Research areas

Planning of railway systems

• High-speed and intercity line planning
• Urban rail public transport planning: metro, light rail, tramway
• Design and construction of rail systems

Operation & maintenance

• Construction and maintenance of superstructure and infrastructure
• Environmental impact and external costs
• Construction and operating costs; sustainability

Infrastructure planning & design

• Tunnels, viaducts and construction method selection
• Static and dynamic tests of superstructure in place
• Fatigue testing of rails and steel bridge members
• Wheel–rail interaction: corrugation, vibration, deformation, fatigue life
• Geometric standards, drainage, landslide risk, accident and risk analysis

Economic perspective

• Operation of rail systems
• Investment planning
• Economic evaluation of rail investments

Vehicle design & optimisation

• Experimental and numerical characterisation of structural components
• Vehicle dynamics, bogie systems and vibration
• Aerodynamics of high-speed train sets
• Passenger comfort, acoustics and noise impact on living spaces
• Structural optimum car body and undercarriage design

Signalling & electrification

• Conventional signalling, CBTC, ERTMS/ETCS
• AC and DC electrification; motion control of vehicles
• Energy-efficient design, timetable optimisation and fleet management
• SCADA, passenger and driver information, communications
• Functional safety, emergency and disaster planning, simulation

Resource management

• Fuels and energy technology for rail systems
• Lubricants and waste oil management

Looking for a thesis topic?

The laboratory publishes an open list of project themes that can be turned into a thesis — earthquake early warning, track geometry, culvert monitoring, next-generation track circuits and more.