Adoption of heavy haul traffic on many railroads, comprising Russian railways, has highlighted the relevance of assessing the effect of increased axial loads on the contact fatigue life of rails.

The article describes a set of theoretical studies carried out to create a scientifically substantiated method for predicting the contact fatigue life of rails depending on the values of axial loads. The stress-strain state of the contact area has been determined using the finite element model of wheel rolling on a rail. It has been found that the wheel-rail rolling contact area undergoes complex multiaxial loading with the simultaneous action of normal and shear strains. Based on the analysis of models describing multiaxial fatigue damage, the Brown–Miller model was chosen, which considers the simultaneous action of normal strains at the contact area and of maximum shear strains, which most fully describes the stress-strain state of the wheel-rail rolling contact area. To apply the Brown–Miller model, fatigue stress-strain curves for rail steel have been identified. Based on the analysis of methods for determining the parameters of stress-strain curves carried out by V. A. Troschenko, a modified Roessle– Fatemi hardness method has been applied. Based on the experimentally determined values of hardness on the rolling surface, the parameters of the curves of elastic and plastic fatigue have been revealed by calculation and experiment. To establish the damaging effect of the load from wheel rolling on a rail, the concept of relative damage per rolling cycle had been assumed which is the value inverse to the number of cycles preceding formation of a contact-fatigue crack at a given value of the axial load.

Calculations of the relative damage rate of the rolling surface of rails caused by contact fatigue defects were carried out with the Fatigue software package considering mean values of the indicators of the degree of fatigue strength and plasticity of rail steel and the calculated stresses in the wheel-rail contact area, as well as the plasticity correction using Neuber method. The polynomial dependence of relative damageability of the rolling surface of rails is obtained. The established functional dependence of relative damageability of the rolling surface of rails on the values of vertical forces can be used as the basis for the developed methodology for predicting the contact fatigue life of rails.

The increase in the volume of passenger transportation in megalopolises and large urban agglomerations is efficiently provided by the integration of urban public transit systems and city railways. Traffic management under those conditions requires creating intelligent centralised multi-level traffic control systems that implement the required indicators of quality, comfort, and traffic safety regarding passenger transportation. Besides, modern control systems contribute to traction power saving, are foundation and integral part of the systems of digitalisation of urban transit and the cities. Building systems solving the traffic planning and control tasks is implemented using algorithms based on the methods of artificial intelligence, principles of hierarchically structured centralised systems, opportunities provided by Big Data technology. Under those conditions it is necessary to consider growing requirements towards software as well as theoretical design and practical implementation of network organisation.

This article discusses designing architecture and shaping requirements for developed applications and their integration with databases to create a centralised intelligent control system for the urban rail transit system (CICS URTS). The article proposes the original architecture of the network, routing of information flows and software of CICS URTS. The routing design is based on a fully connected network. This allows to significantly increase the network bandwidth and meet the requirements regarding information protection, since information flows are formed based on the same type of protocols, which prevents emergence of covert transmission channels. The implementation of the core using full connectivity allows, according to the tags of information flows, to pre-form the routes for exchange of information between servers and applications deployed in CICS URTS. The use of encrypted tags of information flows makes it much more difficult to carry out attacks and organise collection of information about the network structure.

Platforms for development of intelligent control systems (ICS), which include CICS URTS, high computing power, data storage capacity and new frameworks are becoming more available for researchers and developers and allow rapid development of ICS. The article discusses the issues of interaction of applications with databases through a combination of several approaches used in the field of Big Data, substantiates combination of Internet of Things (IoT) methodology and microservice architecture. This combination will make it possible to single out business processes in the system and form streaming data processing requiring operational analysis by a human, which is shown by relevant examples.

Thus, the objective of the article is to formalise the principles of organising data exchange between CICS URTS and automated control systems (ACS) of railway companies (in our case, using the example of JSC Russian Railways), URTS services providers, and city government bodies, implement the developed approaches into the architecture of CICS URTS and formalise principles of organisation of microservice architecture of CICS URTS software. The main research methods are graph theory, Big Data and IoT methods.

The article presents surface hardening technology as applied to solid-rolled wheels of rolling stock. The obtained results of the theoretical study on the process of strengthening the metal of the wheel will make it possible to develop scientifically grounded technological and technical solutions to prevent formation and development of defects on the rolling surface, as well as to eliminate them during maintenance.

The objective of this work is to identify the optimal method for surface hardening of a railway wheel with defects.

At present, the issue of extending service life of elements and critical parts of rolling stock is becoming increasingly acute. Due to the limited economic feasibility and limited availability of existing production technologies, it becomes necessary to create a new material modified with nanoclusters and hardened with surfactants.

Nanoclusters have high plasticity and hardness values. To determine the hardness value of nanomaterials, the Vickers hardness test method is used, in which hardness is determined by the size of the area of the indentation after removing the load from the pyramid shaped diamond.

Superplasticity is observed in nanostructures. For nickel and nickel-aluminium alloy NiAl₃, low-temperature superplasticity is observed in the temperature range 450–470°C, which is three times lower than their melting point.

Implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept is considered in the context of automation of railway transport. The analysis refers to prerequisites for creation of a universal digital platform integrating automation systems at a marshalling yard.

The example of JSC Russian Railways has contributed to describe the main goals of Digital Station concept, aimed at fusion of data from low-level local automation equipment. The presented functionality of the system for control and processing information on movements of wagons and locomotives at the station in real time (SCPI MWL RT) implements the set goals by integrating initial data from all automation and centralised traffic control systems operating at the station, checking it for consistency, eliminating information redundancy and generating in real time the current model of a marshalling yard regarding trains and wagons and based on data «from the wheel».

Description of the existing functionality of SCPI MWL RT, implemented at a facility, is followed by the analysis of the advantages of this system for the railway cargo transportation network. The objective of the paper is to present some previously unpublished technical solutions for implementation of the specified functionality. The methods of the research are based on fusion of heterogeneous data received from floor devices, specialised video cameras, as well as from real-time wagon positioning models.

It is shown that adoption of new technical solutions for SCPI MWL RT will allow to considerably improve the quality of planning of technological process of classifying railway wagons and of forecasting the need for infrastructure maintenance. Deep learning algorithms presented ensure functioning of the developed solutions in real time with high accuracy. Further steps described refer to implementation of a digital platform in the form of a digital twin of a marshalling yard, creating thus a prerequisite for development of an intelligent automatic machine to control the marshalling yard, as well as for further planned ways to implementation there-of.

As statistics show, the use of artificial intelligence and machine vision for cars can significantly improve road safety. Even before self-driving vehicles dominate the road, connected vehicles with computer vision-based ADAS will dramatically reduce road accidents. New automotive technologies such as machine vision not only improve road safety, but also open new business opportunities for companies from related industries and sectors such as insurance, car sharing and driver training. Soon, the automotive market, car service services and industries close to transport will change dramatically. This means that those who invest in such developments right now will be able to seize leadership in the era of the spread of innovative technologies.

In modern cars, video cameras are used not only as an alternative to the rear-view mirror but are also an important part of active safety systems. Their task, first, is to support collision protection systems through object detection. Cameras are also used to keep track of the lane, to automatically recognise road signs and traffic lights, and monitor the condition of drivers. Together with radars and lidars, they are used to control unmanned vehicles. However, these are far from all the possible areas of useful application of video cameras on board a vehicle. With development of artificial intelligence systems, a decrease in size and an increase in the power of on-board computing facilities, as well as with an increase in the throughput of mobile communications and development of cloud technologies, it becomes possible to implement new services based on video cameras and computer vision.

For this reason, the objective of this article is to analyse the trends in development of artificial intelligence, computer vision systems and, considering these trends, to form a list of useful services based on them. The article provides information about what cars can «see» today, how they do it, and what useful services can be implemented for drivers, for transport organisations and for areas related to transport.

Logistics transportation systems are considered regarding development of the Physical Internet. The Physical Internet is widely defined as an open global logistics system founded on physical, digital, and operational interconnectivity, through encapsulation, interfaces, and protocols, similar to the Digital Internet [1; 2]. It is built based on standardisation of both containers for transportation of goods and the equipment intended for their handling and supply. This allows creating a practically new industry since the shipper does not specify the mode of transport, and the system works on the principles of the Digital Internet, routing containers (analogous to packages of the Digital Internet) and collecting them in the right place at the right time. The concept of the Physical Internet is aimed at implementation of full interconnectedness, in terms of data, information, physical and financial flows, of several networks of freight transportation logistics services, as well as at their readiness to be freely used as a single large logistics network. The seamless physical, digital, and financial interconnection of logistics networks will include transportation, storage, and physical handling of cargo units (containers, demountable bodies, pallets, etc) [3]. In other words, these are physical objects, and that justifies the designation of the entire system as of the Physical Internet. Naturally, such a system inevitably raises the issue of standardising such physical objects (by analogy with standardising Digital Internet packages). Hence, the term of so-called ð-containers appears associated with special unified containers for storage, handling, transportation of material objects within the Physical Internet system. Now, the Physical Internet is not a merely theoretical concept. Its implementation is being carried out in many countries. The first Russian companies have already started promoting this concept as well. The objective of the article is to review the current state of this logistics model in Russia and the world based on the analysis of the literature and practical implementations.

Achieving the goals of enterprises and their survival in market conditions is achieved through implementation of supply chain management concepts, values, and demands focused on managing resource flows to create and deliver value to their end users.

The subject of the research is relationship between consumers and suppliers as links in the supply chain that form and transform flows of values, demands, products and/or services, as well as novelty in a competitive environment.

The objectives of the research are to clarify and supplement the theory and methodology of managing flows of values, demands, products and/ or services, as well as novelties while introducing and implementing management concepts for linearly ordered enterprises or chains.

The tasks of the research are to clarify interrelationship of objects, management components, and types of flows; to identify the roles of the consumer and supplier as sources of flows in supply chains; to develop classification of flows considering the objects of the concepts of chain management; to create a form of a flow map regarding flows in supply chains.

Research has used the methods of classification, analysis and synthesis, induction, and deduction, and the tools of binary matrices developed based on relevant qualitative characteristics of the objects under the study.

The results of the research make it possible to clarify and supplement provisions regarding supply, value and demand chain management based on a systematic approach; to develop practical recommendations to reduce lost profits when managing flows in supply chains; to create prerequisites for more efficient value creation and its supply.

One of the main tasks of railway employees is to ensure 100 % punctuality of passenger and suburban trains. However, this is impossible due to the action of various reasons, comprising actual reliability of technical equipment and vehicles, natural and other factors. Various companies have different standards and practices of setting and monitoring relevant indicators.

The objective of the study was to find out the degree of influence of the e factor formulated as «the number of station stops on the route» on the rate of punctuality of passenger and suburban trains.

Calculations and approbation of the suggested model were performed using the example of the JSC Russian Railways.

Russian Railways standardise punctuality indicators based on the past performance principle. This does not guarantee that the objective conditions for organising operational work on various railways are fully considered. Besides, it is suggested to consider as main conditions: the level of the use of transit capacity, the technical condition of the infrastructure and rolling stock, etc. However, the factor of the number of station stops of passenger or suburban trains en route envisaged by the traffic schedule is not considered. The greater is the number of station stops, the greater impact, in the absence of a possibility to recover the delay and catch up the traffic schedule, this factor has on the level of traffic punctuality. In turn, the chance to get back on traffic schedule in passenger long distance traffic is higher than in suburban traffic with short routes.

The number of station stops varies significantly across the railways, which indicates the unequal conditions of their operation according to this factor.

The numerical value of the e factor, as well as of the values of the share of delayed trains (calculated separately for passenger and suburban trains) were determined: by delay in departure – á_dep; by delay in arrival at intermediate points of the route – á_int; by delay in arrival at the destination – á_ar. Based on these data, parameters have been established that have allowed to determine the relationship between the number of station stops (e) and the change in the share of delayed trains. Using the methods of mathematical statistics, the insignificant influence of the e parameter on the values of á_dep, á_int and á_ar has been established. It is shown that the punctuality of passenger and suburban trains is significantly influenced by the traffic conditions after departure from the initial station and especially by the possibility to come back on the traffic schedule after possible delays along the route. In this case, one should consider the combined organisation of passenger and freight traffic on most lines of the considered network. It is proposed to optimise the number of standardised indicators in view of their reduction.

Heavy and oversized transportation requires solving a whole range of tasks, such as choosing a suitable method of customs clearance and of a customs post, determining the optimal route, correctly selecting vehicles, ensuring safety of related infrastructure, and road traffic, such as the width of the carriageway, height and width of bridges, tunnels, power lines, ordering permits for travel on certain road segments, ordering heavy and oversized cargo escorting service, providing the special labour regime and working conditions for drivers.

The objective of the study was to provide options for solving the listed issues and offer choice of best modes of transport, routes of delivery of heavy and oversized cargo.

This article based on the example of multimodal supply of components of wind power plant through the Russian national and foreign territory analyses issues of choosing a mode of transport for multimodal transportation of heavy and oversized cargo; of individuality of routes for movement of goods with non-standard weight and size characteristics; of developing a survey route, and of preliminary preparing transportation of heavy and oversized cargo. Identification of difficulties faced by participants in similar projects, helped to reveal preliminary solutions which might increase the efficiency of any individual transportation. Described features of transportation of this kind of cargo in Russia focused particularly on customs regulations governing crossing of the border of the Russian Federation by multicomponent goods. Since about 70 % of total «door-to-door» transportation, comprising haulage of heavy and oversized cargo, are performed by road transport, the article highlights the road transportation segment.

The conclusion suggests that the main task when developing a route is to ensure safety of cargo transportation. The identified phases comprise choosing and calculating the route, the coordination of obtaining permits for transportation of heavy and oversized cargo with various organisations on different segments of the route. Solutions for import customs clearance of multicomponent disassembled cargo, particularly in case of non-simultaneous delivery, are examined.

A new approach to organisation of container block trains is considered based on the principles of passenger traffic. The technology assumes container train’s traffic subject to the timetable with sale of cargo space in the train. The train is made up at the departure station and follows the established route with stops at intermediate container terminals or stations, where a container for which this station is designated as destination is removed and a new container is placed on the vacated place to be delivered to subsequent points of the route.

The objective of this study is to develop a methodology for optimal placement of containers in a block train intended for en route cargo handling operations. The technique involves an iterative search for such an order of placement of packages so that containers assigned to each intermediate point are as close to each other as possible. The technique is an authors’ algorithm based on combinatorial optimisation methods.

The implementation of the proposed algorithm makes it possible to reduce the excessive mileage of handlers and loaders at intermediate points and, consequently, to increase speed of cargo operations when rearranging containers, as well as to reduce operating costs of using the loading facilities of the container terminal.

The proposed mathematical algorithm as compared to exhaustive search allows significantly reducing the number of iterations in search for a solution and can be implemented as software.

High-speed passenger railway transportation is one of the priorities of scientific and technological development for most of the leading world railway companies that have global plans for construction of new high-speed rail lines (HSR).

General review refers to plans of selected countries regarding construction of high-speed railways and the priority technologies/solutions required for the efficient provision of high-speed passenger services, as well as to costs and advantages associated with HSR construction. Besides, comparison of promising technology and adopted technical solutions is followed by assessment of their readiness level, and by features of HS trains operated by leading companies. Most important technologies comprise intelligent systems of autonomous train operation, remote traffic control, digital simulation of interaction of rolling stock and infrastructure, automated decision support systems, geospatial infrastructure monitoring, and real-time remote condition monitoring of rolling stock and infrastructure.

Conclusions drawn argue in favour of promising character of research in the field of breakthrough technology conducted by railways, possibilities for Russia to join the countries with most advanced high-speed rail passenger transportation.

Issues of duplication of regular transit routes are of particular importance in the field of transport services provided to population and organisation of passenger transportation from the perspective of ensuring compliance with passengers needs for transportation and of the effects of route duplication on the technical, operational, and economic indicators of performance of these routes and the integral route network.

In Russia duplication of regular routes within route networks emerged in the late 1990s – early 2000s in urban transit, other transit modes, and in interconnected transit. In the last decade, these routes have been increasingly subject to revision by local governments and executive bodies of federal constituent entities of the Russian Federation while solving transport planning problems and improving quality of transport services for the population.

Evaluation of route duplication, as a rule, is carried out based on the route factor and the route duplication factor, the latter allows pairwise assessment of routes by the length of their overlapping segments.

The objective of this article is to show incorrectness of the widespread technique and to present another approach that provides, in the author’s opinion, the correct interpretation of the method for determining the route duplication rate. Achieving this objective is based on methods of theoretical research in the field of organising passenger transportation.

In development of this logic, the author proposed a new method for determining the route duplication factor using route adjacency factor, which considers directions and volumes of passenger origin-destination flows. Comparison of existing and proposed approaches is given using simple examples. The results of calculations have confirmed the different nature of factors and the absence of a direct relationship between the needs of passengers for transportation by public transport and the length of adjacent sections of routes. The conclusion is made about probable expediency of using the second (author’s) approach based on the route adjacency factor, which provides a correct solution to the stated transport planning problem. Besides, the possibility of using a new approach when performing diagnostics or designing route networks of different transport modes is shown both in relation to route matching and regarding their clusters and the entire route network.

The objective of this article is to identify pedagogical technologies traditionally used in full-time education, which found their place when educational formats changed in the era of digital transformation. The discussion concerns the project method, the case method, the analysis of the digital footprint, the use of game teaching methods, virtual laboratory work, various types of Internet testing, methods of collective search for a solution to the problem. The application of the considered methods in learning the Physics as a discipline at Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI) constituted the empirical basis of the study.

The design method turned to be the most effective and developed one. Its application made it possible to organise participation of students of 1–2 years of study in educational and research work under the guidance of lecturers who are related to physics and the chosen fields of training at MADI. It is shown that as a result, students acquire the skills to search and select the necessary information, learn to complete project work on time, prepare presentations, write scientific texts both for presenting them as oral reports and as texts of scientific articles. Possibilities of using electronic registers are described, in which both attendance at classes and performance of tasks are recorded, and the time factor (indication on whether the work was completed on time or was late) is considered. The article studies the use of a point-rating system to control current assignments, and also provides description of developments by the teaching staff of the department on organisation of an oral exam and test in physics in an online format.

The objective of the study was to examine the impact of organisation of volunteer movement on solving of the University tasks and on motivation of the students, particularly considering the sustainable development goals.

The attention has been focused on the analysis of the mechanism and methods of implementing the capacity of volunteer movement, from the point of view of possibilities of forming socially significant qualities and value orientations in students that correspond to the needs of society and development of the transport complex, as week as the skills of legal culture and behaviour of future transport employees. A conclusion is drawn about the need to use the opportunities of volunteering as a means of self-development of the student’s personality.

The study was particularly dedicated to examining the experience of the Resource Training and Methodological Centre for Training Disabled Persons and Persons with Disabilities created and operating in Russian University of Transport, main directions of increasing the efficiency of activities to create necessary conditions for accessibility of higher education for persons with disabilities in transport universities.

Social survey allowed to reveal and assess the correlation of motivation and interest of participants in volunteer movement in training on the programs offered at Russian University of Transport and in participating in volunteering since most important incentives spread among the students comprise desire to help people to feel needed, as well as the desire to master new skills and acquire competences.

120 years ago, on June 22 (June 9 old style), 1901 the Committee on construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway approved final decision on the location of the route of Circum-Baikal Railway (CBR).

This railway is a monument to the heroic construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. At the beginning of 20^th century, the whole world followed its construction: someone with a shudder, someone with curiosity. The main goal was defined by the urgent need to connect the Central part of Russia and the Far East. Hence, there was an insurmountable natural obstacle on the way: the largest lake in the world. Today the CBR is an architectural reserve, englobing a huge number of engineering structures. Many of them are still unique. Prospecting work on Lake Baikal lasted for 13 years. The lake is surrounded by mountains, 300 tributaries from different rivers flow into it. So laying a railway track was an extremely difficult task, Russian engineers have brilliantly coped with.

The article reprinted from the Zheleznodorozhnoe delo (Rail Business) journal published 110 years ago reviews in detail the content of the brochure «On Railway Industry in Russia» edited by Savva Mamontov, one of the richest, well-known businessmen and benefactors of his time, who had got direct experience of managing construction and operation of railways. The brochure exposed the opinion of Savva Mamontov regarding numerous advantages of private railway construction contracting and further operation based on, speaking modern language, private-public partnership. The described advantages comprised speed of construction, rational cost policy, etc. The reviewer while agreeing with S. Mamontov on some issues insisted on more profound study of possible changes in traditional model of private and public railways that existed in Russia.

The book under review examines the historical milestones in development of railway transport in the Russian Federation, analyses its rise and main directions of development in the forthcoming period and up to 2030. The authors propose preferable models and methods for decision- making regarding traffic control at the level of stations and sections, describe optimal management decision-making regarding wagon fleet and technology of train and cargo operation, methods and algorithms for decision-making referring to management of locomotive fleet and locomotive crews. Heuristic methods and algorithms for decision-making while solving the problems of forecasting and standardisation of train and cargo operation are studied regarding railway and network dispatching. Methods and models of decision-making ensuring an increase in railway safety are also examined. The examples concern efficient models of decision-making in traffic controlling in the context of network technologies and methods for assessing the economic efficiency of decision-making based on development of intelligent and digital technology.