About the Research

Background: 

Demand for both heavy-haul freight and higher-speed passenger railway transportation is increasing globally. Maintaining a safe, efficient and reliable railway network under growing demand requires increased knowledge of railway operations under train-type heterogeneity.

Project aim: 

This project will bring together experts on railway capacity and safety from two leading railway engineering programmes for a workshop on international approaches to managing the traffic capacity and safety risks of shared rail corridors.

Project activities: 

• A joint workshop is proposed for autumn 2015 at the University of Birmingham to connect global leaders on the topics of railway capacity and safety under train-type heterogeneity at Illinois and Birmingham and further build relationships 
• A unique educational experience for students will be created by facilitating access to the extensive rail research facilities in Birmingham and the dense rail system of the UK
• A journal paper comparing and contrasting international approaches to shared rail corridor capacity and safety will be prepared for publication

Researchers

Birmingham
Dr Lei Chen
Professor Clive Roberts

Illinois
C Tyler Dick
Professor Christopher P L Barkan
Dr Rapik Saat