Ulrich Weidmann

Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2012

The 6th International Conference on Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics (PED2012) showcased research on human locomotion. This book presents the proceedings of PED2012.Humans have walked for eons; our drive to settle the globe began with a walk out of Africa. However, much remains to discover. As the world moves toward sustainability while racing to assess and accommodate climate change, research must provide insight on the physical requirements of walking, the dynamics of pedestrians on the move and more. We must understand, predict and simulate pedestrian behaviour, to avoid dangerous situations, to plan for emergencies, and not least, to make walking more attractive and enjoyable.PED2012 offered 70 presentations and keynote talks as well as 70 poster presentations covering new and improved mathematical models, describing new insights on pedestrian behaviour in normal and emergency cases and presenting research based on sensors and advanced observation methods. These papers offer a starting point for innovative new research, building a strong foundation for the next conference and for future research.

Computers in railways XIV

In this paper the authors propose a simulation-based framework for evaluating energy efficient solutions in train operation. The general framework is composed of an optimisation system able to generate energy-efficient station-to-station speed profiles, looped with a micro-simulation tool for simulating railway traffic conditions, in order to evaluate the impacts on railway systems (delays, conflicts) and energy savings. The optimisation system is a subroutine consisting of a Genetic Algorithm for optimal speed profile parameters optimisation, a speed profile generator, and an energy consumption model. The micro-simulation tool allows the evaluation of the impact of energy efficient speed profiles on rail operation. The framework operates on a database composed of 4 subsets: timetable, rolling stock characteristics, signalling system, infrastructure features; the first subset can be considered as the result of scheduling or rescheduling procedures, while the others can be assumed to be fixed. The proposed framework has been applied on a real-scale case of an Italian suburban railway system.Volume 1: common research on transport computer applications in Torontos rapid transit expansion program computer-based planning techniques and the appraisal of an underground railway extension integration of power feeding and train dispatching subsystems to increase railway service capability validation of software for railway applications modelling and simulation of electric railway traction, track signalling and power systems. Volume 2: improvement in railway safety and train density by using continuous train control system high-speed, high-density train allocation timetable data communication to signal control systems the problems of assessing the safety of ATP systems which have been developed under different national standards a new train overspeed protection system based on multi-microprocessors and distributed configuration integrated railway traffic management and control a microprocessor implementation of a stochastic anti-skidding device oriented to electrical traction drives 3D analysis of losses in the shields of SC coils in EDS-MAGLEV transport systems train control method for high speed and high density railway systems.

Development of a Dwell Time Calculation Model for Timetable Planning

This paper describes how accurately estimating station dwell time is critical for timetable planning. Its importance has increased as railways seek to improve timetable stability and network efficiency, while serving more passengers and different types of transport services. This research consisted of developing a station dwell time model in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The proposed model estimates dwell times based on the input parameters: vehicle type (number, position, width and level of doorways), infrastructure (platform level) and demand (number and distribution of passengers). The research divides dwell time into five sub-processes: door-unblocking, opening doors, passenger boarding/alighting, closing doors and train dispatching. Each sub-process was evaluated separately to understand its influence on dwell time. The SBB’s automatic passenger counting system was used to record the number of passengers boarding and alighting at each door and the beginning/ending time of each sub-process. During eight months over three million measurements were made on four different vehicle types operating on 20 different routes. These data were analyzed and used to develop the dwell time model. This paper describes the research methodology, the structure of the dwell time model, the data collection system and presents a summary of results including statistical distribution and influence factors of sub-process times.

Effects of Onboard Ticket Sales on Public Transport Reliability

The punctuality and the reliability of public transport are key factors in the choice of travel mode, and they also affect operating costs. When travel time on a route varies significantly, public transport operators need to increase scheduled buffer time to maintain punctuality and reliability. This increases costs by increasing staffing and equipment needed to offer a given level of service. The variability in route travel time depends on many factors, including traffic conditions, number of passengers, and operating practices (e.g., boarding processes). A study was done to evaluate the impact of one boarding subprocess, ticket sales, on bus dwell time at stops. The research confirmed that onboard ticket sales can significantly affect a public transport lines travel time and reliability. The research showed that onboard ticket sales subprocesses are relatively long and vary significantly; consequently, they strongly influence schedule reliability. Results showed that the time spent selling tickets can be up to 20% of the total run time. However, the biggest problem is the great variance in time spent on the ticket sales process.

Development of Measurement System for Public Transport Performance

Accurate measurement systems of performance are important for all businesses, including public transport. The importance of such systems will grow with the advent of liberalization in the European transportation sector (i.e., the opening of transit service provision for tendering), as service provision contracts will require agreed-on measures for performance and service. This paper describes research on developing a public transport level-of-service (LOS) standards framework for Switzerland. The standards framework is intended to reflect influences on capacity and operational quality in urban road-based transit and relies on four main measures: speeds, passenger loads, on-time performance, and headway adherence. This paper outlines the selection of specific measures for evaluating public transport LOS and the proposed framework. The framework provides a consistent method for evaluating public transport LOS on all levels of analysis, from single elements (e.g., bus stops) to networkwide analysis. The paper also describes how information from automated onboard data collection systems can be used for detailed service analysis. This calibration procedure is illustrated in an example from the Zurich public transport system. Challenges faced (especially with respect to the selection and filtering of relevant data) and future development of the approach are described. While the proposed LOS framework is being prepared for Switzerland, the experience and approach described should help others developing and improving performance management systems for public transport.

A Classification Framework for Predicting Components' Remaining Useful Life Based on Discrete-Event Diagnostic Data

In this paper, we propose to define the problem of predicting the remaining useful life of a component as a binary classification task. This approach is particularly useful for problems in which the evolution of the system condition is described by a combination of a large number of discrete-event diagnostic data, and for which alternative approaches are either not applicable, or are only applicable with significant limitations or with a large computational burden. The proposed approach is demonstrated with a case study of real discrete-event data for predicting the occurrence of railway operation disruptions. For the classification task, Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) has been chosen because of its good generalization ability, computational efficiency, and low requirements on parameter tuning.

Quantifying the reliability of fault classifiers

Fault diagnostics problems can be formulated as classification tasks. Due to limited data and to uncertainty, classification algorithms are not perfectly accurate in practical applications. Maintenance decisions based on erroneous fault classifications result in inefficient resource allocations and/or operational disturbances. Thus, knowing the accuracy of classifiers is important to give confidence in the maintenance decisions. The average accuracy of a classifier on a test set of data patterns is often used as a measure of confidence in the performance of a specific classifier. However, the performance of a classifier can vary in different regions of the input data space. Several techniques have been proposed to quantify the reliability of a classifier at the level of individual classifications. Many of the proposed techniques are only applicable to specific classifiers, such as ensemble techniques and support vector machines. In this paper, we propose a meta approach based on the typicalness framework (Kolmogorovs concept of randomness), which is independent of the applied classifier. We apply the approach to a case of fault diagnosis in railway turnout systems and compare the results obtained with both extreme learning machines and echo state networks.

Towards a Simulation-based Framework for Evaluating Energy-efficient Solutions in Train Operation

In this paper the authors propose a simulation-based framework for evaluating energy efficient solutions in train operation. The general framework is composed of an optimisation system able to generate energy-efficient station-to-station speed profiles, looped with a micro-simulation tool for simulating railway traffic conditions, in order to evaluate the impacts on railway systems (delays, conflicts) and energy savings. The optimisation system is a subroutine consisting of a Genetic Algorithm for optimal speed profile parameters optimisation, a speed profile generator, and an energy consumption model. The micro-simulation tool allows the evaluation of the impact of energy efficient speed profiles on rail operation. The framework operates on a database composed of 4 subsets: timetable, rolling stock characteristics, signalling system, infrastructure features; the first subset can be considered as the result of scheduling or rescheduling procedures, while the others can be assumed to be fixed. The proposed framework has been applied on a real-scale case of an Italian suburban railway system.Volume 1: common research on transport computer applications in Torontos rapid transit expansion program computer-based planning techniques and the appraisal of an underground railway extension integration of power feeding and train dispatching subsystems to increase railway service capability validation of software for railway applications modelling and simulation of electric railway traction, track signalling and power systems. Volume 2: improvement in railway safety and train density by using continuous train control system high-speed, high-density train allocation timetable data communication to signal control systems the problems of assessing the safety of ATP systems which have been developed under different national standards a new train overspeed protection system based on multi-microprocessors and distributed configuration integrated railway traffic management and control a microprocessor implementation of a stochastic anti-skidding device oriented to electrical traction drives 3D analysis of losses in the shields of SC coils in EDS-MAGLEV transport systems train control method for high speed and high density railway systems.

CALIBRATION OF A PUBLIC TRANSPORT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR SWITZERLAND

Performance evaluation is fundamental to transport analysis and operations. This paper describes a quality evaluation framework based on level of service (LOS) developed for urban public transport in Switzerland. The framework focuses on four key indicators: on-time performance, headway adherence, speed, and passenger loads. The framework allows users to assess service quality at different levels by measuring the indicators at the single element level and aggregating scores over larger sets of elements. Because the number of indicators is relatively small compared with other frameworks, application of the method is easier, but the method also provides less detailed results. An earlier paper presented a conceptual approach for the framework. This paper extends that work by describing the approach in more detail and focusing on calibration of the LOS framework and application of the framework to a real example in Zurich, Switzerland. The research is part of a larger effort designed to develop a consistent multimodal LOS evaluation system for Switzerland. This system would include nonmotorized traffic, public transport, and road-based transport.

Checklist for Successful Application of Tram-Train Systems in Europe

Tram–train systems combine the best features of streetcars with regional rail. These systems make direct connections between town centers and surrounding regions possible by physically linking existing regional heavy rail networks with urban tram networks. The tram–train approach offers many advantages by using existing infrastructure to improve regional transit. However, the use of two dissimilar networks and the mixing of heavy rail and tram operations increase complexity and often require compromise solutions. The research surveyed existing systems to identify requirements for successfully introducing tram–train systems. The requirements include network design, city layout, population density, and physical factors (e.g., platform heights). One of the most important factors is cooperation between many actors, including transit operators, railways, and cities. Tram–train systems are complex but can provide significant benefits in the right situations. The paper describes tram–train systems, the key requirements for successful systems, and conclusions.