Sustainable Railway Engineering and Operations

Railways are frequently promoted as one of the most sustainable modes of transport. However, their impact will in practice be significantly affected by the ways in which they are designed, constructed, and used. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the issues involved in planning, engineering and operating sustainable railway systems. It introduces and examines a wide range of aspects of railway systems and their interrelationships with other human and natural systems. For each of these aspects it considers the key factors that affect the sustainability of the railway.

Students, academic researchers and those in rail industry or related fields who are interested in railways or in transport sustainability more generally will find this to be an invaluable guide. It will be particularly helpful to those who are either relatively new to the railway context, or who have a detailed knowledge of one aspect of railways but are seeking to acquire a more holistic understanding of railway systems.

Simon Blainey is an Associate Professor in Transportation at the University of Southampton’s Transportation Research Group. He has 15 years’ experience in railway-related research, focussing particularly on the areas of demand modelling and appraisal. He is Programme Lead for the university’s MSc courses in Transport Planning and Engineering, and leads the module on ’Railway Engineering and Operations’.

John Preston is the Chair in Rail Transport at the University of Southampton, where he has been variously Head of Group, School and Academic Unit over the last 12 years. He has almost 40 years of experience in transport research and education. His research includes demand and cost modelling, regulatory studies, land-use and environment interactions.