Search Results (68)

As a key transportation infrastructure, it is of great significance to ensure the seismic safety of the high-speed railway hub station. Taking Changde high-speed railway hub station as background, a comprehensive 3D numerical model of the high-speed railway station structure is proposed to consider the engineering geological characteristics of the site, soil nonlinearity, and pile-soil interactions. The results show that the hub station structural system, considering pile-soil interaction, presents the ‘soft-upper-rigid-down’ characteristics as a whole, and the natural vibration is lower than that of the station structure with a rigid foundation assumption. Under the action of three strong seismic motions, the nonlinear site seismic effect is significant, the surface acceleration is significantly enlarged, and decreases with the buried depth. The interaction between pile and soil is related to the nonlinear seismic effect of the site, which deforms together to resist the foundation deformation caused by the strong earthquake motions, and the depth range affected by the interaction between the two increases with the increase of the intensity of earthquake motion. Among the three kinds of input earthquake motions, the predominant frequency of the Kobe earthquake is the closest to the natural vibration of the station structure system, followed by the El Centro earthquake. Moreover, the structures above the foundation of the high-speed railway hub station structural system are more sensitive to the spectral characteristics of Taft waves and El Centro waves compared to the site soil. This is also the main innovation point of this study. The existence of the roof leads to the gradual amplification of the seismic response of the station frame structure with height, and the seismic response amplification at the connection between the roof and the frame structure is the largest. The maximum story drift angle at the top floor of the station structure is also greater than that at the bottom floor. Full article

Urban public transport represents a fundamental pillar of a sustainable transport system and a key subsystem within the broader mobility framework in urban environments. This paper focuses on the analysis and optimization of the public transport system in the city of Prievidza and the nearby town of Bojnice in Slovakia, which currently face challenges such as low system attractiveness, operational inefficiency, and weak integration with regional railway transport. This study presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of existing public transport services in Prievidza and Bojnice, including an assessment of passenger flows, line network structure, transfer connections, and operational parameters. Based on the identified deficiencies, a new urban public transport network system is proposed, emphasizing direct links to the railway network. This methodology is developed in the context of an integrated timed-transfer timetable, with defined system time slots at the main transfer hub and a newly designed line network with standardized paths and regular intervals. The proposed system ensures significantly improved connectivity between urban transport and rail services, reduces deadhead kilometres, lowers the number of required vehicles, and leads to a reduction in operational costs by up to 20%. The resulting model serves as a transferable example of efficient service planning in medium-sized cities, with a focus on functional integration, operational efficiency, and sustainable urban development. Full article

The world is characterised by the growing volumes and flow of goods, which, amid benefits to economic development, result in negative externalities affecting the sustainability of cities. Although numerous studies have analysed the locational patterns of logistics facilities in cities, further research is required to examine their real estate patterns and trends. The aim of the paper is, therefore, to analyse the value of land accommodating logistics facilities in the City of Cape Town municipality, South Africa. Given the lack of dedicated geo-spatial data, logistics firms were searched on Google Maps, utilising a combination of aerial photography and street view imagery. Three main attributes of land parcels hosting logistics facilities were thereafter captured from the municipal cadastral information: property extent, street address, and property number. The latter two were used to extract the 2018 and 2022 property market values from the valuation rolls on the municipal website, followed by statistical, spatial, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) analyses. Zones near the central business district and seaport, as well as areas with prime road-based accessibility, had high market values, while those near the railway stations did not stand out. However, GWR yielded weak relationships between market values and the locational variables analysed, arguably showing a disconnect between spatial planning and logistics planning. Towards augmenting sustainable logistics, it is recommended that relevant stakeholders strategically integrate logistics into spatial planning, and particularly revitalise freight rail to attract investment to logistics hubs with direct railway access. Full article

As a crucial component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China Railway Express (CR Express) plays a pivotal role in enhancing regional connectivity and economic integration. However, the systematic evaluation of CR Express node cities remains understudied, hindering the optimization of logistics networks and sustainable development goals. This study pioneers a data-driven approach by integrating multi-source geospatial data and advanced machine learning algorithms to develop a comprehensive evaluation framework spanning five critical dimensions: economic vitality, ecological sustainability, logistics capacity, network connectivity, and policy support. By comparing the evaluation performance of six machine learning models, an optimal decision-making model is identified, and the evaluation indicators are rigorously screened to provide robust decision-support for the establishment of CR Express assembly centers. The Random Forest model outperformed comparative algorithms with 99.5% prediction accuracy (8.33% higher than conventional classification models), particularly in handling multi-dimensional interactions between urban development factors. Feature importance analysis identified 11 decisive indicators from node city evaluation empirical indicators, where CR Express trade volume (weight = 0.1269), logistics hub classification (weight = 0.1091), and operational frequency (weight = 0.0980) emerged as the top three predictors. Spatial predictions highlight five strategic cities (Changsha, Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan, Hefei) as prime candidates for CR Express assembly centers, providing actionable insights for national logistics planning under the BRI framework. Full article

The intermodal express network of high-speed railways and highways can fully utilize the flexibility of highways and the advantages of high-speed railways, such as low cost, high efficiency, and low carbon emission. This paper studies the hub location and flow assignment problem in the intermodal express network of high-speed railways and highways, which can not only increase the transportation efficiency but also provide door-to-door service. Considering the characteristics of multiple modes, flow balance, carbon emission, capacity constraints, and time constraints in the intermodal express network, a mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed with the objective of minimizing the total cost by determining the hub locations, allocations, mode selections, and flow assignments. Owing to the NP-hard computational complexity, an improved genetic algorithm with local search is designed by combining the genetic operators and two optimization strategies to solve the problem effectively. Lastly, numerical experiments are conducted to validate the feasibility of the model and the effectiveness of the algorithm. Full article

This study focuses on the systematic conservation of historical architectural heritage in Heilongjiang Province, particularly addressing the challenges of point-based protection and spatial fragmentation. It explores the construction of a connected and conductive heritage corridor network, using historical building clusters across the province as empirical cases. A comprehensive analytical framework is established by integrating the nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, entropy weighting, circuit theory, and network structure metrics. Kernel density analysis reveals a distinct spatial aggregation pattern, characterized by “one core, multiple zones.” Seven resistance factors—including elevation, slope, land use, road networks, and service accessibility—are constructed, with weights assigned through an entropy-based method to generate an integrated resistance surface and suitability map. Circuit theory is employed to simulate cultural “current” flows, identifying 401 potential corridors at the provincial, municipal, and district levels. A hierarchical station system is further developed based on current density, forming a coordinated structure of primary trunks, secondary branches, and complementary nodes. The corridor network’s connectivity is evaluated using graph-theoretic indices (α, β, and γ), which indicate high levels of closure, structural complexity, and accessibility. The results yield the following key findings: (1) Historical architectural resources in Heilongjiang demonstrate significant coupling with the Chinese Eastern Railway and multi-ethnic cultural corridors, forming a “one horizontal, three vertical” spatial configuration. The horizontal axis (Qiqihar–Harbin–Mudanjiang) aligns with the core cultural route of the railway, while the three vertical axes (Qiqihar–Heihe, Harbin–Heihe, and Mudanjiang–Luobei) correspond to ethnic cultural pathways. This forms a framework of “railway as backbone, ethnicity as wings.” (2) Comparative analysis of corridor paths, railways, and highways reveals structural mismatches in certain regions, including absent high-speed connections along northern trunk lines, insufficient feeder lines in secondary corridors, sparse terminal links, and missing ecological stations near regional boundaries. To address these gaps, a three-tier transportation coordination strategy is recommended: it comprises provincial corridors linked to high-speed rail, municipal corridors aligned with conventional rail, and district corridors connected via highway systems. Key enhancement zones include Yichun–Heihe, Youyi–Hulin, and Hegang–Wuying, where targeted infrastructure upgrades and integrated station hubs are proposed. Based on these findings, this study proposes a comprehensive governance paradigm for heritage corridors that balances multi-level coordination (provincial–municipal–district) with ecological planning. A closed-loop strategy of “identification–analysis–optimization” is developed, featuring tiered collaboration, cultural–ecological synergy, and multi-agent dynamic evaluation. The framework provides a replicable methodology for integrated protection and spatial sustainability of historical architecture in Heilongjiang and other cold-region contexts. Full article

The spatial separation of port yards and railway hubs, which relies on external truck drayage as a necessary link, hampers the seamless transshipment of sea–rail intermodal containers between ports and railway hubs. This creates challenges in synchronizing yard cranes (YCs) at the port terminal, external trucks (ETs) on the road, and rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs) at the railway hub. However, most existing studies focus on equipment scheduling or container transshipment organization under the port–railway integration mode, often overlooking critical time window constraints, such as train schedules and export container delivery deadlines. Therefore, this study investigates the collaborative scheduling of YCs, ETs, and RMGs for synchronized loading and unloading under the port–railway separation mode. A mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is developed to minimize the maximum makespan of all tasks and the empty-load time of ETs, considering practical time window constraints. Given the NP-hard complexity of this problem, an improved genetic algorithm (GA) integrated with a “First Accessible Machinery” rule is designed. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted to validate the correctness of the proposed model and the performance of the solution algorithm. The improved GA demonstrates a 6.08% better solution quality and a 97.94% reduction in computation time compared to Gurobi for small-scale instances. For medium to large-scale instances, it outperforms the adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm by 1.51% in solution quality and reduces computation time by 45.71%. Furthermore, the impacts of objective weights, equipment configuration schemes, port–railway distance, and time window width are analyzed to provide valuable managerial insights for decision-making to improve the overall efficiency of sea–rail intermodal systems. Full article

As critical hubs for long-distance transportation, railway passenger stations (RPSs) significantly influence energy conservation and CO₂ mitigation. This study investigates the spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of CO₂ emissions across 247 Chinese RPSs (2014–2023), proposing region-specific decarbonization strategies. The key findings include: (1) Emissions increased universally during 2014–2023, with severe cold zones and developed cities hosting the most high-emission RPSs; (2) purchased thermal energy dominated the emissions in severe cold/cold zones, while purchased electricity prevailed in other zones; (3) the heating area (HA) was a primary emission driver, whereas the percentage of lighting energy consumption (PLEC) served as a key constraint, as shown by correlation and PCA analyses; (4) CO₂ emissions in severe cold zones exhibited strong correlations with heating-related factors, whereas emissions in other zones were predominantly linked to energy structure-related factors. These findings provide region-specific, actionable strategies to support CO₂ emission reduction planning for RPSs. Full article

The sea–rail intermodal container terminal serves as a key transportation hub for green logistics, where efficient resource coordination directly enhances multimodal connectivity and operational synergy. To address limited storage capacity and trans-shipment inefficiencies, this study innovatively proposes a resource-sharing strategy between the seaport and the railway container terminal, focusing on the joint allocation of yard space and internal trucks. For indirect trans-shipment operations between ships, the port, the railway container terminal, and trains, a mixed-integer programming model is formulated with the objective of minimizing the container trans-shipment cost and the weighted turnaround time of ships and trains. This model simultaneously determines yard allocation, container transfers, and truck allocation. A two-layer hybrid heuristic algorithm incorporating adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization and Greedy Rules is designed. Numerical experiments verify the model and algorithm performance, revealing that the proposed method achieves an optimality gap of only 1.82% compared to CPLEX in small-scale instances while outperforming benchmark algorithms in solution quality. And the shared yard strategy enhances ship and train turnaround efficiency by an average of 33.45% over traditional storage form. Sensitivity analysis considering multiple realistic factors further confirms the robustness and generalizability. This study provides a theoretical foundation for sustainable port–railway collaboration development. Full article

Budapest and its metropolitan area serve as a key railway hub both within Hungary and across Europe, intersected by multiple European rail corridors and characterized by substantial suburban traffic driven by daily commuters from surrounding areas. The Budapest agglomeration is served by 11 rail lines to Budapest managed by the MÁV Group Company (MÁV: Magyar Államvasutak Co., Budapest, Hungary) is a railway company owned by the Hungarian state). The majority of these are high-capacity, mostly double-track electrified main lines, which play a major role in long-distance and international transport. The main goal of the MÁV Group Company is the continuous development of the quality of passenger transport in Hungary and Europe, quality improvement in passenger comfort, sales, and passenger information systems, and the introduction of up-to-date, environmentally friendly means and solutions. Infrastructure plays a decisive role in the development and transformation of the country and its regions, municipalities, and settlement systems. The development of transport infrastructure not only dynamically transforms and shapes spatial structures but also initiates processes of internal differentiation. In our study, statistical analysis of municipalities and rail-based public transport confirmed a positive correlation between the modernization of transport infrastructure and selected demographic indicators. Full article

With the acceleration of urbanization, urban regeneration has become a critical strategy for megacities to address spatial fragmentation and inefficient resource allocation. However, the mismatch between transportation nodes and land development potential remains a key barrier to sustainable urban renewal. This research takes the urban renewal areas in Changsha as a typical case. Based on the “Node–Place–Value” (NPV) model, a multi-dimensional evaluation system was constructed. Through multiple empirical analysis methods such as spatial data analysis, field research, and economic indicator evaluation, this study deeply explores how this evaluation system provides a theoretical and data basis for detailed planning and further provides guidance for meeting the needs of urban renewal. Through the empirical analysis of the urban renewal areas in Changsha, this study quantifies the matching relationship among transportation nodes, land use, and economic value and reveals the current imbalance issues of these elements in the areas. For example, there is a common mismatch between the functions of transportation nodes and the potential of land development. Specifically, the land use in transportation hub areas fails to fully utilize their transportation advantages, resulting in the waste of transportation resources and low economic benefits. The results reveal significant imbalances in the following areas: Transportation–Land Mismatch: High-accessibility areas (e.g., Martyrs’ Park and Railway Station ) exhibit underdeveloped land use and low economic conversion efficiency. Peripheral Lag: Remote areas (e.g., Wang Xin and Sunshine 100 ) lack both transportation infrastructure and land development potential, leading to resource waste. Value Dimension Impact: The added “value” dimension highlights thatareas with cultural assets (e.g., Martyrs’ Park) achieve higher comprehensive scores despite spatial constraints. The findings of this study not only provide a scientific basis for urban renewal in Changsha but also offer crucial theoretical support and practical references for other megacities in China to address similar issues and achieve sustainable development. Full article

In the years since the emergence of the railway, the main objective has been focused on trains arriving and stopping at stations, with stations being considered a secondary or even residual objective for bringing people or goods on or off. The arrival of high-speed trains at stations has allowed for the creation of integrated, environmentally friendly stations which have become mobility hubs, connecting different modes of transportation and cities, as well as being clusters of economic activities that stimulate the inclusive growth of the areas where they are located. These transport infrastructures condition the social and communication relationships of many spaces. The consequences that have been demonstrated in the stations analyzed have been strengthened intermodally with other means of transport, giving value to commercial developments and old stations, as well as the environments where they are located, a development aimed beyond the railway users themselves. From an operational point of view, the main consequence of this transformation is the necessity to absorb the increase in passenger demand. The integration of the railway within an urban space is shaped through the construction of new stations within the already existing urban framework or, in some cases, by relocating them to the periphery of the city. New stations have undergone changes compared to those built a century ago. Their conception has evolved, adapting to the architecture of their time, but the most radical change they have experienced is related to the new uses that have been developed within them and how these spaces are utilized. The introduction of high-speed trains has initiated a series of reflections on new station concepts. The new operation is characterized by journey times, frequency, and comfort. This comfort is not only perceived on board a train but also in stations during a passenger’s stay, which has a direct impact on the design of stations. Provisional railway stations are valuable tools in situations where flexibility, speed, and reduced costs are required. Although they are not designed to be permanent, their ability to adapt to specific needs makes them a strategic option for temporary projects, though not in the case studied of the Valencia station. The planning of projects makes it necessary to implement proxemic standards in the design of spaces that contribute to the diversification of economic activity around and in a station itself, such as commercial, residential, or cultural areas. Full article

We propose a hub ridesharing method that considers path similarity to swiftly evacuate high volumes of passengers arriving at a high-speed railway hub. The technique aims to minimize total mileage and the number of service vehicles, considering the characteristics of hub passengers, such as the constraints of large luggage, departure times, and arrival times. Meanwhile, to meet passengers’ expectations, a path morphology similarity indicator combining directional and locational features is developed and used as a crucial criterion for passenger matching. A two-stage algorithm is designed as a solution. Passenger requests are clustered based on path vector similarity in the first stage using a heuristic approach. In the second stage, we employ an adaptive large-scale neighborhood search to form passenger matches and shared routes. The experiments demonstrate that this method can reduce operational costs, enhance computational efficiency, and shorten passenger wait times. Taking path similarity into account significantly decreases passenger detour distances. It improves the Jaccard coefficient (JAC) of post-ridesharing paths, fulfilling the passenger’s psychological expectation that the shared route will closely resemble the original one. Full article

Amid global challenges like COVID-19 and trade wars, resilient logistics networks are crucial. The China Railway Express (CRE) offers a sustainable alternative to sea and air transport, supporting China’s national logistics strategy and strengthening links between China and Europe. This study applies a three-stage Social Network Analysis (SNA) to CRE using a “point–line–network” approach. It evaluates city logistics with the entropy weight method, modifies the gravity model to assess intercity logistical gravity, and constructs a weighted network to analyze centrality evolution through SNA. The results show that cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and Chongqing have emerged as central logistics hubs, benefiting from strategic investments in infrastructure and multimodal systems. However, regional disparities persist, with cities like Harbin, Lanzhou, and Urumqi facing challenges in integration due to infrastructure deficits and geographic constraints. Furthermore, inefficiencies in border logistics, inconsistent customs procedures, and limited multimodal integration hinder the CRE’s potential. Addressing these challenges through infrastructure investment, unified customs standards, multimodal hub development, and advanced technologies like IoT and blockchain is crucial for enhancing connectivity and competitiveness. The findings offer actionable recommendations for policymakers, logistics firms, and researchers, contributing to the sustainable optimization of the CRE within global supply chains. Full article

Since tourism involves the movement of people, mobility and tourism are deeply interconnected, with mutual growth dynamics but also shared negative effects, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Among the wide spectrum of policies and strategies for making tourism sustainable, soft mobility has gained increasing importance, becoming more and more a widespread form of active tourism, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. A sustainable approach, aimed at maintaining a balance between economic development and environmental protection, requires greater promotion of soft mobility and integration with rail transport. To make active tourism truly sustainable, the support of the railway network, a low-emission collective transport system, is needed, allowing people to reach destinations and move between destinations, taking advantage of intermodality. This needs the improvement of the connection between the two transport systems, the creation of services for visitors, and the organization of an appropriate railway service. Within this framework, the present work defines a methodology that, starting from the analysis of the relationships between railway stations, the soft mobility network, and attractions in the surrounding territory, allows us to identify stations that could serve as intermodal hubs for connecting local resources through soft mobility, according to a priority scale defined by the Soft Mobility HUB (SMH) Index. The methodology, applied to Italian railway stations, is based on the use of GIS (Geographic Information System) and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), allowing a rigorous, transparent, and participatory approach. The proposed model, which is replicable in other contexts, has been effective in identifying, in different scenarios, the stations most suitable for becoming hubs for soft mobility. It can serve as a support tool for decision-makers to maximize investments by focusing on stations capable to provide the greatest contribution to the development of active and diversified tourism. Full article