The NEAR

European – Asian Rail Research Capacities

2

Project: Network of

Annie Kortsari Research Associate Hellenic Institute for Transport

Project Profile

• Funding Scheme: Coordination and Support Action (Coordination) • Project budget: 887.003 € • Starting date: 01/12/2012 • Duration: 24 months (ends in November, 2014) • Coordinator: CERTH/HIT • Consortium: 13 partners from 9 different countries and from 2 different continents.

Project Partners

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Centre for Research and Technology Hellas / Hellenic Institute of Transport, Greece; EURNEX Association, Germany; Technical University of Berlin, Germany; Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic; Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania; Moscow State University of Railway Engineering, Russia; A-TRANS LLC, Russia;

Project Partners

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Petersburg State Transport University, Russia Tongji University, China EIRC Consulting Private Limited, India; State Higher Educational Establishment Donetsk Railway Transport Institute of Ukrainian State Academy of Railway Transport, Ukraine; INSTYTUT KOLEJNICTWA, Poland TRAINOSE METAFORES-METAFORIKES YPIRESIES EPIVATON KAI FORTIOU AE, Greece Another 8 Institutes and Universities, 3 rd will also contribute to the Project.

parties to EURNEX,

NEAR2 World Wide Partnership

Background

• • • • Long distance trade between the major centers of Europe and Asia has played a major role since the antiquity.

Nowadays, the trade between the two continents has increased substantially, due to the development of Asian countries, particularly China, India and Russia.

Up till now maritime transport has taken over the major share of these trade volumes, accounting to a fast growth in maritime traffic at rates of over 6% per year.

The vast increase of maritime transport causes some serious problems, the most important of which is the maritime traffic congestion that is observed between the major maritime hubs creating also severe environmental issues.

Background

• • The shift, of at least part of the trade volume, to the land EU Asian corridors is essential, revealing new opportunities for all modes, especially the railways.

When it comes to long distance land routes going through Asia and Europe, the railways, as well as the inland waterways have a very advantageous position as they meet transit needs and accessibility requirements for the countries along the way more efficiently, despite any missing links that need to be developed.

Focus

• • • Trans-Siberian route connecting the Russian Pacific ports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka with Moscow TRACECA Corridor (TRAnsport Corridor Europe-Caucasus Asia) along the once called Silk Road Trans-Asian railway route through Turkey and Iran

Overall Concept

The aim of the Project is to engage:

• • • • all the interested parties; countries; stakeholders; and the rail research community in a cooperation aiming to promote railway transport, creating this way a notable alternative to maritime and air transport.

Overall Concept

The ultimate goal is to create a Rail Research Network,

exploiting the structure and leveraging the achievements of the existing European Rail Research Network of Excellence (EURNEX), along the Trans-Eurasian land bridge, engaging this way all the existing research centers in a continuous and fruitful international cooperation.

Overall Concept

• • • • The project will capitalize the existing rail research network of EURNEX.

EURNEX successfully turned from an EC funded project (2004-2008) into a self-standing legal entity since 2007.

It comprises 48 scientific institutes in the area of transport and mobility all over Europe.

EURNEX is the first and only research cluster of excellence to underpin the European Research Area in the rail sector in EU27 and Russia, while it has also proved its capability to enlarge, with the participation of non-EC country partners.

Overall Concept

The scientific institutions participating in EURNEX have been clustered in 10 different thematic categories/ Poles.

These Poles are the following: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Strategy and Economics Operation and System Performance Rolling Stock Product Qualification Methods Intelligent Mobility Safety and Security Environment and Energy Efficiency Infrastructure and Signaling Human Factors Training and Education

Project Objectives

• • • • • Identification of rail research centers along the relevant corridors and engagement of them in a cooperation forming a Trans-Eurasian rail research network; Formulation of specific working groups inside the Network, based on the categorization in Poles or fields of expertise; Development of a web inventory of Network members; Identification of important technology issues, gaps in the existing knowledge and barriers to interoperability; SWOT analysis of rail research collaboration;

Project Objectives

• • • • • Definition of future research needs and industry oriented policy recommendations; Formulation of 10 Concept Documents, 1 per pole; Validation of the 10 Concept Documents by an extended research group and by members of the industry; Creation of a Publication including the Executive Summaries of the 10 validated Concept Documents and translation in Russian and Chinese; Liaise with other research projects funded under relevant topics and platforms.

Major Expected Outcomes

• • • Establishment of the NEAR 2 Rail Research Network along the Trans-Eurasian Land bridge; Formulation of the 10 Concept Documents examining issues such as: • Technology needs and knowledge gaps, • • • • Transport policy Systematic understanding of market needs Interoperability and Resilience of infrastructure Validation of the 10 Concept Documents by experts from the research community and the industry.

MOWE-IT

Management of Weather Events in the Transport System

Project Profile

• Funded: FP7 Programme • Project budget: 1.641.564€ • Starting date: 01/10/2012 • Duration: 24 months (ends in September, 2014) • Coordinator: VTT • Consortium: 12 partners from 8 different countries

Main Goal

To mitigate the impacts of natural hazards (NH) and extreme weather events (EWE) on transport system performance by identifying modal substitutability opportunities during such phenomena for: • • • Short-term and Long-term (up to 2070) Passenger and Freight Transport Air, Rail, Road and Maritime Transport

Methodology

Creation of a database that contains EWE and NH related information: • • • • The occurrence probability of EWE and NH on selected cities and on their connections The impact assessment (in terms of generalized costs) of EWE and NH on selected cities and on their connections The substitution cost of connections between cities The contribution of specific actions towards the robustness of the future European Transport System

• • •

Methodology

Occurrence probability of events at connections per mode (air, rail, road, maritime) per event (wildfire, floods, other EWE and NH) per type of transport (passenger, freight) • • • • Impact assessment measured in: Breakage of connections (infrastructure, maintenance and service costs) Other transport supply related performance indicators Delays (transfer time, waiting time) Other transport demand related performance indicators • • Identification of substitutability for vulnerable connections: Quantification of costs for alternative modes connecting cities Quantification of share of passengers selecting each available alternative • • Quantification of actions’ contribution towards the robustness of the European Transport System measured in: % decrease of impacts at cities and their connections % decrease of the “vulnerability” of connections