gent, Tjeerd (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Yang, Z. (graduation committee); Anupam, K. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2024","Transition zones in railway tracks are locations with an abrupt change in stiffness in the vertical rail supporting structure. These locations are typically located as approaches near engineering structures where there is a sudden change in track substructure. Due to these abrupt changes the dynamic forces of the wheel-rail interaction on the railway track are significantly amplified resulting in the deterioration of track geometry. With higher operational velocities, the degradation process of the track is accelerated. The goal of this research is the investigation of the relationship between vertical acceleration from the axle box of the vehicle bogie (axle box accelerations - ABA) and track geometry changes at transition zones. While most studies investigate the behavior of railway transition zones making use of finite element models, this study focuses on the use of a more computational efficient multi body simulation (MBS) software (VI-Rail flextrack).
After the software is tested and the results validated, different stages of the service life of a transition zone (new - used - heavily used) are simulated. From the results two main conclusion can be drawn. First, the vertical acceleration is able to show the changes in differential settlement and stiffness that are occurring at transition zones. The indicators for these changes are the frequency responses with a wavelength between 1.2 < đ < 5 meters. This shows that ABA is a powerful non-invasive monitoring technique for long wavelength track irregularities. Second, the multi body simulation software is able to model complex railway tracks. The software shows the same characteristic frequencies as the measurement data does.
The results of this investigation could especially be of interest for asset owners and contractors. By showing that ABA measurements tends to be an effective way of monitoring transition zones, predictive maintenance could be implemented which saves time and high costs.","Axle Box Accelerations; Multi body simulation software; Railway transition zones; VI-Rail","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:4bb9385f-b936-4117-8322-4d7c96eb71a3","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4bb9385f-b936-4117-8322-4d7c96eb71a3","Adding flexibility to the timetable in real-time railway traffic management","ZHOU, Johnny (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Goverde, R.M.P. (graduation committee); Wang, Z. (mentor); Correia, Gonçalo (graduation committee); Philipsen, Edith (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","With the strong backing and advocacy from the EU for railway transport, it is crucial to focus on innovative and efficient technologies to maintain service quality. In daily train operations, traffic uncertainties lead to perturbations, which may result in two types of track conflicts: disturbances and disruptions.
In the current research, we aim to add and optimize timetable flexibility in traffic disturbance management for railway transport. A new definition is proposed for timetable flexibility. Timetable flexibility is defined as the ability of a timetable to be easily modified to withstand small disturbances and absorb delays, as well as to offer a larger solution space in the application of dispatching measures (retiming, reordering, rerouting) to solve larger disturbances without changing the given (re)scheduled timetable.
In order to minimize the deviation of the rescheduling plan from the rigid timetable, and maximize the timetable flexibility, the conflict resolution problem is modeled using an Alternative Graph (AG)-based Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model.
In order to investigate the impacts of different parameter inputs on timetable flexibility, a case study is conducted on a part of the Dutch railway network. To investigate the influencing factors of timetable flexibility, one illustrative application and two sensitivity analyses are conducted. Based on the results, practical implications on train dispatchers and signalers, as well as on railway passengers are concluded.","Timetable flexibility; Railway traffic management; Alternative Graph (AG); Operational planning; Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP)","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:eab57f33-09be-4185-b612-7eb3b5a35235","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:eab57f33-09be-4185-b612-7eb3b5a35235","Fatigue design investigation of the main- to cross-girder connection in steel railway bridges: A study on the beam railway bridges of the Oostertoegang in Amsterdam","Romijn, Kasja (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","Veljkovic, M. (mentor); Malschaert, D.H. (graduation committee); den Besten, J.H. (graduation committee); Langedijk, W.P.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","Over the past few decades, the Netherlands has built numerous steel railway bridges to improve its infrastructure. The repeated loading from railway traffic makes steel bridges susceptible to fatigue damage. The stress ranges at fatigue-prone locations are generally higher in railway bridges than in road traffic bridges. Due to the limited space available due to road and rail alignment, the connection between the main girder and cross-girder is often identified as a critical fatigue location.
The main- to cross-girder connection can be designed for fatigue using different design principles. Designing the connection with a certain rotational stiffness leads to higher fatigue stresses at this location. Meeting the fatigue requirements at the connection can often be achieved by local adjustments, such as welding extra steel plates to the fatigue-induced location to evenly distribute stresses from the cross-girder to the main girder. This can be a costly solution. Designing a connection that is flexible could reduce stresses at the main- to cross-girder connection. Solving fatigue issues can be done by making global adaptations to the structure. The question arises: which aspects can be adjusted such that slight changes can notably improve fatigue resistance in a cost-effective manner?
A literature study and a finite element investigation of the main- to cross-girder connection are performed. A reference model is made after which parameters are altered to investigate their impact on the fatigue response of the connection. The reference model is based on the design of the bridges from project Oostertoegang. However, instead of considering a connection with a certain rotational stiffness, the design is made more flexible for this study. Ansys 2022 R2 is used to create a finite element model of the bridge with shell elements. The hot spot stress method is used to conduct the fatigue assessment. In total four critical fatigue locations are researched for six parameters. The parameters researched are: the center-to-center distance between the cross-girders, the height of the cross-girder and main girder, the thickness of the inner web plate of the main girder, the diaphragm, and the steel deck plate.
From the analysis, it can be concluded that for one detail (M3) local measures should be applied to meet fatigue criteria. The three other details can satisfy requirements within feasible limits. The most cost-effective and realistic way is to increase the thickness of the inner web of the main girder. Other cost-effective but less feasible solutions to optimize the flexible design for fatigue are: decreasing the thickness of the diaphragm and increasing the height of the cross-girder. These parameters show the best ratio between the costs needed to alter the parameter and the total fatigue damage change of the critical detail.
Furthermore, it is determined that the fatigue assessment using finite element analysis with shell elements can be optimized by using the hot spot stress method in combination with modeling the weld using an increased thickness.
âDoes integrated public transport network development in the form of a simultaneous consideration for infrastructural investment in both heavy-rail and hierarchically lower public transport modes offer a better solution for fulfilling transportation needs, compared to a segregated approach?â
To answer the research question, literature review has been used to gain insights in public transport integration from a technical and a governance perspective. Literature has also been used to form integration strategies that could be applied in network development. The formed strategies consist of using network hierarchy as a guideline for either applying bus, tram, and metro to take over lower hierarchy services from the heavy-rail and vice versa. A case study on the corridor Amsterdam â Lelystad in The Netherlands was used to apply the integration strategies on and to analyze the effects of the development following the different strategies in a real-life situation.
The results show that the variant following the strategy of assigning lower hierarchy services to heavy-rail appears best in terms of generalized travel time, synthetic demand, and investment costs. It scores well on fairness of the offer, but lowest on ambition fulfillment and operational costs. It turned out that each variant needed investment in more heavy-rail infrastructure to allow for completing of the heavy-rail ambitions. The variant with more tasks assigned to bus, tram, and metro scored the worst, except for ambition fulfillment. Furthermore, the multicriteria analysis, although useful for providing insights in the qualities of the different variants, does not give a definitive answer on what the best variant would be. Using external input to assign weights to the multicriteria analyses would have been a good improvement in getting to that answer. Instead, a stakeholder reflection is done to give insight in possible stances regarding the criteria from the stakeholderâs perspective.
The research suggests that it is worth considering ambitions and problems outside of just the bus, tram, and metro or just the heavy-rail system. The process of brainstorming based on expertise, using qualitative multicriteria analyses for making decisions with supporting arguments in the design phase, planning a plausible timetable and analyzing and comparing several variants forms a good skeleton for investigating the possibilities of public transport network development in places where heavy-rail capacity becomes problematic.
This thesis therefore proposes a definition of the robustness of an initial stabling plan to changes in the stabling demand, such as changes in train lengths, as well as provide an assessment method of said robustness. The created Robustness Assessment Model (RAM) first generates an initial stabling demand and stabling plan, then performs a Monte Carlo simulation to generate a set of stabling plans created for variations of the initial stabling demand, based on changes in stabling demand such as train length. Finally, the RAM estimates the robustness of the initial stabling plan by analysing the differences between the initial and these generated stabling plan variations and how efficiently the initial plan is able to change to these plans to optimally facilitate the variations of the initial stabling demand.
Running this model across three locations, each with three capacity utilisation scenarios, has shown that the model is able to estimate the robustness of an initial stabling with acceptable confidence, and furthermore is able to give insight into how capable the stabling plan creation method is in generating a robust solution. Furthermore, the RAM can also be used to investigate patterns in stabling plans which could predict the robustness of said stabling plans. Current shortcomings to the RAM are its relatively long runtime, the simple stabling plan creation process used in the RAM, and that only one-sided stabling yards without servicing scheduling have been incorporated. Further research is therefore recommended for extending the RAM with other stabling yard layouts and the scheduling of services, as well as improve the stabling plan generation process to take more constraints into account.
In this thesis, an algorithm that combines both reinforcement learning and optimization approaches is proposed to solve the railway timetable rescheduling problem. In the beginning, the reinforcement learning environment is constructed from the railway timetable rescheduling problem. By selecting the independent integer variables as the action, the constraints involving the integer variables are satisfied. After that, a value-based reinforcement learning algorithm is implemented to determine the independent integer variables of the MILP problem. Then, the complete solution of the integer variables could be derived from these independent integer variables. With the solution of integer variables, the MILP problem could be transformed into a linear programming problem, which could be solved efficiently.
Several case studies are conducted in this thesis based on part of the Dutch railway network from Utrecht to 's-Hertogenbosch. The simulation results show that the proposed method makes a great improvement compared with the baseline regarding reducing the total delay of the system. Meanwhile, the reinforcement learning-based method also has an obvious advantage in terms of running time.","railway timetable rescheduling; MILP problem; reinforcement learning","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Control","",""
"uuid:a9881bc4-78a2-4070-b23e-17765a8989e2","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a9881bc4-78a2-4070-b23e-17765a8989e2","High-speed Railway as Landscape Bonanza: TU-Delft Alternative Lelyline: A case study from Zwolle to Groningen","Bai, Fazhong (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Geuze, A. (mentor); Ersoy, A. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","Long-term, large-scale empirical studies on the simultaneous development of transport infrastructure and the built environment are scarce. This thesis provides a future high-speed railway infrastructure implementation alternative based on the Dutch cultural landscape from Zwolle to Groningen. Our design goal is to better connect Amsterdam and provinces in the north of the Netherlands including Overijssel, Drenthe, Groningen by using a faster, more efficient and sustainable high-speed railway solution to replace the Lelyline solution proposed by the Dutch government based on traditional trains.
The author has systematically evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of various railway routing options, and based on this, proposed an optimal alignment. Then, the landscape typologies alongside the optimal alignment are concluded and the sustainable landscape interventions with the high-speed railway viaducts on those landscape typologies are elaborated into a catalogue, which will be not only meaningful for Zwolle-Groningen, but also will provide inspiration and guideline for future high-speed rail design projects in similar landscape context worldwide.
Afterwards, following the principles of sustainable development and theory of infrastructure as landscape, five unique sites along the optimal alignment are chosen to showcase the landscape architecture interventions in relationship with the rich Dutch cultural landscape. The outcome is a design proposal of the high-speed railway itinerary and landscape mitigation measures to its surroundings including both built and natural environment.","landscape architecture; high-speed railway; infrastructure implementation; Dutch cultural landscape; national park; Zwolle; Groningen; Norg","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","Innovative infrastructure implementation","53.21940, 6.56650"
"uuid:7a2ecde9-cc13-4d51-8d55-92196e093df2","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7a2ecde9-cc13-4d51-8d55-92196e093df2","Urban Impact on Major Lithuanian Cities of Rail Baltica Line: Kaunas Case","VitkutÄ, Ruta (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Dijkstra, R.J. (mentor); Balz, Verena Elisabeth (mentor); Ioannou, O. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","In recent decades, the relevance of the railway as a more sustainable alternative for (inter)national commuting has increased significantly. Moreover, contemporary railway stations are becoming not only important mobility hubs where national and local transportation systems are interlinked but also new city centres offering a variety of functions and attractive places to live and work. However, there are still missing links in the European railway network. One of them, the connection between Poland to Finland through the Baltic states will be implemented by 2030. After completion, Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania, will become an important railway node. The thesis investigates how to exploit the potential of the Rail Baltica project and use it as a catalyst for the development of the city. To achieve this, personal experiential knowledge is combined with the data-driven approach to propose a visionary plan for Kaunas railway station and its surroundings that would accelerate the transition towards sustainable, safe and accessible mobility for all and would integrate the area into the existing urban fabric. The proposal suggests that large blocks, similar to Kaunas New Town, could ensure the continuity of the urban fabric, integrate existing heritage into the new structure and allow phasing. The densification framework defines the parameters of each block, aiming for a higher density towards the mobility hub. In addition, changes in street network and profiles are suggested to prioritise public transport and active modes of mobility. The key elements of the masterplan are detailed including the mobility hub where both railway and bus stations are combined and the hub is expanded towards the opposite side of the railway tracks. Moreover, standards for new blocks and streets are defined to ensure high-quality development which promotes high-density neighbourhoods while preserving local identity and heritage. Lastly, the regional impact study is used as an evaluation tool. It concludes that due to the limits of population growth in Lithuania, there is a need for collaboration between Rail Baltica cities to develop their railway station areas in a way that would complement each other rather than compete.","Transit-oriented development (TOD); Rail Baltica; Railway station; Kaunas; Densification","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","","54.886501, 23.931369"
"uuid:44b4c0c5-c114-4ba3-af31-5d47a5e4973a","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:44b4c0c5-c114-4ba3-af31-5d47a5e4973a","Trajectory Optimisation for a Rail-based Ttrack Surveying System","Collot d'Escury, Frederik (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering; Fugro N.V.)","van der Wal, W. (mentor); Amoureus, Luc (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","Railway transportation is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and meeting increasing global demand for passenger and freight transport. To maintain a reliable, high-capacity railway infrastructure, regular and accurate maintenance is necessary. The recent development of a Rail-based Track
Surveying System that can be mounted on any operational train, presents a comprehensive solution to acquire track geometry measurements while limiting track unavailability. The system is able to simultaneously acquire measurements of both the absolute- and relative track geometry using a combination of a GNSS / INS integrated navigation system and a laser ranging sensor. The measurement unit is able to obtain consistently accurate absolute track geometry measurements (Ï2D = 8 [mm] (Wang et al.2019)) in areas with good GNSS signal reception. However, in areas with limited GNSS coverage, the accuracy of these measurements can fall below the requirements for rapid track inventory acquisition (3 [cm], p = 0.95 (Specht et al. 2016)). This thesis, developed and conducted in lose collaboration with Fugro, aims to improve the accuracy of the trajectory solution for rail-based track surveying systems in such limited GNSS environments.
At the time this research was performed, there was no ground truth or reference trajectory available to assess the accuracy of a trajectory solution. Therefore, the research first establishes quality metrics to provide a measure of the accuracy and certainty of the integrated GNSS/INS estimated trajectory solution. By nature of the data acquisition process of the RTSS, multiple runs, or trajectory estimates, are available of an arbitrary track segment. The observed cross-track trajectory spread (precision) provides a qualitative metric to assess the level of accuracy of multiple passes over the same track segment, given that the
individual measurements are unbiased. To quantify the cross-track trajectory
spread, the standard deviation and smallest circle radius are selected as statistical and absolute metrics.
Next, the research identifies the existence of unreliable or inaccurate GNSS positioning updates in the integrated trajectory solution by linking the cross-track trajectory spread to the Quality Control metrics of individual runs. The level of accuracy of the GNSS / IMU integrated trajectory solution was found to be decreased at track segments where one (or multiple) runs showed sustained periods of high (> 5) PDOP values. A decreased accuracy in the order of 10 [cm] was observed for the high PDOP GNSS positioning updates. Furthermore, these inaccurate position updates were weighted too heavily in the Loosely Coupled integration scheme, reducing the accuracy of the integrated GNSS/IMU
trajectory solution. To improve the accuracy and certainty of the integrated trajectory solution, the GNSS positioning updates in segments with sustained high PDOP values can be inactivated. Inactivating these high PDOP GNSS positioning updates, reduced the observed cross-track trajectory spread by
as much as c.50%.
The thesis provides valuable results for the improvement of the accuracy and certainty of GNSS/IMU trajectory determination in rail-based applications. Furthermore, the framework and data-analysis algorithm developed and presented in this thesis research could be used to quantify the effect of different
quality parameters and processing thresholds on the accuracy of the trajectory solution. The main conclusion and recommendation of this report - processing the trajectory against a tight PDOP constraint - leads to a trajectory estimate for a rail-based surveying application with improved accuracy and certainty. Moreover, recommendations for research implementation, further trajectory accuracy gains and continuation of this research are also presented in this report.","Trajectroy Optimisation; GNSS; Aerospace Engineering; surveying; Railway tracks; RILA","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Aerospace Engineering","",""
"uuid:7eed10aa-edac-409a-8b24-97308c4c6294","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7eed10aa-edac-409a-8b24-97308c4c6294","Impact of an evolving transport system on the development of European cities: Lille case study: A reciprocal evolution of a node and a place","Vos, Ruben (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Oxenaar, A.J. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","This architectural history thesis looks at the interrelationship between transport, land-use and architecture. A systematic comparison of the these three systems at key time periods contributed to the collective puzzle of answering the main research question; âHow has the evolution of the transport system, with main focus on the railway system, impacted the development of the city Lille throughout time?â.
The transport systems of major European cities have played a vital role in their economic and urban development, forming networks that facilitate the flow of energy, people, and goods. Lille, located near the French-Belgian border, has two stations from different railway eras: Lille-Flandres (since 1846) and Lille-Europe (since 1990). The transformation of these stations has been driven by capacity demands and the need to adapt to rapid growth and limited space. Lille-Europe, in particular, has acted as a catalyst for the cityâs economic transformation from a secondary to a tertiary sector.
The architecture of the station areas reflects the interplay between local and global contexts, with Lille-Flandres embodying a fusion of Flemish, French, and Parisian styles, while Lille-Europe represents a modern and cross-border vision. This architectural evolution sparks a debate between preserving local identity and embracing universal design principles. The station areas serve as a visual expression of Lilleâs dynamic evolution and the changing nature of transportation systems.","Euralille; Railway; Land-use; Node; Place","en","student report","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","AR2A011",""
"uuid:1f8da4af-0483-4c93-8e11-3ec5aa246ad0","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1f8da4af-0483-4c93-8e11-3ec5aa246ad0","An alternative graph formulation for train service planning under ETCS Level 2, Moving Block and Virtual Coupling signalling systems with dynamic speed supervision and continuous infrastructure representation","Busuttil, William (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","Quaglietta, E. (mentor); Rigos, K. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","To help maximize utilization of its existing infrastructure, the railway industry requires train service optimization models with headway constraints for state-of-the-art distance-to-go signalling systems. To this end, this paper introduces an approach for assessing train path feasibility in ETCS Level 2, Moving Block, and Virtual Coupling, that could be used to construct alternative graphs for timetable optimization. The methodology is the first for distance-to-go signalling systems that accounts for the impact of train acceleration and braking on the braking curve, guaranteeing a feasible and optimal timetable. The alternative graph models are specifically adapted to the train and signalling systems used, with the models for Moving Block and Virtual Coupling being the first with continuous representation of open track. The methodology is used to assess the capacity of Virtual Coupling and Moving Block, respectively, on the South West Main Line in the United Kingdom. The results show that Virtual Coupling can increase railway capacity compared to plain Moving Block, but this may depend on network topology.","ERTMS/ETCS; ETCS; ERTMS; Virtual coupling; moving block signalling; Railway traffic management; Alternative graph theory","en","student report","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Transport and Planning","",""
"uuid:4166a805-b174-493c-bc97-778341501046","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4166a805-b174-493c-bc97-778341501046","Assessing equity in regional railway corridors: Case study of the Noord-Holland Noord region","Boertje, Laurens (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor); Quaglietta, E. (mentor); Warmerdam, L.J. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","Public transport is important for society, it provides accessibility to opportunities. Accessibility is not distributed evenly. Some inhabitants are disadvantaged, which has negative impacts on society. The distribution of accessibility between inhabitants can be measured with transport equity. The PT network should be improved in order to reduce the disadvantage of inhabitant groups. It is not defined how this could be done for regional PT networks. A six step assessment methodology is created for this purpose. The assessment method addresses what objective focus should be applied to, what improvements are possible in PT networks, what measures should be applied and what the equity effects of these measures are. Application of the assessment method yields that substantial equity improvements are possible within the Alkmaar â Den Helder railway corridor. Marginal equity improvements are achieved by changing rolling stock, significant improvements with local doubling of single track and substantial improvements when additional stations are opened. The assessment methodology is also able to identify the presence of trade-offs between inhabitants by mutual comparison.","Equity; Public Transport; Railway Planning; regional transport; Rural Areas","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","","52.7307526515783, 4.841627136009172"
"uuid:cd2ff74e-bc19-4bf6-9ce5-e771fc0ec2f0","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cd2ff74e-bc19-4bf6-9ce5-e771fc0ec2f0","Implementing active control to reduce the response amplification of transition zones in railway tracks: A theoretical investigation","Ramirez, Tomas (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","van Dalen, K.N. (graduation committee); Metrikine, A. (graduation committee); Faragau, A.B. (mentor); Jain, A. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2023","br/>The maintenance and repairs of transition zones pose significant challenges in the railways industry due to their accelerated degradation rates in comparison to free tracks. These zones, characterized by track property variations, amplify their response when a source travels along the tracks. The resulting amplifications in stress and strain fields lead to differential settlements, affecting both track's stability and passenger comfort. This study investigates the influence of incorporating active control forces and moments at the interface of transition zones to mitigate the excessive degradation of soft domains.
Three 1-dimensional models are developed, which include active control forces and moments as a novel method to minimize the amplification of the response in the soft domain of transition zones, as well as, the derivation of these forces. The purpose of these three models is to give the reader an inside view of the method to derive these active control forces with models that increase in complexity.
The first model involves an Euler-Bernoulli beam resting on a piece-wise inhomogeneous Winkler foundation. The second model extends this by including a shear beam and a second layer of foundation, with the first layer being homogeneous and the second layer piece-wise inhomogeneous (Kerr foundation). The third model is a hybrid model between the first two, on which the soft domain is represented by the description of the second model, and the rigid domain by the description of the first model. Numerical solutions in the time-domain were applied to these models, and the study focused on a transition zone subjected to a constant amplitude moving load with constant velocity, traveling from a soft to stiff domain. The purpose of the first model is to give the reader a general idea on the derivation of a very simplistic model. The second model's purpose is to better represent the different elements of a railway structure, on which the shear beam and the lower layer of springs represent the mobilised soil under the tracks, while the top layer of springs and the Euler-Bernoulli beam represent the ballast, the sleepers and the rail. Finally, the third model was made to represent a transition zones, on which the soil is discontinued due to a man-made structure, e.g. a concrete bridge, which leads the structure under the ballast, in the rigid domain, to be consider infinitely stiff and to be represented just by an Euler-Bernoulli beam on a Winkler foundation.
Findings reveal that the active control forces and moments are capable of fully mitigating the dynamic amplification in soft domains of transition zones, however, they increase the dynamic amplifications in the stiff domain. Moreover, the shape that these forces take over time is dictated by the interaction between both domains of the transition zone, when the interface of the transition zone has continuous elements, the forces take a similar shape to the eigenfield of the system, while when there is discontinuous elements over the interface, the forces take a 'flipping' shape. Furthermore, of the two parameters studied (velocity of the moving load and vertical stiffness), the dominating parameter in the response of the system depends upon the regime that the system is being subjected to. For relatively low and extremely high velocities of the moving load, the system is dominated by the vertical stiffness ratio, while for medium velocities of the moving load, the system is dominated by the velocity of the moving load. Finally, transition zones with discontinuous elements require significantly more energy to be absorbed and added into the system by the active control forces to mitigate the dynamic amplifications in the soft domain of the system.
These thesis offer valuable insights for preliminary designs of active control forces aimed at diminishing the dynamic amplification of soft domains of transition zones railway.","railway; transition zones; Mitigation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:80b3460c-8c87-497f-8868-a9fa579c2f4b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:80b3460c-8c87-497f-8868-a9fa579c2f4b","Guidelines for the process design of operational concepts for railway innovation: A case study for NS","van Wijk, Christine (TU Delft Technology, Policy and Management)","Annema, J.A. (mentor); de Bruijne, M.L.C. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","Technological developments in the field of digitalisation, automation and sustainability are moving fast in road transport. Without innovative developments in the railway sector, the competitive position of the sector will deteriorate. For this reason, the rail sector must innovate at a faster pace to remain competitive. Also, it is expected more rail capacity will be needed in The Netherlands to meet the expected increase in passenger demand. However, expansion of rail infrastructure is often geographically impossible, costly and realisation is time-consuming. Solutions based on new technical possibilities are necessary to innovate on the current rail network. In order to respond to the need for development, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) started the a research programme in 2019. Also, looking at literature, the need of having operational concepts is already emphasised, but there is a scarcity in literature regarding the development process for operational concepts for railway innovations.
Following the case-study approach, this research aims to learn from two railway innovation projects in practice and to improve the lack of understanding and tools available on the topic of operational concept development for multi-actor railway innovations. This is done by designing a conceptual framework that captures the key elements to include in the process to develop operational concepts. This results in the following main research question:
What are key elements to consider with regard to the process design of an operational concept for technical operational transformation railway innovations?
The current state of knowledge regarding the design of operational concepts for railway innovations is first determined through a literature review. As a result, the need and added value of an operational concept as a tool for large-scale multi-actor innovations is made clear. Developing operational concepts for railway innovation projects adds value in three dimensions. First, by creating a shared vision of the project between all stakeholders to prevent a diversity in expectations. Second, by reaching alignment between the innovation and its environment to ensure effective implementation of the operations strategy within the innovation environment. Third, by reducing future risks. By developing operational concepts, striving to identify and define concept elements early on can help to avoid costly mistakes and future hurdles.
To add empirical knowledge about operational concept development to the theoretical foundation from literature, two case-studies are conducted. The case data is compared and confronted to literature. Based on this comparison and theories from literature, a conceptual framework is developed. By abstracting the key elements included, the framework relates the research findings to broader fields of knowledge than the specific cases selected for this research. To make the framework useful for future innovation projects, guidelines for the process design of operational concepts for technical operational railway innovations are generated. The set of guidelines are:
1. Develop a strategy that captures when and how project awareness is created.
2. At some point, offer the possibility for commitment for stakeholders that have an interest in
decision-making.
3. Honour crucial company bodies and work from their perspective on the concept from the
beginning of the project programme.
4. Go through the framework elements in parallel for progression.
5. Work towards intermediate goals.
Taking in account the set of guidelines may help in achieving openness, protection of stakeholder core values, progress and substance in the process management for the development of operational concepts. The research provides an approach to get a grip on the complex development process of operational concepts for technical operational transformation projects in the railway sector.
A case study is investigated to determine modal parameters for a realized tied-arch railway bridge. The desired modal properties include the natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping parameters. The frequency domain decomposition (FDD) method is applied on a set of accelerational measurements to determine the modal parameters.
Four dominant frequencies are identified and investigated, from which the most dominant operational deflection shapes are extracted. The overall response of the structure shows great similarities with the expected mode shapes for similar bridge types. The computed modes show signs of complex behaviour, due to the characteristics of the load or the structure. An effective method to reduce uncorrelated noise is the application of an autocorrelation function (ACF) to the time domain signals, before execution of the FDD. Prior to the computation of the final results related to the case study, a simplified test case is considered to validate correctness of the FDD implementation.","Operational Modal Analysis; Dynamics of Structures; Arch bridge; Railway bridge; Frequency Domain Decomposition","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering","",""
"uuid:46aea668-f4ce-4975-8bd0-752e616801f1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:46aea668-f4ce-4975-8bd0-752e616801f1","The effectiveness of alternative graph-based rail traffic rescheduling models versus infrastructure layouts and traffic patterns","de Jong, Arnoud (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Quaglietta, E. (mentor); Correia, Gonçalo (graduation committee); Tielman, W.L. (graduation committee); Sterkenburg, R.C. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","The impact of delays and disturbances in railway traffic can be mitigated by advanced rail traffic rescheduling models (RTRMs) which make use of mathematical optimization models. In the past several researches have been carried out on the effectiveness of an RTRM in reducing delay and improving punctuality. However, in most of these researches only one case study is used to test the RTRM. Still, it is unclear whether the results found for the application of an RTRM in one particular situation, are also valid for other situations (with different infrastructural and operational characteristics).
With this research, the impact of different infrastructure layouts and traffic patterns on the effectiveness of rail traffic rescheduling models is investigated. It provides insight into whether the benefit of an RTRM depends on the infrastructure and timetable in the area where it is applied.
For this purpose, an evaluation framework has been developed in which an RTRM can be tested using different infrastructure, operational and disturbance scenarios. In this framework, the RTRM is used to generate a real-time traffic plan for each scenario. These traffic plans are compared with the traffic plans of simple dispatching rules, that can be used in practice by dispatchers. For this comparison, KPIs such as the sum of consecutive delay (amount of delay that propagates within the network) and punctuality are used. This framework is applied to an alternative graph-based RTRM, which is formulated as a MILP (mixed integer linear programming).
The results show that the improvement an RTRM can offer over simple dispatching rules, varies per infrastructure layout and traffic pattern. For some infrastructure and operational scenarios, the simple dispatching rules perform as well as the RTRM, which means that for these situations, implementing an advanced RTRM does have much added value. A trend has been observed that the effectiveness of the RTRM increases as more control options are available.","Railway traffic management; Traffic management system; Railway conflict resolution; Delay propagation; Alternative graph theory","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Transport and Planning","",""
"uuid:e1922a5c-7605-493c-8354-0b08fb13e590","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e1922a5c-7605-493c-8354-0b08fb13e590","Railway disruption management with passenger-centric rescheduling","Wentges, Berend (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering)","Liu, X. (mentor); De Schutter, B.H.K. (mentor); van den Boom, A.J.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","Railway networks are subjected to disruptions on a daily basis, which may make the timetable unimplementable, which in its turn may significantly influence passenger satisfaction. In practice, train dispatchers are responsible for mitigating the influence of disruptions, such as delays of trains, train cancellations, and overcrowdedness at stations. The solutions they propose are highly dependent on their experience, often resulting in low quality solutions. In addition, the disruptions must be solved in a matter of minutes, which is challenging because of the problem scale and computational complexity. Effective models and solution approaches are required to mitigate the influence of disruptions.
In recent decades, railway rescheduling models have been developed to support train dispatchers and to improve rail services. A recent and promising model is the event-activity network model, which is a graph-based formulation that supports a wide variety of rescheduling measures. This thesis extends the event-activity network model by including rolling stock circulation with depot entry and exit operations to increase the practicability of the operator-centric model. In addition, a passenger-centric model is proposed by embedding detailed passenger-related factors into the operator-centric model, where the train capacity is included, and the detailed number of passengers in the railway network is calculated. Therefore, the effect of delays on passengers can be handled properly. The passenger-centric model can help minimize the number of waiting passengers on platforms to avoid overcrowding and to improve passenger satisfaction. In practice, the resulting passenger-centric mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem is hard to solve due to the introduction of binary variables for train orders, which are important for calculating the detailed number of passengers. An adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm is introduced to address the complexity due to train orders and to improve the computational efficiency of the passenger-centric method. With properly designed destroy and repair operators, the ALNS algorithm can explore the solution space efficiently. Therefore, a balanced trade-off between solution time and quality can be made.
Case studies are conducted based on the train lines operating between the stations of Utrecht and 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. The simulation results show that the developed model can explicitly include the number of passengers while considering the rolling stock circulation plan. Compared to directly solving an MILP problem using a commercial solver, ALNS can calculate solutions more efficiently while maintaining a high level of solution quality.","railway; disruption management; Optimization","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Control","",""
"uuid:69aafb5b-9c75-4eee-b968-b30d00d37180","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:69aafb5b-9c75-4eee-b968-b30d00d37180","A Data-Driven Approach for Generation of Tactical Planning Rules Regarding Buffer Time in Initial Railway Timetables: A Case Study on the Differentiation of Buffer Times in the Railway Timetable of Nederlandse Spoorwegen","Bouman, Susan (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); BeĆĄinoviÄ, Nikola (mentor); Fazi, S. (mentor); Looij, P. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","Despite advanced communication, monitoring, and control facilities, train operations are still subject to uncertainties that can disturb train services, cause delay to multiple trains, and propagate through the network. One option is to mitigate delay propagation in the timetable design by adding buffer time to the minimum difference between the time two successive train of either direction enter a section. It is still common practice to design buffer times based on a deterministic value, decreasing operational capacity and requiring large amount of manual checking by planners. Existing approaches to effectively allocate buffer time in timetables lack flexibility and require an initial timetable. In this paper, a data-driven approach for determination of buffer time planning rules suitable for usage in an initial timetable is presented. These planning rules are not necessarily generic, but rather depend on timetable characteristic. Two metrics that describe delay propagation, mean secondary delay and hindrance percentage, are extracted from literature and predicted in a regression analysis with the use of timetable characteristics related to headway situations of two succeeding trains. The results of the regression analysis on a case study of the Dutch railway network between Haarlem, Leiden Centraal and Schiphol Airport are used to determine the amount of scheduled buffer time that would ensure a certain amount of hindrance percentage given a specific headway situation. The results show that the mean secondary delay and hindrance percentage for various headway situations can both be predicted with an accuracy of 90.7\% based on timetable characteristics and is quite heterogeneous. Mean secondary delay appeared not significantly impacted by the scheduled buffer time, contrary to hindrance percentage which is significantly influenced by the scheduled buffer time.","Railways; Timetable design; Buffer time; Data-driven; Multiple linear regression; Delay propagation; Secondary delay; Hindrance percentage","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:787b4453-075f-49de-a900-ce3797b1364b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:787b4453-075f-49de-a900-ce3797b1364b","The design of a modular and reusable biocomposite railway footbridge","Jilderda, Diederik (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Smits, J.E.P. (mentor); Bilow, M. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","In a constantly evolving urban environment, it is important that we design structures with future adaptability in mind. Bridges for example can have very long life spans, but within their life span their use might change or even become obsolete. Disposing of the bridge, which can still be in perfectly good shape, would be a terrible waste of resources.
As a more innovative approach, in this thesis a modular and reusable railway footbridge is designed so that the bridge can be assembled and reassembled based on changing local requirements. To further improve its sustainable character, the choice of main structural material is basalt fiber reinforced polylactic acid, which is a more sustainable alternative to regular FRP.
The conclusion of this thesis is a design which shows methods to demonstrate the modular and demountable character of the bridge, using mainly bolted and pinned connections between the modules.","bridge design; FRP; basalt fiber; modular; reusable; demountable; railway","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","",""
"uuid:1a8b5347-d5d0-4a2b-9cc8-fc0fa6342e28","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1a8b5347-d5d0-4a2b-9cc8-fc0fa6342e28","A heuristic method for the distribution of freight wagons on a rail yard taking into account dangerous goods","Kwee, Brian (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Goverde, R.M.P. (graduation committee); Nunez, Alfredo (mentor); Godziejewski, Bogdan (mentor); van Hesse, Mark (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","A heuristic method for the operation of shunting yards is created that considers the sorting process of wagons with dangerous goods. This concerns shunting yards where the wagons are distributed manually, and communication takes place by telephone. The first problem is that an entire train is considered dangerous if there is a wagon with dangerous goods on the accompanying wagon list. The wagon list shows where each wagon is positioned within a train composition. Due to safety regulations, a certain distance must be kept between wagons for certain dangerous goods classes. Because entire trains are considered dangerous, adjacent tracks must be left empty. This is at the expense of the capacity of the yard.
The second problem is that the wagon list is not 100% correct due to human errors. Random checks show that the wagon list does not always turn out to be correct and that mistakes are made in creating the list. Therefore, smart camera techniques have been developed to detect which wagon contains which dangerous goods on arrival to confirm the wagon list. This opens up new possibilities concerning the sorting strategy of wagons from the arrival track onto the classification tracks in accordance with their destination.
Research is done to find out what this new sorting strategy should look like. Therefore, the following research question is formulated: âWhat kind of method can distribute wagons, including wagons carrying dangerous goods, on a rail yard, considering safety?â. In order to answer the research question, qualitative research was carried out into the various existing strategies and methods that could be applied. A model is created in which wagons are sorted over classification tracks. The model chooses the track on which the wagons should be placed based on the destination. Specific attention is given to wagons with dangerous goods, for which the model ensures that a specific distance is kept from other wagons on the (neighboring) classification tracks. The model then determines the most appropriate departure time, and the train departs. Different scenarios are tested that the model has to deal with. A distinction is made here between whether the number of classification tracks is equal or not equal to the number of destinations, and whether the rate of dangerous goods over the destinations is equal or not. This makes a total of four scenarios that have been tested.
The effect of using a buffer on the track is examined so that a wagon carrying dangerous goods never stands next to another wagon carrying dangerous goods of a different class if they are not allowed to stand together. This is tested in the model, and the output showed the placement of the wagons and the processing times.
The aim of this research is to design the sections and their connection. The design requirements and calculation methods used are based upon the Eurocodes. The design is considered to be part of the preliminary design phase of a project. Unity checks of the cross-section and deflection are calculated by use of linear mechanics. An FE model with beam elements is created to determine the force distribution of the bridge and calculate deflection. The strength and stiffness of the connection are calculated using empirical and plastic mechanic methods given in the standards. The resulting stiffness is used in the model to determine the final deflection when accounting for the semi-rigid joint.
The design consists of timber and steel box girders that only carry a single track. On top of the support, a slender stiffened steel box girder of 10 m length is situated, 5 m to both sides. Between the steel sections, there are timber box girder sections of 40 m that have very thick flanges and webs. On top of the structure lies a slab track that is only considered as weight. A dowel-type connection is used with double slotted-in steel plates in all flanges and webs of the timber section. The slotted-in plates have a slightly smaller width than the timber elements and have a depth of around 2.7 m. The steel fasteners are simple dowels.
This thesis has found that a timber and steel beam bridge with box girder cross-sections is governed by the creep deflection, shear strength of the timber, fatigue strength of the steel, and the dimensional stability of the connection. Except for the last issue, each of these limits can be satisfied by increasing the dimensions of each cross-section. Dimensional stability is the timber size change due to moisture content variation. The perpendicular-to-grain stresses become too large due to the configuration of the steel in the connection. The use of modified timber, which decreases the dimensional stability effect drastically, is only suggested as a solution.
An architecturally pleasing structure is designed by adding very limited visual elements but mainly practical and structural elements that have two functions, shown in the figure below. The desired continuity and bridge rhythm is accomplished via a line concept. The abrupt material cross-section changes are partly covered by continuous timber elements. From the practical and architectural adjustments, new cross-section dimensions were determined. The governing unity checks of the new design were calculated and showed the possibility of the design under the assumption the connection shrinkage issue is resolved.
Thus a timber and steel railway bridge has potential. It should be stressed that methods and factors from the Eurocodes are assumed to be applicable to the large timber box girder sections. This assumption is recommended to be checked by means of experimental research on large timber specimens. Additional research on the semi-rigid is advised, as introducing slotted-in steel plates in the web and flange plane can significantly improve the moment capacity.
Finally, two alternative suggestions are given to avoid solving the dimensional stability issue. The first is to design a bridge with lower loading demands, like a road bridge. Secondly, the bridge can be made of only timber sections. Alternating spans would have two hinged connections to form a continuous cantilevered bridge. While the first alternative creates easier circumstances to solve for dimensional stability, the second alternative completely removes the issue by having a connection with lower demands. It is recommended to incorporate connections early on in timber design.","Timber; Steel; Railway bridge; Stringer bridge; Box girder; Preliminary design; Preliminary dynamic analysis; Preliminary fatigue analysis; Dowel-type connection; Slotted-in steel plates; Architectural design","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering","",""
"uuid:fb72f2fa-1a6b-4270-8d29-cfff45ba1e6e","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fb72f2fa-1a6b-4270-8d29-cfff45ba1e6e","How cities are shaped: Railway colonization of Harbin and Changchun in Manchuria from 1895 to 1945","Wu, Xinyue (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment; TU Delft History & Complexity)","Lee, Rachel (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","Harbin and Changchun, although geographically adjacent to Manchuria, developed different architectural styles and urban forms due to completely different planning and colonization strategies during the colonization process from 1895 to 1945. The study contains an analysis summarizing the historical and cultural context and land treaties. Based on the redrawing of the master plan and historical photographic evidence, several possibilities that could lead to the differences are analyzed to illustrate how the two cities were shaped.","AR2A011; Railway colonization; Manchuria; Harbin and Changchun; Planning methods","en","student report","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","AR2A011",""
"uuid:cc342789-d00c-4466-87f1-57763661dd15","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cc342789-d00c-4466-87f1-57763661dd15","Assessing Moving Block Railway Capacity Based on Fixed Block Infrastructure Occupation","van der Meulen, Martijn (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Quaglietta, E. (graduation committee); Krishnakumari, P.K. (graduation committee); Middelkoop, Dick (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2022","Moving block signalling promises a significant reduction of the infrastructure occupation compared to a fixed block system, such as NSâ54/ATB. This is mainly caused by a strong reduction of the approach and running time. However, to assess the capacity gains track occupation data, such as blocking times are needed. ETCS L3 Moving Block is still in development, so gathering data out of daily operations is not possible. Also gathering moving block data out of simulation isnât always a convenient solution. For example, in simulation software FRISO, used at ProRail, ETCS L3 Moving Block is not (yet) implemented.
With infrastructure data, rolling stock parameters and planned time-distance data, blocking times for a moving block signalling system can be estimated. The model presented in this thesis has an average error of 0.87s to the blocking time. In 95% of the cases the error is within a range of (-3,3) seconds. Given that ProRail plans with a precision of 6 seconds, it can be concluded that the model both precise as accurate. With the blocking times of all trains, bottlenecks in both railway corridors and complex nodes can be identified. One could sum all blocking times per block and consider blocks with the highest summed blocking times as bottleneck. However, this can only be applied for homogeneous traffic situations. Another approach is identifying bottlenecks by the shortest buffer time between two trains, also called a critical block. This can be applied for both homogeneous as heterogeneous traffic situations. An advantage is that it is not needed to split corridors into line sections. One could analyse a whole network at once and identify bottleneck at a microscopic level. By keeping the same timetable, the buffer time between two trains increases on average by 75 seconds (60%) using moving block over NSâ54.
First, a literature review was conducted to assess knowledge on this issue and analyse methods to model train-track systems. Next, based on the literature review, parameters were identified which could influence the rail wear process, e.g. tram velocity, primary yaw stiffness or rail hardness. An evaluation of available data on those parameters at GVB was made. Data that was available and deemed essential was aligned and later used as input for a rail wear prediction model for the tramway of Amsterdam. The essential data analyses are the velocity analysis and wheel qR decay analysis. A tool was developed to obtain a detailed profile of driven velocities at the tram network, based on massive daily data from all the trams. Wheel measurement data from all the trams in the network were analysed to assess the wear of the tram wheels. Statistics were obtained over six years of wheel measurement data measured twice per year per tram. Besides, the usage data processed for inclusion in the model are tonnage, vehicle type distribution, amount of coupled vehicles and average vehicle loading.
Furthermore, more than six hundred simulations were performed at DEKRA rail with GVB tram models in VAMPIRE, to obtain more insight into tram curving behaviour. Based on the simulation outcomes, relationships between energy dissipation (\(T_{\gamma}\)) and radius, velocity, flange angle, vehicle loading and -type were derived. Those relationships were obtained per wheel and aggregated per tram passage. Finally, a rail wear model was made, which combines the relationships derived from the simulations, track characteristics and usage data about the curves. The energy dissipation (\(T_{\gamma}\)) was used as a wear indicator by the prediction model.
From the velocity analysis, trams generally keep to the speed limits, but trams drive too fast at specific curves. The wheel analysis showed qR at the tram's front wheels decays considerably faster than other wheels. Combino tram type's wheel decay was poorer than the older BN tram type. From the simulations, wheel wear has the most adverse effect on rail wear in curves. Increased vehicle velocity or amount of passengers also has a considerable negative influence on rail wear. The expected wear rises exponentially if the curve radius decreases. Also, the dependency on velocity increases exponentially when the curve radius decreasesâŠ
In this thesis, the use of a DFIM for a train application has been reviewed. A linear DFIM has been designed in a previous work \cite{Becetti2021}, whose parameters are used in this thesis to simulate the concept. A controller is to be designed which allows the prescribed use of simultaneous propelling and charging. This thesis explores the requirements and possible controller candidates for the train application, which is followed by simulation and laboratory testing.
The application for a vehicle drive provides unique objectives and restrictions. One of the most restricting elements is that preferably no trackside (stator) quantities should be required for the control of the DFIM. After all, requiring trackside quantities would require a critical very dependable communication link between the track and vehicle. For this reason, estimation methods have been selected to control the vehicle with only vehicle-side measurements.
Three main categories of controllers have been identified: field-oriented control, direct torque control, and model predictive control. It has been found that each controller family has its advantages and disadvantages, and the best controller depends on the final system design of the train system. Field oriented controllers have the lowest current ripple, and can therefore be very predictable and efficient. Direct torque control is best used if it becomes very important to keep the final algorithm very simple. A model predictive controller excels if additional constraints are required, such as when using a multilevel inverter that requires balancing. This thesis provides a selection that can be used to make a decision in a later stage.
The operational principle of the train with the DFIM has been verified with a simplified laboratory test. A rotary DFIM has been powered with a fixed grid frequency-powered stator and an inverter-controlled rotor. Using a simplified control algorithm, the experiments have verified that the DFIM can be used to charge the vehicle at a high efficiency of up to 85\%, and that the DFIM can indeed be used to simultaneously charge the vehicle and provide a tractive force. Additionally, a Simulink-simulation is performed where the performance of the linear DFIM design is validated. It has been concluded that the DFIM is an attractive candidate for use with a linear motor-driven train since it can indeed fulfil the roles of both motor and charger simultaneously and efficiently.","machine drive; DFIM; doubly-fed induction machine; Electric machine; Electric Vehicle; railway; Wireless Charging","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Electrical Engineering | Sustainable Energy Technology","","51.99710270392556, 4.37484160171474"
"uuid:2f21b343-5cbd-4ea4-8406-fe9be8e654c1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2f21b343-5cbd-4ea4-8406-fe9be8e654c1","Introducing light rail vehicles on historical railway lines","Roodenburg, Wessel (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Markine, V.L. (graduation committee); Li, Z. (graduation committee); Schrik, E. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","Transport by rail has taken Europe by storm ever since their introduction in the 19th century. Developments in the past 150 years have led to the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of various rail connections. In the Netherlands, a small number of lines in its more rural parts no longer have any standard passenger services and are now in use as museum lines, with purposes more focused on tourism and the preservation of history.
This report analyses the possibilities of the reactivation of the Hoorn-Medemblik museum railway line through the use of light rail vehicles. The line is currently only used for a historic tram service as a touristic attraction.
Aspects this report covers are an analysis of the area in which the railway is located and a provisional program of requirements and desires. A legal, infrastructural and traction related framework in which the basic principles and limitations of a revived passenger service are considered. The report specifies and recommends basic operational details on the basis of this.","museum railway; historical railway; railway; passenger services; light rail","en","bachelor thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:22e8d1c6-4268-440e-b804-68aad4615768","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:22e8d1c6-4268-440e-b804-68aad4615768","A data-driven approach for evaluating the resilience of railway networks","Knoester, Max (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (graduation committee); BeĆĄinoviÄ, Nikola (mentor); Afghari, A.P. (graduation committee); van Egmond, J. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","Disruptions occur frequently in railway networks, requiring adjustments to the timetable, rolling stock planning and crew planning while causing delays and cancellations. Although the evoluÂtion of system performance during a disruption can be visualized in the resilience curve, not much is known about performance during disruptions or the extent to which the curve applies in practice. The limited quantitative knowledge about the resilience of railway networks makes it hard to design appropriate recovery measures. In this thesis, a data-driven evaluation approach is presented to make an ex post assessment of the resilience of railway networks. Several resilience metrics are extracted from literature and two new resilience metrics are introduced. Using historical traffic realization data, resilience curves are reconstructed for a large and heterogeneous set of single disruptions and are quantified in terms of the resilience metrics. Among others, the values of the resilience metrics are compared across disruptions of different causes using Welchâs ANOVA and the Games-Howell test. The approach is applied to a case study of the Dutch railway network, with a focus on the five most common disruption causes. The results of the case study show that there is significant heterogeneity in the shape of the resilience curve, even within disruptions of the same cause. Train defects are found to be the least impactful disruptions on multiple resilience metrics, while collisions are found to be the most impactful disruptions on multiple resilience metrics. The successful application of the approach shows that it can be used by practitioners to assess which types and which parts of disruptions deserve attention to improve disruption management practices, and thus, improve resilience.","Railways; Resilience; Bathtub model; Disruption management; Data-driven; ANOVA","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:a01bd2e8-d05c-4794-ac6b-2d6b9fad9d3c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a01bd2e8-d05c-4794-ac6b-2d6b9fad9d3c","Circularity in Railway: How circularity can be applied in railway","Kloet, Julia (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Cao, Wen-Jun (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","","Circularity; sustainability; railway","en","bachelor thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:1551f178-4bb8-4697-87ba-ddac3531b630","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1551f178-4bb8-4697-87ba-ddac3531b630","Predicting track quality using structural elements and relative track geometry data measured by RILA: A Machine Learning Classification approach","El Laham, Karim (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Dollevoet, R.P.B.J. (graduation committee); Wegdam, J.J.J. (mentor); Wang, Haoyu (graduation committee); Sepasian, Neda (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","Track quality measures differ from standard to standard. Widely used indices for track quality are the standard deviations of the rail longitudinal level data and the standard deviations of alignment data. Researchers have opted for various learning methods as to relate track quality to different parameters. Some research has gone to the point of using track quality interchangeably with the notion of defect density. What is common in all researches is that a track quality index is used as label for predictions. The differences are inherent to the variables/features that were chosen to conduct such predictions. With the plethora of data at the hands of asset managers nowadays, it has become easier to opt for these learning methods. Machine Learning classification is a method wherein a number of features are used to classify a datapoint into a label. With thorough learning, by inputting the features, the label would then be predicted. The features of interest in this project are structural elements describing the track sections. This can go from the sleeper type and subsoil type all the way to the distance from the nearest switch or bridge. This will allow for the relationships between the structural elements and the trackâs quality to be bolstered all the while creating a predictor based on data that need not be measured. The research question is thus formulated as follows: How to relate track quality in a section to its surrounding structural elements and form a predictor out of it? 1.What structural elements are to be studied? 2.How to automate the generation of the features? 3.Which classifier algorithm yields the most accurate predictions? 4.Which structural features are the most important in predicting track quality? The research question is divided into 4 sub-research questions each pertaining to a part of the research. 1.Decide on which structural elements are the most relevant for the study. Some elements may be redundant with respect to other elements. For instance, subsoil type and ballast settlement could form a redundancy. This will be decided on from the literature. This part will contribute to a section in the thesis in which a strong relation will be drawn with respect to the courses taken and studied at the TU Delft. 2.Data Gathering is a huge part of this research. Input data will be from Fugroâs relative track geometry data and KRDZ data. In addition, ProRailâs informatieportaal, which is a website containing all the railway assets and their locations on the map will also be of huge aid to gather the structural elements data. The answer to this sub-research question lies in automating the structural feature generation, making them ready for learning. 3.Running the Machine Learning classification code on sections of a real-life track and comparing the accuracies of each classification algorithm as to come up with recommendations for future work. 4.Some machine learning algorithms, namely the random forest classifier have in their output an importance of features measure. This will give us insight on which structural elements affect track quality the most, which would allow for better resource allocation in the long run. In the goal of answering all the research questions and to realize the research objective, an outline of the research is included in this report along with a workflow diagram. The project has shown that predicting track quality using structural elements and relative track geometry can be done using classification methods, on the condition that the predicted track and the trained track have similar feature importance values, and that structural features that are displayed in the track to predict are also available in the trained model.","Railway Maintenance; Machine Learning; Structural Engineering","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2026-08-01","","","","Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering","",""
"uuid:2526f12b-42d3-4657-ba36-ba37a33c69f0","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2526f12b-42d3-4657-ba36-ba37a33c69f0","Circular Economy Evaluation of Urban Railway Infrastructure","Harale, Kunal (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Chan, P.W.C. (graduation committee); Liu, X. (mentor); Di Maio, F. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","The European construction sector is responsible for the consumption of almost 32% of total raw material for realizing its projects (Benachio, Freitas, & Tavares , 2020). On a national level, this amount results to almost 50% for the Dutch construction industry (Nellssen, et al., 2018). The ever-growing population stresses the need for sufficient infrastructure and services which only results in an increase in demand and eventually an increase in resource consumption. The current trend of linear model, wherein the virgin raw materials are used to construct end products and eventually discarded at its end of life, poses a major threat for raw material extinction, and adds to the problem of excessive resource consumption. A viable solution for this problem is the introduction of circular economy concepts that aim at closing the raw material loops by considering all the current and future life cycle phases of a product in the initial development stages. Since the launch of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) in 2010, circular economy (CE) has gained considerable attention. EMF defines circular economy as âa regenerative system that aims to keep materials in a closed loop at their highest valueâ (Foundation, Cities in the circular economy: An initial exploration , 2017, page 7). CE focuses on much more than reduction of waste through recycling and aims at reducing the consumption of raw materials, designing products such that they can easily be disassembled and reused and extending product lifespan through maintenance and repair. CE differentiates the gradation options that help keep the materials and components within the loop by options such as refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, etc. One of the important parts of any city is its transport infrastructure that can also make use of the circularity principle. For many developed and developing countries, transport infrastructure accounts for the largest proportion of a countryâs budget of any public-works program and consequently also play an important part in a nationâs economic and regional development. Studies show that current developing research of circular economy seldom focuses on the assessment of such transport infrastructure. Therefore, the main focus of this study is to understand the barriers of circular economy and to develop an assessment framework that can help the evaluation of transport infrastructure in terms of circularity.","Circular Economy; Railway; Infrastructure; life cycle; urban; Netherlands; Circularity assessment; Circularity Tool","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineering","",""
"uuid:5cf36270-9dce-4968-835b-cc0f113a5ab3","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5cf36270-9dce-4968-835b-cc0f113a5ab3","Design of a Measurement Sleeper: For the purpose of validating models of ballasted railway tracks","Bolhuis, Remco (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","van Dalen, K.N. (mentor); Jain, A. (graduation committee); Metrikine, A. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","An important subject in the research on the behaviour of railway structures is the validation of numerical models by means of in-track measurements. Many forms of track measurements have taken place all over the world, mainly in the sense of strain and acceleration measurements, but a more unexplored area is that of the direct measurement of stresses in the ballast.
The aim of this research is to find the best way to equip a railway sleeper with measuring instruments in order to use it for validation of computational models. The sleeper must be able to measure the the vertical velocity of the sleeper as well as the normal stresses on the ballast-sleeper interface over time.
In order to predict the quantities to be measured, a finite element model was build for this research with the Kratos open source software package. The model comprises one single sleeper on top of a volume of ballast, both in solid elements. A dynamic load was applied vertically on top of the sleeper to simulate the passing of a double axle bogie. Linear elastic springs were fixed on top of the sleeper to represent force of the rail pulling the sleeper back to its initial place.
In order to analyse the effect of hanging sleepers, interface elements were used in between the ballast and the sleeper to simulate hanging gaps. The idea is that these elements transfer no stresses when the surfaces are physically separated, and adopt Mohr-Coulomb criteria as soon as the surfaces approach each other. This method turned out to be very difficult to implement, despite numerous discussion with the software engineer it was not possible to script this in the FE software in such a way that all calculations converged without any errors.
During the modelling of the sleeper, it was found that the forces on the sleeper are highly dependent on the resistance of the rail. The rails have such a high bending stiffness that they hardly show any curvature over the length of only a few meters, so the sag of the rail is mainly dependent on the behavior of the surrounding sleepers. It was concluded that, to get a good picture of the behaviour, it is not sufficient to model only one individual sleeper, but it is necessary to look at a larger part of the railway track in order to involve the coupling between the sleepers.
The results from the computational model were used to determine the magnitude range and the frequency domain of the values to be measured, in order to be able to select the right measuring instruments. The results were also used to select the right positions for the sensors on the sleeper. Due to the constraints described above, a certain margin of uncertainty has been adopted.
The vertical speed of the sleeper is best measured with accelerometers, the large amount of previous applications of this type of measurement has shown that this measurement works well and will not lead to problems.
It was considered to use pressure cells for the measurement of interface stresses, though this device turned out to be difficult to fix at the sleeper and it gives very little information on the distribution of stresses. It was concluded that the best way to measure the ballast-sleeper interface stresses is by using the matrix based tensile surface sensor (MBTSS). This instrument is able to capture the stress distribution on a surface over time, by measuring the electrical current flow through a matrix of conductive lines, the current is resisted when certain forces are applied on the surface. Tekscan is a manufacturer that offers a wide range of MBTSS types, including sensors previously used in railway measurements. A certain protection will be needed to protect the sensor from being damaged by the ballast particles.
Previous applications of MBTSS in railway structures showed the calibration of the sensor to be very difficult. This presumably has to do with the way the stresses are distributed over the sensor surface. Since the stresses of the ballast are often compressed to very small contact points, it should be made sure the stresses will not get lost between the sensels, that are the points on the surface where the stress magnitudes are measured. The advice is to cover the MBTSS with an under sleeper pad, this is a relatively stiff mat that, in addition to offering protection to the sensors, also spreads the ballast forces. Laboratory tests will have to be performed in advance of the field measurement to test whether a correct calibration is possible. It can not be made sure that a fully successful calibration method will be found and therefor additional measurements are recommended for a validation for the stress magnitudes. A first validation can be found by equating the sum of the vertical forces with the mass times the acceleration of the sleeper. To find the sum of the vertical forces, the load on top of the sleeper at the rail-sleeper connection, has to be measured as well. This can be realized by placing MBTSS between the baseplate of the rail and the sleeper. Similar measurements described in literature proved this type of measurement to be feasible. Furthermore, the result of the acceleration measurement will have to be used here as well. A second validation can be performed by determining the moment distribution over the length of the sleeper, this can be conformed to the magnitude and distribution of the vertical stresses on the sleeper. The most reliable way to perform this validation is by using fiber measurements to find the moment distribution over the whole of the length. The most important positions over the length of the sleeper are under the rails and in the middle of the sleeper, because the peaks in the moment distribution are expected here based on the computational model calculations.
L_p, the reorder level s and the order up-to level S. The minimisation of these decision variables is performed through surrogate modelling, a branch of machine learning optimisation techniques which deals with complex black-box functions. It does so by running experiments and estimating a surrogate function which in turn is optimised mathematically. Multiple surrogate modelling methods are compared in experiments to test their performance, speed and stability. These experiments showed that the Tree-structured Parzen Estimator algorithm as used in the HyperOpt Python library was one of the best performing methods (only rivaled by the MVRSM algorithm), moreover it was shown to be the fastest as well as the most stable of the tested algorithms for this particular problem application. This research contributes to the existing theory by creating a modelling framework for the joint optimisation of spare inventory and maintenance scheduling decisions which is specifically tailored to the railway context and includes possibilities for minimal maintenance. In practice this model can be used by maintenance providers to increase the financial success of their maintenance operations and by infrastructure managers to increase insight into their maintenance providers' operations.","Spare part avaialbility; Inventory control; Maintenance Scheduling; Surrogate modelling; Simulation; Operations research; Railways; Optimisation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:feab3710-a42d-4ba6-a2d2-40e7b4fa619a","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:feab3710-a42d-4ba6-a2d2-40e7b4fa619a","Quantifying track condition based on soil properties","Schoorl, Jinse (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Nunez, Alfredo (graduation committee); El Laham, K. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","Soil is an important part of a railway track structure. It provides the foundation for the structure and distributes the imposed loads. Consequently, soil has an influence on the condition of a track structure and a low quality soil can ultimately cause failure of the track structure. To be able to include the condition of a soil in the assessment on track quality, the following research question is posed:
âWhat is the quantitative influence of soil on the track condition for the railway tracks between Utrecht and Den Bosch?â
To be able to answer the research question, first the influence of soil on track condition is distinguished. The most important failure types, progressive shear failure and excessive plastic deformation, are best characterised by the strength of the soil and the deformation of the tracks respectively. For these characteristics a method is developed, which assesses the track condition. For strength a bearing capacity approach is used and for deformations a beam-on-an-elastic-foundation model is used. The process of the method is illustrated by executing it for a specific trajectory, being the Utrecht-Den Bosch line in the Netherlands. To take into account the variability of different soils, the soil type and some specific soil parameters derived from Cone Penetration Tests are determined and applied in the calculations for the assessment.
From the results can be concluded that for the Utrecht-Den Bosch line, the track quality considering passenger trains will either deteriorate limitedly or not at all. This is the case for quality related to both strength and deformation. For cargo trains, the quality related to deformation is such that limited deterioration can be expected. For strength, however, a large number of sections has a condition varying between the failure level and the desired level, which means that significant deterioration is possible, though, there are sections with higher quality as well.
The choice is often made to model the railway track an elastically supported beam. This elastic foundation represents the supporting structure of the railway tracks and its stiffness is based on static load cases. This 1D model is often used due to its relative simplicity compared to other more complicated multidimensional models. This model has been thoroughly analyzed and it has turned out to have an important constraint which is its inability to result in a critical velocity that makes sense for railway tracks. The critical velocity of a railway track is that velocity at which waves travel near the surface of the subsoil of the supporting structure. A vehicle that moves with a velocity close to the critical velocity of the railway track causes a strong amplification of the response. Another important constraint of this model is the fact that there is no possibility to directly adjust the stiffness properties of the different components of which the railway track exists individually.
It is opted in this thesis to adjust the previously mentioned 1D model by the addition of a distributed mass and an extra elastic layer. The upper elastic layer represents the pads and the lower elastic layer represents the remaining of the supporting structure. The idea behind the addition of the distributed mass is to include the activated mass of the supporting structure by the moving load. This is done in order to take the dynamical behavior of the supporting structure into account and thus obtain realistic critical velocities. The idea behind the addition of an elastic layer is that it enables to adjust the stiffness of the pads individually. By using this model one can thus modify the stiffness of the pads at transition zones and study whether it is possible to decrease the degradation which is the initial goal of all studies on transition zones.
In this thesis the adjusted model is analyzed thoroughly for different physical phenomena. Such analyses cannot be found in the literature, to the best of the authors knowledge. The system response has been investigated for a uniformly moving load of a constant magnitude. This has been done for homogeneous properties of the elastic layers and for an abrupt jump in the stiffness of the lower layer. Attention has been given to both the displacement fields of the rails and energy propagation in the system. Also a numerical model has been formulated for other load cases and stiffness properties. In order to simulate infinite system behavior non-reflective boundary conditions have been derived and applied to the numerical model. It has been found that indeed a far more realistic critical velocity can be obtained by making use of the adjusted model. It has furthermore turned out that the system response at a transition zone are very similar for both models for the same ratio of load velocity to the critical velocity. The adjusted model has been investigated extensively in this thesis and it can thus be used as a reference work for future researchers that wish to apply the model. The research that should be performed next in the authors view is to investigate the possibility of reducing the degradation at transition zones by adjusting the stiffness of the pads.","Structural Dynamics; Railways; Transition Radiation; Winkler foundation; Critical Velocity; non-reflective boundary condition; infinite structures; One-dimensional","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:989a13bb-830f-473e-9314-02a62c930a90","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:989a13bb-830f-473e-9314-02a62c930a90","Rail Line Detection Based Photogrammetry: Using image content knowledge to improve 3D reconstruction of railway tracks","Prins, Hessel (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Lindenbergh, R.C. (mentor); Nan, L. (graduation committee); Nunez, Alfredo (graduation committee); Voûte, R.L. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","An increasing load on the Dutch rail network requires new solutions for railway monitoring as increasing wear and tighter schedules limit the possibilities of regular maintenance. UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) based photogrammetry is such a solution which limits the presence of people near the railway and train hindrance. Photogrammetric feature extraction methods struggle with extracting features from the rusty rail and reflective roll band. Therefore line features are used to aid reconstruction. Based on SfM (Structure-from-Motion) camera parameters, a line-based reconstruction is created of two data-sets. a A line detection algorithm is used to find line segments in the images. Found segments are matched between pairs of images by pixel window cross-correlation and geometric boundaries. Matched segments are then compared to find sets of three matching images. Reconstruction is done by minimizing line reprojection error in an iterative least squares solution. Results show promise for manually matched segments, however unfavourable automatic matching results prevent large scale reconstruction. A case study reveals matching struggles with camera rotation between images, matching problem mitigation leaves much room for improvement.","Photogrammetry; Railways; Line detection","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:b41f4ac8-a0d1-4697-83e2-5830a3cfeccb","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b41f4ac8-a0d1-4697-83e2-5830a3cfeccb","Capacity benefits of Virtual Coupling over ETCS L3 Moving Block in a realistic operational environment","Spartalis, Panagiotis (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Quaglietta, E. (graduation committee); Wang, M. (graduation committee); van Koningsbruggen, P. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","As the demand for transport of goods and passengers increases, the capacity of railway networks is becoming more and more saturated. Railway infrastructure managers aim to increase the rail network capacity with the minimum possible investments in infrastructure. Next generation signalling concepts such as Moving Block (MB) and Virtual Coupling (VC) are expected to bring significant capacity benefits to railway corridors. The aim of this thesis is to identify capacity benefits of Virtual coupling over ETCS L3 MB considering a realistic operational setup, where different rolling stock characteristics, driving behavior and traffic information updates exist. Inspired by safety distance car-following models, the multi-state train-following model developed by Quaglietta et al. (2020) is enhanced with a dynamic term, called Dynamic Safety Margin (DSM). The DSM ensures that the following train can come to a standstill at any time applying service braking, even in the worst-case scenario when the leading train applies emergency braking. The DSM accounts for positioning errors, the Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication update delay, different train control delay times, and braking capabilities of trains running as a convoy. An One-at-a-time (OAT) sensitivity analysis of the proposed model is conducted to evaluate the importance of selected model parameters in railway capacity. The model parameters under investigation concern the V2V update delay, the train control delay time, and the braking rate of the following train. The braking rate of the following train is proved to have a significant impact on railway capacity, implying that trains with better braking performance imply shorter time headways. To identify potential capacity benefits of the proposed model over ETCS L3 MB, operational scenarios are executed through microscopic simulation in the EGTRAIN tool. The scenarios consider three different rolling stock types, being suburban, regional, and intercity trains. For trains running on open track without stops, the proposed model promises the highest capacity benefits over ETCS L3 MB, for trains with improved braking and acceleration characteristics. For train services with stops, all the train convoy combinations show promising capacity benefits, which are higher for heterogeneous train convoys. Moreover, headways can be reduced to the minimum possible when faster trains follow slower trains. Finally, this model enables multiple train convoy formation based on a predecessor-follower communication topology, where a safety distance is always ensured between trains.","Virtual coupling; Dynamic safety margin; Safe train separation; Sensitivity analysis; Railway capacity","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Transport and Planning","",""
"uuid:75c6790f-7faa-4831-91e4-6dd6b0fcb92c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:75c6790f-7faa-4831-91e4-6dd6b0fcb92c","Machine Learning-based Classification of Different 3D Point Cloud Data of Railway Environments using Random Forest and DGCNN","PAPALEXIOU, ANNIE (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences; TU Delft Geoscience and Remote Sensing)","Lindenbergh, R.C. (mentor); Glassmeier, F. (mentor); Nunez, Alfredo (mentor); Voûte, R.L. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","Although monitoring and maintenance of railways is important to ensure safety and avoid delays and financial losses, it is still mainly based on human inspection. The complexity of a railway along with the large area it extends makes manual monitoring difficult and time-consuming. The increasing availability of 3D acquisition technologies has made point clouds a widely used 3D data form. Thus, identifying the key components of a railway and its environment using 3D point cloud data can be the first step for automating this procedure. The past years, machine learning has become the most popular subfield of artificial intelligence used for various different applications, with its subfield of deep learning evolving dramatically. Although deep learning has been vastly researched on 2D data, applying deep learning on 3D point clouds can be challenging due to the irregularity, unstructuredness and unorderedness of such data. To overcome those challenges, recent approaches use projection or voxelization, while the latest methods focus on working directly on raw point cloud data.
In the present research, 2 machine learning methods are implemented to classify 3D point cloud data of railway environments into 7 categories of rails, sleepers, track bed, masts, overhead wires, trees and other. To this end, the ensemble method of Random Forest, and the deep learning method of DGCNN (Dynamic Graph Convolutional Neural Network) are implemented. While Random Forest is a simple and handy ensemble algorithm used for a wide range of applications, DGCNN is a deep learning method based on PointNet, the pioneer method on raw point clouds, and graph CNNs. The methods are validated under 3 case studies, produced by structure from motion photogrammetry, airborne laser scanning and terrestrial laser scanning, and locating in 2 different areas within the Netherlands. For each method, 2 scenarios are developed for classifying colored and uncolored point clouds, respectively. Finally, the 2 methods are combined for the first scenario, as a first attempt to further improve the final results.
The obtained results show that, in this work, DGCNN performs better than Random Forest, and both methods approximate state-of-the-art performance. The contribution of colors is important to improve both the overall accuracy of the models, as well as the classification results of the individual classes. More specifically, Random Forest scenario 1, Random Forest scenario 2, DGCNN scenario 1, DGCNN scenario 2, and the combination of Random Forest and DGCNN scenario 1 result in an overall accuracy of 88.65%, 83.39%, 89.19%, 88.20% and 90.57%, respectively. The corresponding per class F1-scores for all methods and scenarios range between 43% and 94%. Both methods meet difficulties in generalizing on data from different sensor systems and different areas with very different point density and missing data. Nonetheless, the individual methods are already very promising, while they are able to achieve the required accuracy of more than 90% when combined.","Classification; 3D point cloud; Machine learning; Deep learning; Random Forest; DGCNN; Railway","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2023-02-25","","","","","",""
"uuid:fae97972-fca8-48e8-ab32-6f48139ca34c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fae97972-fca8-48e8-ab32-6f48139ca34c","Max-plus linear parameter varying systems","Abdelmoumni, Mohamed (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering)","van den Boom, A.J.J. (mentor); Gupta, A. (mentor); van der Woude, J.W. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","In this research, we introduce and discuss an extension of max-plus linear systems, called max-plus linear parameter varying systems. In this extension, uncertainty is modelled as a varying parameter, making it possible to leverage non-linearities and non-max-plus terms within the model. Issues arise when the varying parameter is dependent on previous and current states, so-called implicit max-plus linear parameter varying systems. Implicit maxplus linear parameter varying systems are not guaranteed to have a solution. In this work, we introduce some analytical and graph-theoretical methods to analyze the solvability of implicit max-plus linear parameter varying systems. Using these methods, we show that it is not possible to conclude structural solvability for general implicit max-plus linear parameter varying systems. Although, we show that, under mild assumptions, there exist conditions for which the implicit system is solvable. These conditions are explained and applied on an implicit max-plus linear parameter varying model with a state-dependent varying parameter. We illustrate our results with an urban railway network with passenger-dependent dwell time.","max-plus; linear parameter varying; solvability; urban railway; max-min-plus-scaling","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Control","",""
"uuid:7f0438f2-129d-44ff-889e-f5f922c8ebb2","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7f0438f2-129d-44ff-889e-f5f922c8ebb2","Finding the optimal set of parking locations for maintenance trains in the Dutch railway network: An optimisation approach using a combination of discrete-event simulation and simulated annealing","Olberts, Olof (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering)","Atasoy, B. (mentor); Negenborn, R.R. (graduation committee); van Biert, L. (graduation committee); Boiten, Wubbo (mentor); Hofstra, Klaas (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2021","The Dutch railway system is subject to maintenance, which is carried out by a group of rail contractors who need parking space to park and prepare trains in between projects. The objective of this study is to minimise the total costs as a result of the distance travelled by maintenance trains and the preservation of the included parking locations in the Dutch railway network. According to the dynamic nature and the NP-hardness of the Facility Location Problem (FLP), a Simulation-Optimisation (Sim-Opt) approach is proposed. This Sim-Opt consists of a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and Simulated Annealing (SA) optimisation. Two neighbourhood functions are evaluated: a Random Search Algorithm (RSA) and a Utility Level Search Algorithm (ULSA), which takes the utility level of parking locations into consideration.
This research shows that DES is a feasible evaluation method for finding possible solutions to the FLP in a Sim-Opt approach. The results of this evaluation show that the ULSA converges sooner than the RSA. Furthermore, the spread in best solutions across all instances is tighter when applying the ULSA. The findings indicate that the ULSA gives more robust solutions when compared to the RSA and makes the SA process more efficient.
This research found that the best solutions in terms of overall cost includes on average 22 parking locations, which can reduce the maintenance cost by ~30%. The average increase in travel costs of ~9% does not justify the use of more capacity than the absolute minimum to house all trains.","Facility Location; Maintenance; Train; Railways; network; simulated annealing; Discrete Event Simulation; Optimisation; Parking; Infrastructure; Neighbourhood Function; Capacity; Dutch; Algorithm; simulation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Marine Technology | Transport Engineering and Logistics","",""
"uuid:ed2deeb7-e2b8-486c-b617-11d984c1af18","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ed2deeb7-e2b8-486c-b617-11d984c1af18","Climate resilience of railway stations in The Netherlands: A risk assessment for passenger stations","Scholten, J. (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","van de Ven, F.H.M. (mentor); Langeveld, J.G. (graduation committee); van Binsbergen, A.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","As climate change takes hold, extreme weather events increasingly pressure the performance of the railway infrastructure. A first insight has been obtained into the impacts of climate change for the train system and the railway network, but there are almost no studies on the impact of our changing climate on railway stations. This study therefore aims to provide insight into the risks of climate change-induced hazards for railway stations in The Netherlands and the associated effects on the functionality of the station for passengers. Scenarios of climate change show that the Netherlands will experience increasingly intense rainfall, dryer, hotter summers and warmer, wetter winters. This poses a number of risks to the operation, reliability, availability and safety of train stations in a country with the busiest and densest rail network of the European Union. In this study, a method was created to study the risks of climate extremes for train stations on the basis of thirteen identified threats, and risk matrices were developed to support ProRail in defining their attitude towards climate risks. Results show that Dutch railway stations are vulnerable to climate change and demonstrate that there are many aspects of climate change at stations that require attention. The most important nodes in the station network, and stations that have a relatively high number of boarding and disembarking passengers per day, are at a higher risk than the national average. The results of this study show that this could have implications for a relatively high number of travellers in terms of their safety and contentment, and it could have socio-economic consequences for both ProRail and NS, as well as for the accessibility of The Netherlands. The local applicability of the risk assessment methodology was tested in five case studies on stations with very different characteristics, sizes and locations. The case studies have demonstrated that many of the identified risks appear to be relevant and appropriate on a local scale as well, but that risk is situation-specific. Furthermore, the case studies provide strategic long-term quantitative insights on adaptation strategies for all stations in the Netherlands, projecting the cases onto comparative situations.","Climate Change; Risk Assessment; Railway Station; Climate Adaptation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:1186a641-ec58-456e-a5fe-446764a72960","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1186a641-ec58-456e-a5fe-446764a72960","Semi-analytical analysis of ground vibration generated at a railway turnout","Pooja Karthik, Pooja Karthik (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)","van Dalen, K.N. (mentor); Molenkamp, T. (graduation committee); Metrikine, A. (mentor); Besseling, Floris (mentor); Bezemer, Marieke (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","A railway turnout, which is a combination of a switch and a crossing is an important component in the railway network to divert trains. Due to the change in contact between the wheels and the rails as the train negotiates a turnout, severe impact loading occurs in two-directions: vertically and laterally. These cause negative environmental impacts in terms of ground vibrations. Therefore, understanding the ground response due to a railway turnout qualitatively and quantitatively is essential for soil surface in the vicinity. This thesis focuses on qualitatively and quantitatively describing the ground response through a dual load model setup through semi-analytical approach. A two-dimensional load on an Euler Bernoulli beam which is placed on a three-dimensional half-space is considered to describe the ground response. Followed by which, a load spectrum defining the interaction between the wheels and the rails is considered and the ground response is analysed. Measurements from the vicinity of a turnout is also analysed in order to compare the performance of the model to that of the real-life scenario. It is further concluded that qualitatively the ground response caused due to impact like loading that occurs at a crossing, and the presence of lateral loading is able to be explained by the model. Quantitatively, to analyse the response recommendations are to be followed to acquire the accurate load spectrum along with considering the complex track geometry for the lateral loading.","Semi analytical; railway vibrations; ground vibrations; railway turnout","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2022-11-30","","","","Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering","",""
"uuid:b5816386-0ed9-4760-a6de-f0db0c3a5226","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b5816386-0ed9-4760-a6de-f0db0c3a5226","Control of Delay Propagation in Railway Networks Using Max-Plus Algebra","Hoekstra, Maxime (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)","van der Woude, J.W. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","In this thesis max-plus algebra is introduced and applied to the problem of controlling train delays. Two control strategies for the propagation of delays are discussed. The first is by letting certain trains run faster when a delay is detected, the second is by breaking connections between trains that have to wait for each other in order to enable passengers to changeover from one train to the other. The goal is to understand how to model the propagation of delays when different control strategies are applied, in order to provide train operators tools for making quick decisions on how to intervene when a delay is detected.
The models provided in the report are in the form of max-plus-linear systems and switching max-plus linear systems. These can be programmed in Python to automate the decision making. The report starts with providing a basic understanding of max-plus algebra, where also max-plus linear systems and switching max-plus linear systems are explained. Subsequently, a railway network is designed that serves as an example during this thesis. This railway network is modelled into a max-plus linear system and, additionally, a desirable train timetable for passengers is designed for this network by means of the power algorithm. The main results are two switching max-plus linear systems that model the propagation of delays when the two control strategies are applied. The report ends with a larger railway network at which all acquired knowledge is applied. It can be concluded that the models in this thesis provide methods to calculate exactly how the delay propagates through the network when certain control strategies are applied and, based on that, decisions can be made quicker. Moreover, it is possible to calculate the consecutive departure times. As a result the passengers can be informed quickly about the new departure times as a consequence of the delay and how long it will take for the trains to run according to timetable again. This thesis adds the modelling of faster running trains to existing literature. We have seen that speeding up trains is also a control strategy to solve delays and can be modelled systematically.","max-plus algebra; Modelling; Railway network; Train; Delay; Control Analysis; System Theory","en","bachelor thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Applied Mathematics","",""
"uuid:2b533a2c-7bcc-4a1b-a367-cdba18216e7f","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2b533a2c-7bcc-4a1b-a367-cdba18216e7f","The influential parameters affecting the vibration intensities in the vicinity of railway tracks","El-Lithi, Mohamed (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","van Dalen, K.N. (mentor); Metrikine, A. (mentor); de Oliveira Barbosa, J.M. (mentor); Faragau, A.B. (mentor); Gardien, Wybo (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","Railways and other sources of environmentally induced vibrations often lead to annoyance and sometimes property damage. In this framework, transition zones are deemed as the most sensitive locations on the railway track, especially to high vibrations and impact loads. This causes high maintenance costs and is often very annoying, as the availability of the track gets limited during maintenance processes. One of the main reasons of this problem is the stiffness change of the railway supporting structure which is sometimes abrupt. This thesis will shed some light on the factors playing roles in altering the vibration intensities in level crossings. Moreover, the effects of these factors on ground vibrations will be highlighted. Further on, a model is presented which incorporates all these parameters. This model can be used to predict the change in ground vibrations in level crossings. The objective of this thesis is to determine the influential parameters in terms of the response vibrations in the surroundings of railway tracks. On that account, following an in-depth literature study, and based on the analysis of the measurements performed at Movares, it was suggested to investigate three factors being the ambient temperature effect, the hanging sleeper scenario and the inhomogeneity of foundation and analyze their impacts. The in-situ measurements illustrated a correlation with temperature, where the vibrations are amplified during hot periods and in the summer season. Besides that, the reports indicated the presence of the hanging sleeper scenario, where the suspension between the rails and the foundation is no longer active. It was also reported that locations with inhomogeneous foundations experience higher vibrations than those with quasi-homogeneous foundations. On those grounds, it was decided to study the effects of the hanging sleeper scenario, the ambient temperature and the presence of a slab-track crossing on the track. A complete vehicle/track/soil numerical model has been used in the parametric study in order to assess the factors affecting the response vibrations induced by trains and to quantify their impacts. Along with that, the numerical results have been validated, to some extent, with analytical results. More specifically, the steady-state response obtained with both approaches are compared present a good agreement. The results exhibit that the hanging sleeper phenomenon has a substantial effect on the vibrations. Furthermore, the existence of a level crossing (representing a foundation inhomogeneity) proved to be of significance as well. Lastly, the ambient temperature possesses a limited impact which could turn severe in extreme conditions.","Vibrations; Railways; transition zones","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:37aaf584-8775-44d6-b3cb-e914f8a54b48","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:37aaf584-8775-44d6-b3cb-e914f8a54b48","Incorporating flexible track use in the SAT model of the Dutch railway timetabling problem","Vollebergh, M.A.J. (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)","de Laat, D. (mentor); Fioole, Pieter-Jan (mentor); Aardal, K.I. (graduation committee); Huisman, Dennis (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","The construction of cyclic railway timetables is an important task for Netherlands Railways (NS).This construction can be formulated as a Periodic Event Scheduling Problem (PESP). The most powerful technique for solving cyclic railway timetabling problems is constraint programming, especially via SAT solvers when PESP instances are encoded as SAT instances. SAT solvers can determine the feasibility of problem instances of NS quickly and reliably. However, in previous implementations the problem specification must explicitly indicate the track use within stations and on four-track sections. As a result, the solver also reports infeasibility if a small adjustment of the track allocation could lead to a feasible timetable. In this thesis, the Open Periodic Event Scheduling Problem (OPESP) is introduced, which is used in a new method to incorporate flexible track use in the SAT formulation. This method yields promising results that could help improve the timetabling process at NS.","Flexible track use; SAT; PESP; Railways; Timetabling","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:01b48989-2b5c-4c4a-b3bd-77f64bcad458","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:01b48989-2b5c-4c4a-b3bd-77f64bcad458","Automatic generation of anomaly reports in a Train Control System: Using Natural Language Generation and Case-Based Reasoning","ĂmarsdĂłttir, ĂĂłrunn (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)","Tintarev, N. (mentor); Najafian, S. (mentor); Houben, G.J.P.M. (graduation committee); Spaan, M.T.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","In this thesis, we study automatically generating explanatory reports for anomalous incidents in a train control system (TCS) using Natural Language Generation (NLG). A TCS is a type of safety-critical software that allows train controllers to correctly set the tracks for a train to pass. The goal of this research is to process the majority of log files generated by such a system, detect anomalies that have occurred and represent that data in human-readable reports that explain anomalous incidents. The reports are generated by making use of NLG techniques, namely data-to-text. We design an NLG pipeline that incorporates novel graphical components. We perform all steps of the report generation process, which is the processing of data, anomaly detection and representing the data in natural language. To process the data we incorporate complex domain-specific rules which require extensive work to accommodate five separate types of event log files. Analyzing logs and detecting anomalous incidents proved complex due to the complicated structure of logs and the ill-defined relationships between different log file types. The log data explained with the NLG pipeline is more extensive than we have seen in literature, as it needs to be linked using complex domain-specific rules and includes temporal and geographical aspects of the railway system. Furthermore, the detected anomalies are very diverse and thus it is unclear what aspects should be included in a report for each anomalous case. We research whether a purely textual presentation or a combination of modalities provides higher information quality. The product of the NLG system are three presentation versions of incident reports, Text, TimeText and RailText. Each version focuses on different important aspects of the nature of the data, to explain anomalous incidents. Due to the diverse properties of the anomalous cases detected, we implement a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) system to predict the appropriate presentation to explain each incident. We evaluate our work in two expert-based evaluation phases. The first phase evaluates the quality of the different report presentations. The second phase evaluates the feasibility of the CBR system and the quality of the reports chosen by CBR. The work in this thesis is significant as we manage to translate complex data into human-readable reports that are well received by experts and help in understanding anomalous cases. We learn that there is a difference in what presentation format provides the highest information quality of reports depending on the anomalous case being explained. Therefore we conclude that the properties of anomalous cases should be taken into account when generating anomalous reports in a TCS to ensure the highest perceived information quality of the reports. CBR is shown to perform that task well. Furthermore, we find that data familiarity of experts effects their preferences for report presentations.","Natural Language Generation; Log mining; Anomaly detection; Anomaly explanation; Case-Based Reasoning; Railway domain","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Computer Science | Data Science and Technology","",""
"uuid:7d56b70a-4f2f-4f87-8876-b8c5ff09fb36","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7d56b70a-4f2f-4f87-8876-b8c5ff09fb36","operational transitions in railway infrastructure","de Hek, Maurits (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Baggen, J.H. (mentor); de Bruijne, M.L.C. (mentor); Bokhorst, F. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","Technological innovations in the Dutch railway sector, such as ERTMS and the 3kV power supply system make it possible to increase the efficiency, effectivity and speed of the railway system in the upcoming decades. The implementation of systems such as ERTMS and 3kV is a lengthy process. The new systems will therefore operate alongside the old systems (ATB-EG and 1.5kV) for a long period of time. Between the old and the new system, operational transitions are required. The number of operational will therefore increase in the coming years. Some of these transitions from one system to another system turn out to be prone to failures and disruptions. When an operational transition fails, this can cause considerable delays on the railway network. Especially when multiple operational transitions are close together and occur nearly simultaneously, the risk of failures in one of these transitions is present. When operational transitions are combined, a failure in one transition can have large effects on another operational transition that is about to take place. Operational transitions are defined by two characteristics. Firstly, they are physical locations in the rail infrastructure. Secondly, operational transition require the driver to switch between two systems, or to change his/her behaviour significantly. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of operational transitions on the reliability of train operations. The magnitude of the impact of operational transitions on the reliability of train operations is often unclear. This thesis contributes to scientific literature by examining a sizable number of operational transition types and providing an initial insight into the effect of these transitions on railway operations. For society in general and for ProRail in particular, the findings of this research can contribute to a better understanding of operational transitions. Using the acquired knowledge, ProRail can take measures that increase the reliability of operational transition passages, thereby increasing the punctuality of train services.","Train operators; Railway infrastructure; Human factors; Transitions; Train service disruptions; Automatic Train Protection System; Vertical track alignment; Train dispatching; Power supply systems","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:166afe40-198a-4fa7-8a72-b9c08faf46be","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:166afe40-198a-4fa7-8a72-b9c08faf46be","Strengthen the adaptability of the ERTMS implementation","Westerhuis, Gijsbert (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Veeneman, W.W. (mentor); Quaglietta, E. (mentor); Hoeberigs, G.M. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","The number of operational rail corridors equipped with ERTMS is increasing throughout Europe. The implementation of this critical safety system is planned to take several decades. However, ERTMS is a complex system that evolves continuously increasing the risk of using outdated parts and components. Therefore, adaptability is required for an efficient process. Adaptability is the ability of a system to meet technological or functional changes without requiring structural modifications or replacements. This paper identifies factors that influence adaptability and researches critical issues for future adaptability of ERTMS. With these factors and issues, solutions are proposed that are validated in a use case and integrated in a strategy that strengthens adaptability of ERTMS for future operational needs. The main takeaways of this strategy is the need for technical modularity and a balanced stakeholder involvement in the implementation process.","ERTMS; adaptability; future-proof; innovation; SysML; GSM-R; FRMCS; ETCS; Railway infrastructure; Automatic Train Protection System","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:d6558e54-098f-48be-9951-9c4ea1969350","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d6558e54-098f-48be-9951-9c4ea1969350","At the Crossroads: Design for Railway Freight Capacity Decision-Making","Remijn, Ivan (TU Delft Technology, Policy and Management)","Warnier, Martijn (mentor); van Duin, Ron (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","Growing demand for railway-based transport stresses railway infrastructure on safety, punctuality, and robustness. The Port of Rotterdam and ProRail desire a process of executing simulation model supported capacity studies wherein inputs, methods and outputs are coordinated upfront. However, interorganisational capacity studies are currently conducted ad hoc in lengthy processes, in which there is disagreement about inputs, methods, and outputs of the process. They can be considered misaligned as the internal capacity management processes do not fully fit each organisationâs objectives, while also not being sufficiently adaptive towards the dynamic railway capacity context. Alignment is the result of coordination activities between collaborating organisations. An aligned rail freight capacity management process is necessary for the successful matching of demand and supply for rail freight transport services, and can be supported by simulations of the railway capacity. Thus, the question arises: How to improve the alignment of collaborating organisations on quantitative metrics for railway freight capacity in the Port of Rotterdam with the use of meso-level simulation models?
This research presents a process design for an interorganisational capacity planning process that has the potential to improve alignment between the collaborating organisations. The principle-based design method presents a novel approach to addressing alignment problems in the domain of decision-model supported capacity planning collaboration between networked organisations. The process design is formulated through a design science method, wherein specific coordination challenges are matched to literature-derived principles regarding technical and interorganisational coordination of capacity planning processes. The design is evaluated against stakeholder defined requirements and through discussion of the proof of concept: an executed capacity study using the formulated design.","Interorganisational Capacity Planning; Railway Capacity; Planning & Control; Capacity Management; Design Science","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2020-08-26","","","","Complex Systems Engineering and Management (CoSEM)","",""
"uuid:e8410968-febb-47fd-b51c-79132326d3c9","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e8410968-febb-47fd-b51c-79132326d3c9","Macomi Maintenance: A user-centric data-analytic platform for railway maintenance planning optimisation","Leung, S.Y. (TU Delft Industrial Design Engineering)","Bourgeois, J. (mentor); Goto, L. (mentor); Gerace, Marina (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","This thesis project investigated how user-centred design(UCD) contributes to the railway maintenance planning optimisation. A new UX concept and digital prototype were designed to provide intuitive interaction and clear structure to support the planners confidently and independently optimise railway maintenance planning on a digital platform.
This project is under the context of the Dutch railway infrastructure maintenance. With increasing demands for transport on the Dutch railway, optimising maintenance planning for existing infrastructure is challenging for the Dutch railway network management organisation ProRail. Thus, a data-analytic software ProRail Maintenance(PRM) for railway maintenance planning optimisation was developed for the maintenance planners at ProRail. However, as an analytic tool, the outcomes and functions came first for the company while the user experience(UX) was neglected at first, which leads to a series of usability problems and requires much learning time from the users.
Based on the above situation, two initial research questions were proposed: âWhat are the causes of these usability problems?â âWill UCD help to improve the UX of PRM and How?â A series of UCD methods were used in the whole process to understand usersâ needs, generate and iterate concept and the final design was evaluated by the final evaluation test.
The initial goal in the research phase was to understand the context, problems of PRM and causes and users. Literature research was conducted combined with interviews with experts to understand the Dutch railway maintenance planning. By analysing the qualitative and quantitative data collected from interviews and user testing of PRM, a list of problem statements, design goal and requirements were defined. In the design phase, a series of design activities with users(e.g co-creation session, prototype tests) were conducted to generate ideas and iterate the concept by prototype tests with users. By involving users in every stage of the process, I got instant feedback and had a deeper understanding of the usersâ needs and quickly verify the hypothesis and iterate concept.
The final concept called Macomi Maintenance consisting of four main functional pages: Homepage, Input, Analysis and Result. It covered the main operations needed to optimise the planning, which achieved an excellent usability performance evaluated by 8 participants in the online evaluation tests. It was found that showing information in an organised way(in this case I used cards and tabs) and provide enough guidance helped to reduce the time and fear of learning new software. All participants could finish the assigned tasks without hints in the evaluation test and show more willingness and confidence to learn Macomi Maintenance.
The main properties of FRP materials are listed including common manufacturing processes. According to a state-of-the-art study two designs are presented: (1) A sandwich deck, commonly used in FRP bridges, and (2) a through deck, commonly used in railway bridges. Furthermore, the requirements and loadings for railway bridges are listed. The dynamic model for railway bridges is based on a mass-spring rigid body system with Rayleigh damping. This model is used to verify the finite element models. A material study is performed to determine the most suitable material properties for FRP railway bridges. Glass fibres and polyester resin are choses based on individual material properties, market prices and common use in civil engineering structures. Foam has no structural integrity but is used as permanent form work. The lay-up of fibres is based on the literature study and differ for flanges and webs. The lay-up for flanges is:
[12.5% - 90° | 12.5% - ±45° | 62.5% - 0° | 12.5% - ±45°]s
The lay-up for webs is:
[25% - 90° | 20% - ±45° | 35% - 0° | 20% - ±45°]s
The volume fraction of both laminates is 50%. These lay ups in combination with the conversion factors and safety factors result in a FRP material suitable for FRP railway bridges. The design study describes the sandwich and through design with the materials from the material study. Two finite element model are made using Sofistik. These finite element models are verified using analytical models. A static and dynamic analysis is performed on both designs. Based on the results from the static analysis the maximum deflection and maximum stresses of the Sandwich Design do not exceed the limits, and the maximum deflection and maximum stresses of the Through Design do exceed the limits. Based on the dynamic analysis both designs do exceed the limits. Furthermore, in consultation with a FRP manufacturer, the laminate thickness must be reduced to ensure both designs are manufacturable. Based on the results of the design study and the requirements presented in the literature study a new design is created. This design includes the following improvements: (1) reduction of the span by transferring the forces in transverse direction, (2) extra height of the design, (3) more webs, (4) extra supports, (5) reduction of the laminate thickness to 30 mm and (6) the use of pre-camber. This final design is transformed into a finite element model. A static and dynamic analysis is performed. Based on the results of the static analysis the maximum deflection and maximum stresses do not exceed the limits. The dynamic analysis results in maximum acceleration of 19.48 m/s2, which exceeds the limit and results in a unity check of 5.57. The final design doesnât meet the requirements based on the results of the dynamic analysis. An important remark on the dynamic results is made in the discussion. The dynamic load model, consisting of point loads, is applied directly on the bridge deck, omitting the dynamic behaviour of the ballast bed. Taking into account the ballast bed in the dynamic analysis might result in a significant reduction of the maximum acceleration of the bridge deck due to the spreading and damping effect of the ballast bed. In conclusion, according to the results of the static analysis of the final design it is possible to apply a FRP deck in railway bridges. Improvement of the dynamic numerical model is needed before drawing conclusions on the dynamic behaviour of the final design.","FRP composites; Railway bridge; Sofistik; Dynamics","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Structural Engineering","",""
"uuid:ec3d6ebf-bd41-43fa-9e6f-6601dce1049c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ec3d6ebf-bd41-43fa-9e6f-6601dce1049c","Experiencing Station Locations: A holistic assessment of Dutch station locations to identify crucial elements that relate to the enhancement of the traveller experience","Simkens, Bart (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Vande Putte, H.J.M. (mentor); Verheul, W.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","The station location is typically characterised by its dual nature as a semi-public piece of real estate. On the one hand, it is used by its owner to achieve its corporate objectives, also in terms of feasibility. On the other hand, it is a place which is accessible to all and serves the societal and urban needs in terms of transport, activities, encounters and many more. In current urban developments, these places in the city are changing rapidly. The concept of transit-oriented development describes the reason why this is happening. Due to the high demand for space in the city, the quest for available land often leads to places that are both available and well accessible. Station locations are examples of these places. Consequently, many new stakeholders are engaged in station location developments, but many rather often follow their own aims and objectives, and substantiate their decisions with own interpretations and assumptions. This leads to uncoordinated collaborations with conflicts of interests. This study wants to clear some of the air in this respect. However, from which perspective should one observe the station location to decide which elements deserve attention? The user has a central position in this regard. Most importantly, their demands should be taken into consideration in order to provide successful real estate. Therefore, this study positions the user of a station location as a central point of attention. More specifically, the definition of the user has been narrowed down to the traveller which encounters various elements at the station location during their door-to-door journey. The study is executed by reviewing thirty Dutch station locations and statistically compare them to each other and to the appreciation of travellers at those stations. As a result, critical elements at station locations have been identified that relate to the enhancement of the traveller experience. During station location development processes, the output of this research can be used by actors to get a clearer view on the demands by the main user. Stakeholders should always critically review this information and assess whether and to what extent their current real estate supply should be adjusted in order to meet these demands.","Railway Station Location; Traveller Expierence; Transit Oriented Development; Railway Station Area; Door-to-Door Journey","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","",""
"uuid:ec3d25d6-02f0-4f29-a86a-1e58b367931c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ec3d25d6-02f0-4f29-a86a-1e58b367931c","Estimating the Flow Capacity of Pedestrian Intersections at Railway Stations: A field study at Utrecht Centraal station","van Schaik, Lucia (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Hoogendoorn, S.P. (graduation committee); Duives, D.C. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor); Schakenbos, Rik (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2020","Understanding pedestrian traffic is essential to design for safe and reliable pedestrian infrastructures, facilities and operations. For the assessment and design of pedestrian transfer areas at stations capacity standards for uni- and bidirectional flows are applied. It has been observed that, at railway stations, also other configurations of flows occur, such as intersecting flows at different angles (e.g. intersections between transfer areas and stairs/escalators or shops). In contrast to uni- and bidirectional flows, for which many researches have quantitatively studied the pedestrian flow characteristics, only little research has been done to intersecting flows. The purpose of this research is to gain insight into how the flow capacity of a pedestrian intersection at a railway station is influenced by several factors and to explore methods that can estimate the flow capacity of a pedestrian intersection. A theoretical framework has been constructed that shows the hypothesized causal relations between the research topic - intersection flow capacity - and several variables that describe the context of this study. Furthermore, three capacity estimation methods were proposed to estimate the flow capacity of a pedestrian intersection. According to the field study, the second and third method both seem suitable for capacity estimations, even though the intersection flow capacity (according to the traffic flow principles) could not be estimated in this study. Several recommendations have been made for future research, including points of improvement regarding the the studied methods, directions for research focus and the usability of the findings in this study.","Pedestrian traffic; Flow capacity; Pedestrian intersections; Railway stations; Theoretical framework; Capacity estimation methods","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:256cb467-8dcf-4dcd-b5c3-5f7db7bb8ebe","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:256cb467-8dcf-4dcd-b5c3-5f7db7bb8ebe","A Decision Support Tool for Strategic Planning of Multimodal Transport Infrastructure: The Case of Brazil","van den Boogaard, Raquel (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Tavasszy, Lorant (mentor); Maknoon, Yousef (mentor); Atasoy, Bilge (graduation committee); Demenint, Wouter (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","The ever increasing need of developing efficient solutions for the transport of cargo, able to reduce transport costs while complying to green policies has promoted the use of multimodal transport during the last decades. Multimodal
transport consists of the use of at least two modes of transportation for the transport of cargo from origin to destination. Governments and transport authorities (network planners) seek to make the optimal investment decisions when choosing where to allocate their budgets. To accomplish this they need to predict the response of the formulated policies on the cargo flow distributions over a multimodal network. Cargo flows over a multimodal network are in turn dependent on the behavior of water and land transport companies (network users), aiming in minimizing their own total costs of transportation. This research has developed a Decision Support Tool that is able to model cargo flows over a multimodal network, and predict the changes of cargo flows as a response to network planners policies. The research has used the freight transport network of Brazil as a testing ground for the model, and focused on improvements on the railway infrastructure. The results of the model suggest that the establishment of new railway connections and higher railway operating speeds can reduce the total costs and environmental footprint of transportation over a multi modal network. Finally, according to the model assumptions, it was concluded network users have a preference towards faster railway services.","Freight Transport; Multimodal transportation; policy decisions; Railway network","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:bce1eb39-0d87-4edc-9ffc-3b60c1fe45c4","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bce1eb39-0d87-4edc-9ffc-3b60c1fe45c4","Concrete slab beneath ballast bed - An Abatement Measure For Railway Induced Vibration","Kunicka, Ewa (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","van Dalen, K.N. (mentor); Metrikine, A. (graduation committee); de Oliveira Barbosa, J.M. (graduation committee); Lagendijk, P. (graduation committee); Houben, L.J.M. (graduation committee); Hosseinzadeh, Saeed (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","In this research project, an assessment of an abatement measure for mitigating railway induced vibrations is carried out. Ground-borne vibrations, which are primarily generated due to wheel-rail interaction, may also result in ground-borne noise in the buildings located in vicinity of railway tracks. An example of adverse environmental impact caused by ground-borne vibration and noise is the annoyance to people living those buildings. Assessing ground-borne vibration and noise is of crucial importance, especially in soft soils in which Rayleigh wave velocity is low and amplification of vibrations is more likely to occur. For mitigating the ground-borne vibration and noise exceeding the threshold values defined by technical standards in each country, abatement measures are applied. The main objective of this research is assessing the effectiveness of âconcrete slab beneath ballast bedâ used as the abatement measure for reducing vibrations. For this purpose, Plaxis 3D based on Finite Element Analysis method is employed. Numerical model is created and validated through measurement data available from field tests conducted in the Netherlands. After having numerical model validated, several simulations are performed in order to study the factors influencing ground-borne vibrations.
From the results of this study, one can conclude that âconcrete slab beneath ballast bedâ is effective in reducing vibration strength at all distances when train speed is considerably lower than Rayleigh wave velocity of the uppermost soil layer. It is notable, however, that the application of this measure may bring about amplification of the vibration strength in the vicinity of the track for trains running at higher speeds. Nevertheless, regardless of the train speed, there is always a reduction in the vibration strength at further distances from the railway track. From practical standpoints, this aspect is of interest for the buildings located in the far field. From the results of a sensitivity analysis on changes to the width and thickness of the concrete slab, it can be concluded that an optimal solution of concrete slab dimensions can be found. It is observed that by changing concrete slab dimensions, the maximum vibration strength is mostly affected in close proximity to the railway track. In addition, the dispersion lines and oscillatory moving load in the Wavenumber-Frequency plane are analyzed. Their intersection indicates that the moving oscillatory load excites a wave of frequency and wavenumber given by the intersection point. If these frequencies are harmful for the environment then concrete slab application can diminish their content from response. Sleeper passing frequency content increases when the concrete slab is applied. The obtained results and recommendations from this study can be used for further studying the other factors influencing the effectiveness of the measure. Examples of these factors include, among others, various ground conditions (e.g., soft soils of different stratification, local changes in soil proper-ties, etc.), and optimization of concrete slab dimensions, material parameters, as well as, cracked and uncracked concrete stage. The numerical model developed during this research study can be further employed to analyze different aspects of railway induced ground-borne vibrations.","FEM; Railway induced vibration; vibration; abatement measure; concrete slab; Numerical Analysis; Train; Dynamic Analysis; Plaxis 3D","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2021-11-14","","","","","",""
"uuid:b40731c9-9f9d-4494-b6f6-d22389145023","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b40731c9-9f9d-4494-b6f6-d22389145023","In Search of Contrast: An Art School and Art Gallery in Antwerp","BaumgÀrtel, Lilian (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Schreurs, E.P.N. (mentor); Fokkinga, J.D. (mentor); Rosbottom, D.J. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","Zurenborg is a residential area in Antwerp. While it is an exclusive
neighbourhood, it is for public leisure activities almost completely depended on the surrounding neighbourhood. Zurenborg is in need its own public interior, a place which offers space for Zurenborgâs families and supports the already existing community work.","Architecture; Art school; art gallery; School; railway; Antwerp; Intimate City","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences","","51.202032, 4.430493"
"uuid:22d7a2e8-27fa-434a-85d4-428bb178cec6","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:22d7a2e8-27fa-434a-85d4-428bb178cec6","Between dwelling and rail: seeking mutual benefit in transit oriented development and railway station expansion in the peri-urban area","Rouwenhorst, Jasper (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Cavallo, Roberto (mentor); Parravicini, Mauro (mentor); Harteveld, Maurice (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","A new approach is needed for redeveloping peri-urban railway stations in the Netherlands, like Amsterdam Lelylaan,to solve a set of pressing issues in their specific context: the monocentric character of many of our cities, the poor quality of public space around peripheral railway stations, and the disconnection between the local and the city scale. As our country is urbanising and the influence of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is growing, the smaller station turns into an instigator for new urban developments just outside of the ring highway in cities like Amsterdam, where 50.000 new dwellings will be realised by the year 2030, in existing built environments.
In the peri-urban sphere, at the urban fringe, stacked apartments next to station areas are offering the density that lets many more inhabitants benefit from living in the city, through the infrastructure network: living somewhere, travelling and working somewhere else, connected on a city scale. But at the moment, these peri-urban railway stations are small and outdated, and often unattractive. Spoorbouwmeester Eric Luiten (Spoorbouwmeester, 2018) points out how changes in the transit network through the years have especially impacted smaller railway stations in peripheral areas: gradually, increased efficiency and technology have resulted in ticket offices at
these stations going vacant. No more amenities are needed today at these stations than a ticket machine and a platform. These stations show that they have no social significance or added qualities, locally, which in turn reflects onto the quality of their surrounding public space. The station areas were designed only as a necessity.
The perceived issue is that the transit oriented city diminishes local values and qualities and replaces them with infrastructure, nodes and efficiency on a non-local scale. At this moment when new urban developments focus on public transport nodes, the railway station is in the middle of this change as something that is both part of the network and part of the local built environment.
Today, contrasting developments are taking place: we are designing our cities with TOD focusing on the efficiency of the connected city, but at the same time aim to enhance the quality of local public space around station buildings and peripheral neighborhoods. We are building mixed-use buildings that are extremely well connected to amenities elsewhere in the city while also offering as much as their inhabitants need inside or near the building itself. Architects and urban planners as well as Bureau Spoorbouwmeester are looking to redevelop railway stations together with their environments as an integral master plan. This integral approach was used for the first time with the NSP program for the six largest railway stations in the Netherlands. As a result of this successful program, the interweaving of station and urban plan has become a standard in the vision of Bureau Spoorbouwmeester and the appointment of a Landscape Architect as their director ensures this new policy.
With this duality of city network and local qualities, a great challenge is taking shape for the peri-urban railway station. On one hand, there is the realisation that we need to integrate the station into its local environment to enhance the quality of the surrounding public space and liveability of the neighborhood which in many cases of post-war neighborhoods is considered an issue. On the other hand these stations and new urban developments are advertising connectivity and mobility within the city network as the new way of living, a diversification of life through the possibilities of the transit oriented city and the sharing of spaces that it offers. The station area now has these two very different perspectives, but the next step should be to study these two perspectives alongside eachother, and to start blurring them: the station as the perfect mediator, offering a place that is connected to city life and at the same time extends this city life and its livelyhood into the local public sphere.","Station development; Railway station; peri urban areas; architecture; Transit Oriented Development; amsterdam; lelylaan; Strategic Design","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","City of the Future","52.357638, 4.834053"
"uuid:95e95789-19d9-4c86-b386-00f147306bbe","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:95e95789-19d9-4c86-b386-00f147306bbe","Solving a real-world rail maintenance scheduling problem","Oudshoorn, Menno (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)","Yorke-Smith, Neil (mentor); Bosman, Peter (graduation committee); Finavaro Aniche, Mauricio (graduation committee); Koppenberg, Timo (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","The rail network in the Netherlands is one of the busiest in Europe. To ensure a safe and reliable infrastructure, preventive maintenance is of utmost importance. ProRail, the sole maintainer of the railway infrastructure in the Netherlands, spends hundreds of millions of dollars on maintenance each year. Due to the complexity and busyness of the network, maintenance can cause major disruptions leading to longer travel times. Despite these factors, maintenance is currently scheduled mostly manually, leading to suboptimal schedules being created. A pilot study by Macomi, the company which enabled this study through an internship, showed great potential for improvement in scheduling this maintenance. In this thesis, the aim is to further improve the maintenance schedule of ProRail, as well as to find out what kind of solution method is most suitable to improve that schedule. To achieve this goal, various types of algorithms have been implemented and tested on the problem. An evolution strategy algorithm developed by Macomi was successfully improved. Through the use of multi-objective algorithms, the trade-off between maintenance costs and availability of the infrastructure was analyzed. These multi-objective algorithms were found to provide unsatisfactory solutions. Greedy algorithms were also developed to provide a quicker solution method, and the resulting solutions were of surprisingly high quality. Finally, a hybrid algorithm using the evolution strategy and a greedy algorithm was created. It was shown that this hybrid algorithm outperforms all other algorithms, and provides solutions that are better in terms of costs and constraints compared to the manual schedule of ProRail, and the baseline established by the pilot study of Macomi.","Scheduling; Railway Maintenance; Evolutionary Algorithms","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Computer Science | Data Science and Technology","",""
"uuid:35c7b194-8962-496f-9ca6-80ae6a855f2b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:35c7b194-8962-496f-9ca6-80ae6a855f2b","KNIL Magazijnen, The Creative and Learning Cluster of Plastic Waste: An alternative approach to heritage adaptive re-use in Bandung, Indonesia","Pangalou, Electra (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Roos, J. (mentor); Tomesen, P.L. (graduation committee); Clarke, Nicholas (graduation committee); Meijs, M.H. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","The transformation of Knil Magazijnen into a creative and learning cluster of plastic waste constitutes my attempt to explore the boundaries of heritage adaptive re-use in Bandung, Indonesia and how through the design of an inclusive and healthy environment, social and environmental challenges can be addressed in a more integrated way. In a built environment like the city of Bandung where social segregation between the formally structured communities and the more organic kampung villages dominates the city scape contributing to a significant extent to most of the urban challenges like environmental pollution the projects strives for inclusion. The project's ambition was to show how by understanding the context and by putting first the people and their needs, architecture and heritage adaptive re-use can contribute to healthier and more resilient cities. More specifically, the project unfolds with the integration of a plastic waste recycling cycle combined with a more communal environment, with creative spaces and educational facilities that not only makes people aware of the issue, the consequences but also allows waste to become part of the daily routine and thus for the people to explore the possibilities around its re-use and up-cycling and thus create business opportunities in a inclusive environment for all. The combination of bottom up and top down approaches both in terms of the programme but also in the physical materialisation of the design offers the means for change. Architecturally, the project explores the relationship between waste and people between working and public environment between openness and enclosure in various different scales. From city scale with the transformation of the former railway into a new tram line accompanied by a green belt, on a neighbourhood scale with the transformation of Knil Magazinjen into a creative and learning cluster of plastic waste, while on a building scale this integration is explored through architectural design and building technology. Even though the programme addresses the current urban challenges the development and materialisation of the design strives for flexibility and adaptability in order to enhance the qualities of the existing site.","Heritage & Architecture; Bandung, Indonesia; Shared Heritage; Plastic pollution; Plastic recycling; Reuse; Community Based; Sustainable design; Sustainable Transportation; Social integration; Spatial integration; Railway Adaptation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Heritage & Architecture","Shared Heritage Lab Bandung","-6.916972, 107.620250"
"uuid:639015a7-d633-4b73-b782-9b9a153eae11","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:639015a7-d633-4b73-b782-9b9a153eae11","ERTMS/ETCS Hybrid Level 3: A simulation-based impact assessment for the Dutch railway network","Jansen, Joost (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Goverde, Rob (mentor); Quaglietta, Egidio (mentor); Bartholomeus, Maarten (mentor); Pot, Alwin (mentor); Baggen, John (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","Block signalling and Automatic Train Protection are two of the main railway safety systems to control the risk of train accidents. The combination of the existing Dutch block signalling system NSâ54 and ATP-system ATB-EG is functioning well, but has some drawbacks. The systems have been designed over 60 years ago with proven technology of that time. Components are old and will have to be replaced in the near future. The safety functionality of the legacy systems is limited. Moreover, the capacity of the Dutch railway network with NSâ54/ATB-EG is almost fully used while demand grows. Solutions are required to match the demand growth. The European Rail Traffic Managements System (ERTMS) is proposed to be the new standard European safety system. Train control is included in the European Train Control System (ETCS). It offers benefits in the form of interoperability, increased safety, speed, capacity and/or reliability over the national system. ERTMS/ETCS Hybrid Level 3 is an integrated cab-signalling and train protection system that combines train position information, onboard train integrity confirmation and trackside train detection. Compared to the legacy system NS'54/ATB-EG and the proposed system ERTMS/ETCS Level 2 it offers more railway capacity and allows for a reduction in trackside train detection. This thesis shows that the infrastructure occupation can drop from 84% to 66,7% when implementing ERTMS/ETCS Hybrid Level 3. Reducing the amount of trackside train detection to the minimum and transitioning from track circuits to axle counters can result in a decrease of track unavailability related to train protection systems of over 40% compared to the existing configuration.","Blocking times; Railway Capacity; train protection systems; ERTMS; ETCS; microscopic simulation; signalling systems; case study","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering","",""
"uuid:5fd1c404-61c3-4808-99ac-08ac3240781b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5fd1c404-61c3-4808-99ac-08ac3240781b","Access/egress facilities at railway stations: An exploratory study on the future development of railway station areas","Stam, Bas (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","van Oort, N. (mentor); van Strijp-Harms, Hilke (mentor); van der Spek, S.C. (graduation committee); Hoogendoorn, S.P. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","This research aimed to create knowledge and set guidelines for the (re)development of railway station areas regarding the required land use for access/egress facilities as a result of access/egress transportation developments. First, a literature review was conducted to gather knowledge for the foundation of this research. With the information, a scenario matrix was constructed to distinguish four future development paths for access/egress transport. Subsequently, a footprint indicator was developed to determine the required land use for access/egress facilities. Data on the expected modal split in each of the four scenarios was gathered through a mode choice experiment. These values were subsequently used in combination with the footprint indicator for the spatial assessment of railway station areas.","Access/egress facilities; Railway station area; Land use; Shared mobility; On-demand rides; Footprint; Case study; Mode choice","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering | Transport and Planning","",""
"uuid:7c9ceae1-ee4f-4b4f-8100-9634bda3bdbe","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7c9ceae1-ee4f-4b4f-8100-9634bda3bdbe","A decision support model for repair scheduling of defect train sets","Kalff, Helianne (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering; TU Delft Transport Engineering and Logistics)","Atasoy, B. (mentor); van Buuren, Elmer (mentor); Schott, D.L. (graduation committee); Kana, A.A. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2019","Defects that occur on train sets have to be repaired in a repair location and this has consequences on the transportation network. This paper proposes a decision support model that is developed for optimising the decisions of when and where to repair that defect train set. In practice, there is no clear overview of the effects of such decisions on the overall system. This paper first describes the current decision process including the considerations for decision making. Then a mathematical model is developed and tested with multiple scenarios of varying repairing times and Q times. The results show that the proposed decision support model provides significant improvements compared to the current approach and can save even millions of euros. However, more research is required in order to ensure the real-time performance of the methodology.","Decision support model; Railway network; Rransportation network; Dutch Railways; Repair scheduling; Defects","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Marine Technology | Transport Engineering and Logistics","",""
"uuid:4dda1057-c112-4db9-b589-500b44b63c62","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4dda1057-c112-4db9-b589-500b44b63c62","Reliability Analysis of Railway Concrete Bridges using Expert Judgment Studies","Aggarwal, Sakshi (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences)","Morales Napoles, Oswaldo (mentor); Hendriks, Max (graduation committee); Leontaris, George (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2018","New railway bridges for high-speed trains are being built in a many countries around the world. In addition to the construction of new bridges, existing bridges are ageing. These two factors make the assessment of railway bridges essential. The bridges are designed considering certain predefined reliability criteria to account for the variability in load and resistance. However, for the assessment of these bridges, a probabilistic analysis of the structure in the presence of uncertainties is recommended. This thesis presents a probabilistic analysis of a railway bridge based on a case study of a newly constructed bridge. In the analysis performed, uncertainties in concrete material properties are incorporated. Given the unavailability of measured data in the location of bridge construction, expert judgment elicitation is carried out to estimate for the uncertainties in loading conditions of a train. Further, these uncertainties are incorporated in a finite element analysis to estimate the bridge response in the form of shear force and bending moment. The variables corresponding to the maximum shear force and the maximum bending moment, as well as the loading conditions and the material properties, are then merged into a Non-Parametric Bayesian Network. Conditionalization of the developed Bayesian networks is carried out to draw inferences on the bridge response when evidence on load or material properties is known. It is shown that expert judgment elicitation can be applied for risk assessment of railway bridges. Further, the developed Non-Parametric Bayesian network can be used to estimate and update the probability of failure. Improvements to this study can be made by updating the probability of failure in the event of an earthquake.","expert judgement; Bayesian Network; Concrete Bridge; Railway load; Reliability analysis","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:fd1e1d20-5e3b-49b7-ac6e-d74a53c219ee","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fd1e1d20-5e3b-49b7-ac6e-d74a53c219ee","La Petite Ceinture: Reanimating the Urban Fringe","van Bergeijk, Coen (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Nottrot, R.J. (mentor); van de Voort, J.A. (mentor); Bobbink, I. (mentor); Vitner-Hamming, D. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2018","With the constant urge for progress that characterizes our society, there are bound to be some casualties. Disused and forgotten by the people not immediately involved with them, post-industrial areas are often left vacated and are quickly falling into ruin. Old factories, empty shopping malls, abandoned villages and creepy hospitals litter the urban fringes of many cities. They form an eyesore for developers and city officials and indeed many have fallen to the sledgehammer. Derelict areas like these, however, prosper in natural life and create a safe haven for people living in the margins of society. Insubordination, informal activities and people, plants and animals of all sorts can roam freely through these areas, creating an in-between zone of both material and psychological value.
My project, the forgotten railway line circling the outskirts of Paris, is one of these invaluable territories of human and animal transgression, an oasis in the urban jungle. With impending formal development of the ring, these values could be lost forever. However, my design celebrates these intangible values, without falling into a lethargic laissez-faire. I focus with my interventions on the in-between state of abandonment and development, guarding the line for future generations.
My project could be used as an example for future development not only on 'la Petite Ceinture', but on a much broader scale of the fringe and the urban wildscape.
As a consequence of this recognized gap in the available literature, as well as of the need for organizations to develop a series of knowledge management systems and practices for the sharing and reusing of knowledge generate through games, this thesis research aims at understanding what are the necessary requirements for games to foster the development, as well as the reuse, of tacit knowledge.
Primary scope of this thesis project has thus been to determine what games' elements represent a fundamental requirement for the generation of both explicit knowledge and tacit skills. In addition to this, the research has taken into consideration different groups of actors (game designers, participants/players, project team members, managers), and attempted to verify whether any dissimilarities exist among these groups in the way of perceiving games' requirements, and their impact on knowledge creation and sharing. Finally, in the light of the obtained results, suggestions have been proposed on the most appropriate knowledge management systems and procedure to use in the context of serious games and simulations.
The research has been carried out in the form of an embedded, single-case study: the main unit of analysis - and client - was ProRail, the government organization which manages the maintenance and extensions of the national railway network infrastructure, the allocation of rail capacity, and the traffic control. The embedded units of analysis were instead represented by different games employed within the organization (OV-SAAL, Ketensimulatie, ERTMS). Once the games have been identified, other research methods have been applied within the case study framework, in particular: semi-structured interviews and Q-sorting.
Concluding this dissertation report, recommendations for ProRail - the customer of this thesis project - have been outlined, by combining the obtained insights with theories from available literature. The scope has been to define suggestions for a knowledge management framework for serious games and simulations. The suggested framework, result of the joint efforts of different TU Delft researchers and ProRail's employees, is presented in the second-last chapter of this dissertation in the form of a set of recommendations for ProRail.","Serious games; knowledge management; knowledge management framework; Tacit knowledge; Q-sorting; Simulations; railway; knowledge management system","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:c6124403-f20e-4e63-96e3-e5e731e6cf18","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c6124403-f20e-4e63-96e3-e5e731e6cf18","Future Node: Amsterdam Sloterdijk 2050","Dreesmann, Floris (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","de Koning, Stefan (mentor); Fokkinga, Jelke (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2018","Amsterdam Sloterdijk currently can be best described as a desolate office-area next to a major multi-modal mobility hub. At the same time amsterdam at large is facing challenges it has never seen before. The city is getting over-crowded, housing prices have increased sharply, and the limits of it's mobility network are already reached. Continuing on the current path the city can simply not absorb the projected growth towards 2050. 'Future Node' proposes to leverage sloterdijk's underutilized potential by providing the critical mass to develop sloterdijk into one of amsterdam's new polycenters. Only in this way the city's growth can be absorbed whilst keeping it accessible.
the first intervention involves optimizing The infrastructural situation around Sloterdijk. The herein redirected ground-based tracks allow for a roundabout to smoothly connect the surrounding areas under the fly-over tracks, and directly connect the a10 to a underground transferium.
The building itself is a direct result of this infrastructural context. The outer diameter protrudes over the tracks to provide fronts in 3 direction, the inner diameter maximizes the central plaza. An interior network of passages let in light whilst providing the mixed-use building with a urban quality.
As such, future node will form the focal point of both mobility flows and urban life.","Amsterdam 2050; future node; transit oriented development; Sloterdijk; railway; station; Complex Projects; mobility","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:cdd3a972-900a-4b12-8138-5a128d8dd1a8","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cdd3a972-900a-4b12-8138-5a128d8dd1a8","Shear and torsion in a prestressed through railway bridge: A comparison between the analytical solution and SCIA","Wouterlood, Bob (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Engineering Structures)","Jongstra, E. (mentor); Hordijk, Dick (graduation committee); van der Veen, Cor (graduation committee); Hendriks, Max (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2018","With the arrival of the Eurocode, the calculations regarding shear resistance, have become increasingly conservative compared to former concrete standards. For example in Voorschriften Beton 1974 (VB 74), a former concrete standard, a shear resistance combination of concrete, stirrups and prestress was allowed. Whereas the Eurocode assumes the shear resistance of the concrete is zero if itâs standalone contribution is insufficient. Meaning that once stirrups are required, the total applied shear stress is controlled by the stirrups.
Prorail is the party in the Netherlands which is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the railway infrastructure. The change in regulations results in concerns for parties like Prorail and in particular to the shear resistance of concrete railway bridges constructed according to the VB 74.
A through railway bridge consists of a relatively thin floor and two prestressed girders. Whenever a train drives over the floor, a great deal of the loading is spread in transverse direction, causing large shear forces and torsion in the two prestressed girders. Because this combination can be critical for the shear resistance, two prestressed through railway bridges, constructed according to the VB 74, are investigated in this master thesis.
It is verified with hand calculations whether or not these existing structures can guarantee structural safety by considering three shear resistance checks; the risk of shear tension failure, capacity of the stirrups and resistance against fatigue. Ultimately it is concluded, that the largest unity check is 1,01 and that both bridges can guarantee structural safety regarding shear resistance.
The reassessment of an through bridge, is an typical assignment for engineering firm such as Witteveen+Bos. But because hand calculations are too time consuming, the design loads are determined with SCIA Engineer (FEA program).
However in the earlier days FEA programs were not available and torsion in the girders was derived from a set of differential equations (analytical solution). Because structural engineers from today completely rely on programs like SCIA, a comparison is drawn up between SCIA and the analytical solution for torsion in the girder.
The plate, beam model 1A and 1B are the three types of models available in SCIA to model a through bridge. The plate model consists of a 2D-floor and 2D-girder, where the beam models form a combination of a 2D-floor and 1D-girder. But the plate and beam model 1B have in common that rigid connections are applied every Œ meter between the girder and floor.
The analytical solution is derived with the assumption that the bridge is divided into strips with a length of 1,0 meter, which is implemented in the plate and beam models by reducing the E-modulus of the floor to roughly a third (cracked floor). For the governing load combination, this leads to values for torsion, which remain 10-15%, 40% and 10% behind the analytical solution for respectively the plate and beam model 1A and 1B. The large deviation of beam model 1A is remarkable and can be explained from the fact that no rigid connections between the girder and floor are applied, resulting in a loss of bending and torsional stiffness of the girder.
To conclude, the analytical solution is based on a number of assumptions, like no load distribution of the floor in longitudinal direction. In reality loads will be as well distributed in longitudinal as transverse direction and the analytical solution therefore needs to be considered as an safe upper limit.
In literature, topology optimization was explored as a method to design wave barriers. This method was applied while modelling the soil as a homogeneous elastic half-space. The resulting wave barriers showed a significant increase in the achieved vibration reduction. However, the designs were often very complex and hard to manufacture. In this thesis the method was improved by introducing a layered soil and by ensuring the manufacturability of the designed wave barriers.
The improved method was then applied to multiple situations in order to investigate aspects of wave barrier design and effectiveness. Optimization of a wave barrier for a two-layered soil model showed the significance of implementing a layered soil model. The interface between two layers resulted in reflections that could diminish the effectiveness of a wave barrier if not accounted for. The optimization algorithm responded to these reflections by placing material in the path of waves that would otherwise reflect back to the surface.
A wave barrier optimized for a three-layered soil model that consisted of a softer layer embedded in a stiff layer and a stiff half-space showed a different approach to reflections. The wave barrier appeared to use the softer layer as a waveguide in order to reduce the energy at the surface.
The manufacturability was increased by adding constraints. This resulted in wave barriers with a more manufacturable design at the cost of a decrease in vibration reduction. In three of the four cases, the optimized wave barrier still performed significantly better than the reference wave barrier. In one case, the final design reverted back to the reference wave barrier when the manufacturability conditions were applied.
The goals set at the start of the thesis were largely accomplished. The model was able to more accurately reflect soil profiles found in practice by using a layered soil model and the topology optimization algorithm resulted in wave barriers that are relatively easy to manufacture while still showing a significant improvement over the standard reference wave barriers. The possible use of
soft embedded layers as waveguides was discovered during the optimization. Future research into this possibility could prove valuable. Some concerns are posited with regards to the reliability of the wave barriers. In some cases, the optimized wave barrier appeared to abuse the idealized representation of the interface between layers. An initial investigation showed that in those cases,
the effectiveness of the wave barrier was sensitive to changes of the interface depth. Further investigation would be required to determine the sensitivity of the designed wave barriers to other parameters related to the idealized representations of the interfaces.
However, a railway network typically consists of multiple track sections, each of them with different degradation level and parameters. Hence, the optimization of track maintenance can be considered as a large-scale problem which has a large number of decision variables. For such kind of problem, the conventional centralized optimization is very difficult or even not tractable to solve due to limitations on the computational time and resources. One way to overcome this issue is by applying the so-called distributed optimization scheme. In such approach, the original optimization problem is partitioned into multiple smaller, tractable subproblems. Therefore, the optimization is tractable and more preferred for real-life implementations.
This thesis develops distributed optimization approaches for track maintenance operations planning problem. Three different schemes are compared: Parallel Augmented Lagrangian Relaxation (PALR), Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM), and Distributed Robust Safe But Knowledgeable (DRSBK). As these distributed approaches basically designed for convex problems, extension techniques to handle non-convex nature of the proposed optimization problem are implemented. Furthermore, some case studies are defined to evaluate the algorithms from both performance and numerical perspectives. In simulations of small, medium, and large-scale instances, it is shown that in most cases, DRSBK can outperform the other distributed approaches, by providing the closest-to-optimum solution to the centralized optimization problem while having the shortest computation time.
An approach is proposed to include the uncertain nature of investment projects in the problem formulation, without increasing the complexity of the problem too much. This is done by introducing lower and upper bounds for uncertain variables. By optimizing not only the expected values of the objective functions, but also the lower and upper bound, one is able to identify the solutions that give satisfactory results for all the scenarios. Project portfolios that are Pareto optimal for the lower bound, expected value, and upper bound, are considered as robust choices with respect to the uncertainties in the objective values.
Railway infrastructures typically consist of many assets with a long lifespan. The prediction horizon and the level of detail considered in the optimization problem need to be chosen carefully to avoid extremely large computation times. Even for a modest level of detail, the problem size is too large to check all the possible solutions within acceptable time. The computation time is also dependent on the algorithm that is used to search for the Pareto optimal set. Next to the computation time, several performance indicators are selected to measure the quality of the approximation of the Pareto optimal set that is provided by an algorithm.
Two algorithms with different approaches are proposed to approximate the Pareto optimal set, the repeated Δ-constraint algorithm and the widely used genetic algorithm NSGA II.
Some benchmark problems are introduced to gain insight into the working of the proposed algorithms.
A case study is performed for an artificial data set for investment projects in a railway network.
The selected performance indicators are used to analyze the results of the case studies for the proposed algorithms with different settings.
The repeated Δ-constraint algorithm is able to find a close representation of the Pareto optimal set, and has a very stable performance due to the established search method of the CPLEX solver. However, obtaining these results requires an excessive amount of computation time. The genetic algorithm NSGA II is much faster, and for carefully tuned settings, the quality of the approximation set is fine. The coverage of the NSGA II is considered sufficient, so due to the reduced computation time, the NSGA II is recommended to use in the decision support process of selecting investment project portfolios in railway infrastructure networks.","Multi-objective optimization; project portfolio optimization; railway management; infrastructure; Investment decisions; repeated epsilon-constraint algorithm; NSGA II; Decision support tool","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:7748721e-ca06-47c0-8b26-40528703cccb","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7748721e-ca06-47c0-8b26-40528703cccb","The contribution to 3kV traction power supply system on railway capacity in the Netherlands","Reijnen, Daniël (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Hoogendoorn, Serge (mentor); Goverde, Rob (mentor); Markine, Valeri (mentor); Zoeteman, Arjen (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","The current 1.5kV railway traction power supply system is reaching its limits in the Netherlands and therefore, ProRail is investigating the replacement of this system by the 3kV railway traction power supply system. This study will investigate how effective the 3kV traction power supply system can increase the capacity of the rail infrastructure in the Netherlands. It will also investigate if this system can avoid other capacity investments in the infrastructure. Several study cases will be executed in order to evaluate the capacity effects of the 3kV traction power supply system.","Traction power supply; Railway Capacity; Rail; 1.5kV; 3kV","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:2165ce8e-2bbe-4848-9957-7341b27615cc","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2165ce8e-2bbe-4848-9957-7341b27615cc","Process Analysis for Infrastructure Mutations and the Impact on Rolling Stock Deployment at the Dutch Railway Network","Oudkerk, Tjeerd (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","NS is the largest train operating company on the Dutch railway network. With a growing demand in train movements, the railway infrastructure is subject to changes. These infrastructural mutations are a collaboration between NS, as Train Operating Company, and ProRail, as infrastructure manager. Various complexities arise due to the close relationship between the railway infrastructure, the timetable of the train services, the deployment of rolling stock and crew scheduling. This thesis discusses the complexities in the process of infrastructure mutations from the viewpoint of NS. This is done by means of a process analysis and the assessment of a tool that is used within NS for the creation of rolling stock circulations.
The process (of infrastructure mutations) can be seen as a system, in which the subsequent planning processes for the timetable, rolling stock and crew are regarded as subsystems. This system is analysed by means of a reconstruction of the normative situation (the as-is situation). This normative situation is then compared with a real-life situation. Next to the reconstruction of the process, bottlenecks in the normative process are identified. These bottlenecks can be subdivided in the following categories: problems with information management, unclear definition of the process and its roles, and a lack of top-level management for (larger) mutations.
Subsequently, a similar analysis is done for a real-life situation. In this thesis, the DSSU project is used for this purpose. The DSSU project is a comprehensive renewal of the shunting yards at the central station of Utrecht, in the heart of the Dutch railway network. Looking at the planning process at NS, the following bottlenecks can be identified: Unclear definition of the process and the definition of its roles, time limitations, a lack of planning resources, a lack of top-level management and issues with the realisation of the train service after the completion of the construction works. For these bottlenecks, various improvements are suggested in this thesis, based on experience from within NS, as well as from literature. The key finding of the process improvement is that using a more integral approach in the process of infrastructure mutations, both in information housekeeping and collaboration between actors, can avoid bottlenecks and result in better solutions in terms of timetable products and rolling stock deployment.
As a solution to the bottleneck of limited overview of the impact of mutations, an evaluation of rolling stock circulation tool âTAMâ is performed. To evaluate the use of TAM in practical situations, three cases were assessed. From the assessments it can be concluded that the tool indeed can give useful information on the effects of an infrastructure mutation on the rolling stock planning, but the results are highly dependent on patronage-prognoses and inputs from other parts of the planning process, like the (altered) timetable. Besides this, the tool is (in its current form) not able to make optimal solutions, due to pre-defined turn-around patterns that constrain the model. Since TAM is a made to generate circulations, the (microscopic) shunting planning is not part of the tool. Conclusively, TAM is a useful tool to obtain insights in the impact of infrastructure mutations, but it does not cover all effects and does not necessarily provide optimal alternative circulations.","Railway Planning; Infrastructure Mutations; Rolling Stock; Circulations","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:96ae098d-5708-45c4-9270-c76f728d104e","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:96ae098d-5708-45c4-9270-c76f728d104e","Adjusting train routing in case of planned infrastructure maintenance","Looij, Patrick (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","Hoogendoorn, S.P. (graduation committee); BeĆĄinoviÄ, Nikola (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (graduation committee); Witteveen, C. (graduation committee); van den Berg, Sven (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","In a busy railway network such as the Netherlands, more and more maintenance activities are needed to be performed. These planned activities often lead to an infeasible timetable since infrastructure is temporary unavailable for operations. A macroscopic network model can roughly adjust the timetable for a complete network, while a microscopic model is needed to check for possessions in station areas and ensure feasibility of the timetable. In this thesis a microscopic routing model is proposed that adjusts the route plan in a station area while minimising passenger dissatisfaction. The model also finds new rolling stock connections, implements shunting movements in a station area and considers shorter rolling stock formations. To increase the quality of the route plan, its robustness is increased iteratively and small time shifts of arrivals and departures are applied to resolve small conflicts that would lead to cancellations. Several case studies demonstrate the high performance of the model. Finally, a feedback mechanism to a macroscopic model is proposed.","Train Routing Adjustment Problem (TRAP); Possessions; Planned maintenance; Mixed integer linear programming; Railway routing; Feasibility; Robustness; Blocking times","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","Rail Annotation",""
"uuid:9acbac1b-49a7-4e8b-b4ca-b81fe6164ad8","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9acbac1b-49a7-4e8b-b4ca-b81fe6164ad8","Abstraction of Hybrid Systems: With an application in railway management","de Bruijn, Hilco (TU Delft Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering; TU Delft Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics)","van den Boom, A.J.J. (mentor); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","Disturbances are an important factor in the performance of complex large scale systems. These complex large scale systems can be modeled by a broad class of hybrid dynamical systems. The current practice of controlling such processes is one way, from the scheduling level to the control level. The performance of these complex systems can be improved by allowing an exchange of information between both the scheduling and control level.
Although the techniques derived in this thesis are applicable to general class of hybrid systems, this thesis focuses on a railway network. This network, or a part of it, is modeled so that information at regular time instances can be sent to a dynamic scheduler which outputs an optimal schedule back to the control level, based on the current conditions in the network.
To this end, the railway system is abstracted into a Discrete-event system (DES). Essentially, the abstraction removes the continuous dynamics of a hybrid dynamical model and replaces them with discrete-events. All these discrete-events together form the railway network as a DES. Furthermore, the DES is modeled in max-plus algebra such that a Max-plus linear (MPL) is obtained.
The scheduling problem is solved by a Model predictive control (MPC) scheme which is solved by a Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem. For this scheme, the MPL model is converted into a Switching max-plus linear (SMPL) model which is written as a set of mixed-integer linear constraints. In contrast to the scheduler which only contains a macroscopic model of the railway network, the trajectory planner includes microscopic constraints. Therefore, to complete the scheduling, the schedule found by the scheduler is iterated between the scheduler and a trajectory planner for further improvements. A part of a railway network is studied in a case study, showing that updating the schedule results in less delay in case a delay is introduced.","abstraction; Hybrid System; real time scheduling; railway management","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Mechanical Engineering | Systems and Control","",""
"uuid:0c4ad0d7-2483-428e-9faa-112ee72edbb1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0c4ad0d7-2483-428e-9faa-112ee72edbb1","Urban Stitch: A new urban design approach to transportation infrastructure renewal projects","Lee, Alex (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)","Calabrese, Luisa (mentor); Nijhuis, Steffen (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","The history of Taiwan is closely attached to the establishment of transportation infrastructure. The thriving scene of urban Taiwan emerged in the 70s after the establishment of several national level infrastructure projects. They have become the backbone of both Taiwan's past economic glory as well the daily necessity of present society. As the technologies of transportation infrastructure has been advancing with time, it becomes a common trend of Taiwanese municipalities to renew its existing transportation infrastructure systems in order to boost up their city's image and advantage on competitiveness. Common practices of the renewal includes transferring the existing systems to either flyovers or underground.
However, inconsiderate planning practice of transportation infrastructure implementation could induce variety of urban problems. In fact, many of the existing spatial problems in urban Taiwan are the consequences of the implementation of these massive transportation infrastructure projects. Furthermore, many case studies has proven that the inconsiderate planning practice are vulnerable to socio-economic interference. Postponement or conflicts frequently occured as the consequence of fiscal pressure, change of political regime, or failure to include multiple actors in the implementation process. Therefore, it is concluded that the existing transportation infrastructure implementation process is detached with the real need of the urban environment, which is smaller scale of urban regeneration and inclusion of various actors presented in the transportation infrastructure renewal project.
Taiwan Railways Administration Taoyuan Railway Underground Project (shortened as TRA Taoyuan Project) is chosen as the case study of the thesis to further delve on the research of mentioned problem induced by transportation infrastructure. Existing urban problems in spatial, social, and economic aspects induced by the existing railway system will be unfolded. Future vulnerabilities that TRA Taoyuan Project would encounter during the implementation process will be predicted. To tackle the analyzed problems, urban design of the released corridor once occupied by the railway will be utilized as a method to encounter the concluded urban problems and further include the actions of demanded urban regeneration. Moreover, the research and design process conducted throughout the thesis will be documented and examined on its validity and potential to adopt into practice approach.","implementation of transportation infrastructure; urban regeneration; inconsiderate planning practice; urban design; research and design process; Taiwan Railway Administration Taoyuan Railway Underground Project","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","","24.954278, 121.225852"
"uuid:dd7b9933-5810-4585-b1fe-a9db8b90dbd4","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dd7b9933-5810-4585-b1fe-a9db8b90dbd4","Optimising the Input Filter of Traction Installations in DC Railway Power Systems","Jongeling, Alexander (TU Delft Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science; TU Delft Electrical Sustainable Energy)","Winterling, Max (mentor); Bauer, P. (mentor); GagiÄ, M. (mentor); Shri, Aniel (mentor); Dong, J. (graduation committee); Cvetkovic, M. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","In the world of DC railway trains nowadays, asynchronous-traction machine with traction controllers, i.e. an inverter with variable output frequency, is implemented. This controller changes the incoming DC voltage into an AC voltage of a variable frequency and RMS amplitude. The disadvantages of switching inverters, compared to a pure sine wave source, are the harmonics they inject in both the output as in the input of the inverters connection. At the incoming power line, it is necessary to damp these harmonics, in order to avoid resonance issues or issues regarding other systems, for instance, train detection. For this purpose of harmonic and transient filtering, generated within as well as outside the train, an LC filter is utilised.
However, this LC-filter has also influence on stability. Due to the resulting impedance to current variation in the inductance of the LC-filter, the power flow dynamics towards the train are decreased. When applying a certain amount of power, the voltage over the capacitance can become unstable very quickly. In this thesis, a graphical user interface simulation model is made to simulate these stability phenomena in Simulink in order to find the optimum size of the LC-filter in a train on the Dutch DC railway.
The simulations are achieved with a model representing a generalised train. The model is simple to modify, and consists of the important parts for determining the stability of the system.
Different simulations have been carried out, in order to examine the effect certain parameter variations have on the stability. Two systems have been considered, a constant power controlled system and a system where the motors had no controlling regime. An important factor is the value of the capacitance and inductance. A larger filter inductor results in an unstable system. Likewise, implementing a higher value capacitance will cause the system to be more stable.
Simulations have shown that a motor controller with a simple constant power control regime is unstable with normal values for the inductance and capacitance. However a damping branch can solve this problem up to an extent. A system without any controlling regime has proven to be more stable with smaller capacitance.
By utilising the model presented in this thesis, the stability of the system, consisting purely of a controlled constant power load or as a non-controlled load, can be investigated, and the impact of the LC-filter can be determined.
The main focus of this graduation project will be this extension of the train station. Applying a lightweight and prefabricated material will help limiting the amount of nuisance. Furthermore, Fibre Reinforced Composites (FRPâs) makes freeform architecture relatively easy achievable. This could contribute to the international appeal of the station. However, it is not reasonable and economically feasible to create only custom made moulds in order to produce the FRP elements. This is way the number of custom made moulds (production parts) have to be limited without influencing the design freedom of the freeform architecture.","Railway station; Coreless filament winding; Zuidas","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","","",""
"uuid:6a9f95f1-0829-404f-852b-f0c7425b24b5","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6a9f95f1-0829-404f-852b-f0c7425b24b5","Influencing station choice of cyclists: An innovative solution to reduce bicycle parking pressure at railway stations","van Mil, Joeri (TU Delft Civil Engineering and Geosciences; TU Delft Transport and Planning)","van Wee, Bert (graduation committee); van Oort, Niels (graduation committee); Annema, Jan Anne (graduation committee); Broeyer, C. (graduation committee); Delft University of Technology (degree granting institution)","2017","Overcrowded bicycle parkings are becoming a problem at Dutch railway stations. This study researches the possibility of spreading travellers over multiple stations. In this two-stage study first the factors that influence station choice are researched, followed by the generation of measures that can be used to influence the station choice of bicycle-train travellers.","Bicycle; train; public transport; station choice; railway stations; stated choice; choice modeling","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","","","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:39477f23-a168-4648-9710-a43ac5dc9e92","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:39477f23-a168-4648-9710-a43ac5dc9e92","A modular DC/DC converter using SiC switches for railway applications","Mostert, E.","Popovic, J. (mentor)","2017","Electrical trains are fed with a high voltage to reduce transmission losses. In the train, these voltages have to be stepped down to a voltage that could be fed into the traction motors. This is done with IGBT based power converters. The use of IGBTs in power converters has some disadvantages: they generate a lot of heat and are therefore not suitable for high-frequency operation. Developing power modules for electrical traction also has an other disadvantage: there is no standard electrification voltage. So for every customer a new converter has to be developed. These problems could be solved by using silicon carbide (SiC) based high voltage switches in a modular converter. The SiC switches enable high-frequency operation at high voltages and thus the reduction of the converter size. In a modular converter, multiple modules could be connected in series and/or parallel in such a way that the input voltage and output current is divided equally among the modules. During this thesis project, a SiC based modular converter was designed, build and evaluated.","silicon carbide; sic; railway; traction; modular converter; isop","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2018-01-30","Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science","Electrical Sustainable Energy","","MSc Electrical Engineering - Electrical Sustainable Energy track","",""
"uuid:ee1a65a5-f65e-4658-b0fe-22026aa84af2","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ee1a65a5-f65e-4658-b0fe-22026aa84af2","Ontwerpmethoden van Dienstregelingen, verkennend onderzoek naar de ontwerpmethodiek per fase in het planningsproces bij NS & ProRail.","Planting, T.J.","Van Lint, J.W.C. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor); Scheepmaker, G.M. (mentor); Pot, A. (mentor)","2016","Graduation at faculty: Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CITG), Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), Technology, Policy and Management (TPM). This thesis deals with real-world plannings problems of timetable design. Improving the timetable design methodology results in a more reliable timetable and a higher quality for passengers. This research first identified the Dutch timetable design process. Afterwards the weaknesses of the Dutch timetable design methodology is identified. These identifications are made by conducting interviews within NS & ProRail. In the third section a case study is conducted. The Dutch 2014 timetable is simulated and compared with a conflict-free timetable which was constructed using microscopic methods (planning in seconds instead of minutes and headways calculated by blocking times instead of plan norms). The simulations resulted in 37% less conflicts and a decrease of 8% delay. Further research is recommended to validate the conclusions in this paper and to investigate the practical usability of a microscopic methodology in an actual design process.","railway; timetabling; blocking diagram; microscopic","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","TIL","",""
"uuid:53b1444c-5e19-44ee-92a1-956976ba0faa","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:53b1444c-5e19-44ee-92a1-956976ba0faa","Optimisation model for scheduling preventive tamping maintenance: A study into the effect of using the alignment in combination with the level to schedule preventive tamping maintenance","Hommes, T.","Wolfert, A.R.M. (mentor); Zoeteman, A. (mentor); Li, R. (mentor); Langelaar, R. (mentor)","2016","","railway; preventive maintenance model; integer programming; track geometry; alignment","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering / Integral Design and Management, Integral Design","","Construction management and engineering","",""
"uuid:3307ffc9-a535-4689-af8d-fdb3660bee3e","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3307ffc9-a535-4689-af8d-fdb3660bee3e","Analysis and improvement of railway crossing using explicit Finite Element simulations","Mashal, A.A.","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Ma, Y. (mentor); Dollevoet, R.P.B.J. (mentor); Bömers, S. (mentor); Hoogenboom, P.C.J. (mentor)","2016","Railway crossings are one of the most important and vulnerable components in railway network. Nowadays, due to intensive use of the track together with higher train speeds and heavier axle loads, more and more problems associated with crossings are reported and it is continuing to be an important factor limiting its service life. In this MSc thesis, a realistic 3D finite element (FE) model of the crossing panel is developed to analyse the stress state arising from the impact event and, providing recommendations on how to effectively mitigate the impact loads. The scenario which is simulated and studied in this report is that of a train wheel passing a railway crossing in the facing as well as in the trailing direction. Prior to the FE modelling, first, 2D-geometric contact analysis is performed calculating all the contact properties at the wheel-rail interface. The obtained contact properties are then used as guidance during the FE modelling to implement adaptive mesh refinement at the running band of the wheel in order to get accurate solution of the rolling contact stresses. From the FE simulation results, high impact forces can be observed in the transition zone of the crossing. The detailed surface and subsurface stress analysis reveals that these forces generate high contact stresses subsequently causing yielding of the materials and intense plastic strain accumulation. Verifications and validations are carried out to examine whether the results from the FE model are correlating with the reality. From them, attention has been paid to minimize undesirable effects of the boundaries and to verify the convergence of the solution. Besides, the response of the FE model is validated against the field experiment of the axle box and the crossing nose accelerations. Thereafter, a parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of some interesting case studies on the magnitude of the impact loads. In this regard, a comparison of the contact properties utilizing elastic and plastic material models showed conformities as well as discrepancies in the stress state for these two material models. Besides, several cases studies have been carried out on the vertical substructure stiffness variation and geometric design modification of the crossing panel. From this it can be concluded that the investigated case studies provide interesting opportunities to reduce effectively the impact forces on the crossing. Moreover, a comparison between facing and trailing direction has managed to identify the impact force behaviour for these two different operational conditions. So in short, the FE model is thus capable to solve the wheel-crossing contact stress problem at the crossing and it is flexible enough to examine the influence of design modifications on the impact force and its resulting stress state under different operational conditions.","wheel-rail interface interaction; 2D geometric analysis; 3D explicit FEM; railway crossing; transition","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","","",""
"uuid:f1cd6c30-0dbb-4dc6-98ca-17d0a68f2b4c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f1cd6c30-0dbb-4dc6-98ca-17d0a68f2b4c","The main bottlenecks in the rail freight market","Van Tol, S.J.L.","Van Wee, G.P. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); d'Hont, L. (mentor)","2016","","railway transport; freight transport; modal choice; shippers; transport modality","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","Transport, Infrastructure & Logistics","",""
"uuid:8dd20483-cfbe-44ce-a261-039927e13ab1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:8dd20483-cfbe-44ce-a261-039927e13ab1","Ingegoten spoor op bruggen: Onderzoek naar prestatieverbeteringen voor verlengen van levensduur en snellere reparatie van ingegoten spoor op bruggen","van Wessem, J.","Markine, V.L. (mentor); Shevtsov, I.Y. (mentor)","2016","In dit verslag wordt een alternatieve uitvoering gezocht voor de intensieve reparatiewerkzaamheden van ingegoten spoorstaaf constructies op stalen spoorbruggen. Gedurende het onderzoek is informatie ingewonnen door gesprekken met verschillende bedrijven. Allereerst is gesproken met ProRail over de problematiek en de probleemstelling. Vervolgens heeft een gesprek plaatsgevonden met het bedrijf Edilon)(Sedra welke de ontwikkelaar is van het ingegoten spoor en de wereldwijd marktleider hierin is. Ook is gesproken met aannemer StruktonRail over de reparatie en uitvoering van ingegoten spoor op de Moerdijkbrug. Op deze manier is een volledig beeld gevormd van de problemen en mogelijkheden. Er is geprobeerd om een onafhankelijk standpunt in te nemen waardoor zowel in gesprek is gegaan met de opdrachtgever en spoorbeheerder (ProRail), de ontwikkelaar en verkoper van het ingegoten spoor (Edilon)(Sedra en de aannemer StruktonRail. De aanbevelingen zijn zowel voor het veranderen van de probleemsituatie die nu voorkomt op huidige constructies, maar is vooral ook bedoelt als aanbeveling voor de constructie van toekomstige kunstwerken. Er wordt een onderscheidt gemaakt in aanbevelingen die uitvoerbaar zijn op de huidige spoorbruggen en op aanbevelingen voor methodes waarvoor extra onderzoek nodig is. De belangrijkste aanbeveling is om het voorgedragen ontwerp te testen voor haalbaarheid in de spoorconstructie.","Railways; Railbouwkunde; Ingegoten spoorconstructie; Spoorreparatie technieken; Spoorconstructie ontwerp verbetering","en","bachelor thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","Railway Engineering","",""
"uuid:1c203de6-ff98-4abe-8818-5ef75b6dea71","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1c203de6-ff98-4abe-8818-5ef75b6dea71","Fatigue Load Model Safety: Verifying Reliability for Reinforced Concrete Railway Structures","Houtenbos, J.R.","Hordijk, D.A. (mentor); Blom, C.B.M. (mentor); Dollevoet, R.P.B.J. (mentor); Groeneweg, T.W. (mentor); Maljaars, J. (mentor)","2016","It was unclear what level of reliability was provided by appliance of the Eurocode load models for fatigue due to train loads, meaning that it might be insufficient. Therefore, it was investigated what the provided reliability is, compared to what is should be. Within this report, the focus is solely on fatigue induced by bending moments on reinforced concrete sections. Determination of reliabilities is done by creating a fictitious design, exactly satisfying the Eurocode. Then, this design is used as input for a probabilistic analysis, where the load models are replaced by measured traffic, and other uncertainties were quantified. The target reliability for the fatigue limit state proved to be vague in the Eurocode. However, the target reliability for ultimate limit states can be adopted as an upper bound, which was used in this report. The reliability was shown to be below this target, caused by, among others, a partial factor which is equal to 1 for fatigue loads according to the Eurocode. The idea was that variations in loads will converge due to the vast number of appliances. However, here it is argued that correlations between variations, which systematically affect each load its effect, invalidate this assumption. Also, reliabilities were shown to depend heavily on the span lengths (remarkably lower for spans of 1-10 m. It was demonstrated that such behavior results by lack of variety in the load model axle distances and loads, compared to measured traffic. Recommendations are, apart from further research, to increase the partial factor for fatigue loading. Also, a novel load model should be created with comparable variation in axle distances and loads as measured traffic.","fatigue; load model; railway structures; reinforced concrete; reinforcement steel; probabilistic design; reliability; partial factor","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","","",""
"uuid:b07839bb-b42d-47ae-9b44-f620e85ea454","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b07839bb-b42d-47ae-9b44-f620e85ea454","An origin-destination based train station choice model for new public transport connections to train stations","Verschuren, M.Y.","Chorus, C.G. (mentor); Molin, E.J.E. (mentor); Van Nes, R. (mentor); De Bruyn, M. (mentor)","2016","A change in the access and egress system, like a new metro line, will automatically influence the station choices of train travellers. Given the fact that several new large public transport connections will be opened in the near future, there is the need to precisely forecast how the distribution of train travellers among stations will change, as it may give cause to (logistical) changes in the operation of the railway system. The most important factors for choosing at which station people will access the train are their origin and destination (ATOC, 2009; Hoogendoorn-Lanser, 2005; Debrezion, et al., 2007). Nevertheless, the current prognosis model of NS, De Kast, is however not able to realistically forecast the effect of new or significantly improved public transport connections to train stations on the distribution of train travellers among these stations as it does not take into account the train travellers' origins and destinations and different access/egress modes. This research therefore develops and estimates an origin-destination based station choice model that takes into account the access/egress modes walking, bicycle, car, and public transport. For an origin-destination based approach, detailed information about train travellers' origins and final destinations is required (ATOC, 2009; Wardman, et al., 2007). Nevertheless, filling a complete origin-destination matrix for a detailed geographical scale for all train travellers in the whole Netherlands would require massive amount of data, which simply is not available. Therefore, in this study, the city of Amsterdam was treated as an internal area with origins and destinations at the lowest geographical scale, hence the four-digit postal codes. Then it has been examined which destination stations in the rest of the Netherlands had the same distributions among the origin stations in the internal zone, hence the Amsterdam region. The results indicate that from the first intercity station onwards, where one would always travel to by an Intercity train instead of by a local train, the station choice probabilities are equal. This implies that all origins and destinations from the specific intercity station onward can be grouped into the same external zone. This implies that travellers that travel from the internal area to any destination station in the specific external zone would choose the same origin (intercity) station in the internal area to get there. On the short distance, this is however not justified as local trains mostly call at more stations in the internal area. Another external zone is therefore added between the long-distance external zone and the internal area, to account for the short distance trips. Then, using the survey data, per external zone the percentage of train travellers that travels to (inbound) or from (outbound) each internal zone is defined. This results in a relative distribution of train travellers between the considered in- and external zones for both in- and outbound trips. The shares are then multiplied by the number of travellers that travel from or to the external zones. It results in the number of train travellers between the in- and external zones, for in- and outbound trips. The danger of the revealed preference method is that it is unknown what the actual choice set was. To create choice sets that are logical and feasible to the respondent, conditions are applied to create origin-destination specific choice sets for each access/egress mode. Maximum travel times for walking and cycling are used to exclude unfeasible alternatives. Also, by conducting quantitative research based on the same survey data, the maximum extra time that people travel longer than the fastest possibility has been calculated for each access/egress mode both absolutely and relatively. Separately for each access/egress mode, utility functions are applied to the alternatives in the choice set to predict the station choice probabilities. As there appeared to be significant correlations among alternatives with the same access/egress mode, a nested logit model is used with the modes as nests. The included attributes that have been estimated using the Klimaat V survey that are significant, are the access/egress travel time by each mode, generalized travel time by train, intercity frequency at the station, number of metro lines at the station, number of bus/tram lines at the station, context constants for bicycle and car for inbound trips, and for public transport when travelling to an airport. The only significant differences between inbound and outbound trips are the mode specific constants of car and bicycle, caused by the vehicle availability at stations compared to at home. As for the rest, the choice behaviour is equal. The trip purpose of the train traveller appeared not significant at all. Finally, the predicted station choice probabilities per OD-pair are multiplied by the number of train travellers per OD-pair, which results in the number of train travellers per OD-pair that travels via a certain station with a certain access/egress mode. This is done for both the null situation and the new situation and the ratios between them are growth factors per station that form the input of De Kast. The model has been validated with the Ringlijn metro line case in Amsterdam. The model outcomes are comparable to the revealed results. It has finally been applied to forecast the effects of the Noordzuidlijn metro line in Amsterdam, with logical results: a steady situation at Amsterdam Centraal, 18% growth at Amsterdam Zuid, and a loss of passengers at most surrounding stations. When also including the future PHS timetable of NS in the model, the growth at Amsterdam Zuid rises to even 34%. The origin-destination based approach has appeared to be a strong tool for station choice predictions. By using revealed preference survey data to define the aggregation, calculate the OD-matrix, define the choice sets and estimate the model, it is possible to design an origin-destination based station choice model that gives logical forecasts and has a good model fit. Recommendations for further research and model improvement are to include vehicle availability and international travellers more extensively in the next Klimaat survey, and conduct a research about the behaviour of international and leisure travellers. Also, a limitation is that this model is currently limited to the current train travelling population. It should therefore be researched how the new train travelling population can be calculated for after the opening of new public transport connections to stations, or how the proposed model can cooperate best with the exogenous module that currently calculates that. Finally, a second validation is needed with a case in another city to see whether the parameters from the Amsterdam case are generically applicable. Other applications for the model might be forecasting the effects of new train stations and timetable changes.","choice modelling; station choice; access/egress systems; revealed preference; railway; train","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Technology, Policy and Management","Transport and Logistics Group","","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:37d16ba2-ced7-47c0-9155-2eb257cee0eb","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:37d16ba2-ced7-47c0-9155-2eb257cee0eb","Railway disruption management","Blenkers, L.L.","Van den Boom, T.J.J. (mentor)","2015","Railway networks are susceptible to disturbances and disruptions caused by failures in the infrastructure and rolling stock which lead to delays and inconvenience for passengers. Disruption management is currently performed manually by dispatchers and can be improved by using dispatching support systems that can calculate optimal solutions using a model and information on the current condition of the network. In this thesis, an existing macroscopic constraint model for railway networks is extended to include the properties of a disruption. It is found that a disruption can be modelled in a constraint framework by an assignment problem that allocates arriving trains to planned departures. The assignment constraint model is further extended to include rolling stock actions that can be performed at stations to manage the disruption. The constraint model is applied in a mixed integer linear programming problem (MILP) that describes the rescheduling of railway traffic during a disruption. The objective of the MILP aims at minimizing the sum of delays and the number of cancelled trains in the network. A Matlab program is written to simulate disruption scenarios for a case study considering a full blockade at a track section in the south-west of the Dutch railway network. New feasible timetables for a horizon of two hours considering all trains in the network could be found within a minute. A model predictive control (MPC) scheme was developed and implemented in Matlab that can calculate and apply control actions on-line taking into account new delay information from the network. The resulting model predictive controller was used in the simulation of delay scenarios in combination with the disruption from the case study. Solutions for every instance could be found within half a minute, thereby proving the potential of a MPC approach for the management of railway networks during disturbances and disruptions.","railway rescheduling; mixed integer programming; disruption; model predictive control","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering","DCSC","","","",""
"uuid:3982600a-dc90-4aee-a60b-6607c582a243","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3982600a-dc90-4aee-a60b-6607c582a243","Governance for Public Values in European Railways","Leussink, V.A.W.","Veeneman, W.W. (mentor); Baggen, J.H. (mentor); Ten Heuvelhof, E.F. (mentor)","2015","Governments expect public values to be secured through the efficient and effective delivery of rail services, but the effects of railway governance are in many ways unclear. This research aims at getting a better understanding of the influence of organisational aspects on the performance of European railways, keeping in mind the relevant public values.","public values; governance; organisational aspects; performance; European railways","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Technology, Policy and Management","POLG","","SEPAM","",""
"uuid:d5c33e2e-b6d7-4694-a9b4-7a7fe7129ec9","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d5c33e2e-b6d7-4694-a9b4-7a7fe7129ec9","Partially prestressed railway bridge","Jongstra, E.","Hordijk, D.A. (mentor); Van der Veen, C. (mentor); Kolstein, M.H. (mentor)","2015","Building and maintenance of the railway track and its sub- and superstructures in the Netherlands are commissioned by ProRail. In addition to the Eurocode ProRail prescribes a wide range of regulations and guidelines related to railway track. Amongst these are a few specifically for the design of civil structures. With respect to prestressed concrete structures ProRail deviates from the Eurocode by demanding fully prestressed concrete. Partially prestressed concrete nowadays is often used in structures carrying road traffic (although not in prefab beams or girders) and is allowed according to the Eurocode. Main reason for fully prestressed concrete for railway bridges would be that partially prestressed structures are more prone to effects of fatigue loadings. However, in prestressed concrete not only prestressing tendons but also reinforcement is applied. Longitudinal reinforcement is present, but is of no use in service phase when a concrete section is almost totally in compression. There may be some economical benefit to allow a lower amount of prestressing and to make use of the capacity of the present reinforcement. In this thesis an existing prestressed railway bridge is used as a case study to determine the minimum prestressing degree leaving all other parameters like concrete dimensions, material properties and applied reinforcement undisturbed. ProRails rule is therefore deliberately ignored. The existing structure is designed according to former Dutch national regulations. A comparative design is performed to determine main differences in design checks between those regulations and the current Eurocode. It turns out that according to the current Eurocode and regulations of ProRail the existing structure is not fully prestressed. It was according to the former Dutch national standards. This means that structures designed according to the Eurocode need to be bigger, heavier, stronger than they would be according to the former Dutch national standards. On one hand the loads on a bridge are higher and on the other hand the regulations of ProRail seem to have become stricter. Since the dimensions of this analysed structure approaches its limits, measures are not easily taken to meet the requirement of fully prestressing. By analysing this structure as a partially prestressed bridge, it turns out that circa 15% of the prestressing could have been saved. The present reinforcement is just about enough to meet the requirement of the limited crack width. It approaches the limits with respect to fatigue, but that is not leading in this case. It is just a slight reduction and the economical benefits regarding a trough bridge will not be that large. But it offers an opportunity to review ProRails rule for fully prestressed concrete. In that case future structures do not need to become bigger than they would be according to the former Dutch national rules. Furthermore existing structures could meet the current requirements according to the Eurocode as well. This may be beneficial in cases where current structures near their service lifetime and need to be reassessed.","railway bridge; partially prestressing; trough bridge; reassessment","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","Concrete Structures","","51.709483, 5.350870"
"uuid:a4d94637-3be0-45b7-90af-cd04bb066871","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a4d94637-3be0-45b7-90af-cd04bb066871","Cycling to a Railway Station: Exploring the influence of the urban environment on travel resistance","Krabbenborg, L.D.M.","Annema, J.A. (mentor); Van Wee, B. (mentor); Correia, G. (mentor); Snellen, D. (mentor)","2015","","cycling; urban environment; railway journey; access and egress","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","Transport, Infrastucture and Logistics","",""
"uuid:ed4c1256-700c-4e04-8da0-d8cb3fa74b8b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ed4c1256-700c-4e04-8da0-d8cb3fa74b8b","Resolving infeasibilities in the PESP model of the Dutch railway timetabling problem","Polinder, G.J.","Aardal, K.I. (mentor); Kroon, L.G. (mentor); Molinaro, M. (mentor)","2015","Many times the railway timetabling problem is infeasible. This means a set of constraints can not be satisfied at the same time. It is hard to solve this by hand. This thesis proposed two algorithm to resolve the infeasibilities and to come up with a timetable. It serves as an extention to the CADANS solver.","CADANS; MIP; PESP; Timetabling; Railways; Optimisation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science","Applied mathematics","","Optimisation","",""
"uuid:1e079f7e-a22b-472d-b28b-f74c3c924d3a","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1e079f7e-a22b-472d-b28b-f74c3c924d3a","Bio-based Railway Canopy: Application of bio-based building materials in canopies of railway stations","Van 't Land, W.","Nijsse, R. (mentor); Pasterkamp, S. (mentor); Veer, F.A. (mentor); Van Wolfswinkel, J. (mentor)","2015","Background Consumption of materials is an always ongoing process. In the linear economy, or a âtake-make-disposeâ consumption pattern there is no attention for the rest value of products. The circular economy and bio-based economy introduce that loop-back for materials at the end of their lifetime. This research is about the application of bio-based building materials in railway canopies. Problem definition Bio-based building materials are competing with the fossil- and mineral-based building materials. With the growing consumption of materials and the fact of limited availability of some materials the demand for bio-based materials is growing. But which materials (bio-based materials domain) are available and how do regulations allow the use of this materials (design domain)? Research In this research is investigated what bio-based materials are and how they could be applicated in the railway sector. In the case study is focused is on the design of a railway canopy for railway station Ede-Wageningen. The three main steps taken in the process are: (1) In the literature study the boundary conditions of the bio-based materials, bio-based economy and design rules of ProRail (Dutch railinfrastructure management organisation) are taken to define the domains. A material selection strategy is described to use these boundary condition in material selection. (2) The case is analysed and three railway canopy concepts are designed. One concept is worked out in a parametric model to make also the material selection a parameter in the design. (3) Materials are selected with the material selection strategy and the design is optimized. The consequences of the chosen materials for this design are worked out and a compared with other structural materials. Conclusions (1) Bio-based are these materials that have a renewable origin, that are not faster consumed then produced and that are taken from properly managed agriculture or forests. (2) Design rules of ProRail are currently limiting the use of bio-based materials in railway canopies. (3) The application of bio-based materials in railway canopies is possible. (4) Timber is the only bio-based materials that can be applied without strange safety factors. (5) Conservation of almost all bio-based materials is necessary but depends on climate conditions. (6) To achieve a life time of more than 20 years thorough life prolonging maintenance can be necessary. (7) Because of the CO2 consumption of crops and wood, the relative CO2 consumption of a building can be reduced by using bio-based materials. Recommendations (1) Research materials and develop design and calculation rules to make new bio-based materials competitive to other building materials. (2) Research the environmental effects of bio-based materials to make them comparable with other building materials.","bio-based; cardboard structure; structural design; building design; railway canopy; timber structure","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2015-07-10","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","Building Engineering / Structural Design","","52.028189, 5.671635"
"uuid:bb652e64-5881-42c6-ad91-bf5930a4b2bb","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bb652e64-5881-42c6-ad91-bf5930a4b2bb","Neural network based condition monitoring for track circuits","De Bruin, T.D.","Babuska, R. (mentor)","2015","Railway track circuits are electrical systems that are used for train detection. The identification of faults in these track circuits and the estimation of the severity of these faults is crucial for the safety and availability of railway networks. In this thesis a method is proposed to solve these tasks based on the commonly available measurement signals. By considering the signals from multiple track circuits in a geographic area, faults can be identified from their spatial and temporal dependencies. In this thesis, artificial neural networks are used to learn these dependencies from historical data. Although not enough measurement data was available during the writing of this thesis, it is more than likely that reasonable amounts of (unlabeled) measurement data will become available at a later time, as the required measurement equipment has already been installed. To train the networks in this thesis, the small available dataset is analyzed and used together with the currently available understanding of the fault dependencies to make a generative model. The synthetic data produced by this model are used to train and test the neural networks in this thesis. Artificial neural networks have recently achieved state of the art performance on difficult pattern recognition problems in several different fields such as image recognition and speech recognition. These recent successes can be largely attributed to the combination of large networks and large datasets. In the condition monitoring domain large datasets are generally not available. This prevents the use of the large neural networks that have become so successful in other fields. In-spite of this, some of the ideas that have become popular in other domains might still have value in the condition monitoring domain. This thesis focuses on bringing the Long-Short Term Memory architecture and the concept of end-to-end learning to the condition monitoring domain. To address the fact that only a limited amount of labeled data will be available, an unsupervised learning strategy is investigated. This strategy will use unlabeled data to pre-train a network so that it can more efficiently learn from the scarce labeled data. For the fault isolation task, it is shown in this thesis that when a large amount of labeled training data is available, the end-to-end learning strategy can detect and diagnose faults in the data from the generative model very accurately. When only a small amount of labeled data is available, it is shown that using a pre-trained network works better than using end-to-end learning.","fault isolation; neural network; railway track circuit","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2020-05-26","Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering","DCSC","","Systems & Control","",""
"uuid:407beb97-73f3-4621-8360-246352932db9","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:407beb97-73f3-4621-8360-246352932db9","A simplified model for assessing lateral railway bridge resonance behavior","Deng, S.","Bijlaard, F. (mentor); Abspoel, R. (mentor); Steenbergen, M. (mentor); Van Almen, M. (mentor)","2015","Dynamics of railway bridges is a complicated problem that normally needs nu- merical simulation to conduct researches on. However, this thesis takes advan- tage of the numerical results provided in previous researches and based on these researches, further conclusions are made by using them in simplified model. Recently long span railway bridges being designed in the Netherlands are being rejected by a particular Eurocode criterion that requires bridges to possess a first lateral natural frequency higher than 1.2Hz. Due to the fact that generally bridgeâs first lateral natural frequency decreases as the span increases, it can be seen that 1.2Hz criterion is rejecting almost all bridge with a span longer than 150m. This report succeeds in pursuing the original documents of 1.2Hz criterion and the knowledge in the documents initiates further researches on the lateral dy- namics of railway bridges. Besides 1.2Hz criterion itself, following topics are researched with the information provided by previous researches: 1. Train-bridge lateral resonance mechanisms, including axle repeat pattern resonance and kinematic movement resonance, 2. Lateral force on tracks caused by the operation of railway vehicle and key parameters influencing the force. Taking advantage of the items above, a simplified model for checking the lateral railway bridge dynamics is developed to quantify the lateral dynamic resonance response of railway bridge under horizontal dynamic vehicle load. This method aims to serve for engineering purposes and provide an alternative way of ver- ifying railway bridge lateral dynamics. The practical method is developed by an analytical approach, based on the numerical simulation results provided by other researches. An illustration of the usage of the practical method is conducted on the basis of a real bridge project. The method is also implemented in Matlab scripts to automate the checking procedure.","Eurocode; lateral railway bridge dynamics; 1.2Hz criterion; nosing force; lateral force on track","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2015-03-18","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","Steel and Timber Construction","","51.998869, 4.375643"
"uuid:cb71e470-8872-4cf9-9f1e-247cfce6526f","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cb71e470-8872-4cf9-9f1e-247cfce6526f","Rotterdam Blaak Railway Station","Van Doren, R.","Bier, H.H. (mentor); Biloria, N.M. (mentor); Vollers, K. (mentor)","2015","MSc 4 Hyperbody Graduation Project","erosion; railway station","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture and The Built Environment","Architecture","","Hyperbody","",""
"uuid:a93da4c3-25b2-4c57-b6fd-9c08cd1611cf","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a93da4c3-25b2-4c57-b6fd-9c08cd1611cf","Reconsideration of NS Station Amsterdam Zuid: Proposal for 'a musedÂŽ Parnassusweg","Klompenhouwer, M.G.M.","Pimlott, M. (mentor); Parravicini, M. (mentor); Zeinstra, J. (mentor); Cieraad, I. (mentor)","2014","Graduation studio New directions for the Public Interior (2013/2014) is concerned with NS Station Amsterdam Zuid as a major and infrastructural node. While the main entrance of the station is mainly focused on businesspeople and corporate Zuidas, the Parnassusweg entrance gives stage to the other users of Zuidas: to VU students, residents and scolars. This proposal for 'amused' Parnassusweg states that the railway station entrance should be transformed from back door to the city to a(nother) full city gate to Amsterdam Zuid. Nine squares and gardens along Parnassusweg symbolize the nine muses of Parnassus and function as unifying reference points along the roadÂŽs currently fragmented area. These urban interventions distinguish potential public space from technocratic infrastructure and provide the opportunity for Parnassusweg to be a street instead of a road. The redesign of the railway station entrance at Parnassusweg provides a functional connection and transit between city and station, between various means of transportation and accommodates travellers coming from different directions. It also symbolizes Mount Parnassus: home of the nine muses, a place where creation and imagination are encouraged and where the various characteristics of all muses come together as an inspirational and âsignificantâ whole.","public interior; railway; station; urban; user oriented; muse; parnassus; amsterdam; zuidas","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2014-12-12","Architecture and The Built Environment","Architecture","","The Architecture of the Interior","",""
"uuid:10ed75ca-76dd-4293-aeb1-f2005a1d30e1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:10ed75ca-76dd-4293-aeb1-f2005a1d30e1","The Dutch Winter Timetable: Assessment of Alternative Line Systems for the Dutch Railway Network during Winter Weather","Trap, M.L.","Hoogendoorn, S.P. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor); Huisman, D. (mentor); Van de Walle, A.T.W. (mentor)","2014","Extreme winters have repeatedly led to severely disrupted situations on the Dutch railway network. Due to heavy snow and ice, both infrastructure and rolling stock broke down or malfunctioned, which made the network run out-of-control. Today, a special reduced timetable is being deployed to provide for more robustness and consequently limit the impact of winter weather on the rail operations. This timetable is, however, structurally unable to transport all passengers to their destination. This thesis explores alternative line systems for a winter timetable, aiming to increase the transport capacity while maintaining robustness.","Netherlands railways; line system; winter; timetable; rail; snow; schedule","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","Transport, Infrastructure & Logistics","",""
"uuid:7dee689c-53d8-477b-adb2-9defa751d143","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7dee689c-53d8-477b-adb2-9defa751d143","Amsterdam Zuid Station: Place of transitional moments of life","Meschiari, M.","Pimlott, M. (mentor)","2014","Transition Transition is to me the essence of Amsterdam Zuid Station. Transition between the station and its surroundings, between the Mahlerplein and Zuidplein. People living, people arriving, people just passing by people staying Train stations lead us from a place to another, becoming an important medium not only on an infrastructural level but also on a public and social level. Amsterdam Zuid station positioning is a crucial place of connection to the social tissue of the area. In fact, the station, in-between the two main squares, act as a bridge in a âriverâ of railways that divide the area in two. Moreover, a new residential area and student housing will soon animate the direct surroundings. So, the project almost anatomically orchestrates the movement that characterize a station but simultaneously it defines a sequence of spaces that accompany those transitional moments that typify the place. The edges define places to move places to stay in relation to the context, the north and south atriums introduce to the interior, the passage rhythm and displace the flow, the platforms guest farewells and arrivals. The sound and light accompany the transition too. From the sound of the open public squares, to the whistling of train rails. From the reflection and transparency of the skyscrapers of the area, to the filtered light underneath the mass of railways structure. The monumentality, mass and at the same time the relatively low height of the project, compared to the high-rises is chosen to enact the experience of the place trying to leaving a collective memory and awareness of the place.","train station; railway; monumentality; transition; public interior","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture and The Built Environment","Architecture","","","",""
"uuid:1b79db63-688f-489d-86ad-853312069f37","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1b79db63-688f-489d-86ad-853312069f37","Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete applied in Railway Bridges","De Geus, J.V.","Hordijk, D. (mentor)","2014","A parameter study to the most governing design aspects and geometry in trough- railway bridges and how the application of Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) influence this.","UHPFRC; UHSB; railway; bridge; UHPC; parameter study","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Structural Engineering","","","",""
"uuid:e03e77ce-25d4-4cb6-91c3-0cfcf9b1784c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e03e77ce-25d4-4cb6-91c3-0cfcf9b1784c","Schiphol's dynamic traffic Management: A case study on rescheduling","De Vries, N.A.","Van Arem, B. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Corman, F. (mentor); Wiggenraad, P.B.L. (mentor); Bouman, P. (mentor); Schaafsma, A.A.M. (mentor)","2014","Around the railway station of Schiphol, railway traffic is controlled by an automated dynamic traffic management system (DVM). This system is not optimal for the future service pattern of NS and NS Hispeed. My research explores the possibilities of a new DVM by analysing different rescheduling elements by means of microsimulations in OpenTrack.","Railway Traffic Management; transport; Schiphol; railway; rescheduling; Dynamic Traffic Management; NS; ProRail; DVM; OpenTrack; simulation; rerouting; retiming; reordering; traffic","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","","",""
"uuid:2744b84a-0f2c-48b0-8874-7d7f561fd12a","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2744b84a-0f2c-48b0-8874-7d7f561fd12a","Omval Area, linking city fragments trough subtle architectural interventions","Van den Hof, P.H.M.","Caso, O. (mentor); Vollers, K. (mentor)","2014","The defined project location is strongly delimited by different infrastructures. The first limiting factor is the two railway and metro lines, which are on approximately five meters high overpasses cutting the site from north to south. Secondly there is a main road that wraps around the eastern and northern border of the site. And finally the water of the Weespertrekvaart forms the southern limit of the site. When looking into the contrasting aspects of the sides of the urban scar, there are many, programmatic, physical and social. On one side there are large-scale building blocks, with a quite versatile program: offices, restaurants, apartments etc. While on the other side there is a very small-scale social housing area. The contrast in scale is even intensified by the fact that the housing area is situated in a polder and therefor there is a height difference in the terrain of five meters. The goal for the location is the reinforcement of the urban tissue by revitalising the underpasses of the railway and the inhabitation of the Weesperzijde, thereby establishing a square with a collective character opening to the Weespertrekvaart.","Urban regeneration; Bottom-up architecture; small scale; Mixed use; industrial heritage; refurbishment; Weesperzijde; Weespertrekvaart; Spaklerweg; Railway; Overpasses; Bridge; Underpassage; Workshops; Creative hotspot; Parking garage","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture and The Built Environment","Architecture","","Hybrid Buildings","","52.343212, 4.919529"
"uuid:83c8bec4-4933-4809-9fed-ca76a4294ecc","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:83c8bec4-4933-4809-9fed-ca76a4294ecc","Strategic maintenance on the right track","Van der Kamp, M.V.","Van Arem, B. (mentor); Annema, J.A. (mentor)","2014","Strategic maintenance planning in the field of high-speed railway infrastructure maintenance is currently performed inefficiently. It is an important topic, since high-speed railway many kilometers of infrastructure will be constructed in the next twenty years. Interviewed experts state that the actual problem statements consists of five groups of lacks in knowledge: model and data lacking, financial aspects, organizational structures, emphasis on efficiency and interface problems. In order to solve these lacks of knowledge, seven design requirements for a railway infrastructure maintenance organization and seven design requirements for a type of computer simulation tool have been identified. A computer simulation tool is desired, since an optimum point in the costs of maintenance exists and, as stated, maintenance is currently performed inefficiently. Within company Oxand SA, computer simulation tool StrateGo is most suitable for efficient long-term maintenance planning. A case study and a confrontation with the design requirements showed that the functionality of StrateGo is promising, but it could not be used for operational maintenance planning yet. Main concern is the reliability of the simulation and data. Improvements are proposed to overcome the weaknesses of this simulation tool.","maintenance; railway; infrastructure; France; Netherlands","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","MSc. Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","",""
"uuid:9b9b6065-80f2-405d-b687-80cd79e9125d","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9b9b6065-80f2-405d-b687-80cd79e9125d","Transfer Solutions: Solutions for transfer capacity issues at railway stations","Bruin, D.B.N.","Van Wee, G.P. (mentor); Baggen, J.H. (mentor); Veeneman, W.W. (mentor); Van den Heuvel, J.P.A. (mentor); Marinus, H. (mentor)","2013","There is an expected growth of passengers at railway stations by the increasing use of public transport. As result, the safety and the transfer capacity as the comfort of the passengers becomes under pressure. However, until now there is in the rail sector no generic approach for resolving transfer capacity bottlenecks on railway stations what solving transfer capacity bottlenecks makes a confusing process. Therefore a generic approach in order to solve transfer capacity bottlenecks at railway stations was created and validated against a case study. Even though this transfer capacity analysis model is still under development, this research concludes that the model is a successful first attempt to address transfer capacity bottlenecks at railway stations. The transfer capacity analysis model can be improved in several areas, most notably further extending in the interaction between technical, institutional and process aspects and the use for other markets.","analysis model; TIP analysis; transfer capacity; transfer solutions; railway stations","en","master thesis","","","","","","","Campus only","","Technology, Policy and Management","Engineering Systems and Services","","Transport and Logistics","",""
"uuid:3ddf077d-fb31-4fb1-a190-c4c60f93db59","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3ddf077d-fb31-4fb1-a190-c4c60f93db59","Stationshus: A Scandinavian influenced approach and design for a strategic multi-modal intervention in Rotterdam South","Hagers, W.","Van den Burg, L.P.J. (mentor); Van der Hoeven, F.D. (mentor); Wilms Floet, W.W.L.M. (mentor); Mihl, H. (mentor)","2013","Rotterdam South the largest problematic neighbourhood in the Netherlands and deals with large social and spatial problems. With the development of a Stationshus a large intervention is made, that connects the area to the national Intercity railway network and that at the same time forms a new centre for Rotterdam South, that connects the physically separated neighbourhoods together. The project contributes to sustainable solutions for the problems in the area and is integrated with respect to the current built environment. Thereby creating a new routes, including a Third City Bridge and the connection between Beijerlandselaan and Laan op Zuid, that help to integrate Rotterdam South further into the city. Centrally a Swedish influenced kulturhus is housed under one roof with the railway station to form the Stationshus, that further contains a library, sports facilities, lecture rooms, kindergarten and commercial activities.","accessibility; kulturhus; social inclusion; TOD; Railway station; Place-node model; urban regeneration; connectivity; Scandinavian model; pedestrian oriented development","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture and The Built Environment","Architecture and Urbanism","","Architecture and Urbanism","",""
"uuid:4caa5eeb-5a8f-4bab-962f-b983aa0c1dd2","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4caa5eeb-5a8f-4bab-962f-b983aa0c1dd2","Chances for creative talent in Parkstad Rotterdam: Urban regeneration in Rotterdam-Zuid based on the development of a vital local creative economic cluster","Caspers, M.","Caso, O. (mentor); Mihl, H. (mentor); Harteveld, M. (mentor); Romein, A. (mentor)","2013","Rotterdam-Zuid is dealing with large socio-economic and spatial-physical problems. The plan that should contribute to a sustainable solution to these problems are as follows. (1) The development of the Parkstad area into a lively mixed urban environment. (2) The establishment of new local routes and connections between neighbourhoods, shopping streets and the larger urban network. (3) The construction of multifunctional building containing a vocational school, office space and workshops for freelancers and small companies, commercial and social space, a library and other support functions.","urban regeneration; creative city; creative industry; talent development; neighbourhood economy; vocational school; business incubator; railway tunnel; truss; Jacobs; Florida; Rotterdam-Zuid; Parkstad","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Architecture & Urbanism","","Hybrid Buildings","",""
"uuid:ff871579-ac69-48ab-9335-7f44b38e6861","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ff871579-ac69-48ab-9335-7f44b38e6861","Breaking the Barrier","Mamedov, A.","Gramsbergen, E.H. (mentor); Rogic, T. (mentor)","2013","Railway station Koog Zaandijk.","railway station","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2013-06-26","Architecture","Architecture","","","",""
"uuid:d11ddc04-e239-486e-8f32-b6b2bf2756b3","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d11ddc04-e239-486e-8f32-b6b2bf2756b3","Back on track: Redeveloping the railway zone in Gouda","Angkotta, Y.T.","Van Nes, A. (mentor); Hausleitner, B. (mentor)","2013","A railway station is one of the most important elements of modern cities. The station is of vital importance to shops and other economic functions in the city centre because of the constant flow of people going in and out of the city. At present, many Dutch cities saw the necessity of redeveloping their railway station environments. Every railway station environment has an own identity, and therefore its own potentials. Analyzing the integration of railway stations within their cityâs urban fabric is one of the ways to determine those potentials. Many current regeneration projects are only focused on the connectivity on a regional scale. Often the local accessibility is considered as less important. A lot has been written about the quality and liveability of public space already. The public space in the vicinity of a railway station is one of the most important public urban spaces in a city. It is the first space people experience when arriving in the city. However, in many current railway station environment redevelopment projects the liveability does not get priority. Many different factors have resulted in railway station environments that are unpleasant places to be, cut off from their surroundings. This is where the challenges lie for the nearby future in the Netherlands, to regain the importance of the railway station and the railway network, especially in a large metropolitan area like the Randstad. These two currently subordinated aspects; the spatial integration and the liveability of railway station environments will be emphasized in this MSc thesis. The project location of this thesis is the railway zone in Gouda. The spatial potential and the liveability of the current situation have been analyzed, as well as the changes the existing plans of the municipality of Gouda will make. As final product of this graduation project an alternative urban renewal plan has been developed for the railway zone in Gouda.","urban renewal; public space; spatial integration; liveability; railway station environment; Gouda","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2013-06-26","Architecture","Urbanism","","Urban Regeneration","",""
"uuid:e132ed00-0636-4e89-a557-62981f44c4ec","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e132ed00-0636-4e89-a557-62981f44c4ec","Entering the station: A redesign of the railway station Amsterdam Zuid","DorfmĂŒller, L.","Caso, O. (mentor)","2013","In the framework of the Hybrid Graduation studio that broaches the theme of transportation nodes and interventions in complex urban environments this design replaces the existing infrastructural barrier with a station building that integrates itself into the urban fabric by repeating the block structure of the city and by offering a continuous network of public space. The station should be perceived and designed not to function solely as an infrastructural node, but according to its meaning as a place in the city and as central point for public life.","railway station; Amsterdam Zuid","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2013-06-27","Architecture","Architecture","","Hybrid Buildings","",""
"uuid:43b57fb4-873b-45fc-9d35-020b28083f20","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:43b57fb4-873b-45fc-9d35-020b28083f20","Institutional and technical requirements for a new operator to run a French Intercity line: The case of Nantes-Bordeaux","Pinard, C.M.H.","Van Arem, B. (mentor); Wiggenraad, P. (mentor); Baggen, J. (mentor)","2013","While the fourth railway package is under way at the European Commission in Brussels, French railways are at a crossroad. Despite being one of the first to restructure its organization and separate infrastructure management and train operations in 1997, and opening freight to competition n 2006, since then the industry can appear as though nothing had changed. There is marginal train competition introduced by the Italian railways between Paris and Milan, the new freight operators have managed to capture a quarter of traffic, but the main segment, national and local passenger trains, is still to be opened. Resistances are multiple and varied. Some based on economic rationale â opening TGV traffic brutally would disorganize production and not benefit anyone â others lie more with French corporatism and reluctance to change. With 150,000 employees under the highly protected railway worker statute, and millions of French workers at threat of not being to be able to go to work when a strike occurs, it takes very strong political will to push for opening of the lager share of railway operations, however shy that opening could be. Under the government of Nicolas Sarkozy and with the strong impulsion of Nathalie Kosciusco-Morizet, minister for Ecology and Transports until May 2012, the idea was promoted to open competition progressively for national transport, beginning by one or two Intercity lines. This strong stance and the interest of third-party operators triggered the present study with a central question: What are the requirements for a new TOC to operate a French Intercity line if it were to be tendered to competition in 2014? How would this apply to the specific case of Quimper-Nantes-Bordeaux-Toulouse? To answer the main question, the research approach begins with a system analysis of French railways and their environment. This first section begins broadly by considering the organisation of railways throughout Europe. This continental outlook first underlines that there is no single but several approaches or models to opening passenger train operations to competition. In any case, whether the national operator is kept as a whole (in Germany or in Sweden) or cut in smaller chunks (in the United Kingdom), competition has brought in strong productivity gains and increased the quality of service to the customers. But to meet these results, prerequisites are negotiations with the actors and specifically the employees, and strong regulation to guarantee fair and efficient competition, backed by strong political will. Then the analysis focuses then on the French organisation and on how competition could be introduced. Because of the multiplicity and complexity of the actors involved, the system is first considered in its environment, with an analysis on the political decision centres that actually fund public transports. The focus then turns on the railway industry itself, considering the current rift between the two key actors, SNCF on the one side (transport operator) and RFF on the other (network management), with the myriad of smaller actors revolving around them. SNCF has the weight of the years and a very rigid and vertical organization, making it practically an administration in itself, if not a branch of the Transport Ministry. RFF is a younger organization (born in 1997) that gained its limited powers by fighting every inch against SNCF. Originally an artificial accounting trick to get the debt of railways out of the State accounts and allow for entry in the Euro, RFF has managed to develop its credibility and have a voice that counts in the industry. The process antagonized both companies, SNCF generally considering RFF useless if not illegitimate, and RFF feeling threatened by SNCF. The absurdity of the situation is even pushed further with RFF actually not being able to maintain the tracks itself but having to use SNCF workers for that. This results in SNCF paying tolls to RFF who then pays SNCF to fulfil railway works. It is estimated that as many as 45,000 SNCF workers are actually working directly for RFF. These imbrications and the complex relationship between SNCF and RFF accounts for very high transaction costs, deepening the debt of the industry. Beyond the issue of how the relationship between RFF and SNCF should be improved, the question is how best to introduce competition. Competition in the market and competition for the market are introduced and discussed, the latter being preferred due to the natural monopoly quality of railways and French social preferences. Given resistance to change mentioned above, the introduction of competition is likely to be very progressive, starting probably with experimentation. And since the Intercity lines are most likely to be opened first, they are considered in depth and analyzed, and it is shown there are opportunities for development there. All along this first chapter on system analysis, requirements are gathered. These are external requirements that have to be making the railway market interesting for a new operator to enter it. They are assembled and grouped along the lines of external political factors, stakeholdersâ involvement strategy and choice of the most suitable line. To analyze a line and elaborate a service design, a methodology is developed and described, kept in general terms, and applied to the case study of Nantes-Bordeaux, firstly for Institutions analysis and then for technical analysis. These lead to criteria that will be used in for the evaluation. Because of the key role of political figures in funding and deciding over transport infrastructures and operations, the first part of the analysis focuses on a systematic analysis of local politicians and their networks of influence. Key figures are identified, that could push the project forward and perhaps even attract funding. Then the environment of the line is considered, with specific attention to the users demands, formulated in line committees and via the usersâ associations. The technical analysis of the line describes the state of the infrastructure, with the challenge of a line that is only partially electrified and is aging rapidly, with speed limitations as low as 40 km/h on certain segments, the current rolling stock is introduced, that is also characterized by great age and subsequent low reliability. Then, so as to get an idea of possible demand potential and development possibilities, the competition is systematically analyzed for air, car and coaches, with all lines and routes described and analyzed, in terms of travel time and price. Nantes-Bordeaux suffers from strong car competition, with travel time by car quite similar and very little toll costs. Nantes-Toulouse faces strong direct competition from airlines, with very regular flights operated by Air France but also by Easy Jet, thus at prices often below that of the train, for a much reduced travel time. These different lines of analysis lead to criteria that will eventually be used to evaluate proposed scenarios. Following the analysis, scenarios are drawn, on the institutional side and on the technical side. With the criteria elaborated in the analysis, these scenarios are then evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. For the institutions, it has thus been accepted by all actors that the dual situation between SNCF and RFF must be put to an end. Two scenarios are considered, one seeing RFF getting full infrastructure management and overseeing all employees linked to the network, while SNCF would retain train operations only. The second scenario sees SNCF building itself in a holding overseeing both network management and train operations, copied on the German railway industry. Both scenarios are discussed and evaluated. The full separation scenario leads to more fair competition, but the holding scenario is more acceptable for the workers and for the government. On the technical side, three service scenarios are built, according to the systematic approach elaborated. The key differentiation point is whether to consider the line as a whole and spread services over its full length (Scenarios T1 and T1bis) or to strive to provide services where they are most needed, i.e. on the central segment between Nantes and Bordeaux (Scenario T2). Both possibilities are assessed with the criteria and it appears that if focusing on the central trunk makes more sense from a user and operator point of view, allowing for more trains to service the most useful part, spreading services over the full length also secures support of many more political figures that can prove key in funding the project. Finally an outlook into future prospects considers the influence possible improvement works would have on running time, with a likely time gain of 90 minutes on the whole, and a much better service to the customers as a consequence. To further improve service, hourly services are drawn and evaluated. Overall, it appears that there is room for a new approach on French railways that would discard past âhistoricalâ timetables and strive to build new ones based on usersâ demands rather than on politician games. This new approach, although unsatisfying for historical user groups, can unleash untapped growth potential and develop ridership on train services. Once and if the experimentation of competition on Nantes Bordeaux is achieved and successful, the next step could be a relatively independent group of lines with a much larger volumes, typically Paris to Clermont-Ferrand. More generally, now that questions arise about the pertinence of TGV as an absolute ideal for all territories, there is room for a reflection on the key role of Intercities in France, which should not be seen anymore as a leftover between TGV and TER but as a key means of transport and growth factor, which, if it is adapted to the needs of todayâs users, can definitely meet success and improve lives of passengers.","France; trains; Intercity; railway competition","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","TIL","",""
"uuid:45d78103-33ce-4202-b019-ae521074f01e","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:45d78103-33ce-4202-b019-ae521074f01e","Small Railway Stations: A concept for improving passengers' travel experience and the stations' functionality","Jacobs, K.","Christiaans, H.H.C.M. (mentor); Santema, S.C. (mentor)","2013","Introduction Most people prefer waiting at big railway stations above waiting at SRS's. While SRS's are the engineâs which feed passengers to the big railway stations, limited attention has been given to this important group of stations. Since a couple of years the focus points of the NS includes the improvement of SRS's, it is of importance to research where the potential improvements of these SRS's are lying. To contribute to this development this graduation project will explore the opportunities to increase passengers' travel experience on SRSâs and make these stations pleasant and useful places to stay. The input for the actual concept development consists of literature and passenger research in which the context and the passengers of SRS's are researched. These results are translated into potential concepts, followed by the development of the final concept. The evaluation, conclusions and recommendations will reflect on the whole process. Analysis NS Stations is operator of 380 railway stations and aims to bring these stations alive by offering services and facilities to their customers and thereby create a convenient DTD travel experience. Project developer of NS Stations, NS Retail Company, exploits several retail formulas on these stations. The Retail Company has always been focused on the big stations and their passengers, while SRSâs are the âlife lineâ of the big stations. SRS's need a different approach than big stations, especially in terms of target group. Because of the low number of passengers on SRSâs the target group for any commercial facilities at the station must be enlarged. The most obvious audience to involve can be found in the direct neighbourhood of the station and are the residents of the city. To get a better understanding of the characteristics of SRS's an analysis about these stations was done. From this analysis it is concluded that every SRS is unique in its own way. Even if two stations have several comparable characteristics, a different type of passenger will have a significant influence on the success of the same retail format. Besides the fact that all stations differ from each other it can be concluded that SRSâs: Are located on a central place in the city/village Are typical commuter stations Transports mostly âmustâ passengers and, Are often unsafe and not clean To give a certain feasibility to this project it is decided to choose one station as case study for further concept development; the station of Nijkerk. The literature study explores the theory of Customer Experience Management (CEM) and challenges in (travel) retail. Effective CEM seems to start with a good understanding of the customer journey and exists of expectations of the service and customersâ judgment when the service or experience is consumed. For an effective approach of managing this customer experience, an unambiguous approach within all departments of a company should be applied. Service performance of NS should at least meet customersâ expectations in order to achieve satisfaction. For increasing this satisfaction, NS should use a more effective approach by deconstructing the journey into experiences. Every part of the DTD journey contributes to the overall customer experience in which the transfer time has a lot of influence because of its low experience value. Travel retail is characterized by speed, convenience and reliability and will win the confidence of the time-pressed consumer. Clear and reliable information will decrease stress among passengers and increases their purchase intention. Consumers expect freedom, service and access at every moment of the day; the most recognizable characteristics of Multi-channel retail. After the literature study, the station, passengers and surroundings of Nijkerk are researched. The location of the stations seemed to be very suitable for a better integration with the city center and his residents. The station building is used highly inefficient and people do not value their time spend on the station. In other words, the great possibilities the station offers are not being used optimally. After this a stakeholder analysis is done which has identified the key parties involved in this project and suggests that better cooperation of, amongst others, NS and municipality will contribute to a more successful concept development. Passenger Research A qualitative passenger research is done to gain passenger insights concerning the passengers' perception of a SRS, its train journey and their travel experience. This research has been conducted by means of context mapping, including a group session and observations. The group session was held with five frequent travellers of Nijkerk and observations were held at the same station. From the results of the passenger research two personas are created and used to reveal opportunity points in the passenger journey. The Young Always Connected Consumer is chosen to focus on in further development steps. He/she is characterized by its independency, relaxed behaviour and quick adaption to new technologies. All the insights gathered from the passenger research and the research concerning Nijkerk have revealed three main areas of opportunity: (1) Unpleasant stay on the station, lowering the travel experience (2) Highly inefficient use of the station building (3) The location of the station close to the city centre To help translating all the insights and focus areas into a successful concept a design vision is created: The young always connected traveller on SRS's expects services that makes the DTD journey a fluent activity, a seamless travel experience in which the time at the station is perceived as pleasant and effective time. Low effort and no obstruction during the train trip. The travel experience should lower the stress factor, create convenience and change the perception of a train trip from a common âmust doâ activity, into a memorable train trip. A SRS brings passengers and residents together and contributes to a memorable station experience. This design vision and opportunity points are the input for the idea generation which starts with a brainstorm session. Ideation & Conceptualization The ideation was started with a brainstorm session, based on the three focus points described above. This brainstorm resulted in 62 ideas which are clustered and transformed into idea cards and used in the idea judgement session with NS colleagues. This session has examined the feasibility of the ideas and the extent to which it would increase passengers' experience. This session resulted into three potential concept directions of which one is chosen as leading concept element: a take away service. The concept is optimized with two other elements, a waiting facility and a cafĂ©-restaurant. These elements together form an optimal concept fitting the characteristics of the station (environment) and the potential of the station of Nijkerk. To prevent the concept from separate elements and make it attractive for a broad target group, the concept resulted in a cooperation with HEMA. The choice for this retailer is based on the power of the brand, their attractive pricing and assortment and their recent developments regarding presence in small neighbourhood stores. The combination of HEMA and the three elements resulted in: HEMA Take Away, HEMA Wait & Inspire and HEMA Lunch & Dining. The concept attracts, passengers residents and employees of neighbouring businesses. The concepts increases the DTD travel experience by adding liveliness and comfort to the station. HEMA Take Away The Take Away is the starting point of the concept and meets the needs of an easy and efficient DTD journey. Besides the service offer to the passengers, it is also attractive for non-travelling residents of Nijkerk. For a more efficient service, the Take Away is supported by an online application, which allows customers of the Take Away to order their meal at home or in the train. This allows passengers to pick up their meal immediately after arrival at the station. Customers can pay online or with cash at the desk, but also by using their OV card. HEMA Wait & Inspire The HEMA Wait & Inspire offers passengers comfort but also ways to kill time at the station. Waiting passengers can browse through recipes on the wall, be inspired by the latest products and sales offers and buy several basic or forgotten products from the dispenser. The dispenser sells products such as bicycle lights, umbrellas, gloves or t-shirts. The room has an open design to make it more approachable and in order to create a view on the platform. To fully inform passengers about departing trains, the waiting room is also equipped with time schedule information. HEMA Lunch & Dining Even as the Take Away, the Lunch & Dining offers everyday food and should carry the brand image of HEMA stores: For everybody & quality for good price. Simple lunches and dinners can be consumed at an affordable price. During lunchtime, passengers and resident can come for a lunch, but it also focusses on employees of neighbouring businesses. After the concept development, a cost estimation is made to assess the feasibility of the concept. Results show that, despite the high investment and long pay-back period, the concept in this state is making profit. Because profits are not very high, several suggestions are given for adjusting the concept in order to increase profit, for instance, more effective use of space and opening hours. Evaluation The final concept is evaluated based on the established requirements and wishes. This evaluation resulted in 32/37 achieved requirements. From this it may be concluded that the concept improves the travel experience of the young & always connected commuter and helps building a more functional station environment. Based on the executed research, concept development and evaluation, several recommendations are given, on concept level but also on project level of NS. It is recommended to focus more on surroundings of SRSâs to assess the potential of the city or village, involve other parties in the concept such as municipalities, and get a better understanding of their customers on SRSâs. Several other recommendations, limitations and my own experiences will end this graduation assignment.","railway stations; retail; customer experience","en","master thesis","","","","","","","Campus only","2014-03-20","Industrial Design Engineering","Product Innovation Management","","Master of Science Strategic Product Design","",""
"uuid:c9a3971f-8b01-4ac4-a61c-90b41d41d7af","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c9a3971f-8b01-4ac4-a61c-90b41d41d7af","Rijtijdspeling in treindienstregelingen: Energiezuinig rijden versus robuustheid","Scheepmaker, G.M.","Van Arem, B. (mentor); Hansen, I.A. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Wiggenraad, P.B.L. (mentor); Luijt, R.S. (mentor); Van Nooyen, R.R.P. (mentor)","2013","Commissioned by the Dutch Railways Operation (NS Reizigers) research has been conducted on the possibilities to better incorporate energy-efficient train operation into the timetable. The motivation for this research is based on the fact that energy-efficient operation is not yet optimally included in the timetable design. This is because of the fact that the running time supplement is not optimally divided. Running time supplement or slack time is the running time above the minimal running time between two timetable points. The objective of the research is to develop a model which determines the optimal coasting point and the optimal cruising speed for trains and the associated running time supplement distribution; taking into account the desired robustness, the possibilities for energy-efficient operation and the desired punctuality during the execution of the timetable. The behavior of a train is described by four driving regimes: acceleration, cruising, coasting and braking. With these driving regimes this study considers two driving strategies: time optimal and energy-efficient. The time optimal driving strategy requires a train to drive as fast as possible from A to B using the driving regimes acceleration, braking and possibly cruising. The energy-efficient driving strategy requires a train to drive also from A to B using as less as possible traction energy given the available time from the timetable. The coasting regime is an important part in this strategy. The energy-efficient driving strategy is determined by the optimal control theory. The algorithm which is applied in MATLAB determines the energy-efficient driving strategy by calculating the optimal coasting point and the optimal cruising speed given the time from the timetable. The model has been applied on the section Utrecht Central â Rhenen for sprinter train series 7400. The results of this research show that there are yearly energy savings possible of almost  26.400 if the energy-efficient driving strategy is used instead of the UZI (âUniverseel Zuinig rijden Ideeâ) method of NS Reizigers. Moreover the results show that using a uniform distribution of the running time supplements leads to extra energy savings and an improvement for the punctuality compared to the method of tightening the timetable. Tightening the timetable means that the running time supplements are placed as much as possible short before stations where the punctuality is measured. These yearly extra savings which are possible by the uniform distribution instead of the current slack time are almost  44.000 for the energy-efficient driving strategy and are almost  27.500 for the UZI method on the total section.","railway operation; energy efficient operation; timetable; optimal control","nl","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","Transport & Planning","",""
"uuid:80e19312-f50d-4463-8207-e886ebd84dab","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:80e19312-f50d-4463-8207-e886ebd84dab","Meeting the Hague south west at the border","Smit, C.J.","Harteveld, M. (mentor); Caso, O. (mentor); Van Dorst, M. (mentor); Mihl, H. (mentor)","2013","This graduation project focuses on improving the public space and pedestrian connections between the different neighbourhoods surrounding the station area of the Hague Moerwijk. In the present situation the station area of the Hague Moerwijk is not well accessible or visible from its surroundings and the existing qualities of the area are neglected. The area around this tertiary station of the Hague is well located within the city structure, but has insufficient connections to the network of public space and facilities surrounding the location. The project location is now a left over space between the several neighbourhoods around the station. However it could be transformed into a central space connecting the city and the neighbourhoods, as well as being an interesting living area in the Hague south west. To achieve the objectives for this graduation project, several literature has been reviewed and studies are done on the project location. Within this thesis the results of the research and the development of the design are described.","railway station; deprived neighbourhood; urban renewal; infrastructural node; activity place; accessibility; connectivity; public space; liveliness; school building; green structure; network","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2013-01-17","Architecture","Urbanism and Architecture","","Urbanism and Architecture","",""
"uuid:1471897b-3caf-4b61-90c6-cb30158b7ed4","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1471897b-3caf-4b61-90c6-cb30158b7ed4","Performance of Crossovers in the Dutch Railway Network: Case Study for Amsterdam and Rotterdam","Hoeffelman, M.L.","Van Arem, B. (mentor); Hansen, I.A. (mentor); Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Steenbergen, M.J.M.M. (mentor); Van Neerrijnen, R.J.M. (mentor); Schaafsma, A.A.M. (mentor)","2012","ProRail Traffic Control would like to have examined what the performance of crossovers for rescheduling is in case of partial obstructions. The need for quantitative information about the performance of crossovers in The Netherlands has grown. The research is intended to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the performance of crossovers in The Netherlands in a quantitative manner for two typical corridors. Therefore, the main research question is stated as follows: What is the performance of crossovers with respect to reliability (benefits) and life-cycle costs when rescheduling takes place? The focus in this research is on IVO switches (crossovers in between stations) that are only used for rescheduling. A crossover is a pair of switches that connects two parallel tracks and enables transfer from one track to the other track. The research question has been explored on two typical corridors in the Dutch railway network: corridor Amsterdam: Amsterdam Riekerpolder aansluiting (Asra) â Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA (Asb)/Diemen Zuid (Dmnz) and corridor Rotterdam: Rotterdam Centraal (Rtd) â Gouda (Gd). Several methods and tools have been used. First, a disruption analysis of the applied partial rescheduling (VSM: VerSperringsMaatregel) in 2011 has been done. The microscopic application TOON has been used to analyze disrupted train operations. Database MUIS contains manually added reports about rescheduling inputted by traffic controllers. With these two tools, similarities and differences between the applied VSM and the real processes and reports from traffic control have been analyzed. Furthermore, insight into the usage of crossovers during rescheduling has been obtained. To get insight into delays and the propagation, data from the Monitoringsystem has been used. The Monitoringsystem generates couplings between train delays. Second, a simulation study of case study Rotterdam has been performed. The microscopic simulation tool OpenTrack has been used to analyze the rescheduling and crossover usage during partial obstruction between Rotterdam Noord Goederen (Rtng) and Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel (Nwk) (VSM 25.070). Three scenarios have been analyzed: the reference situation: maintaining crossovers at Nieuwerkerk IVO wissels (Nwki) and Moordrecht overloopwissels (Mdo), scenario 1: a crossover at Capelle Schollevaar overloopwissels (Cpso) instead Nwki and scenario 2: both crossovers at Nwki and Mdo are removed. The scenarios have been evaluated through estimations of passenger-, operator- and infra manager costs. Important conclusions that could be drawn from the analyses are that most disruptions that needed partial VSM were caused by defect trains rather than infrastructure related defects. Furthermore, the largest part of the rescheduling went according to the VSM. Although, some disruptions were too short and therefore rescheduling was partly executed according to the VSM. In both case studies crossovers were frequently used during rescheduling. Especially during the first phaseâwhen trains are trappedâcrossovers are needed to quickly remove and prevent trains to enter. This will speed up the implementation of the VSM either if partial or complete VSM is used. Moreover, crossovers were also frequently used to couple and abduct âdefectâ trains to stations/yards and allow implementation of a VSM at once which is the case of delayed anticipated maintenance. With regard to disturbance of crossovers, crossovers do influence the performance of the railway system i.e. according to ProRailâs Asset Management database crossovers lead to a small number of TAOs. Delays and its propagation depend on the severity of disruption. When disruption was shorter (< 3 hours) no other trains on other corridors within the area of Rotterdam and Utrecht were affected. When disruption took longer (> 3 hours) delays were propagated, affecting other trains on other corridors within the area. Furthermore, it can be concluded from the simulation study that scenario 1: crossover at Cpso instead of Nwki resulted in shorter delays of the still operable SPR 4000-series. However, the simulation showed that adding an additional IC 2800-series did not improve the performance of rescheduling. In case of one disruption per year scenario 2: removing the crossovers by removing the tongue and frog has the lowest total costs (Â210,557). Removing both crossovers is more expensive (Â214,909) as well as maintaining the crossovers at Nwki and Mdo (Â240,422) or replacing the one at Nwki by a new one at Cpso (> Â240,422). When more than one disruption per year occurs, remaining crossovers at Nwki and Mdo results in lower costs than removing them. Therefore, it can be concluded that with regard to corridor Rotterdam (six disruptions in 2011) maintaining the crossovers at Nwki and Mdo is the most cost-effective. Finally, some recommendations are given with respect to further research. To get reliable data about the performance of crossovers that are applicable to the whole railway network more case studies should be done and different disruptions should be simulated. Moreover, a network-wide analysis of costs and benefits needs to be done to get reliable results for decision making. With respect to ProRailâs new rescheduling philosophy it is questionable whether it is still sufficient in the long term. New technologies in the railway system such as decision support systems that give optimal rescheduling based on real-time delays are promising. Perhaps this could be explored in advance. Also some recommendations are given with respect to the tools that have been used. Reporting the rescheduling process is arbitrarily done in MUIS if compared with the eventually executed rescheduling process obtained from TOON. This makes analyzing disruptions more complex. Therefore, it might be useful to integrate these two systems. With regard to disturbances of crossovers, data of ProRail Asset Management database did not always match with data of TOON and MUIS reports. It could be beneficial for research purposes to couple these databases. A disadvantage of the Monitoringsystem is that not all couplings are being made. A comparable system, TNV-Conflict would be recommended for follow-up studies since it has very accurate data (to the nearest second) about delays and its propagation. Finally, with the help of user-friendly applications such as a convertor that automatically imports the Infra Atlas in OpenTrack, simulation studies become less time-consuming and therefore more accessible.","railway network; crossover; train operations; rescheduling","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","Transport and Planning","",""
"uuid:c11df47a-1d25-47bd-8b9f-1a1faf8b776d","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c11df47a-1d25-47bd-8b9f-1a1faf8b776d","On Track in Reducing Uncertainties: Exploration of the Value of the HAZOP Methodology as a Tool for Decision Makers at ProRail involved in Multi-Actor Decision Making","Ravestein, A.F.","De Bruijn, J.A. (mentor); Meijer, S.A. (mentor); Jagtman, H.M. (mentor); Nugteren, H.W. (mentor); Van den Hoogen, J. (mentor)","2012","ProRail is the railway management company of the Netherlands. It is responsible for the construction, maintenance, management, and safety of the Dutch railway system. ProRail has as a goal an annual five per cent increase in the number of transported passengers up to 2020. This goal cannot be reached with the current way of transporting passengers. There is no room to expand the infrastructure, so the manner in which it is used must change. This means that during the decision making, the impact on individuals connected to the system must be taken into account. ProRail makes these decisions in collaboration with other actors. This means that ProRail is involved in a process of multi-actor decision making. This is an uncertain process. The uncertainty stems from three main causes: substantive uncertainty (ambiguity and lack of information on a project), strategic uncertainty (unpredictable behaviour of other actors), and institutional uncertainty (unknown decision making procedure). Because the Dutch railway network is a socio-technical system, the substantive uncertainty stems from social elements, technical elements, and exogenous elements. As no clear definition has been found in literature, this research proposes a definition for these elements based on the way in which an element can respond. A degree of freedom (DOF) is defined as the possibility to respond in an allowed way that is not included in the task description of the element. Technical elements are designed with zero DOF and social elements with more than zero DOF. Exogenous elements are elements that are not designed in the system but do influence it. In this research the value of the HAZOP methodology for decision makers at ProRail involved in multi-actor decision making is assessed based on literature and a trial application. To make this assessment the causes of uncertainty in decision making in projects initiated by ProRail are investigated. Second, the methods and practices currently used by ProRail to reduce uncertainty and make decisions are evaluated. Third, the potential of the HAZOP methodology to reduce substantive uncertainty was assessed. Last, it was investigated if the HAZOP methodology could improve the decision making process. ProRails tasks can be subdivided into two core tasks: (1) the daily operation of the network including controlling and correcting the flow of trains; (2) the execution of projects. The methods and practices currently used by ProRail to reduce uncertainty in decision making in projects do not sufficiently reduce the level of ambiguity. This results in a level of uncertainty too high to make good decisions. This study proposes the HAZOP methodology as an alternative decision making tool for decision making on projects and explores its value for decision makers at ProRail involved in multi-actor decision making. The HAZOP analysis and a suitable two-phase method of interaction are proposed and discussed based on a literature review. The first phase of this method is an individual preparation. This phase reduces the probability that important elements of the system and variables are overlooked. The process of combining the individual definitions into a joint image of the problem in the preparation phase allows a reduction of the ambiguity of the problem. The second phase is a group-based discussion. This discussion allows tacit knowledge to be made explicit for the other members of the group, and allows the joint creation of knowledge. Both of these processes reduce the lack of information. It is thus theoretically feasible to reduce uncertainty using the HAZOP methodology. A trial session was organised to apply the methodology and validate the theoretical results. The results from the application support the results from the literature review. The creation of a joint image was observed as the combination of different definitions into a single shared definition. Ambiguity was reduced, which was observed by an increased ease of communication, especially on more technical subjects. Social subjects remained a difficulty, but this could be caused by a lack of expertise of the participants. During the discussion one of the participants shared previous experience and made his knowledge explicit. This allowed the other participants to change their definition, a process that was not seen in literature. The analysis could not be performed due to time constraints, therefore a reduction in the lack of information and the joint creation of knowledge were not observed. However, the new information becoming available by making knowledge explicit makes it plausible that the lack of information can be reduced by the HAZOP methodology. To assess the value of the HAZOP methodology the chance that the advice will be accepted was investigated, as well as whether the methodology has a positive effect on the decision making process. The acceptance of the advice could not be predicted because it was not possible to predict a priori the trust decision makers will have in the advice. The value was assessed based on the feasibility to include joint fact-finding, redundancy, and parallel linking. In the current form, the methodology allows for joint fact-finding and to a limited extent redundancy, parallel linking seems infeasible due to the required time of the analysis. The conclusion of this study is that the value of the HAZOP methodology in the current form is too low to implement it. However, it is a promising tool for the reduction of uncertainty in the decision making process. To increase the value of the methodology, the time required for the analysis should be decreased. Limiting the required time seems to be feasible by limiting the discussion time per deviation. This is one of the recommendations for future research made at the end of this research. The results of this research present key insights for the decision makers at ProRail. The first is that the current methods and practices of ProRail of reducing uncertainty are insufficient because they do not reduce ambiguity. Reducing ambiguity requires the collaboration of different departments or with different external parties. Second, two dilemmas were identified that should be recognised and considered prior to initialising research. These dilemmas are (1) the choice between better suitable and more familiar participants and (2) the choice between a faster or a more thorough analysis of the alternatives. These dilemmas are not unique for the HAZOP and thus do not speak in favour or against it. Last, the definition of social elements based on the task description rather than the fact that an individual performs the task allows for a closer look at the task descriptions of the elements.","multi-actor decision making; decision making process; railway system; socio-technical systems; uncertainty; HAZOP","en","master thesis","","","","","","","Campus only","","Technology, Policy and Management","Department of Multi-Actor Systems","","Management of Technology","",""
"uuid:928895fc-6b63-4e52-bd4a-e3c898d549dd","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:928895fc-6b63-4e52-bd4a-e3c898d549dd","Integration Across Railway: Integrate the Backside Surrounding of Xi'an Central Station to the City as a Whole and Towards the Historic Urban Center","Li, L.","Van Nes, A. (mentor); Hermans, W.J.A. (mentor)","2012","The aim of this thesis is to improve the central station area in Xi'an, China, by crossing the barrier of railway, the busy road and the city wall, to connect the two sides that having specific identities in different parts.","Integration; Xi'an; Railway; TOD; Historical Urban Center","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2012-06-30","Architecture","Department of Urbanism","","Complex City","",""
"uuid:5df505fb-bcde-4ec6-bfe7-7bf5519ccc3c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5df505fb-bcde-4ec6-bfe7-7bf5519ccc3c","van hoofdDORP tot hoofdSTAD","Tamerus, E.","Westrik, J. (mentor); Van Nes, A. (mentor)","2012","The main objective of this graduation project is developing a regeneration plan for the downtown area of Hoofddorp to improve the connection between railway station and town centre for pedestrians. The design will be developed on three levels, which are connected to three urban planning themes: - Urban regeneration; - Route between railway station and town centre for pedestrians; - Public space. The focus of the project is, as mentioned before, on pedestrians who visit the town centre of Hoofddorp, coming from the railway station. Therefore, the main focus for the interventions is on public space, the spaces pedestrians and cyclists use. However, merely improving the public space will not improve the introvert character of the downtown area, as mentioned before. Therefore, improvements in the urban fabric will be incorporated in the designs for the route and the regeneration plan for the downtown area of Hoofddorp.","pedestrian route; railway station; town centre; urban regeneration; public node; accessibility; connecting","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2012-07-05","Architecture","Urbanism","","Urban regeneration","",""
"uuid:1970fb3d-e6ae-41bd-a229-f0fba1cdf5c7","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1970fb3d-e6ae-41bd-a229-f0fba1cdf5c7","Achieving a balanced network","Yang, H.","Sepulveda Carmona, D.A. (mentor); Bekkering, H. (mentor)","2012","An integrated strategy for a new regional infrastructure development, improving the job accessibility and the socio-spatial cohesion.","High-speed railway; station; network; industry; socio-spatial cohesion","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","Complex city","",""
"uuid:4ccd153c-133e-4bc9-981c-0e03a4f425bc","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4ccd153c-133e-4bc9-981c-0e03a4f425bc","ReCYCLE City: Strengthening the bikeability from home to the Dutch railway station","Scheltema, E.B.","Rooij, R.M. (mentor); Van Der Spek, S.C. (mentor); De Wilde, T.S. (mentor)","2012","In Dutch culture, cycling and walking are the most common ways of active transportation within the city. Nowadays, more than forty percent of all train passengers arrive at the railway station by bicycle. And it is estimated that the combination of bicycle and train will become even more important in the future. But the spatial quality of the bicycle network from the Dutch residential neighbourhoods to the railway station is often poor: uncomfortable and incoherent. Urban design might and should bring solutions. Unfortunately, the cyclistâs perspective is worldwide under-represented in even the most comprehensive work of urban design. This Masterâs thesis is a search for spatial design interventions to improve the bikeability from home to the Dutch railway station.","railway station environment; Dutch neighbourhoods; bikeability; public space quality; spatial design interventions; bicyclist; the Netherlands; Amsterdam Amstel","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2012-06-28","Architecture","Urbanism","","Urban Regeneration","",""
"uuid:f61368fc-2400-4100-b372-b3a60ec942f1","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f61368fc-2400-4100-b372-b3a60ec942f1","Going High Speed: Urban railway development by the advent of a new high speed rail","Neves, A.","Wilms Floet, W.W.L.M. (mentor); Hermans, W.J.A. (mentor); Mihl, H. (mentor); Van Nes, A. (mentor)","2012","Abstract â âAs one station planner stated, the list of cities that are relevant in Europe nowadays equals the list of cities included in the HST network; this may not be entirely true in fact, but it is increasingly the way things are perceived, which makes it a reality in effect.â (Trip, 2007). The high speed train links main city centers from hart to hart without transfers. Every city has had (or will have) the dilemma of deciding which is the best location for a High Speed Train station. Mobility on rails is acknowledged to be one of the most sustainable means of transportation between cities and towns. Therefore, a railway stations location in a built environment and its degree of accessibility is essential to reach as many travellers as possible. However, the spatial configuration of the local street and road net in railway stations vicinity is seldom taken into consideration. (van Nes and Stolk, 2010). A local areaâs degree of vitality has to be spatially supported by a local well-connected and integrated street and road network (Kusumo, 2005). The development of the railway area in Lisbon by the advent of a new High Speed Rail (HSR), with the station building as the architectural design, is the graduation project.","high speed; railway area; train station; space syntax; accessibility; Node Place value model; mobility; Portugal; Lisbon","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Dual Graduation studio Architecture and Urbanism","","Hybrid buildings","",""
"uuid:64f19e6b-230c-4c8d-a7e2-f779e8a633e5","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:64f19e6b-230c-4c8d-a7e2-f779e8a633e5","railways as inner city barriers","Berntsen, R.R.","Cavallo, R. (mentor)","2012","The evolution of railways into inner city barriers and how to disolve them","railway; barrier; station; The Hague","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","architecture","","explore lab","",""
"uuid:770eb833-0801-4b89-b337-d54d2756bcac","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:770eb833-0801-4b89-b337-d54d2756bcac","Railway microscopic simulation framework for S&G studies","Ghaemi, N.","Verbraeck, A. (mentor); Meijer, S. (mentor); Van Splunter, S. (mentor); Tax, J. (mentor)","2011","This research aims at developing a railway simulation framework in order to provide a basis for evaluation of microscopic railway simulation packages. The framework consists of two parts, the railway taxonomy and the selection method. The first part, derived based on the literature and simulation tools, provides the user with a railway taxonomy in a hierarchical structure.Although the taxonomy could be used for scoring any simulation package (based on the criteria), it is still incapable of selecting the most suitable one among a number of candidates (which is often the case).For this reason, the second part of the framework is defined as to develop a method which is able to select the most suitable tool for the project at hand.","railways simulation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","Campus only","2012-01-01","Technology, Policy and Management","Systems Engineering","","","",""
"uuid:b019aa93-5ac6-494d-8b4d-df9a601757df","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b019aa93-5ac6-494d-8b4d-df9a601757df","Organizational Structures & Performance Evaluation of Railways: Based on European Railway Reform Experiences and applied to Israel Railways","Wolff, J.W.","Hansen, I.A. (mentor); Wiggenraad, P.B.L. (mentor); Veeneman, W.W. (mentor); Körmeling, H.A. (mentor)","2011","European railways have faced fundamental reforms to their organizational structures in the past decades. The reform plans, instigated by the European Union, resulted in a vast arrange of organizational structures visible today, more or less unique per EU member state. The main question that arises: do performances of European railways relate to the type of organizational structure in place? Did the EU reform plans indeed increase efficiency and effectiveness in Europeâs railway sectors? Israelâs railways possess a much shorter history than its European counterparts. The current organizational structure of Israel Railways presents a number of issues in adequately managing infrastructure and transport operations. Israel is interested to learn from experiences in European railway sectors if a renewed organizational structure might increase overall performance. The thesis work closely examines organizational structures and evaluates performances of railway sectors in 27 European countries. It investigates if a correlation between organizational structure and performance is visible at all and which lessons of the European reform plans can be taken along in designing optional new structures for Israel Railways.","railways; Europe; Israel; organization; performance evaluation","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Delft University of Technology","Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics","","TIL","",""
"uuid:06252984-bcfd-49a5-9416-69b948bcc0ff","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:06252984-bcfd-49a5-9416-69b948bcc0ff","An optimization model for a Train-Free-Period planning for ProRail based on the maintenance needs of the Dutch railway infrastructure","Jenema, A.R.","Aardal, K.I. (mentor)","2011","The thesis reports on the Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail, on the literature study, on the determined Top 10 of maintenance activities that are determining the maintenance schedule, on the developing of the optimization model that finds such a maintenance schedule, and finally on the results and conclusions.","ProRail; optimization; maintenance; railway infrastructure","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science","Applied mathematics","","","",""
"uuid:6a4217d4-2e96-4227-b793-2b695702e959","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6a4217d4-2e96-4227-b793-2b695702e959","Making tracks for Tamale: Strategic implementation of a railway system in the existing urban fabric of Ghanaian cities","Oort, E.N.","Hermans, W.J.A. (mentor); Van Nes, A. (mentor); Meijers, W.L.E.C. (mentor)","2011","Africa has the potential to be the world's breadbasket, however the continent's fundamental problem is that it has invested relatively little in agriculture and in developing its rural infrastructure. Ghana (West-Africa) is no exception to this. Ghana's Northern Region is identified as breadbasket area, but sufficient transportation lacks. Therefore the Ghanaian Government has planned to rehabilitate its railway system and extend it to the rural north, dispersing economic activities and thus leveling the uneven spread of development within the country. This thesis shows how to strategically implement the railway system in the existing urban fabric of Ghanaian cities. Three sets of guidelines are set up as a practical framework for the determination of the railway alignment and the determination of the location of freight station(s) and passenger station(s). They are tested through a proposal for the implementation of a railway system in Tamale (the capital of Ghana's Northern Region) and they can be used as 'toolbox' for the other Ghanaian cities on eve of the railway implementation. The proposal for Tamale is processed through: 1. A city map with the alignment of the railroad and the location of the freight station and passenger station (based on the set of guidelines). 2. A strategic plan to embed the railway system in the existing city and to tackle existing spatial problems of Tamale. 3. An urban design for the station area to illustrate the strategic plan.","Africa; Northern Ghana; Tamale; implementation of a railway system; existing urban fabric; railway alignment; station location; impact of railways; transportation; agriculture; breadbasket","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","Studio Ghana","",""
"uuid:81fff858-8545-4b8d-b557-01ff40e4bc7e","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:81fff858-8545-4b8d-b557-01ff40e4bc7e","Transformation of the Nijmegen Railway Area: Into a highly integrated domain","Lam, H.M.","Westrik, J. (mentor); Van Nes, A. (mentor)","2011","Within Dutch cities the railway area has become a prominent area. It has become an intermediate area between the historical city centre and the expansion neighbourhoods. Even though the railway station has a strong position within the city, the large railway body generally creates a spatial, physical and social barrier between differen parts of the city. If cities such as Nijmegen, want to provide safe and attractive urban environments, then they have to, above all, be well-connected and accessible.","railway area Nijmegen; pedestrian oriented design; accessibility; public space","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","","",""
"uuid:1dbc7a5b-ab68-42b7-ad9c-86b2256eb32c","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1dbc7a5b-ab68-42b7-ad9c-86b2256eb32c","Leading the city; the redevelopment of Leiden Central station area based on the theory of the urbanism of networks","Roorda-van Veen, A.G.","Hermans, W.J.A. (mentor); Rooij, R.M. (mentor); Wilms Floet, W.W.L.M. (mentor)","2011","Planning and designing based on networks and nodes can be seen best in the bub of a railway station. The railway station area of Leiden Central must be redeveloped to incorporate a new light rail line. Therefore the station is changing, both as a node in the network of public transport and as a place in the city next to the historical centre. In this light Bertolini (Bertolini and Spit, 1998) has developed the node-place model. A balance between node and place-elements create a good working urban transport and land use system. Peek (2006) elaborates this with the types Transportation node, Connector, Urban centre and Meeting place. These perspectives equally balanced contribute to creating a coherence of node and place-elements which can lead to an increase in value. (Peek, 2006, Location synergy) The Master Thesis focuses on these four perspectives to redesign the station area in its urban layout. First they are used to compare similar station area in the network of High Speed Trains in the form of a case study and than it gives a vision to the station area of Leiden in a design as a strong urban place with a lively public space.","railway station; network city; station area redevelopment; RijnGouweLijn","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","","",""
"uuid:c2713b4b-86c7-44f0-a11d-cc9a2458254b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c2713b4b-86c7-44f0-a11d-cc9a2458254b","Nijmegen Centraal! A new concept for the Dutch railway station environment of Nijmegen","Vingerling, J.J.C.","Hermans, W.J.A. (mentor); Fernandez-Maldonado, A.M. (mentor); Burg, L.P.J. (mentor)","2011","This thesis aims at developing a new concept for the railway station and its environment in Nijmegen. The focus is on the public domain in and around the railway station located at the urban fringe of the historic centre of a medium sized Dutch city. The case for this graduation project is Nijmegen. It is the aim to improve the accessibility, spatial quality and identity of the public space and public interior of a railway station environment. With help of a literature study, analysis of Nijmegen and a case study research clear design goals are formulated that contributed to a reliable design proposal for the railway station of Nijmegen. It has been proved that a multifunctional railway station environment with the railway station as essential link between both sides of the railway is a successful solution for Nijmegen. It is important for the liveliness on ground floor and the quality of the surrounding public space that the emphasis in terms of activity lies in the wings of the railway station. The relation between the public interior and public space is an important condition for a successful and lively public domain. Finally the identity of the railway station environment is increased by strengthen the historic characteristics of the location and finding architectural elements that contribute to a railway station that will function as new landmark in the city!","Railway stations; Activity in public space; public interior network; urban design","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","","",""
"uuid:3ec270e4-5873-42c4-b74e-7b7f4c03edcb","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3ec270e4-5873-42c4-b74e-7b7f4c03edcb","Transformation possibilities of inner city railway yards","Broeren, M.M.F.","Van der Toorn Vrijthoff, W. (mentor); Bijleveld, S.W. (mentor)","2010","Inner city railway yards disrupt the urban functioning of inner city areas and these inner city railway yards do not exploit the full development potential of these inner city areas. To solve this problem the following main question needs to be answered: âWhich transformation possibilities give a feasible result for the transformation of inner city railway yards into multifunctional inner city living areas?â In order to answer the main research question three end products are created: 1. A calculation tool specific for railway areas based on feasibility to support the decision making on the transformation of inner city railway yards; 2. A method to create a transformation variant for inner city railway yards which gives the best result on the feasibility. The calculation tool is used to generate this product; 3. An overview of feasibility factors, which are factors influencing the feasibility of the transformation of inner city railway yards into multifunctional living areas. The developed calculation tool and the method are used to create this overview. A railway yard, in this research, indicates a complex series of railway tracks for storing, sorting and loading or unloading, railway cars and locomotives which can be moved form an inner city location into the periphery, because it lost its function. When transforming railway yards, NS Poort is most likely to be involved, because of the relation between NS Poort and ProRail. NS Poort has the first right of refusal on land of ProRail. This way NS Poort is the largest land owner in these areas. In order to create the calculation tool which can be used for judging the feasibility of the transformation of rail way yard areas, theory is studied. Based on this theory RICARDO is chosen as the base of the calculation tool, because it complies with most of the demand set for the calculation tool. But RICARDO needs to be adjusted in three ways in order to be adjusted to the characteristics of these transformations. First, the design part of RICARDO is adjusted to environmental regulations. The design part has to offer the opportunity to enter the regulations which have a significant influence, regulations on sound and external safety. Second, the calculation part is replaced in order to adjust the tool to the two characteristics of this special type of urban area development, time and high land development cost. Third, the output of the tool is adjusted to give a clear image of the financial as well as the qualitative feasibility the variant delivers. Therefore, the output has to be able to judge the following feasibility indicators: 1. Financial feasibility: The Main variant has to be as financial feasible as possible; 2. Urban type: The Main variant has to have a urban type like the reference railway area; 3. Green: The Main variant has to be as green as a the reference railway areas; 4. Parking: The Main variant has to have a parking ratio matching the reference railway areas; 5. Function mix: The Main variant has to be a multifunctional living area. The first end product, the developed calculation tool consists of two parts, a design part and a calculation part. The output of the design part is the input for the calculation part. The tool needs to be filled with input. The input of the tool consists of data and variables. The output of a calculation is as reliable as the less reliable input. To increase the reliability of the output of the tool an expert team is included, which performs a final check on the input. The design part of RICARDO is adjusted in a way that environmental data creates zones indicating the developable area, the areas with extra costs and the area with a lost of design flexibility, as well as a maximum density. In order to implement the influence of these zones in the tool the overlap of a zone with the design, entered on a map using real estate variables, is calculated. The output of the design part is the amount of Gross Floor Area (GFA) per function and the effects of the different zones on this GFA. Second, the calculation part of RICARDO is replaced with a new developed calculation part. The land value will be the base of the calculation part. The financial feasibility is calculated as the balance between the residual land value and a value based land value. The most important difference is the calculation of the real estate value using an NPV-method, in order to implement time. The calculation part calculates the feasibility based on the output of the design part and the operational data. Third, in order to be able to judge next to the financial, the qualitative feasibility the output of the tool is adjusted. The tool is adjusted in a way that the output of the tool can indicate the qualitative feasibility indicators, using indexes and ratios. The Spacemate program is used to give an overview of the urban type. The research shows that these three adjustments of the tool have a significant added value. The second end product, the method to create a feasible transformation variant is developed using a variant study on the location Zutphen. The method gives a description of the actions that need to be taken to create a feasible Main variant using the developed calculation tool. In the variant study three sub variants are used to determine the characteristics of the Main variant. These three sub variants cover a functional range from a social variant to a profit variant. Based on the strengths of these three sub variants a feasible Main variant was developed. A scenario analysis shows that the Main variant is durable. Also this variant study of Zutphen led to an overview of feasibility factors, the third end product. Conclusions are drawn on the influence of the real estate variables on the financial and qualitative feasibility of the variants. In general the feasibility is influenced by the real estate function. The urban type is also influenced by the building height. But, different real estate types create contradicting results on the financial and qualitative feasibility. To achieve an optimal and feasible Main variant, it was concluded that the function mix is the most important variable. Next, the general applicability of the developed calculation tool and the method is tested on two other locations, Amersfoort and Nijmegen. On these two locations, a Main variant was created using the developed calculation tool and the method. The research concludes that the developed tool needs to be adjusted in order to calculate the overlap between the environmental zones which restrict the development of residential real estate. The method also needs to be adjusted for this overlap. Further, the input of the railway infrastructure in the method has to be changed and a check of the Main variant with the market research needs to be added. With these adjustments the calculation tool and the method are general applicable. The applicability check also led to another feasibility factor: the ratio between the railway yard and the development area. This was also tested. In the research it was concluded that a decrease of the ratio between the railway yard and the development area increases the feasibility of the land development. The conclusions of the research are: 1. The developed calculation tool, the method and the feasibility factors can be used to create a feasible variant; 2. The calculation tool and the method can be seen a general applicable; 3. The adjustments to the tool for the specific characteristics have a significant added value: a. The implementation of environmental regulations in the design part has a significant effect on the design; b. The implementation of a NPV-method to calculate the real estate value in the calculation part offers the best opportunity to implement time in the real estate value; 4. The adjustment of the output of the tool creates the ability to judge the feasibility, which in this research is indicated as a balance between financial and qualitative feasibility: a. Financial feasibility is defined as the balance between the residual land value and a value based land value; b. Qualitative feasibility is defined using demand on the urban type, green, parking and function mix and is judged using indexes and ratios; 5. There are two important factors influencing the feasibility: a. The function mix is the most important real estate variable influencing the feasibility, because the function mix creates a balance between the contradicting effects of the other real estate variables; b. Decreasing the ratio between the railway yard and the development area increases the feasibility. Base on these conclusions some recommendation can be made: 1. The ratio between the railway yard and development area needs further research. 2. The link between the presence of a living area close to the railway station and the amount of railway passenger on this railway areas needs further research; 3. The interface of the tool needs professionalization if the tool will be used in a professional context; 4. The insights on qualitative feasibility can be optimized by increasing the amount of reference projects for the qualitative feasibility; 5. Increase the reference database in Spacemate to make more specific references on the urban type.","Transformation; Railway yards; Feasibility","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","2010-10-30","Architecture","Real Estate & Housing","","Urban Area Development","",""
"uuid:4f976d62-e330-45e8-b570-588ba91bcd38","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4f976d62-e330-45e8-b570-588ba91bcd38","Reconcile railway with city","Hu, R.","Rosenboom, H. (mentor); Hermans, W. (mentor); Van Nes, A. (mentor)","2010","Integrate Schiedam Centrum Railway Station and its surroundings into local urban context with a view to the Transit-Oriented Development strategy","Schiedam Centrum Railway Station Surroundings; TOD; Depthmap; Node & Place","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","Urban Regeneration","",""
"uuid:8e7e2670-32ba-4e47-a900-f93a401519e0","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:8e7e2670-32ba-4e47-a900-f93a401519e0","NS Stakeholder Management: A study of the complex relationships between Dutch Railways and decentral governments when deciding on urban, regional public transport plans","Guldemond, P.L.","Steenhuisen, B. (mentor)","2010","","process managament; Dutch Railways; multiple principal problem","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Technology, Policy and Management","SEPAM","","POLG","",""
"uuid:6bbfcc6f-9908-421b-b665-89df1dba9efc","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6bbfcc6f-9908-421b-b665-89df1dba9efc","Fixing the Link - Creating a strong, vital and attractive link between the Dutch central railway station and city centre","Brouwer, I.","Van der Spek, S.C. (mentor); Meijers, W.L.E.C. (mentor); De Wilde, T.S. (mentor); Rooij, R.M. (mentor)","2010","The link between railway station and city centre in the Netherlands is becoming increasingly important in our cities; On the one hand the railway station is gaining importance as entrance to the city (Rooij, 2005; Bertolini & Dijst, 2003; NS, 2006; NS Poort, 2009) and on the other hand cities are promoting their city centres to attract visitors and stimulate the local economy (Van der Hoeven et al., 2008). The link between station and centre therefore has to serve more and more people per day. This link is responsible for the arrival experience of visitors traveling by train to the city and therefore the place to make a good first impression (Van der Spek, 2006). However, the link between railway station and city centre is often unattractive and lacks vitality (Kusumo, 2007; Rooij & Read, 2008). Visitors of the city have to cross several barriers while walking to the city centre. Furthermore the route is often disorienting and the public space has a low quality. In other words, it is not an inviting entrance to the city: The link between railway station and city centre in the Netherlands is broken and needs to be fixed. This thesis aims at developing spatial design interventions to fix the link. The focus is on the unfamiliair visitor of a Dutch middle sized city traveling on foot from the central railway station to the city centre. The station is positioned outside of the historic city centre. The objective is to fix the link. The main research question of the thesis is: What spatial design interventions can create a strong, vital and attractive link between the Dutch central railway station and city centre? The spatial design interventions that can fix the link are found by: 1. A literature study on the work of leading authors in the field of (design of) successful public space in the 20th en 21st century. The study results in a list of criteria to fix the link; 2. A case study research on 16 comparable Dutch cases. For this research a validation tool is developed (based on the literature study) to objectively measure the quality of the links. 3. A design to fix the link in Haarlem. Haarlem is one of the 16 cases that has both a low score and a high potential. The main research question of the graduation project can be answered in four steps: 1. When dealing with a certain broken link between central railway station and city centre in the Netherlands, first of all the quality of this link should be validated with the help of the validation tool. In this way its strong and weak spots can be found. Furthermore the first recommendations for fixing the link can be made; 2. Then the railway station environment and link should be analysed on the scale of the city centre as a part of a network of activity nodes; 3. To fix the link both the railway station and link need to be integrated into the system of activity nodes of the city centre by adding nodes in the form of attractors and by changing the railway station environment itself into a place of stay and therefore an attractor as well. 4. Then the links themselves should be designed with the help of the criteria from the literature study. In other words, all links should be lively, have human scale, be legible and be safe & comfortable.","railway station environment; city centre; public space quality; pedestrian; spatial design intervention; the Netherlands; Haarlem","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Urbanism","","","",""
"uuid:9d63fb98-e3d5-4752-a94e-1f0d1b3d855b","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:9d63fb98-e3d5-4752-a94e-1f0d1b3d855b","Modelling railway dispatching actions in switching max-plus linear systems","Van der Meer, D.J.","Goverde, R.M.P. (mentor); Van den Boom, T.J.J. (mentor); Hansen, I.A. (mentor)","2008","When delays occur in a railway network, train dispatchers need an answer to the question: âHow to get the train service back to the scheduled situation?â. This research project is aimed at the development of a tool that helps the dispatcher answer this question quickly by evaluating the effectiveness of dispatching actions, such as changing the sequence order of two trains. Approach: · Algorithms able to evaluate dispatching actions on a network-wide level have been developed using the timed event graph representation of a max-plus model. · The implications of dispatching actions on such a model have been studied, described and implemented in these algorithms. · Furthermore, an optimization algorithm has been implemented to show that the developed theory can be used to find effective combinations of dispatching actions for a given network with delayed trains. · Application to a testing network shows the consistency of the developed theory.","max-plus algebra; timed event graph; railway dispatching actions","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Transport & Planning","","","",""
"uuid:c75e7b9e-0aff-41bf-bae3-f6d1f4512c2d","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c75e7b9e-0aff-41bf-bae3-f6d1f4512c2d","Restructuring South Arch, Rotterdam"" - Waterfront regeneration: Combating segregation in cities by urban renewal","Shah, N.","Westrik, J. (mentor); Stouten, P. (mentor); Engel, H.J. (mentor); Meijers, W.L.E.C. (mentor); Khushi, S. (mentor); DSA-Paris. B.Architecture (contributor)","2008","The Core concern of this Research and Design Project is, to understand the current scenario of Socio-Spatial Segregation in cities, the problems rising due to it , general deterioration of living conditions in poor urban neighbourhoods, and how a good Waterfront can act as a CATALYST for the future growth and improvement of quality of life in the city. SOUTH ARCH, ROTTERDAM - THE IDEAL PROBLEM The most important task was identification of the project area South Arch, Rotterdam once a busy harbour and industrial district which was also home to many of the people employed in the same area. Water front location: The study area is situated in close proximity of the city centre, immediately south to it and boasts Approximately 5 km of waterfront on the southern bank of river Maas with large tracts of vacant land and some basic infrastructure as well as a corpus of interesting built heritage waiting to be re-structured. One can understand its escaping the generalised construction boom due to persistence down and poor connectivity to the city. Process of degradation and manifestation of segregation: The district faced heavy financial losses and degradation of living standards with the disappearance of main economy generators - the displacement of harbour activities and large scale shut down of industrial activities. Many of its inhabitants moved further away with the port and new industries abandoning their homes, many were left unemployed and doomed into poverty, whilst for the young the hope success and progress was weakened. The vacant houses were soon appropriated by poorer migrant populations in view of getting closer to the city, always in search of better employment and facilities. Soon all the physical signs of urban degradation like concentration of economically, socially and ethnically disadvantaged population, lack of new investments, and dilapidation of built infrastructure manifested. This text book like situation makes South Arch an important model project with a scope for addressing the two very important urban issues water front regeneration and urban renewal of areas facing problems of socio-spatial segregation. Besides its strategic location on an important transportation artery and between the city and suburbs make it an ideal example with potential to create the desired multiplier effect. Analysis and Design Approach: The subsequent research and analysis with universally accepted methods like SWOT, RGBG and physical structure analysis tools such as density, typology, connectivity, morphology and water patterns was very useful to identify crucial nodes and bring out the potential land use/ functional zoning / infrastructure diagrams. Some 8 nodes were identified for preliminary design proposals in which detailed design was proposed for 3. The aim here is to address socio-spatial problems with physical interventions and define how integrated design plays a genuine role where accessibility to public places-public facilities-local transportation, high density mixed development for new economic activity along with new living areas, scope for recreational, sporting and touristic activities are seen as design parameters.","urban renewal; urban regeneration; urban design; waterfront regeneration density; social segregation; infrastructure; public places; public transport; old railway yard; pre-war housing; mixed use development","en","master thesis","TU Delft, Architecture, Urbanism","","","","","","","","Architecture","","","","",""
"uuid:6219f767-e7a6-4207-9a5f-47ab214bd8d8","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6219f767-e7a6-4207-9a5f-47ab214bd8d8","Beyond the Tracks: An urban response to the railway barrier at the Amsterdam Eastern Harbour Islands, creating a city campus for UvA between the tracks","Homan, J.P.","Cavallo, R. (mentor); Mihl, H. (mentor)","2005","The urban master plan deals with the railway area to the north of the Eastern Harbour Islands in the city center of Amsterdam. For this area, a master plan of building envelopes is constructed, which aims to continue the urban city grid at both sides of the railway barrier. At the meeting of the two main axes of the plan, a campus complex for the UvA is proposed, to initiate the further urban development in the area. The campus clusters the UvA facilities currently spread around the center. On the one hand, the railway area zone forms a natural island in the city, while on the other hand the UvA complex will help the continuation of the urban space, linking both sides of the tracks. The public square between the tracks serves as a focal point for the UvA complex, while rendering the railway passage an integral element of the city grid. Although treated as an integral element of the building complex, the railway is structurally completely separated. The presence of the tracks has an impact on formal and programmatic layout as well as on the structural and technological solutions applied. The rhythm of the track support system is echoed in the measurement system of the building complex - from spatial layout to construction system and façade cladding.","Urban Architecture; Hybrid Buildings; Railway Zone; City Campus","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Architecture","Architecture - Building Typology","","Urban Architecture - Hybrid Buildings for the Dutch City","",""
"uuid:ffb5b777-0114-4155-86f0-fb843151c310","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ffb5b777-0114-4155-86f0-fb843151c310","Ontwerp en uitvoering ondergronds station Delft","Smitt, M.","Glerum, A. (mentor); Bezuyen, K.G. (mentor); Hagen, H.J. (mentor); Polen, B. (mentor)","1993","Het plan Rail 21 van de NS voorziet in een viersporig spoorwegnet in de gehele Randstad. Op vele spoortrajecten moeten spoorverdubbelingen worden gerealiseerd. Dit betekent voor het baanvak door Delft een uitbreiding naar vier sporen. Voor Delft is door de studiegroep NSBTC1 hiervoor een twee sporige tunnelvariant uitgewerkt, met hierin opgenomen een geboorde tunnel. In de toekomst zullen twee sporen (de huidige sporen) gebruikt worden als 'stoptrein'- sporen. De twee nieuwe (ondergrondse) sporen zullen gaan dienen voor sneltreinen en Intercity-treinen, de z.g.n. 'snelsporen'. Ter hoogte van het huidige NS-station zal een ondergronds station in dit tunneltracé worden aangelegd: het onderwerp van deze afstudeeropdracht. In het afstudeerproject is een ruimtelijk ontwerp gemaakt voor dit ondergrondse station. Daarnaast is een mogelijke uitvoeringsmethode voor dit station, het afzinken van tunnelelementen, nader uitgewerkt. Het totale tunneltracé is opgedeeld in een aantal delen. Van Noord naar Zuid gerekend zijn dit respectievelijk: - een ca. 1600 m lange geboorde tunnel, bestaande uit twee buizen - het ondergrondse station met een lengte van 340 meter - een zuidelijk tunneldeel van ca. 1500 meter, in een open bouwkuip gebouwd. Het boortunneltracé volgt grotendeels het bestaande stratenplan, en loopt vanaf het station gerekend in noordelijke richting onder de Phoenixstraat. In zuidelijke richting kruist het tunneltracé de Irenetunnel. Bij dit zuidelijke tunneldeel komt de oostelijke tunnelbuis geleidelijk aan boven de grond, terwijl de westelijke tunnelbuis eerst de huidige sporen ondergronds zal kruisen, alvorens boven de grond te komen. Het nieuwe station in Delft zal bestaan uit een bovengronds gedeelte met drie perronzijden en een ondergronds gedeelte met twee perronzijden. In de toekomstige situatie zal een verbinding van het ondergrondse station met het huidige stationsgebouw worden gerealiseerd. Het voorstel van de studiegroep NS-BTC is om het ondergrondse station, evenals het zuidelijke tunneldeel, in een droge open bouwkuip te bouwen. Aangezien het stationsgedeelte zich midden in en tussen drukke verkeerswegen bevindt is de overlast, veroorzaakt door een open bouwkuip, langdurig en vrij groot. Binnen het afstudeerproject is onderzocht of een alternatieve uitvoeringsmethode beschikbaar is, zodat de door de aanleg van het ondergrondse station veroorzaakte overlast tot een minimum zou kunnen worden beperkt.","spoorwegtunnel; railroad tunnel; railway station; underground station","nl","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Civil Engineering and Geosciences","Hydraulic Engineering","","Geo-engineering","",""
"uuid:e7dcd836-4cb3-422c-a2b8-10998993f2d3","http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e7dcd836-4cb3-422c-a2b8-10998993f2d3","Design of a tele-information system for train travellers","Essenius, E.C.","Arnbak, J.C. (mentor); Prasad, R. (mentor)","1993","After a short introduction on the subject of information supply to the travellers, the requirements for a tele-information systems are discussed. The current operational systems as well as the NS development of train control and communication systems have been investigated. Research has been performed into the possible contributions these systems can give to our design. Furthermore, it has been investigated which way of transmitting mono-directional data to mobile receivers gives the best result, and which error control technique gives an optimal result.","Railway communication systems; mobile communication systems; Fading; Error control coding","en","master thesis","","","","","","","","","Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science","Telecommunicatie- en Verkeersbegeleidingssystemen","","","",""