Efficiency of using our own bus fleet in multimodal door-to-door service

In the passenger transportation segment, there is a trend towards door-to-door travel planning. This direction, which is relevant in the world practice of passenger transportation, with a correctly proposed approach, can also be used in the cities of the Russian Federation.The use of a multimodal method of passenger transportation together with MaaS technologies in case of maximum involvement of carrier operators will allow passengers to significantly reduce travel time and find a way to reduce travel costs.Sophisticated logistics of commuter rail transport routes for all time periods will attract additional passenger traffic, increasing the profitability of passenger traffic.The conducted research on the example of the transport-interchange complex of the city of N showed the possibility of organizing a passenger's trip "from door to door" with minimal costs and maximum comfort. The passenger railway company receives direct profit from this service, which makes it possible to recoup the project in a short time. Conclusions are made about the dependence of the profitability of the bus fleet on the number of seats, distance and popularity of the route direction. The organization of additional services on the territory as close as possible to the places of embarkation and disembarkation of passengers will increase the attractiveness of the transport and interchange complex for the passenger traffic of N.

If you build it, they will change: Evaluating the impact of commuter rail stations on real estate values and neighborhood composition in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, the Netherlands

In many metropolitan regions, transit-oriented developments are built to motivate the use of sustainable travel by promoting urban growth within walking distances of public transport stations. Changes in residential property values are a common way to assess the success of transit-oriented developments. However, studies that focus on property values alone have reported mixed effects. This paper attempts to evaluate the land value impact around commuter rail stations by analyzing the change in property values within the context of the transformation of socio-spatial neighborhood attributes. The study sets out to estimate the effect of Randstad Rail stations using real estate transaction data of residential properties and neighborhood socio-spatial attributes in the Rotterdam–the Hague metropolitan area of the Netherlands covering a period from 1985 to 2018. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the effect is estimated for properties within different catchment zones around three commuter rail stations using a Difference-in-Differences Model and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. The results demonstrate the overall negative effect of the Randstad Rail on the value of residential properties at a distance equal to or less than 400 meters from the selected rail stations in the range of -18.8% to -11.5%. In contrast, a positive effect is observed for the residential properties located within a radius of 400 to 800 meters from the rail stations, which is estimated to be +15% to +33.2%. The findings also indicate a considerable socio-spatial transformation in the neighborhood composition after the opening of the rail stations in terms of neighborhood population density, land-use density, housing characteristics, and car ownership, which significantly affect the magnitude and direction of the impact.

Rail noise grade separation alternative analysis case study

The San Francisco Bay Area has an existing commuter rail system that brings commuters from southern regional communities into the downtown city center. One of the communities served by commuter rail service is the City of Palo Alto, CA, which includes four active grade crossings, each requiring train horn sounding for each train event. The City wished to evaluate various options to eliminate the noise generated from horn soundings by creating road/rail grade separations at each existing grade crossing and other possible noise and vibration control elements. The alternatives included crossing closures, rail bed trenching, viaducts, roadway underpasses, and tunnels. A noise and vibration study was undertaken to provide an analysis of which alternatives would provide better reductions in noise and vibration in the surrounding community. The study included an assessment of existing noise levels and predicted future noise and vibration levels for construction and operation of each proposed alternative using current established noise and vibration methodology. The results of this study included comparisons of the noise and vibration associated with each of the of the proposed alternatives that could be used in conjunction with other studies considering cost, traffic, safety, aesthetics and other factors to select an overall preferred alternative.

A closer look at rail methodology in the BTS National Transportation Noise Map

In 2017, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics released the inaugural national, multi-modal transportation noise map prototype. The noise modeling and mapping effort was envisioned as a way to facilitate the geographic tracking of national trends and provide insight into transportation noise-related questions as changes occur over time - changes between modes, types of vehicles within modes and the geographic shifts of populations. How do changes in aircraft technology change the transportation noise landscape? Does increased high speed rail availability affect highway-related noise? How does a population shift away from urban centers affect the soundscape? The inaugural model included aviation and highway sources. The first update, released in November 2020, includes passenger rail-related noise in addition to aviation and highway sources. Operations in this new mode include commuter rail mainline, high-speed electric, light rail, heavy rail and streetcars, along with commuter rail horns at highway-rail grade crossings. The data for this noise map were modeled based on USDOT methods, with adjustments and simplifications to model on a national scale. This paper focuses on the modeling methods and geospatial approach used to develop the passenger rail noise data layer.

Get Up and Go: Evaluating Station Area Factors affecting A.M. Commuter Rail Boardings in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

This research evaluates built form and demographic factors of GO Transit commuter rail station areas that contribute to ridership and utilization of existing services in the A.M. peak period using biannual GO Rail ridership information from the Spring of 2010 to Spring of 2015. In order to identify predictors of ridership growth, four regression models were estimated that evaluated factors affecting cross-sectional ridership, cross-sectional utilization of capacity, station-level utilization at each time period, and station-level year-over-year utilization growth. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of ridership, utilization, and growth were station parking capacity and household density of the surrounding area. This suggests potential for tensions in developing GO-supportive station-area land use policy strategies focused on either expanding station-area parking capacity or station-area residential intensification. The station level utilization model produced a priority list of future service increases on GO Rail corridors based on existing capacity and ridership.

Get Up and Go: Evaluating Station Area Factors affecting A.M. Commuter Rail Boardings in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

This research evaluates built form and demographic factors of GO Transit commuter rail station areas that contribute to ridership and utilization of existing services in the A.M. peak period using biannual GO Rail ridership information from the Spring of 2010 to Spring of 2015. In order to identify predictors of ridership growth, four regression models were estimated that evaluated factors affecting cross-sectional ridership, cross-sectional utilization of capacity, station-level utilization at each time period, and station-level year-over-year utilization growth. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of ridership, utilization, and growth were station parking capacity and household density of the surrounding area. This suggests potential for tensions in developing GO-supportive station-area land use policy strategies focused on either expanding station-area parking capacity or station-area residential intensification. The station level utilization model produced a priority list of future service increases on GO Rail corridors based on existing capacity and ridership.

Visions of a polycentric suburb : the evolution of car-centric design

The following thesis investigates emerging issues surrounding car-centric design know as urban sprawl and questions whether or not it is feasible and appropriate for cities to continue sprawling in a car-centric manner given changing conditions. Social, political, environmental and economical concerns have surfaced putting a damper on the once great "American Dream" raising concerns that car-centric design can prove detrimental to humanity. The roots of modernist design are discussed and the ideas behind modernists' intentions analyzed while juxtaposing modernist vision to the real outcomes of modernism. Modernist ideas are compared and contrasted to new and old theories that challenge the modernist ideals in order to propose a new direction for future urban development. The design project takes into account the importance of connection and network through infrastructure in a globalized world. Transit infrastructure (high speed rail, improved commuter rail, rapid transit and light rail) is proposed on a number of scales in the Southern Ontario region to act as a catalyst for responsible growth interconnecting future intensified polycentric suburban cities.

Visions of a polycentric suburb : the evolution of car-centric design

The following thesis investigates emerging issues surrounding car-centric design know as urban sprawl and questions whether or not it is feasible and appropriate for cities to continue sprawling in a car-centric manner given changing conditions. Social, political, environmental and economical concerns have surfaced putting a damper on the once great "American Dream" raising concerns that car-centric design can prove detrimental to humanity. The roots of modernist design are discussed and the ideas behind modernists' intentions analyzed while juxtaposing modernist vision to the real outcomes of modernism. Modernist ideas are compared and contrasted to new and old theories that challenge the modernist ideals in order to propose a new direction for future urban development. The design project takes into account the importance of connection and network through infrastructure in a globalized world. Transit infrastructure (high speed rail, improved commuter rail, rapid transit and light rail) is proposed on a number of scales in the Southern Ontario region to act as a catalyst for responsible growth interconnecting future intensified polycentric suburban cities.

Borrowed sizes: A hedonic price approach to the value of netowrk structure in public transport systems

Property prices are known to be higher in places with high accessibility, such as in proximity to train stations and especially to commuter rail, than in places without this access. This study provides a better understanding of how regional accessibility, through the structure of railway networks, can influence local agglomeration economies by providing accessibility to large labor markets. Previous literature has shown a positive impact of proximity to railway stations on housing prices, and our study adds to the literature by analyzing the impact of network structure. We argue that public transport systems can support the benefits of city networks in line with Alonso’s concept of borrowed sizes (1973). Using network theory to measure accessibility provided by the network, we show that stations that provide accessibility to large labor markets across the region are perceived as more attractive by households. Cities in proximity to other cities are strengthened through their public transport links, which allow agglomeration benefits to be exploited by residents.