Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility

Table of Contents

1. Resilient Networks and Operations

   1. Frontmatter

   2. Enhancing Ambidextrous and Learning Capacities for the Resilience of Public Infrastructure Administrators

      • Open Access

      Bert de Groot, Hanneke Gieske, Wim Leendertse, Jos Arts

      Abstract

      In many European countries, the management of transport infrastructure networks faces major challenges due to such issues as climate change, ageing infrastructure facilities, new mobility technologies, and the energy transition. To deal with these challenges, public infrastructure administrators need to develop responsive and innovative solutions while at the same time sustaining and optimising current performance of the present infrastructure networks. This ability to balance innovation and optimisation is called ambidextrous capacity. In addition, developing and implementing new or improved solutions requires the capacity of an organisation to learn. This is especially challenging in project-oriented organisations, where innovations are explored in pilot projects, separated from production-oriented day-to-day processes.

      This paper aims to analyse what public infrastructure administrators can do to enhance ambidextrous and learning capacities to develop sustainable solutions and thereby enhance resilience. To this end, we studied the Dutch public infrastructure administrator Rijkswaterstaat. Based on the findings from our study, we propose three recommendations to public infrastructure administrators: (1) formulate and clearly communicate an overall strategy, and translate this strategy to the tactical and operational level, (2) use integrative tactics to overcome the drawbacks of the structural ambidexterity of projects, and (3) strengthen organisational learning by implementing supportive arrangements.

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   3. An Adaptive Supply Chain Stress Testing Framework with Deep Learning

      • Open Access

      Cemalettin Ozturk, Barry O’ Sullivan

      Abstract

      Since the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions have become the biggest risk to the continuity and stability of the global economy. Therefore, assessing the vulnerability of supply chains and developing the best mitigation plans for high-impact disruptions to enhance supply chain resilience is crucial to the survival of public and private organizations. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework for diagnosing the vulnerability of suppliers, logistic providers, and commodities for any size of multi-tier supply chain networks for private and public bodies. The framework is based on a supply chain digital twin that will be formed with the industrial Internet of Things technology for accessing field data, machine learning models for disruption prediction, simulation methods for disruption scenario analysis, and optimization methods for developing mitigation plans to minimize the impact of anticipated disruptions. The framework also exploits a deep learning-based surrogate model of the digital supply chain twin.

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   4. INFRACOMS Appraisal Toolkit for NRAs to Assess Emerging Technologies in Bridge and Pavement Management

      • Open Access

      Kevin McPherson, Mogens Saberi, Fengqiao Zhang, Anna Arvidsson, Simon Fjendbo, Darko Kokot, Carl Van Geem, Ali Yeganeh

      Abstract

      National Road Authorities (NRAs) draw on a wide range of technologies and tools to support robust decisions on asset maintenance. However, in recent years there has been significant progress in the development of sensing technologies for data collection and advanced techniques for data processing. These technologies present an opportunity to improve asset management decisions, but also present a challenge for NRAs, as they seek to realise the benefits. This contribution presents the appraisal methodology for emerging technologies proposed by the INFRACOMS project commissioned by the Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR). The methodology provides objective appraisals since technologies are scrutinised against proposed subsequent criteria. Cost factors, potential benefit categories and limitations are identified. Technologies are ranked by key imperatives and scored. Technologies with a good score are evaluated more thoroughly, which may need specialist input and discussions with the technology supplier. It results in a technical score, a benefit/cost assessment and identified steps in a roadmap toward implementation. The NRAs can share their individual appraisals in a database. The second part of the project develops an action plan to guide NRAs in adapting and implementing promising emerging technologies and training sessions on the use of the developed appraisal toolkit.

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   5. Increasing the Capacity of Shunting Yards Within the Current Infrastructure: A Computational Perspective

      • Open Access

      Issa K. Hanou, Sebastijan Dumančić, Mathijs de Weerdt, Paul van der Voort, Roel van den Broek, Marjan van den Akker

      Abstract

      With a dense infrastructure and limited space, the opportunities for increasing the capacity of the railway network in the Netherlands are limited. One of the bottlenecks is optimally using the available space around stations and in shunting yards. Many details must be considered, increasing the complexity of the problem. Human planners can benefit from computational support to ensure efficient use of the infrastructure. We introduce a framework for positioning previous research in terms of abstractions and highlight a promising future direction: the development of a new approach that combines different methods and uses the relations between the abstractions to create more efficient solutions.

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   6. Boosting Holistic Railway Infrastructure Monitoring and Health Prediction by Integrated Data Sets and Analysis

      • Open Access

      Thorsten Neumann, Jacques Tiecken, Douwe Buursma, Benjamin Baasch, Javier Camacho de Miguel, Borja Rodriguez-Arana, Unai Alvarado

      Abstract

      The digitalization and automatization of railway infrastructure health diagnostics using various kinds of embedded wayside and onboard sensors in combination with common monitoring and inspection motivates a more and more integrated health analysis for all the relevant asset components such as rails, ballast, switches and crossings, point machines, and others. In this context, the present contribution discusses how an integrated research data set – as currently being collected by partners within the Europe’s Rail project IAM4Rail – is going to stimulate new research and developments as well as innovative solutions with regard to several use cases from the field of railway infrastructure maintenance. This includes the application of modern data fusion techniques based on artificial intelligence as well as physical and hybrid modelling approaches.

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   7. Automated Adaptive Traffic Network: Adapting the M50 in Real-Time by Optimizing Speed Limits Using a Proposed Intelligent Agent

      • Open Access

      Amirreza Kandiri, Rui Teixeira, Maria Nogal

      Abstract

      Traffic congestion has been one of the most important issues in urban areas, which results in pollution, fuel cost, loss of time (work hours), stress and anxiety. It is possible to increase the traffic network efficiency through solutions such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) by adapting the existing network to ongoing operational conditions, especially in bottle neck conditions. In this study to minimize travel time losses, speed limits are optimized to adapt the traffic network to its operational conditions in real-time. To do so, an intelligent agent is developed to estimate the traffic in part of the M50 motorway in Dublin and is given the capability to learn and change the operational scenarios of the motorway that allow it to perform online management of its speeds.

      Results, tested in SUMO, indicate that the intelligent agent can reduce the travel time at peak congestion by a maximum of 60% in average travel times for a period of 10 min, and it has an overall significant benefit to alleviate congestion in the M50 section of interest during peak morning and afternoon times.

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   8. Flight Centric ATC: Reflecting Three Years of Research on an Efficient and Eco-friendly Air Traffic

      • Open Access

      Tobias Finck, Carmo S. Kluenker, Mara Weber

      Abstract

      This paper presents the Flight Centric ATC (FCA) concept, which has been investigated as part of the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) 2020 Programme over the last three years, combining the increase of airspace efficiency with the aspect of environmental sustainability. The FCA concept distance itself from the classical airspace structure consisting of sectors in which in Europe typically one controller team is responsible for all aircraft. Instead, the FCA airspace is seen as a uniform area in which several controllers are each responsible for a certain amount of aircraft. In combination with other conceptual approaches such as the Free Route Airspace and the use of controller support tools such as the Conflict Detection & Resolution, flight trajectories in FCA can be optimized and conflict situations between two or more aircraft can be solved with the least possible trajectory deviations. The concept also enables a better distribution of the overall workload among all controllers, avoiding the overloading of individual controllers and making more effective use of their capacities. With those effects, FCA enables a reduction in the total fuel required and at the same time decreases the emission of environmentally harmful CO₂.

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   9. Impact of the COVID-19 and Russian-Ukrainian War on Rail Freight Transportation – Analysis of Turkiye

      • Open Access

      Hulya Zeybek

      Abstract

      Over the last two decades, global supply chain management has introduced many innovations to minimize costs and to create lean supply chains with faster, more reliable, and more flexible transportation services. However, though leaner supply chains are cost-effective, they are more vulnerable to external risks. Unexpected events such as economic crises, natural disasters, political and cyber security events, and epidemics endanger the functioning of transportation modes and increase the risk in the journey of goods in the supply chain from the first supplier to the final customer. Therefore, the relationship and balance between economic efficiency and resilience are vital in supply chain performance.This article aims to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War on Turkiye and the Middle Corridor by putting forth the steps the rail industry must take to serve better in future crises and to increase rail competitiveness and resilience.

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   10. Empowering Urban Authorities: Data-Driven Solutions for Effective Public Transport Management

       • Open Access

       Raquel Alario, Antonio Marqués

       Abstract

       Cities have an imperative role in achieving climate neutrality goals by 2050 through sustainable mobility . Transforming Public Transport (PT) into the cornerstone of the urban mobility stands as a promising opportunity, yet it also poses significant technical, political, cultural and financial challenges to the cities. Focused on PT, the UPPER project introduces U-TWIN and U-NEED, two data-driven tools aimed at supporting cities facing these challenges by enhancing real-time PT monitoring and long-term planning. These solutions empower urban authorities, PT operators, and authorities to optimize PT efficiency and accessibility, fostering increased usage and user satisfaction. This paper highlights the significance of U-TWIN’s transformative real-time visualizations and U-NEED’s comprehensive data analysis for efficient PT management. Emphasizing the anticipated benefits, the tools enable proactive issue detection, identification of corrective actions required, and understanding of passenger flows, contributing to resilient and responsive urban PT systems. Anticipating future use cases to demonstrate the effectiveness of the tools, these solutions are envisaged to be catalysts for sustainable development in all European cities, in line with the overall goal of greener and more efficient urban mobility.

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   11. Railway Assets Resilience to Climate Change Application of the Smarter and Faster Adaptation EU Strategy

       • Open Access

       Hubert Mullard, Philippe Clément

       Abstract

       Despite the global will to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5 °C [1], the devastating effects of climate change are obvious. Climate change is a fact and last IPCC assessment report [2] confirms that global warming will continue to increase over the coming decades. It will bring with it all kinds of risks: more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, or floods, to coastal erosion due to rising sea levels. The impacts will affect every human activity. Railway is one of them, and as it is one of the best solutions to dramatically reduce GHG emitted by transportation [3], making it resilient is crucial .

       The work presented is a part of the European research project for a sustainable rail system, Europe’s Rail flagship project #4 named Rail4EARTH. The four-year project started in December 2022. This paper presents the research undertaken as part of WP2 (Work Package 2) Adaptation to Climate Change (ACC), which aims to increase the resilience of the European railway system to the current and future climate conditions.

       The method is to implement the EU adaptation strategy [4] to the railway sector, structured at this stage around its two first objectives ‘Smarter adaptation’ and ‘Faster adaptation’.

       Railway operators, infrastructures managers, train manufacturers will bring their expertise and experiences to the project: SNCF (France - Leader), ADIF (Spain), ALSTOM (France), PKP (Poland), Trafikverket (Sweden).

       Regarding ‘Smarter adaptation’, the objective is to develop knowledge on climate change adaptation related to the railway assets design in order to make them resilient to the predicted climate scenarios for the coming decades, as their life duration ranges from 40 years (trains) to 100 years (infrastructure).

       Concerning ‘Faster adaptation’, some geographical areas in the World are certainly currently facing the future climate conditions of Europe: the technical solutions already implemented for railway activities will be benchmarked.

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   12. Increase Resiliency Against Extreme Weather Events

       • Open Access

       Rainer Müller, Berit Böttger, Marija Jović

       Abstract

       Extreme weather events, for example heavy rainfall, storms and heatwaves, have effects on maritime logistics and hinterland transport. In case of extreme weather disrupts a mode of transport, each logistics company tries to shift their load to other means of transport. Because of a lack of cross-company coordination, goods of all priorities are then shifted to the remaining modes of transport. Not distinguishing between high-priority and low-priority cargo can cause delays for urgent shipments.

       In order to improve the resilience against extreme weather events, a cooperative measure was designed. In this approach, an inland hub should coordinate the transports to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of transport chains. Inland hubs are important for more efficient freight distribution and are developed to promote a shift from road transport to rail or barge transport. This paper describes a simulation of an inland hub, which coordinates all transports between a port and the hinterland. This intermodal hub will also favour more environmentally friendly transport and should therefore increase sustainability.

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   13. Water Management As a New Saving Opportunity for Bus Managers: Evidence from the LIFEH2OBUS Project

       • Open Access

       Matthew Robinson, Maria Vittoria Corazza

       Abstract

       LIFEH2OBUS, a project within the European Commission’s LIFE program, aims to evaluate water usage in the bus sector during vehicle cleaning. This research is pioneering because water conservation in this field remains largely unexplored, lacking specific standards to prevent unnecessary water consumption. A single bus cleaning session requires around 300 litres of water, occurring four times a week per bus, totalling 43 million cubic meters annually for the European bus fleet. Furthermore, bus washing is energy-intensive, and most garages lack wastewater treatment facilities. LIFEH2OBUS and this paper assess the implementation of three innovative water-saving technologies in bus garages across Europe: water reclamation, water reclamation and harvesting, and waxing. A cost-benefit analysis reveals an impressive 84% reduction in water consumption after one year, saving 37 million litres for the test fleet of 680 buses. Scaling up to 50% of the European transit fleet over five years could save 18 billion litres/year, equivalent to 42% of the transport sector’s water use, reduce energy consumption by 1,159 GWh, and cut 504 ktCO₂eq greenhouse gas emissions, saving 151 million Euros. This paper introduces this technological process and demonstrates its substantial water and energy-saving potential in the transport sector, advancing scientific knowledge in this field.

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   14. Review of Transport Network Criticality from a Capabilities Approach Perspective

       • Open Access

       Hrishikesh Dev Sarma, Rui Teixeira, Beatriz Martinez-Pastor, Helen McHenry

       Abstract

       This review explores the application of the capabilities approach in the domain of criticality assessment of transportation networks. While typically used to gauge the development and wellbeing of communities, the capabilities approach is gaining prominence and has garnered growing interest within the field of transport studies. The review looks at the problem of accessibility of various facilities essential for wellbeing and the associated studies that focus on road criticality as a problem of accessibility. It delineates each capability based on Nussbaum’s list of capabilities and its relevance to transportation access. This highlights a substantial overlap between studies on road criticality assessment as a framework for prioritization of crucial links and routes within a network, and the capabilities approach aimed at community wellbeing. While most studies in the domain of criticality assessment do not explicitly follow a capabilities-based approach, the review underscores commonalities and highlights the potential of the approach in wellbeing focused transportation planning.

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   15. Identifying Infrastructure Demand and Performance Changes Through Agent-Based Modelling Using Fuzzy Logic

       • Open Access

       Sander Mooren, Andreas Hartmann, Sahand Asgarpour

       Abstract

       Renewing and upgrading infrastructure is crucial for addressing societal, technological, and environmental challenges. Yet, such interventions can temporarily disrupt infrastructure availability, causing ripple effects on interconnected networks. This can alter user and stakeholder behavior, impacting demand and performance. In transportation, unavailable routes can increase costs, prompting alternative choices. Unfortunately, infrastructure agencies often neglect the behavioral aspects and uncertainty of freight forwarders’ mode choice. To address this, a fuzzy logic approach is proposed to model mode choice in an agent-based simulation. Fuzzy logic accommodates imprecise data and subjective uncertainties in decision-making. Demonstrated in a Dutch multi-modal freight network case study, this model reveals how interventions affect mode choice and demand shifts. It offers valuable insights for infrastructure managers, aiding demand and performance estimation. Levers can be evaluated for their potential to promote modal shifts, enhancing environmental, functional, and safety aspects of transport networks.

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   16. Simulation Based Infrastructure Critical Boundary Identification for Multi-modal Transport Hubs

       • Open Access

       Simon Collart-Dutilleul, Philippe Bon, Michael Laubrock, Georges Mykoniatis

       Abstract

       Providing an integrated transport delivering a door to door service is a mean to lead people to shift to public transports. Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that a close orchestration of the different modes of transport introduces new potential critical coupling from a safety/security point of view. Assuming the existence of these couplings, the study proposes a collaborative defence strategy. Inspired by Concepts of Airport common decision Making (A-CDM), the proposition is to enrich the set of concepts in order to extend the application to various modes of transports. The contribution of the current paper is to identify by the mean of dedicated simulation tools, the edge-states where a disturbance or an attack can be managed locally. When it is not the case, the collaborative strategy is triggered.

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   17. On the Capacity of Roadside Communication Networks for Supporting the Delivery of Emerging C-ITS Services

       • Open Access

       Shobanraj Navaratnarajah, Piraba Navaratnam, David Laoide-Kemp

       Abstract

       Today, more and more vehicles on the road are being connected via roadside communication networks for a wide range of services, ranging from road safety and navigation applications to in-vehicle entertainment. Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) services are aiming to improve road safety, traffic management and environmental performance of road transportation by sharing data between vehicles and road operator’s infrastructure via roadside communication networks. This paper investigates the capacity requirements of roadside ITS-G5 and cellular communication networks for supporting the emerging C-ITS applications, based on the C-ITS pilot implemented by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The results indicate that although the current communication networks are able to support the capacity demand of C-ITS applications at a low penetration rate of C-ITS equipped vehicles during the early uptake of C-ITS, new measures are required to improve the capacity of roadside communication networks when the number of C-ITS applications or the penetration rate of C-ITS equipped vehicles on the road goes high.

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   18. A Review of Tools and Guidance for Undertaking Climate Change Risk Assessments for the Transport Sector in Britain

       • Open Access

       Áine Ní Bhreasail, Louis Andrews, Matthew Free, Joanna Wooles, Jeremy Clarke, Laura Stewart

       Abstract

       This paper provides a review of resources available for undertaking climate change risk assessments for the transport sector in Britain. The authors undertook research to identify tools and guidance currently available, and used by, all parts of the British transport sector in assessing the risks from climate change to transport infrastructure and operations. Through gathering evidence, expert opinion, and stakeholder engagement a comprehensive list was prepared that covered both physical and transition risks to transport. The review was undertaken in March–July 2023. The authors are aware this is a fast-moving area and anticipate that new tools and guidance may be available at the time of publication.

       No one tool or guidance was identified that provided output that could be considered best practice for all transport sectors (rail, highways, aviation and ports). However, this paper lays out which items are potentially useful for British transport organisations at different stages and levels of maturity. The paper also highlights where there are gaps in the understanding, usage or existence of tools and guidance and provides recommendations on how these gaps may be filled.

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   19. Using Travel Demand Modelling and Traffic Simulation for Crisis Management

       • Open Access

       Marco Marquard, María López Díaz, Andrea Tundis

       Abstract

       Crisis management can be seen as the process of implementing practices to prevent and manage man-made and natural disasters. It also aims to mitigate their negative consequences that could affect the performance, reputation and normal operation of the affected system and its associated critical infrastructure. Transportation represents one of such infrastructures whose protection and management during normal and crisis situations is essential for the safety of the society. Based on this, an approach is proposed that focuses on the analysis of citizens’ behaviour to support crisis management using traffic data. In particular, it allows the selection, monitoring and analysis of arbitrary regions of interest. The simulated scenario, which focuses on a time-based estimation of the number of people affected within specific regions, is illustrated using traffic data from the German city of Darmstadt.

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   20. Agile Multi-sensor Platform LEONARDO: Evaluation of New Monitoring Technologies in an Operational Environment

       • Open Access

       Henk Samson, Jacques Tiecken, Thorsten Neumann, Benjamin Baasch, Javier Camacho de Miguel, Borja Rodriguez-Arana, Unai Alvarado

       Abstract

       Integrating new rail infrastructure measurement techniques requires a deep understanding of data and monitoring goals. The LEONARDO platform facilitates rapid testing of technologies, providing easy access to operational data for collaboration with industry and research partners. The platform focuses on acquiring data from infrastructure assets from on-track perspective within a ± 5-m radius, aiming to gather valuable information, including the possibility of detecting underground problems. Practical examples showcase that applications are working and are more than a one of test: this is due to the involvement of end-users and their persistence to use the information. The diverse data sources pose also intriguing challenges for in-depth research, making this setup appealing to researchers. Crucial to its success is the unobstructed access to operational infrastructure.

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   21. Transport Network Planning and Analysis Decision-Support Tool for South Asia

       • Open Access

       Maria Antoniou, Marianna Loli, Haris Ballis, Rallis Kourkoulis, Bramka Arga Jafino, Oceane Keou

       Abstract

       A versatile tool is being developed to support climate resilience investment planning in the transport sector for South Asian countries. The tool utilizes readily available datasets, incorporates rapid hazard mapping, integrates multiple infrastructure modelling perspectives, combines methods of varying sophistication, and facilitates large-scale assessment of socio-economic indicators. It has been designed to offer a tailored decision-making experience, accommodating different strategic risk management priorities, decision styles, and risk appetites. Applicable to diverse geographical regions and hazard environments, it aids in identifying vulnerability hotspots within a transport network, enabling prioritized interventions. It also assists in estimating climate adaptation funds, analyzing post-disaster network performance, and planning for redundancies. Ultimately, it supports users in planning network-level upgrades for climate resilience, while minimizing the expected losses and ensuring cost-efficiency in the decision-making process.

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   22. Value Based Decision Making for Rail: A System of Systems Approach.

       • Open Access

       Jude Carey, Andy Kirwan, Donatella Fochesato, Clara Grajal Marino, Mattias Androls, Richard Mair, Thierry Pulver, Mikko Sauni

       Abstract

       Modern railways face a formidable challenge of transitioning from conventional technologies and established practices to becoming a vital component of a transport infrastructure of the future which places the railway as the backbone an environmentally sustainable multimodal transport ecosystem. This transformation necessitates a fundamental shift in the operational paradigm of railways, a shift that is already well underway. However, many railway organisations continue to make decisions based on traditional views of asset disciplines such as track and rolling stock, as well as specific work types like maintenance and renewals. A system-of-systems approach is proposed that devolves decisions as far as possible while providing the necessary degree of integration to optimise the performance of the whole railway system.

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   23. Variable Speed Limit on Motorway: A Feedback Control Implementation

       • Open Access

       Rory Mannion, Bidisha Ghosh

       Abstract

       Variable Speed Limits (VSL) is a well-established method of reducing congestion especially on highways and motorways. Often, VSL is used manually though in literature there exists some control mechanisms to implement automatic VSL. This work proposes a method of implementing VSL by measuring the traffic conditions of the road and using a Proportional Integral (PI) controller to produce the optimal VSL based on existing conditions and the desired outcome. The aim of this control system is to reduce the amount of vehicles entering a congested area, allowing the congestion to resolve more quickly. To examine the effectiveness of the strategy, a section of the M50 was simulated using a model to describe traffic flow called the Cell Transmission Model (CTM). The simulation model considered observed traffic conditions from loop detector data supplied by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) with and without the controller incorporated. The results showed a reduction in travel time of up to 27% with the controller applied. Sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the robustness of the model to certain input parameters associated with both the controller and the implementation of the VSL in the CTM.

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   24. Analysis of Extreme Weather Effects of Travel Time Reliability

       • Open Access

       Dhivya Bharathi, Geraldine Walsh, Bidisha Ghosh

       Abstract

       Extreme weather condition spose serious impacts on the reliability of the transportation networks greatly, as it causes significant disruptions to traffic flow. Hence, it important to look at the effect of extreme weather conditions on traffic flow characteristics to prepare the system for future circumstances. In this regard, the present study carried out a detailed spatio temporal analysis on traffic data during storm days to understand the impact of weather on traffic. In order to conduct this study, the present study identified two extreme weather in the year 2019 and 2020 based on the warnings issued by National Meteorological organization of Ireland and analyzed the reliability indices of travel time/speed. The present study sourced from eight traffic counter locations across different provinces of the Republic of Ireland with main focus along the coast and extracted traffic data during the warning dates. The present study utilized the collected traffic data to carry out temporal analysis of the speed/travel time reliability indices such as Planning Time Index (PTI), Buffer Index (BI) to understand the changes in the traffic flow behavior and reliability. The results indicated the travel time reliability is impacted greatly during storm days and the impacts of post storm period was found to be significant across different locations. A dashboard has been developed using Jupyter Dash package to monitor the evolution of traffic system during these warning dates.

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   25. A Simulation-Based Assessment of the Effectiveness of Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks in Enhancing Transportation Resilience

       • Open Access

       Aihui Hu, Beatriz Martinez-Pastor

       Abstract

       A resilient transport network can effectively lessen the negative impact of disruptions such as man-made accidents or natural disasters and rapidly restore normal operation. New evolutions of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) bring new solutions to enhance transportation resilience, but their specific effectiveness remains unclear. Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are one of the most popular ITS technologies currently, promoting the inner connection of various entities in transport networks. This paper takes VANETs as an example to explore the positive effects of ITS technologies on the enhancement of transportation resilience through the simulation of Vehicles in Network Simulation (Veins) framework based on the data of Dublin city centre. The results show that, compared with scenario B, the road network equipped with VANET technology in scenario A has a 30.24% reduction in resilience loss after the traffic accident and a 25.94% increase in the speed of restoring its basic performance, thus relatively enhancing the resilience of the entire road network.

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   26. Reimagining the Future Ridership of City Bus- A Case of BRTS Bhopal

       • Open Access

       Pragati Goel, Gaurav Vaidya

       Abstract

       In India, one-third of the population lives in urban areas. Urbanization has increased from 31.28% to 35.39% since 2010, indicating demand for public transport in urban areas. New mass transit systems and unconventional situations (like COVID-19) pose challenges to existing bus services. Bhopal, a metropolitan and state capital has operated successful BRTS for a decade. The study aims to foresee the role of BRTS Bhopal in coming years as Phase I of the metro will be functional by 2026 expecting a shift in ridership from bus to metro causing a serious threat to the relevance of the bus. Factors affecting ridership can be categorized as travel attributes, user’s attributes, service quality and operational attributes as discussed in numerous studies. Statistical methods are used to analyze all four factors. Significant factors helped in comparing study area with other cities having metro. The 3 scenarios are built assuming the shift on overlapping routes. Recommendations on bus route rationalization, route lengths and fleet augmentation are given, priority areas for the routes are identified using PTAL (existing and predicted 2026). This study suggests when and how much fleet and route length of the bus network should be augmented with the example of Bhopal.

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   27. BIG-Data Handling of Complete and Simultaneously Measured Road Condition Data

       • Open Access

       Bjarne Schmidt, Simon Tetley, Jerome Daleiden

       Abstract

       Preserving the economic value of the road infrastructure is essential to provide society with an operational, environmental, sustainable, and safe asset for road transport. In order to ensure the road capital is preserved and optimal maintenance strategies are carried out, it is required that the functional, as well as structural conditions of the road infrastructure, are known. Advanced and complete measurements of road conditions support the following of the UN’s global goals for a sustainable future:

       1. Accessibility and mobility, 2. Safety, 3. Environmental impact, 4. Air quality, 5. Noise, 6. Traffic safety.

       An efficient, safe and sustainable road infrastructure can be maintained to meet the mobility needs of the next generation.

       Optimizing the condition of the road infrastructure, to ensure it contributes to the fulfilment of the mentioned world goals, is complex. Therefore, it is necessary, in context, to look at how the condition of the road infrastructure, traffic flow and traffic pattern, together with environmental and economic challenges, affect the overall strategic goals.

       For road owners, it is important to balance the positive and negative effects from a road network on society, through robust maintenance strategies, strategies which are supported by complete and efficiently (simultaneously) measured road condition data, and which, through intelligent BIG data handling processes, support and optimize operation and maintenance of the road infrastructure, in a cost-effective manner.

       This paper shows how road assessment data, when handled and analyzed systematically, can support optimal management of the road infrastructure.

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   28. Healthy Sailing: Prevention, Mitigation and Management of Infectious Disease on Cruise Ships and Passenger Ferries

       • Open Access

       Varvara A. Mouchtouri, Lemonia Anagnostopoulos, Edwin Galea, Prashant Kmar, Niko Siilin, Juergen F. Kolb, Nikolaos P. Ventikos, Vassilis Papataxiarhis, Geogos Vosinakis, Jörn Klein, Dspoina Andrioti Bygvraa, Christos Hadjichristodoulou, for the HEALTHY SAILING project consortium

       Abstract

       COVID-19 revealed a need to address known, expected and emerging infections on large passenger ships. HEALTHY SAILING (Project Nr: 101069764) provides an integrated, methodological approach to address this need. The three-year project is establishing an evidence-base for mechanisms facilitating infection spread onboard passenger ships and effectiveness of prevention, mitigation and management (PMM) measures. Foundational activities in the first year of implementation include systematic reviews, epidemiological studies, surveys and focus groups to identify risk factors, infection frequency, outbreak dynamics, and barriers to compliance with PMM measures. Mathematical models are being developed to predict infection spread onboard and evaluate measures’ impact. Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling explores airborne respiratory pathogen dispersion in ventilated spaces of cruise environments. An Integrated Health E-surveillance System is under development to perform real-time syndromic, laboratory and environmental health surveillance onboard, and will feed an AI Intelligence Immune System to produce health threat alerts, characterize threat levels and recommend/monitor health measures. A toolkit monitoring cleaning and disinfection is being prepared to improve effectiveness of current practices onboard, while a toolkit for technology-induced behavior change is underway, to improve hand hygiene practices onboard.

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   29. Parameters for Assessing Public Transport Accessibility for Indian Cities

       • Open Access

       Savita Lakra, Mayank Dubey

       Abstract

       Public transport plays a crucial role to meet the growing demand of sustainable and equitable cities. But merely providing the service does not serve the purpose. It should also be equally accessible to all. PTAL is one such tool to assess accessibility of existing PT system which uses 4 primary parameters of POIs, SAPs, walk network and frequency. However, studies suggest that there are other parameters as well which impact accessibility. Therefore, this research focuses on incorporating build cover, building density and land use in the standard tool. Hence, the revised tool is capable of providing accessibility and priority of the area for the service. The study also brings out how PTAL results differ for million plus cities and smaller cities.

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   30. Optimizing Transit Connectivity: A Synchronization Model Applied to Porto Campanhã

       • Open Access

       Rodrigo Alves, Joana Hora, Teresa Galvão

       Abstract

       In the context of transport networks, synchronization techniques refer to a set of optimization approaches whose output is the timetables of different lines obtained through the minimization of transfer waiting time and vehicle bunching. Accordingly, synchronization techniques can improve the overall quality of transfers in transport systems by making them smoother for passengers. The synchronization of transport lines at strategic locations improves the system’s overall connectivity and integration and, ultimately, its attractiveness to passengers. This work aimed to synchronize strategic transport lines connecting Porto to other cities, having Porto as the only focal point. The morning peak hours were selected as the analysis period. A synchronization model already proposed in the literature was adapted and applied to this case study. The results include the comparison between the real and synchronized timetables and the sensitivity analysis of the solutions obtained by changing headway and time window parameters.

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