Optimisation of Rail Network Infrastructure Capacity under Dynamic Train Planning. Recent changes in railway operating environments have caused significant operational and management problems in Australia. This research will lead to improvements of railway's key managerial functions, namely: network capacity planning; rollingstock planning; train scheduling; and maintenance planning. The major outcome of the research will be to develop an optimisation model to significantly improve the operati ....Optimisation of Rail Network Infrastructure Capacity under Dynamic Train Planning. Recent changes in railway operating environments have caused significant operational and management problems in Australia. This research will lead to improvements of railway's key managerial functions, namely: network capacity planning; rollingstock planning; train scheduling; and maintenance planning. The major outcome of the research will be to develop an optimisation model to significantly improve the operating efficiency and assets productivity of Australia's rail system. The novelty of the research is that it will be undertaken using innovations based on modern job shop scheduling and sequencing optimisation techniques as the complexity of the problem makes it impossible to solve by classic optimisation techniques.Read moreRead less
The potential role of transit-oriented development in Australian cities: a critical assessment using a suburban rail corridor. Sustainability in urban development and a reduction in our dependence on the private car for mobility are key concerns in Australia and elsewhere. The results of this research will inform and lead world's best practice in the evaluation and adoption of sustainable transport solutions, especially those related to investment in urban public transport systems, and hence pro ....The potential role of transit-oriented development in Australian cities: a critical assessment using a suburban rail corridor. Sustainability in urban development and a reduction in our dependence on the private car for mobility are key concerns in Australia and elsewhere. The results of this research will inform and lead world's best practice in the evaluation and adoption of sustainable transport solutions, especially those related to investment in urban public transport systems, and hence provide options for planners and developers to minimise the impacts of developments on the environment. The benefits from the project will be in improved planning and design principles and planning tools for transit-oriented urban developments in both inner and outer suburbs in Australian cities.Read moreRead less
Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key para ....Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key parameters involved in the improvement of subgrade soil by injecting lime-flyash slurry. This project will develop an improved design procedure for lime-flyash slurry injection in the field based on experimental and numerical modelling.Read moreRead less
Political and social factors in the decline of mass transit: an investigation of failed policies to rebuild Melbourne's mass transit. The project aims to improve understandings of political and social factors underlying failed attempts to rebuild an effective mass transit system In Melbourne.
It will do this by developing an analysis of the delivery of Melbourne's mass transit system which combines modern public policy theory with the outcomes of recent transport planning research.
Urban tr ....Political and social factors in the decline of mass transit: an investigation of failed policies to rebuild Melbourne's mass transit. The project aims to improve understandings of political and social factors underlying failed attempts to rebuild an effective mass transit system In Melbourne.
It will do this by developing an analysis of the delivery of Melbourne's mass transit system which combines modern public policy theory with the outcomes of recent transport planning research.
Urban transport in Australia imposes very large economic, social and environmental costs. Significant increase in the use of mass transit is necessary to reduce these costs. The project will provide problem-solving knowledge to assist efforts to improve the planning and delivery of mass transit in Australian cities.
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Innovative Rubber Vibration Isolators Using a Variable Die Extrusion Process. Derby Rubber's innovative variable-die extrusion process opens new possibilities for vibration-isolation pads, such as those used to isolate industrial machinery and railway tracks. Conceivably, clever, simple inexpensive solutions can be tailored to each application to provide most of the benefits of complex, expensive systems. The market would be large, and the margins attractive. We aim to achieve this via wide-rang ....Innovative Rubber Vibration Isolators Using a Variable Die Extrusion Process. Derby Rubber's innovative variable-die extrusion process opens new possibilities for vibration-isolation pads, such as those used to isolate industrial machinery and railway tracks. Conceivably, clever, simple inexpensive solutions can be tailored to each application to provide most of the benefits of complex, expensive systems. The market would be large, and the margins attractive. We aim to achieve this via wide-ranging innovation based on creativity in conceptual design, ingenuity of production process, and reliability in testing, all underpinned by new analytical capabilities to enable pad designs to be assessed in the design stage and subsequently tailored to a specific application.Read moreRead less
Hybrid Job Shop Techniques for Dynamic Train Scheduling. The job shop approach to dynamic train scheduling promises considerable benefits over existing approaches, and allows problems of large size and complexity to be solved with great accuracy. The application of research results in Australia has the potential to:
- reduce train delays and costs by better planning of train schedules of railway systems;
- reduce transport costs to rail customers and increase rail's market share of freight ....Hybrid Job Shop Techniques for Dynamic Train Scheduling. The job shop approach to dynamic train scheduling promises considerable benefits over existing approaches, and allows problems of large size and complexity to be solved with great accuracy. The application of research results in Australia has the potential to:
- reduce train delays and costs by better planning of train schedules of railway systems;
- reduce transport costs to rail customers and increase rail's market share of freight movements;
- enhance the ability of operators to control operations in an efficient manner and minimise conflicts;
- to increase efficiency of Australian Railway System, leading to lower operating and capital costs;
- optimise the energy consumed.
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Highly Multiplexed Fibre Sensor Systems for Structural Health Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Critical Transport Infrastructures. Safeguarding critical transport infrastructures is very much in the interest of Australian government and people. This project is to develop advanced photonic and telecommunication technologies for timely and reliably acquiring and processing key structural performance information. This will reduce structural failures and maintenance costs with reliable data of stru ....Highly Multiplexed Fibre Sensor Systems for Structural Health Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Critical Transport Infrastructures. Safeguarding critical transport infrastructures is very much in the interest of Australian government and people. This project is to develop advanced photonic and telecommunication technologies for timely and reliably acquiring and processing key structural performance information. This will reduce structural failures and maintenance costs with reliable data of structure health monitoring and risk assessment.Read moreRead less
Rail Safety And Reliability: A Human Factors/Ergonomics Approach. Recent rail crashes have focussed rail operators and the public on issues of rail safety and reliabilty. The project is a major initiative that will assist the development of safer and more reliable rail operations through the application of human factors and ergonomics methods to the design of train control and management devices and systems.
An Integrated Environment for Verification of Large-Scale Railway Interlockings. Railway administrations produce tabular specifications called Control Tables that define the safety and operational requirements for Railway Interlockings. This project will address the critical problem of early detection and elimination of errors in Control Tables. The project will produce a prototype environment for verifying railway interlocking Control Tables, suitable for application to most of the interlockin ....An Integrated Environment for Verification of Large-Scale Railway Interlockings. Railway administrations produce tabular specifications called Control Tables that define the safety and operational requirements for Railway Interlockings. This project will address the critical problem of early detection and elimination of errors in Control Tables. The project will produce a prototype environment for verifying railway interlocking Control Tables, suitable for application to most of the interlockings on the Queensland Rail network. It will also deliver results that will improve the current state-of-the-art in the practical application of model-checking technology.Read moreRead less
Model-driven development and verification of railway interlocking control logic. Railway interlockings are an essential and safety-critical part of all rail infrastructure. The results of the proposed project are intended to reduce the cost of the development and improve the quality of railway interlockings control logic. This will contribute to safer and more cost-effective rail transport in Queensland, Australia and internationally. This project has the potential to improve both development an ....Model-driven development and verification of railway interlocking control logic. Railway interlockings are an essential and safety-critical part of all rail infrastructure. The results of the proposed project are intended to reduce the cost of the development and improve the quality of railway interlockings control logic. This will contribute to safer and more cost-effective rail transport in Queensland, Australia and internationally. This project has the potential to improve both development and V&V capabilities for organisations that plan to use model-driven architecture (MDA) for safety-critical systems. While the industrial usage of MDA is currently in its infancy, forecasts predict that MDA will fundamentally change software development practice, especially in developed countries like Australia.Read moreRead less