European Transport / Trasporti Europei (2005) 29/X

A methodology for determining optimum cell size for a grid based traffic flow model for heterogeneous traffic is proposed in this paper. The cell size is an important factor to determine as it affects the computational efficiency and model accuracy. The objective function minimizes three aspects namely the difference of distance headway in case of cellular automata and grid based traffic flow model, the total number of cells to represent different types of vehicles and multiple of cell width that gives closer representation of the different road widths. The presented method is found better then the previous attempt which tries to find the cell size by trial and error.

The changes faced by the global rail industry in recent years have brought a redefinition of some of the traditional regulatory instruments available in this sector. This paper, focusing on price and quality regulation, discusses how these instruments have been applied in several countries where private sector participation in railways has been introduced mainly through concession contracts, and where some form of vertical and/or horizontal unbundling has been implemented.

This paper discusses how the current trend towards increased private participation in the rail industry is reshaping the way in which Governments should address the main regulatory challenges arising from the particular economic and technical characteristics of this industry. We review the role of railroads in the last two decades and examine the characteristics of the most relevant processes of private participation around the world. The lessons learned from these changes suggest that many of the traditional regulatory paradigms in this industry are being replaced by more flexible schemes of public intervention. Although this change does not fully preclude direct participation by the Government, it seems that the traditional monopolistic rail company is dead as the dominant model around the world, and new forms, such as franchises or concessions competing on the tracks are progressively gaining relevance.

The aim of this paper is to emphasize the role of the developing network of roads and motorways in the Polish economy and its impact upon expanding competitive solutions in alliance with the ferry shipping industry. The paper begins with an assessment of Poland within its geographical location in Europe and of its economic connections with other European nations. The first part of the paper presents the current situation of road infrastructure in Poland. The second part presents the proposed transport corridors which cross a series of European countries and the plans for development of the sections of these routes located in Poland. The next part assesses the advantages for Poland and for ferry shipping in particular.

This article presents a detailed historical overview of the existence of the largest railway in the world, which runs for 5,867 miles and connects Far East with Western Europe. Over the years it gained many names, such as Trans Siberian Land Bridge, Trans Siberian Route, Trans Siberian Line and Trans Siberian Railway but each one of the names stand for the longest rail route across the continent of Eurasia. This article provides an opportunity to look at early stages of railway’s construction, its uniqueness, interesting path of development, survival of two World Wars and finally its establishment as a vital part of continent’s logistics chain. Throughout the years, the Trans Siberian Railway (TSR) has been proven to have the longest history of commercial freight operation between Europe and the Far East.