V. A. Profillidis ... 517 pages -
Publisher: Ashgate Pub. Co.; 4th edition (November, 2014) ...
Language: English -
ISBN-10: 1409464636 -
ISBN-13: 978-1409464631 ...
In a rapidly changing world, with increasing competition in all sectors
of transportation, railways are in a period of restructuring their
management and technology. New methods of organization are introduced,
commercial and tariff policies change radically, a more entrepreneurial
spirit is required. At the same time, new high-speed tracks are being
constructed and old tracks are renewed, high-comfort rolling stock
vehicles are being introduced, logistics and combined transport are
being developed. Awareness of environmental issues and the search for
greater safety give a new role to the railways within the transportation
system. Meanwhile, methods of analysis have significantly evolved,
principally due to computer applications and new ways of thinking and
approaching old problems. Thus, it becomes necessary to come up with a
new scientific approach to tackle management and engineering aspects of
railways, to understand in-depth the origins and inter-relationships of
the various situations and phenomena and to suggest the appropriate
methods and solutions to solve the various emerging problems. This book
aims to cover the need for a new scientific approach for railways. It is
intended to be of use to railway managers, economists and engineers,
consulting economists and engineers, students of schools of engineering,
transportation, economics, and management. The book is divided into
three parts, which deal succes-sively with management, track, and
rolling stock, environment and safety.Each chapter of the book contains
the necessary theoretical analysis of the phenomena studied, the
recommended solutions, applications, charts and design of the specific
railway component. In this way, both the requirement for a theoretical
analysis is met, and the need of the railway manager and engineer for
tables, nomographs, regulations, etc. is satisfied. Railways in Europe
have separated activities of infrastructure from those of operation. In
other parts of the world, however, railways remain unified. The book
addresses both situations (separated and unified railways). Railways
present great differences in their technologies. Something may be valid
for one such technology, but not for another. To overcome this problem,
regulations of the International Union of Railways (UIC) as well as
European Standardization (CEN) and European Technical Specifications for
Interoperability (TSIs) have been used to the greatest extent possible.
Whenever a specific technology or method is presented, the limits of
its application are clearly emphasized.
