Improving dynamic performance is a priority when designing new rolling stock. The frequency of natural bending vibrations of the body is one of the most important standardised indicators, a preliminary assessment of which allows obtaining optimal body designs.

The objective of the work is to assess the prospects for the use of elastic fastenings of equipment to increase the natural vibration frequency of wagon bodies of suburban electric trains. Calculations were based on the finite element method and block Lanczos method. It is shown that it is advisable to use the rigid area tool and linearly elastic finite elements to calculate the frequencies in the simulation. The main ranges of fastening stiffness are highlighted, where the effect of using elastic supports is different. It is proposed to determine the stiffness of fastenings according to a given vibration frequency of the equipment. When the equipment is rigidly attached, the relative mass of the equipment does not affect the body bending vibration frequency. With elastic fastening, a greater effect can be achieved with a larger relative weight of the equipment. The effect of using resilient mounts increases with heavier equipment located closer to the centre of the body.

It is shown that the effect of shear admittance of fastenings on the body vibration frequency is within 1 % and may not be considered in the simulation. In the considered example of a wagon body of a suburban electric train, the use of elastic supports allows an increase in the frequency of oscillations of the body by 3–10 %. 

Significant changes that are currently taking place in the external environment are objective prerequisites for emergence of new management methods that predetermine the practical period of transition of enterprises from strategic planning to strategic management (transfer of thinking based on the future to the thinking based on the present following the principle «here and now»).

So, for example, large production structures focus on stability, therefore they react slowly to changes in the external environment, take little risks, and tend to traditional solutions. Modifying options developed at large enterprises are developing what is, as well as complementing and differentiating the existing situation, where the limited possibilities of any kind of evolution of any system can exist solely within its limits.

Efficiency reflects the results of development, but is not identical with the results, because no saving of some factors of production can be achieved without additional costs of others. The strategy turns here into real one only if it based on the concept of developing new specific products or processes subject to the following indicator of progress: the maximum earned with the minimum of expenditures.

The objective of the study is to identify modern regulatory factors in social systems in transport sector concealed in the goals and risks of such activities, while the main object of study is road transportation. The article uses methods of theoretical and empirical research in relation to goals and risks that can be determined and observed in the activities of transport sociotechnical systems.

Goals and risks are defined as factors that allow regulating key performance indicators of socio-technical systems that affect their effectiveness. 

The starting mode for a ground vehicle is the most difficult since the static friction force is much greater than the dynamic friction force. For trains, this mode is such a serious problem that sometimes it is necessary to take special measures, such as the use of sand in the contact area of the wheel tire with the rail or an auxiliary locomotive. An effective way of starting a train is to select coupling clearances. In this case, cars are set in motion sequentially and the inert mass, as well as the static friction force at the immediate moment of starting are minimal.

This method, however, has two significant drawbacks: a small set value of clearances in couplings, which limits the effectiveness of the method, and the shock nature of the impulse transmission negatively affecting the state of train structural elements. These disadvantages can be avoided by using elastically deformable couplings.

The objective of the work is to show the advantage of starting a train with elastic couplings in comparison with the traditional mode using its mathematical description and analysis. Starting a train with elastic couplings is much easier than that of a non-deformable one. Moreover, the greater is the number of wagons, the greater is the advantage of the former over the latter. The softening of the mode of starting the train from rest is essentially due to replacement of the simultaneous start-off of the sections by alternate. This process is relevant for inertial forces. Regarding the static friction force, the mechanism will be similar, i.e., not all the static friction force is overcome at the same time, but its small parts are overcome one by one. To exclude longitudinal vibrations of the train, after reaching the maximum tension of the coupling, it is necessary to mechanically block the possibility of its harmonic compression with subsequent sampling of elastic deformation, for example, using damping devices.

The elimination of the transmission of shock loads to the locomotive engines can be considered as an additional positive effect from the use of elastic couplings. 

Mathematical modelling of processes of motion makes it possible to assess the dynamic characteristics of a wagon at the stage of its design. However, it is necessary to consider the type of cargo transported, the movement of which affects the values of these features.

The paper considers a mathematical model of an eight-axle railway tank wagon developed using the Lagrange’s equation of the second kind. The considered mathematical model suggests an approach based on the consideration of the influence of the energy of a liquid cargo in a steady state of motion. This influence was considered by evaluating the kinetic and potential energies of vibrations of the transported liquid cargo.

Differential equations of vibration compiled for the model under consideration represent the liquid cargo as a solid. The approach for considering the effect of liquid cargo during vibrations of a tank wagon assumes that the total volume of the displaced liquid approximately corresponds to the volume of the layer of the fluid determined by displacement of bouncing, or in the case of galloping, with an angular displacement of one end section of the tank wagon, the second section rises by the same value, in other words, we observe the system of communicating vessels. Based on these assumptions, energy additions are obtained that consider movement of a liquid cargo under steady-state modes of motion.

According to the proposed approach, preliminary calculations were performed, and the results obtained were assessed. The results obtained showed satisfactory convergence with the calculations carried out using other approaches to modelling of the processes of movement of railway tank wagons. 

The origin-destination trip matrix is a fundamental characteristic of a transport network, and development of a reliable correspondence matrix is the most important task in organising passenger traffic. It is the basis on which the public transport route network of a city (region) is built and optimised.

Currently, collection of initial information for construction of a travel correspondence matrix is carried out through field surveys comprising questionnaire surveys of the population; accounting for movement of passengers according to the coupons issued to them; checkers, tellers manually counting passengers in vehicle compartments; simple surveys of passengers. Besides, mathematical modelling is used based on statistical data on the number of residents in various districts of the city, employees in enterprises and students in educational institutions, as well as on available data on the characteristics of passenger traffic along certain routes. All these surveys are very expensive and are carried out once over few years; they give a large error, which is why decisions made on the basis of these data are far from being optimal.

There are a lot of solutions in the software and hardware market that provide automated collection of data on passenger flows. They are based on the use of infrared sensors or of video recording. However, none of these systems provide information about the points of entry and exit of each passenger. The objective of this study was to develop methods for automating the collection of reliable information about passenger trips, that will be the base for building up-to-date and reliable passenger trip correspondence matrices. This task can be solved by constant monitoring of passengers’ trips with fixing places of entry and exit of each passenger.

The study describes the possibility of creating software based on computer vision and artificial intelligence which will provide automation of collection of primary information about travel of each passenger from the place of boarding into the vehicle to exit from it, that is, automation of data generation to build a passenger trip correspondence matrix. 

Base station (BS) is a terminal device of a radio communication network, while railway radio communications play an important role in ensuring safety of passenger and cargo transportation.

A proposed method for calculating the performance of base stations in railway digital radio communication networks is intended to calculate for the BS the probabilities of being in certain state.

BS was decomposed and such functional elements as circuit groups and a radio frequency path were identified, as well as the central module ensuring the exchange of information with elements of this BS and with other BSs. A detailed study of each element has increased accuracy of the proposed method. Following the Markov model, BS is presented as a system in which all possible states are considered. Models for BS with two and three circuit groups have been constructed. The parameters of each functional element of the model can be obtained through observation over a certain period. The solution of the system of equations for each of the models presented in the article will allow obtaining the values of the system being in a certain state. The obtained characteristics can be used to calculate the reliability of the entire radio communication network, and then to assess quality of service provided to the users of this network.

Conclusions are made about the possibilities of using the obtained models when designing new railway communication networks and when calculating quality indices of existing ones. The proposed models can be applied not only to railway radio communication networks but also to mobile communication networks of commercial operators. 

Classifications of objects of supply chain management create the basis for managing their sustainability. The author proposes a hierarchy of priorities regarding managed objects − systems, processes and relations, which implies creation of adequate anticrisis measures for operational management of resource flows.

The objectives of the study are to clarify and supplement classifications of supply chain management objects based on their qualitative characteristics. The tasks of the study are to identify the problems of classification of objects of supply chain management, to determine the prerequisites and to determine ways to solve these problems.

The methodological basis of the research is formed by the provisions of logistics as a science of resource flow management and supply chain management as a science of managing systems and processes of creating value for end users of products and/or services.

Logical-structural methods and tools of binary matrices have allowed to develop classifications of flows of the first (A) and second (B) levels, creating basis for adoption of codes of those flows indicating types of systems and processes and ensuring thus their sustainability. The proposed hierarchy of prioritisation of managed objects reveals the dependences that govern the anti-crisis measures of operation management of resource flows. The research results make it possible to eliminate the contradictions between the goals of the supply chain links (suppliers) and requirement chains (consumers) and, on this basis, to organise their effective interaction. 

The objective of the work is to analyse the examples of optimisation of documentary support system regarding rail cargo transportation based on the transition to the electronic form of documents.

The theoretical concept of modelling the business process of documentary support of cargo transportation is developed using the ARIS (Architecture of Integrated information Systems) software, which is used for development of an integrated process model of the activities of many manufacturing and transportation companies in Russia and in the world [1].

The subject of the research is modelling of the document circulation system supporting cargo transportation to eliminate losses in a significant part of the processes of interaction with customers. The objective of business process modelling is to use all the advantages and functionality of case tools to eliminate duplication of actions and operations that do not add value to the customers of the transport company but reduce their loyalty to the products and services of railway transportation. The studied business processes ensure formation of an application for transportation and its transformation during the transportation process.

The study reflects the results of modelling business processes for documentary support of transportation in digital form. A comparative analysis of these models is followed by description of the advantages of the electronic documents in comparison with their paper form considering a possibility of using a digital signature. 

Inventory ensures stability of the production technical system. Production facilities have warehouses for workpieces to create final output parts, and warehouses for finished products to meet customer demand. Stocks of workpieces avoid manufacturing downtime. Stocks of finished products make it possible to meet demand in a timely manner and avoid penalties for late deliveries of finished products to consumers.

On the other hand, the objects that make up the inventory are «dead» material resources that do not bring profit and negatively affect economic efficiency and competitiveness. According to published data, in economically developed countries, such as the USA, Japan, Germany and others, up to 30–40 % of production is in stocks. All this indicates the relevance of the issue of optimising the level of reserves, of solving the problem of establishing and maintaining the optimal level of the stock, its timely replenishment, considering time required for execution of applications of end users.

The objective of the work is to propose a solution to a stochastic logistic problem of inventory management with a random time delay and random demand, obtained by the authors using the methods of mathematical statistics, mathematical modelling, and production logistics for unknown and arbitrary form of distribution functions of demand and time delay. The work provides specific examples of approaches to implementation of suggested solution. 

In 1956 there was a significant step in international road freight transport – conclusion of Convention on the contract of carriage in international road freight transport (CMR Convention), the basic purpose of which was to unify the rules in the international transport of goods and thus promote the development of international trade. From a practical point of view, this was very important for both carriers and transporters. The Convention describes the most important document in the carriage of goods – the CMR consignment note.

Recently, the term «neutralization» has been used in connection with the CMR consignment note, which is considered as an interference with the system of functioning of transport documents, which aims to obscure the actual movement of the consignment during transport. At the same time, neutralization of the consignment note is not so much contrary to legal norms as it can lead to undesirable consequences for carriers. For this reason, the question of whether it is possible to neutralize the CMR consignment note in accordance with the current rules and whether the neutralization of the CMR consignment note does not violate the functionality of the existing system is relevant. Therefore, the objective of this work is to study the reasons and methods for neutralizing CMR consignment notes, as well as options for handling neutralized consignment notes.

Considering that neutralization of the consignment note has become a relatively common practice and means the exchange of original consignment notes or transport documents with other consignment notes or transport documents, canceling the actions of the first consignment note, in the article the authors, based on their own research, identified the possibilities of using the neutralization of the CMR consignment note in practice for certain types of goods, routes of the most frequent use, as well as the risks of these procedures in road transport. 

The constant growth in the number of cars and trucks in single industry towns is forcing road design engineers to find ways convenient for all road users and pedestrians to move at intersections. Fulfilling such conditions is a difficult task but it can be solved, especially if there are many T-shaped intersections along the entire length of the road. Most often they are located along the line of railways, heating mains, river or lake banks, parks, etc. Since there are no adjacent roads, it is possible to ensure continuous movement of cars, but only in one direction.

The objective of this work is to substantiate the project aimed at ensuring unhindered traffic at T-intersections of vehicles following 50 let VLKSM street in the city of Tyumen.

To achieve this objective, the method of observation and recording, as well as the analysis of operation of optical devices that regulate passage of cars at intersections were used. With newly designed travel mode, there is no infringement of rights in relation to other motorists and pedestrians since the traffic light mode for the rest of segments keeps the same counting in seconds. A system of safe pedestrian crossing is envisaged along with an improvement in the environmental component of the whole city.

For initial adaptation of motorists to new conditions, it is proposed to use a side green vertical arrow attached to the traffic light and signal columns that delimit traffic lanes for a «slow merge» into the flow of those leaving the secondary road. An undeniable advantage of this type of design is the minimum cost of reconstruction of intersections. Based on author’s own observations, it can be argued that this project increases traffic of vehicles moving from the central part of the city to the eastern part by 1,5–1,8 times. 

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of equivalence of structural and content characteristics of individual terms used in combined transport contained in various official regulatory documents. Differences in definitions of individual terms in that subject area often impede effective integration of transport systems at interregional or international level. This study focuses on the analysis of characteristics of structural components of the objects of combined transport, which are contained in definitions of this term in a number of international agreements, national regulations and interstate standards. The results of the study have allowed to formulate proposals aimed at unification of structural and content characteristics of the object of the combined transport as well as recommendations for improving certain regulatory documents. 

In winter, in the countries with snow covered regions, one of the main tasks of road maintenance is to combat snow deposits, snowpacks and snowdrifts on the roadway. Living snow fences consisting of tree and shrub plantings are among known world practices to protect roads against effects of snow deposits. They are environmentally friendly, durable and have great snow retention capacity. However, there are several constraints regarding application of those practices.

The analysis of the design, spacing and planting schemes refers to Russian and foreign living snow fences used to protect highways, considers the features, advantages, and disadvantages of living fences in different countries. Japanese and American designs are reviewed as international experience. The influence of the state of trees on the efficiency of their snow-retaining function has been determined. As a result, the need for monitoring and proper maintenance of existing living snow fences throughout their life cycle was confirmed using the examples of surveys of forest plantations in Kazakhstan and in Volgograd region of the Russian Federation.

The author presents promising directions for improving the structures and planting schemes of snow storage living fences, namely, an integrated approach to their design as of a protection not only against snowdrifts, but also against pollutants. Such solutions include the design of protective living fences using only tall shrubs, providing the best blowing of roadside areas and dispersion of contaminants. Another solution is to complement the species planted within living fences with willow and corn. Besides, referring to global climate changes, an important task for modern science has been identified, that is to update the current standards for the design of living fences under the current meteorological conditions.

Recommendations on the use of mathematical modelling with the help of computer software are suggested regarding development of new configurations of living fences, assessment of their effectiveness, as well as on the adoption of modern technologies such as video cameras and drones during field tests. 

Studying the issues of recovery of low-potential energy at smallscale energy facilities allowed to show the promising character of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology as a technology for recovery or conversion of low-potential energy.

The most promising developments in the field of the use and recovery of waste heat are described regarding application of ORC, which is widely used in geothermal sources, hot water boilers, gas turbine plants. Due to the constantly growing diversity of working fluids, ORC can be used within a wide temperature range from 100°C to over 350°C. Also, developments are underway in the design of ORC generators to increase reliability of its individual system units, such as turbines and expanders. Based on the above factors, it can be concluded that with a deeper study of the problems of adopting ORC technologies, they can become a very promising direction in development of heat power engineering.

It has been determined that the main factor hindering the widespread adoption of the ORC technology is associated with high cost of heat exchange equipment due to increased heat exchange surfaces. It is shown that design of mini power plants and energy centres based on the use of low-potential energy requires improvement of mathematical modelling methods to reliably determine operating modes and characteristics of each of the units. Methods for modelling evaporation and condensation systems, including turbines and expanders using organic low-boiling working fluids, should be considered among the methods that are highly sought after. The methods for selecting a working fluid for ORC devices also have a significant impact on characteristics of the installation determining the range of cycle operating temperatures and pressures. The solution of the above problems can lead to a reduction in the cost of heat exchange equipment, and, consequently, to a decrease in costs for design of ORC generators. 

Analysis and labour rate setting regarding management activities is an important tool in the modern economy, used to improve the corporate efficiency by optimising existing management processes, reducing bureaucracy, and eliminating redundant processes, and, consequently, administrative elements that do not create value, and are an obstacle to normal functioning of the management system. The application of analytical methods to the work of managers is a relevant and powerful tool for increasing productivity and efficiency of corporate management.

The article describes the results of a study of tools for analysis and regulation of management activities implemented in the Russian Railways holding company based on the principles of organisation design. The subject of the study is management activity as an object of application of modern methods of analysis and labour rates.

The objective of the study is to show the possibility and feasibility of using modern methods of analysis and regulation of labour on the example of a large transport company. The purposes of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, comprise identification of prerequisites for adoption of methods of analysis and regulation of management activities; assessment of possibilities of using the tools of functional analysis of organisation’s entities and divisions to increase efficiency of management activities; description of technologies for labour rate setting for management activities using the example of the Russian Railways holding company.

The study is based on the use of methods of process analytics, functional analysis, labour rate setting, and organisation design.

The main result of the study is development of methodological approaches to analysis and standardisation of managerial work in a transport company. These approaches will make it possible to reasonably develop labour standards and rates for managers, staffing plan, and adopt modern management practices in the Russian Railways holding company. 

Existing and suggested approaches to development of staffing plans regarding infrastructure maintenance are analysed from the point of view of ensuring interests of a railway infrastructure company, using example of JSC Russian Railways.

The existing methodology of planning workforce involved in maintenance of the railway infrastructure is based on the use of average values of parameters resulted from monitoring of the state of infrastructure structures, roadbed and track devices conducted monthly, as well as during autumn and spring continuous inspections and checks of the track. The received values of work to be performed only implicitly reflect the required number of workers, effective involvement in operation, and efficiency of each worker.

The modern trend towards digitalisation and cybernation of all processes, when organising maintenance of the track infrastructure, provides for maximum social adaptation of production processes to requests of owners, tasks of organisers and interests of performers. Staff planning based only on the volume of work to be performed does not allow digitalisation and social cybernation of an individual performer.

The syntagmatic component of such an algorithm is the monthly total worked time, which is determined by the actual engagement of each performer. The paradigmatic component of such models should be the same daily number of performers. The stage of preliminary assessment of application of the proposed algorithm for digitalisation and social cybernation of workforce planning supposed an increase in labour productivity, approximately by 20–25 %, an increase in quality of work and a more effective assessment of activities of each performer. 

ICAO will partner with ACI, IATA and CANSO on new runway safety training initiative.

The new online course has been specifically designed for air traffic controllers and aeronautical information service staff. It will be available for enrolment in April of this year on the ICAO Global Aviation Training website. The course complements existing courses developed in cooperation with Airports Council International (ACI) for airport operations staff, and with IATA for flight crews.

The article is dedicated to the 170th anniversary of the first Russian railway main line St. Petersburg–Moscow. The country’s railway transport, as the main type of transportation, has a rich history and remarkable patriotic, labour, scientific, and technical traditions. We must remember them. The emergence of railways in Russia, as in other countries of the world, was accompanied by many problems that needed to be solved: financing methods, types of ownership, track gauge, types of traction and signalling, traffic management and control, competition with other modes of transport, etc. The stage of emergence of railways in Russia is very instructive. What extreme points of view were expressed, and how long did it take to start building main lines? After the society realised the need for construction of railways, it became obvious that the costs required are not affordable neither for the state, nor for creditors, nor for private entrepreneurs. To better understand how construction of the first railway in Russia was conducted, the article offers many illustrations. 

News from the archives. The publication in Rail Business [Zheleznodorozhnoe delo] Journal of 1910 introduced the most powerful steam locomotive of the time to the readers. It was intended for passenger traffic in the United States.

Proceedings on the Self-Checking Embedded Control Circuits Synthesis Theory Based on Binary Redundant Codes. Vol. 1. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2020, 611 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040758-9.

Proceedings on the Self-Checking Embedded Control Circuits Synthesis Theory Based on Binary Redundant Codes. Vol. 2. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2021, 527 p. ISBN 978-5-02-040757-2.

The first volume of the book includes papers devoted to three main areas of research in the field of synthesis of self-checking discrete systems: study of features of classical sum codes (Berger codes), modular sum codes, as well as their modifications proposed by the authors of the articles; study of features of codes for which check bits are obtained using convolutions modulo М = 2 of a part of data bits (polynomial codes and classical Hamming codes); research of the Boolean Complement method for organisation of self-checking discrete systems based on redundant binary codes. Materials are provided on detailed characteristics of error detection in data bits of redundant binary codes under the condition of errorfree check bits, descriptions of methods for constructing previously unknown modified sum codes and features of methods for synthesizing self-checking discrete systems based on binary redundant codes.

The second volume of the book includes papers in the field of constructing binary sum codes weighted bits and transitions between bits occupying adjacent positions in data vectors of code words, as well as the results of studying their characteristics and methods of synthesising coding equipment. The issues of application of features of codes in organisation of self-checking discrete systems are considered. The reader will find on the pages of this volume materials on detailed characteristics of error detection in data bits of weight-based sum codes provided that the check bits are error-free, descriptions of methods for constructing previously unknown weight-based sum codes and features of methods for synthesising self-checking discrete systems based on them.

The book can be useful for developers, researchers and engineers working in the field of technical diagnostics of discrete systems and synthesis of systems with fault detection, as well as students studying computer science, computer technology and automation.