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Publications (107)
In the 2000 s, the liberalization of the rail markets for freight and passenger travel opened up the competition. Nowadays, local, regional, and long-distance passenger rail are gradually following suit. As a consequence of the paradigm of realizing smart and sustainable cities, the operators of local railway infrastructures (i.e., metro, light rai...
The purpose of this collection is to gather studies and research on sustainable mobility, and on actions, technologies, and policies aimed at its development and promotion at all territorial levels, from a multidisciplinary perspective. We welcome original research articles, specific reviews, and relevant case studies and applications in the field...
Smart and green mobility systems are key factors for the sustainability of our cities which are experiencing increasingly growing density conditions. The goal is to make public and sharing transport systems more attractive than private vehicles, thus reducing congestion levels as well as air and noise pollution in favour of the quality of life in o...
Some events (as, for instance, a bridge collapse, an underpass closure or a road maintenance intervention) may generate the total or partial unavailability of some elements of urban road networks. Hence, some users have to redirect their paths generating an increase in congestion on the remaining part of the network. In this context, this paper pro...
The operators of the railway industry (i.e., Traction System and Railway System Operators) are currently involved in a major process of energy transition. Aimed at improving both environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, technological infrastructures are being updated and new operating solutions studied. Moreover, the business opportuniti...
Sustainable transport frameworks are gaining attention within national and international transportation policies, given the key role that decarbonisation plays in making urban environments people-friendly. Within this context, several shared services and micro-mobility options are being developed, especially as first/last mile facilities, further i...
The accessibility level of urban areas depends on the attractiveness of the zone and its reachability degree. The former is affected by settled activities; the latter depends on features of the supply system. From a sustainable perspective, one of the key strategies is promoting the use of active modes and micro-mobility options. In this context, t...
Due to the global pandemic we are experiencing, our lives and social behaviours in urban contexts are deeply changed. Many regulations and rules have been and still are enacted by the world’s governments to minimise the level of risk to which the population is exposed. The majority of them aims at ensuring people social distancing and, in this cont...
Due to the liberalization of the railway sector, Railway System Operators (RSOs) are involved in the renewal of railway systems in terms of both technological and managing improvements. They are evaluating how new strategies can improve energy efficiency and operating sustainability. This paper proposes the optimal management of a fleet of metro tr...
The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming increasingly adopted worldwide to support the creation and management of digital environments in which physical and functional features of a facility are modelled. Due to its characteristic flexibility and interoperability, it rapidly extends beyond the boundaries of applications for which...
Smart and sustainable mobility systems are crucial elements for tomorrow’s cities, whose facilities will be increasingly connected automated and environmentally friendly. Therefore, many strategies based on alternatively-powered vehicles, shared transport modes and micro-mobility solutions are being developed. However, the promotion of traditional...
Public transport systems can be characterised by a schedule-based or a frequency-based framework according to the kind of service to be operated. In the former case, specific departure and arrival times are set for each run and disclosed to the users; in the latter, instead, it is necessary to maintain a certain headway between two successive runs,...
Electrified railway systems are the current focus of energy efficiency studies due to the increasing constraints of environmental sustainability policies. Railway System Operators (RSOs), also encouraged by market deregulation, are thus examining how to update infrastructures and vehicles and/or apply new operating strategies. Given the intrinsic r...
We propose a model for optimising driving speed profiles on metro lines to reduce traction energy consumption. The model optimises the cruising speed to be maintained on each section between two stations; the functions that link the cruising speed to the travel time on the section and the corresponding energy consumption are built using microscopic...
Today, electrified railway systems are involved in renewal processes, which address vehicles, wayside infrastructure and management of fleet of rolling stocks. Railway System Operators (RSOs) test how novel and innovative strategies impact of their own systems in order to reach energy efficiency targets. Due to the intrinsic interaction between the...
In this paper, we propose a generalisation of the Method of Successive Averages (MSA) for solving traffic assignment problems. The generalisation consists in proposing a different step sequence within the general MSA framework to reduce computing times. The proposed step sequence is based on the modification of the classic 1/k sequence for improvin...
The sustainable design of public transport services is a crucial issue that may affect the economy of local areas and the social inclusion of their inhabitants. Indeed, transport accessibility of households, businesses, and retail activities is one of the main drivers that influence location choices and sustainable development and where the public...
In this paper, we propose a model for the optimisation of driving speed profiles on metro lines, to reduce overall energy consumption. The proposed model optimises the maximum speed to be maintained on each section between two stations; the functions that link this maximum speed to the travel time on the section and the corresponding energy consump...
Public transport may represent a useful tool to increase the sustainability of areas, especially in urban and suburban contexts. The attractiveness of a transport system, especially in the case of buses, is closely linked to its reliability which depends in turn on the adoption of adequate planning and design methodologies. Currently, although the...
Energy-saving and energy-recovery strategies represent key factors to achieve operational cost reductions within rail systems management tasks. However, in altering service features, they also affect passenger satisfaction. This paper investigates the effect of implementing such measures in the case of rolling stock unavailability. Numerous operati...
The free movement of people and goods in the European Union has led to the introduction of a cost to the infrastructure access in the rail sector. However, the current access policies do not encourage the adoption of environmentally sustainable behaviours of the transport
service providers. In this context, our proposal provides a methodology for e...
The driving speed profile definition of a rail convoy, which may be adopted as a tool in planning and operational tasks, requires the continuous verification of safety conditions. The traditional approach, based on the evaluation of the braking distance at each iteration of acceleration or cruising phases, is generally
time-consuming. In this cont...
Electrified railway systems are stimulating worldwide a growing interest in innovative models, technologies and operating measures to increase energy efficiency and sustainable development, while satisfying customer requirements. Railway System Operators (RSOs) are widely studying how technologically renewing infrastructures and vehicles or applyin...
The paper proposes a simulation-based approach for supporting a threshold analysis aimed at identifying the maximum number of trains to be operated on a line, given the related infrastructural and operational constraints. The method addresses an intermediate case between the theoretical and practical capacity conditions (i.e. simulated capacity). M...
Forecasting user flows on transportation networks is a fundamental task for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITSs). Indeed, most control and management strategies on transportation systems are based on the knowledge of user flows. For implementing ITS strategies, the forecast of user flows on some network links obtained as a function of user flows on...
The recent world policies have shown the necessity of implementing suitable strategies, especially in urban contexts, in order to promote more sustainable transportation systems. In this context, the rail-based systems allow to achieve sustainable goals according to a threefold effect: reduction in externalities (such as congestion, accidents, air...
Current sustainable policies, adopted by most of the world’s governments, have shown the necessity to promote the use of public transportation systems which provide lower external costs (such as congestion, accidents, air and noise pollution) compared to road transportation systems. In this context, the rail and metro systems allow to achieve furth...
Energy-saving and energy-recovery strategies represent a key factor for reducing operational costs within rail systems management tasks; however, by altering service features, they also affect passenger satisfaction. In particular, the paper aims at investigating the effect of the implementation of such measures in the case of limitation in rolling...
Power supply required for operating rail convoys represents a great cost item for train companies which are paying increasing attention to energy-saving and energy-recovery measures aimed at reducing traction energy consumption and maximising the sustainability of railway system. Indeed, such a transport mode is able to move large volumes of passen...
Cooperative-Intelligent Transportation Systems aim to connect vehicles, both with one another and with road infrastructures, so as to increase traffic safety and efficiency. This paper focuses on the European framework for supporting the development of Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility, and aims to shed light on the current state of tes...
In this paper a general methodology is proposed for reducing computing times in procedures for solving road network design problems. Extensively studied in the literature, such problems concern the design of road networks, in terms of flow directions, capacity expansion and signal settings in urban contexts, and in terms of link addition and capaci...
The work presents a decision support system for the drafting of the “Home-Work Trip Plan (Italian acronym PSCL)”. In particular, an innovative methodology of aggregated estimate of the mobility demand was developed, appropriately integrated by the use of open-source tools. In order to show the goodness of the proposed approach, it has been applied...
The paper aims to provide an overview of the key factors to consider when performing reliable modelling of rail services. Given our underlying belief that to build a robust simulation environment a rail service cannot be considered an isolated system, also the connected systems, which influence and, in turn, are influenced by such services, must be...
In this paper we propose to optimise parking pricing fares in urban areas with the aim to improve transportation equity; the optimisation approach is applied to an origin-destination parking pricing policy that can differentiate the tariffs for each origin-destination pair, considering the difference in accessibility, in particular with public tran...
Rail and metro systems are characterized by high-performing and environmentally friendly features that make them a crucial factor for driving modal split towards public transport modes, thus reducing private car use and related externalities (such as air and noise pollution, traffic congestion and accidents). Within this framework, the implementati...
Cooperative-Intelligent Transportation Systems aim at connecting vehicles, among them and/with road infrastructures, so as to increase traffic safety and efficiency. The paper focuses on the European framework for supporting the development of Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility, in order to provide an overview about the current status of...
Rail and metro systems are characterised by high-performing and environmentally-friendly features which make them a crucial factor for driving modal split towards public transport modes, thus reducing private car use and related externalities (such as air and noise pollution, traffic congestion and accidents). Within this framework, the implementat...
The aim of this paper is to provide an analytical approach for determining operational parameters for metro systems so as to support the planning and implementation of energy-saving strategies. Indeed, one of the main targets of train operating companies is to identify and implement suitable strategies for reducing energy consumption. For this purp...
Current techniques of Travel Demand Management (TDM) are based on the simulation of users’ reactions to implemented strategies. Indeed, the correct modelling of user behaviour may be considered important for managing public transport systems. Especially in high density contexts, performance of the mass-transit system may represent one of the main t...
In the case of conventional rail lines, when disruptions occur, dispatchers have the difficult task of finding feasible rescheduling solutions rapidly so as to re-establish ordinary conditions as soon as possible. Despite the numerous contributions for automatic rescheduling proposed in the literature, this process is still totally controlled by di...
In recent years the growing interest in environmental issues has prompted researchers to investigate two main areas in the field of rail systems: how to improve performance in order to attract users from other transport modes with greater environmental impacts (such as private cars) and how to reduce energy consumption. On the latter issue, some pr...
The importance of a mobility system based on railway technology as the backbone of public transport is now widely acknowledged. Indeed, rail systems are green, high performing, smart and able to ensure a high degree of safety. Therefore, modal split should be steered towards rail transport by increasing the attractiveness of this transport mode. In...
Promoting rail systems can represent a useful policy for rebalancing modal choices and reducing private car use, especially in high density contexts. Obviously, an increase in passenger numbers is only possible if generalised costs (i.e. a weighted sum of times and monetary costs) associated to public transport are abated. According to the recent l...
The planning of a rail system requires the definition of travel demand in terms of passengers (or freight) flows for sizing physical and technological elements (such as number of trains, signalling system type, length and width of platforms). Moreover, once a system has been set up and functional elements have been acquired, system management in te...
Regional rail transport, albeit a major element in public mobility, is frequently affected by great vulnerability to system failure. Hence it is worth developing suitable procedures to manage rail disruption appropriately. In the particular case of breakdowns, the latter may be managed by means of shunter locomotives or empty rail convoys if the fa...
In high-density contexts, such as urban or metropolitan areas, decision makers and mobility managers have to adopt suitable strategies to reduce the use of private cars and promote public transport. Indeed, such strategies may help abate the negative impacts of transportation systems (congestion, air and noise pollution, etc.). However, appropriate...
In this paper, we propose a sensitivity analysis for evaluating the effectiveness of recovery solutions in the case of disturbed rail operations. Indeed, when failures or breakdowns occur during daily service, new strategies have to be implemented so as to react appropriately and re-establish ordinary conditions as rapidly as possible. In this cont...
A rail system may be considered a useful tool for reducing vehicular flows on a road system (i.e. cars and trucks), especially in high-density contexts such as urban and metropolitan areas where greenhouse gas emissions need to be abated. In particular, since travellers maximise their own utility, variations in mobility choices can be induced only...
A rail system represents a useful tool for reducing flows (cars and trucks) on a road system in high density contexts (such as urban and metropolitan areas) with a view to abating greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, since rail passengers maximise their own utility, variations in mobility choices can be induced only by significantly improving t...
Public transport systems represent a potentially effective tool for managing mobility in urban and metropolitan areas. In particular, especially in high density contexts, rail systems can be adopted as the backbone of transportation services. However, rail systems are also somewhat vulnerable to system failure since, for instance, a faulty train ca...
Smart mobility is a key factor in the new conceptual urban development model, the so-called “smart city”. We focus on rail and metro transport, proposing a multidimensional constrained optimisation model to carry out a sensitivity analysis for evaluating the effectiveness of recovery solutions in the case of disturbed operations. Indeed, after the...
In the last twenty years, European Union has promoted liberalisation and competition within the rail system under EC Directive 91/440 and the Railway Packages concerned, and all Member States now try to pursue the difficult task of considering both public (sustainability, accessibility, employment, etc.) and commercial interests (profit, return on...
Rail systems represent a useful tool for reducing the use of private cars especially in urban and metropolitan areas. However, since a faulty train cannot be easily removed or overtaken, in the case of rail system failures, restoring operative conditions could take a very long time and result in considerable delays for passengers. In this context,...
In this paper we focus on the combined assignment-control problem that arises when signal control parameters of an urban road network are locally optimised and they have to be consistent with equilibrium traffic flows. This problem can be formulated as an (asymmetric) equilibrium assignment problem. In this paper we compare some solution algorithms...
This paper proposes an off-line procedure for the management of rail-metro networks in the case of high-density, congested cities. Our approach may be considered a decision support system for establishing recovery plans which take customers’ needs into account when service disruption occurs. This new methodology combines a stochastic microscopic si...
In this paper, we propose a sensitivity analysis for evaluating the effectiveness of recovery solutions in the case of disturbed rail operations. Indeed, when failures or breakdowns occur during daily service, new strategies have to be implemented so as to react appropriately and re-establish ordinary conditions as rapidly as possible. In this cont...
In this paper the Global Optimisation of Signal Settings (GOSS) problem is studied and a meta-heuristic algorithm is proposed for its solution. The GOSS problem arises when the parameters of all (or some) signalised intersections of a network are jointly optimised so as to minimise the value of an objective function (such as total travel time). Thi...
Optimisation and simulation tools are vital for planning and managing rail systems, providing performance analysis and evaluation of interactions without any kind of disturbance to the service. We may distinguish between combinatorial optimisation and simulation models which can be also classified into macroscopic and microscopic models. The former...
In this study a model for the optimisation of mass-transit fares is proposed and tested both on a trial and a real-scale network. Formulated as a multidimensional constrained minimisation model, the problem considers a multimodal transportation system under the assumption of elastic demand for simulating the impacts of fare policies on modal split...
Due to the constant increase in travel demand, rail systems are more and more dense and service providers have the difficult task of planning a timetable which has to be robust and stable. Moreover, in order to increase customers’ satisfaction, it is necessary to provide sufficient transport capacity avoiding train and platform congestion and guara...
Rail and metro networks are nowadays the backbone of public transportation systems especially in high density contexts. Due to the constant increase in travel demand, rail systems are more and more dense and service providers have the difficult task of planning a timetable which has to be robust and stable. Moreover, in order to increase customers’...
In this paper we propose a general model for solving the Transportation Network Design Problem (TNDP). Since in real-scale networks the number of feasible solutions to be examined does not allow an exhaustive search and objective functions are not convex, it is necessary to adopt metaheuristic algorithms to obtain sub-optimal solutions within suita...
The management of public transport for rebalancing the use of transportation systems is a useful tool for reducing negative externalities without excessively affecting zone accessibility. In this context, a rail or metro system can be a key element for producing a high-quality supply of public transport. Obviously, due to the great vulnerability of...
The planning of an efficient and effective public transport system is a key element in managing modern mobility both in densely populated urban areas and in peripheral and/or rural areas where the population densities are considerably lower. Indeed, the presence of public transport designed to meet travel demand could allow a reduction in negative...
In this paper the results of the PRIN research project named “Guidelines for the urban transportation network analysis and design: methods and models for designing at area level the signalised intersections” are summarised. In the research project, several problems of signal settings optimisation at area level were studied and some methods and mode...
In this paper, we investigate the effects of different fleet compositions on travel demand in the case of metro system breakdowns (such as reductions in train performance or unavailability of a rail convoy or a track section), in order to provide a Decision Support System (DSS) which allows the decision-maker to estimate the increase in travel and...
Rail or metro systems are generally characterised by high performance in terms of maximum travel speeds and/or reduced headways between two successive convoys. However, in the event of breakdowns, since faulty trains cannot usually be overtaken and their removal could pose extreme difficulties especially in metropolitan systems with two separate tu...
In this paper we study the Local Optimisation of Signal Settings (LOSS) problem that arises when signal control parameters of an urban road network are locally optimised and have to be consistent with equilibrium traffic flows. This problem can be formulated with an (asymmetric) equilibrium assignment model. In this paper we study the problem and t...
In this paper, we propose an off-line procedure for determining the optimal operational strategy in the case of rail and/or metro system failure. The procedure is based on a micro-simulation approach for estimating effects of each feasible intervention strategy on travel demand. Numerical results in the case of a real-size metro network show that o...
Coordination of the signalised intersections of an arterial is a widely studied problem, with the aim being to find optimal offsets, when the other control parameters (cycle time, effective greens, etc.) are designed. Optimal offsets are generally those that are able to minimise the stops at intersections for vehicles travelling along the coordinat...
In this paper, we propose a model framework for providing optimal driving strategies and related speed profiles which minimise the energy consumption of rail convoys. Previous models were extended and applied to evaluate the effects of different signalling systems upon rail operating costs. The proposed method was tested on a real rail network, the...
This paper describes the first results of a research project where the main focus is to implement a Decision Support System (DSS) to optimise energy consumption of rail systems. In order to achieve this objective, we implement an optimisation module for the design of energy-efficient driving strategies, in terms of speed profiles, that requires a r...