Call For Papers

Transportation accounts for more than one-fifth of the world’s total CO2 emissions. The rail transportation sector, powered by power grid or fossil fuels, also faces a daunting challenge of decarbonization, for supporting the economy-wide carbon neutrality. Adopting alternative fuels such as hydrogen for rail vehicles and improving rail transportation efficiency are two promising strategies, but face different technological or policy barriers. It is also in urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions of Rail Transportation from perspective of WTW (Well to Wheel) and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment).

The advent of new technologies such as the Internet of Things and cloud computing has brought opportunities for the development of smart rail transportation. Smart rail transportation highlights the use of data and smart devices for rail traffic control, smart dispatch and high-efficiency organization which can improve performance of rail transportation system but have not been investigated fully. Therefore, how to incorporate artificial intelligence into rail transportation has become an urgent issue.

Resilience represent one of most important features imbodied in the sustainable rail transportation systems, the robustness to disturbances, continuity of service, recovery from interruption and quick response to environmental threatens are more and more vital to and have been ignored aspects in the construction and operation of rail transportation systems. So, comprehensive approaches to raising and imbodying resilience into rail transportation systems are in urgent need. 

Nowadays, green, smart and resilient rail transportation has to be intended as the way in which people access and explore the city with the help of safe, advanced and eco-friendly technologies. However, the multi-directional development of rail transportation involves multiple solutions, which creates a “paradox of choice” for planners and engineers. For example, a mass of smart system application for network-wide operation may result in high levels of energy consumption. The resilience of rail transportation system is also influenced if and when smart devices and green technologies are incorporated into rail transportation systems. On the other hand, the green technologies (such as renewable energy application, energy-saving operation, environment-friendly practice and so on) can contribute to smart rail transportation and improve sustainability. The special issue on “Approach to green, smart and resilient Rail Transportation systems” aims to provide a platform for researchers to present their cutting-edge research in addressing challenges faced in constructing the future rail transportation systems.

This issue will publish original research papers, reviews, perspectives, and views & comments including but not limited to the following fields:

1. Green Rail Transportation system:

• Potential evaluation of renewable energy in Rail Transportation

• Integrated optimization of Rail Transportation system and renewable energy

• Renewable energy vehicles for Rail Transportation

• Integration of photovoltaic or wind power and traction power system

• Integration of photovoltaic and railway stations

• Integration of hydrogen and Rail Transportation

• Novel electrification or re-electrification for Rail Transportation

• Renewable energy application in Rail Transportation

• Micro-grids in Rail Transportation.

• Energy-saving operation of Rail Transportation

2.Smart Rail Transportation system

• Emerging computing mechanism for Rail Transportation

• Cloud or distributed computing applications in Rail Transportation

• Big data applications in Rail Transportation

• Edge-computing applications in Rail Transportation

• Intelligent control and operation for smart Rail Transportation

• Intelligent approaches for green Rail Transportation system

3. Resilient Rail Transportation system:

• Risk assessment, active safety and emergency management for Rail Transportation

• Reliability, availability, maintainability, safety and interoperability for Rail Transportation

• Convergence of energy system and smart Rail Transportation

• Accessibility of Energy for Rail Transportation

• Rail Transportation -oriented energy systems;

• Rail Transportation -dedicated energy systems;

• Energy systems adaptive to Rail Transportation;

• Coevolution of energy system and Rail Transportation

• Renewable energy centric power supply of Rail Transportation.

Limin Jia, Beijing Jiaotong University, China, [email protected]

Mingli Wu, Beijing Jiaotong University, China, [email protected]

Jianghua Feng, CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Institute Co., Ltd, China, [email protected]

Ping Li, China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited, China, [email protected]

Yanhui Wang, Beijing Jiaotong University, China, [email protected]

Ruifeng Shi, North China Electric Power University, China, [email protected]

Zhe Zhang, Beijing Jiaotong University, China, [email protected]

Jiaqi Ma, University of California, USA, [email protected]