Transportation System Engineering 1 , 61360

Chapter 1
Introduction to Transportation
System Engineering
AN-NAJAH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
NABLUS, PALESTINE

Wael K. M. ALHAJYASEEN

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ENGINEERING 1 , 61360 JAN. 22, 2012

 1.1 Introduction to the Transportation Sector

1.2 Transportation System Characteristics

1.3 Modes of Transportation

1.4 Transportation Systems Issues and Challenges

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1.1 Introduction to the
Transportation Sector
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• Transportation Engineering *:
‒ “The application of technology and science principles to
the planning, functional design, operation and
management of facilities for any mode of transportation”
‒ In order to provide safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient,
economical, and environmentally compatible movement
of people and goods.

• Traffic Engineering*:
– “The phase of transportation engineering that deals with the
planning, geometric design and traffic operations of roads,
streets, and highways, their networks, terminals, and
relationship with other modes of transportation”

* Definition from the Institute of Transportation Engineering (ITE)

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• Movement of people and goods

• Essential for socio-economic

activities and our every-day life
Human
• Consist of human, modes of
transportation and infrastructure
(links and terminals).
Infrastr- Modes
ucture (Vehicles)

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• The ability to move people and goods from one location
to another is perhaps the key to survival.
• In business, it is considered as an auxiliary to trade,
• it supports trade and industry in carrying raw materials to
the place of production and distributing finished products
for consumption.

• National economic growth,

industrialization, and massive
production.

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• In the modern times, countries leaders industry and
commerce, have advanced transportation systems.

• Japan with little natural resources, relies heavily on

transportation.

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• Just - In – Time: An inventory system where:
– Raw materials are delivered right before they
are needed on the assembly line and
– Finished goods are manufactured before they
are shipped to customers.
• Merits:
̶ Substantially reducing overhead cost (STORAGE),
̶ Limiting quality inspections and
̶ Eliminating obsolete inventory.
• Risks:
̶ Delivery of raw materials on schedule,
̶ Shipment or delivery of products on schedule.

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1. Makes available raw materials to manufacturers or
producers.
2. Makes available goods to customers: Transport makes
possible movement of goods from one place to another
with great ease and speed.

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3. Enhances standard of living: Easy means of transport
facilitates large-scale production at low costs. It gives
consumers the choice to make use of different
quantities of goods at different prices.

4. Helps during emergencies and natural calamities: In

times of national crisis, due to war or internal
disturbance, transport helps in quick movement of
troops and the supplies needed in the operation.

5. Helps in labour mobility.

6. Helps in bringing nations together, social values.
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7. Helps in creation of employment: Transport provides
employment opportunity in several areas of
transportation:
‒ Logistics and Supply-Chain Management
‒ Vehicle Design and Transportation Services
‒ Transportation Infrastructure Services
‒ Specialties within Transportation Infrastructure Engineering

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• Building vast transportation systems requires enormous
resources of energy, material, and land.
• In major cities, transportation can consume as much as
half of all the land area.
• Transportation leads to many problems:

– Safety Issues
Collisions

– Environmental Impacts
Emissions, Noise, Pollution of air and water etc

– Energy Consumption
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 Economic Growth
Increase in Industrial activities (Production)
Increase in personal income
Increase in consumption

Transport Services Transport Impacts

“We cant live without Growth in trip rates
Facilitate movement of
goods and services,
mobility; but can we Motorization
live with it ?” Changes in mode share
Improve access to network,
Urban expansion
etc.

Impacts upon:
Quality
Safety
Environment
Economy
Society
Source:
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Galindo, L.M., M. Molina et al. (2002)
• The first wheeled military vehicles were developed
around 2500 B.C.
• In 1840s, the horse-drawn street car, operating at an
average speed of 7 km/hr.
• In 1885 with Daimler and Benz's introduction of the
gasoline powered internal combustion engine.
• The first automobile was produced in 1886 (by Daimler
and Benz).
• The first flight of Wright brothers in a heavier-than air
machine in 1903
• The first diesel electric locomotive was introduced in
1921
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1.2 Transportation System
Characteristics
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• A system is a set of interrelated parts, called
components, that perform a number of functions in
order to achieve common goals.

• Operational statements of goals are called objectives:

these should be measurable and attainable.

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• The physical plant of most transportation system consists of
four basic elements:
Link
– Links: The roadways or tracks
connecting two or more points. Node

– Means: The methods of moving

people and goods from one node
to another along a link..

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• The physical plant of most transportation system consists of
four basic elements:
– Terminals: The node where
travel and shipment begins,
ends or transfers is considered
as a terminal.
– Management and Operations :
Construction, management, and
maintenance of the links, vehicles,
terminals, and the set of
procedures to operate and control
the traffic flow on links and in
terminals.
These elements interact with human beings and the environment
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1.3 Modes of Transportation

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• In general there are three main types of Transport:
– Land Transport

– Water Transport
– Air Transport

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1. Highways
• The highway system is the dominant transportation mode.
• Used by private vehicles, truck lines and bus lines.

• Its major markets are urban passenger transportation,

urban goods distribution, intercity passenger
transportation and intercity freight.
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1. Highways
• Very high accessibility.
• Direct service
• Moderate speeds
• Moderate capacities
• Operating costs are relatively high
• Environmental impacts are high
• Major social concern, particularly in
the case of air pollution and noise.

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2. Urban Transit
• A highly specialized mode. It serves urban passenger
transportation.
• Generally, transit passenger are drawn
from two groups:
1) Commuters (choice riders): persons
making work trips into dense central
business districts.
2) Captive riders: those without
access to automobiles.

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2. Urban Transit
• Operating speed depends on the type of transit.
• Capacity is high.
• Accessibility depends on route and stop/station spacing,
but is generally less than for private autos.
• Operating costs are moderate, but operating cost per trip
is almost always higher than the fare.
• Environmental impacts are lower.

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3. Rail Transport
• Consists of railroads.
• The primary market for rail is intercity freight..

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3. Rail Transport
• Rail has become increasingly specialized in bulk cargo.
• Passenger rail trips are of short to intermediate length,
and are confined to a few high density corridors.
• Moderate speeds and levels of accessibility.
• Unreliable door-to-door travel times (Except Japan).
• Physical facilities and their maintenance for railways
represent a heavy investment.
• Operating costs per ton-km are low, but the efficiency of
traditional operating strategies is poor.
• Environmental impacts are comparatively low, and the
energy efficiency is comparatively high. 28
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ENGINEERING 1 , 61360
• Various modes offer different set of services
characteristics in terms of travel time, frequency, comfort,
reliability, convenience, and safety.
• The term “level of service” is used to describe the relative
values of these attributes.
User’s Judgment

Cost
Level of Service

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• Includes commercial airlines, airfreight carriers, and
private aircraft.
• Long-distance travel (Intercity and international).
• Some intercity freight is shipped by air which is mainly
composed products with high values.

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• High speed.
• Accessibility is limited.
• Capacities (individual aircrafts) are moderate.
• Productivity is high due to the very high speeds.
• Capital and operating costs are both quite high for the
commercial air system
– High productivity results in moderate costs per passenger.
• Costs of airports and aircraft are moderate, usually in the
same range as of highway facilities and vehicles of
comparable capacity.
• Environmental impacts are significant, especially noise,
– much less concern than those of the highway system.
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• Consist of coastwise ocean shipping and barge lines
operating on inland waterways..
• Major types of oceangoing freighters include container
ships, bulk cargo carriers, and oil tankers.
• Mainly for freight.
• low speed and low accessibility
• Extremely high capacities.
• The capital cost of vessels is high,
‒ operating costs per ton-km are
extremely low.
• Environmental impacts are low, except for water pollution.
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 Bicycles Shanghai Maglev Train

Cable cars

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• Many fields interact with each other
– better transportation facilities and services.
• Civil engineering discipline forms the core
• Other supporting disciplines:
– Surveying, geotechnical and material, structural and hydraulic
engineering
– Mechanical,
– Electrical,
– Industrial,
– Others

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• The subspecialties within transportation engineering
are:
1. Planning: deals with the selection of projects for design
and construction.
 Forecast future traffic

 Feasibility studies

 Must be familiar with engineering economics and statistics

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2. Design: specification of all features of the transportation
system so that it will function smoothly, efficiently, and in
accordance with physical laws.
 Geometric alignments, road cross-section and pavement

 bridges and drainage

 Traffic control devices, roadside rest areas, and

landscaping.

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3. Construction: closely related to design and involves all
aspects of the building process, beginning with preparation
of the surface, placement of the pavement material, and
preparation of the final roadway for use by traffic.

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4. Traffic Operations: operation of the highway system is the
responsibility of the traffic engineer.
 Traffic engineering involves the integration of vehicle,

driver, and pedestrian characteristics to improve the safety

and capacity of streets and highways.
 Traffic accident analyses, parking, traffic signs, markings,

signals, speed regulation, and highway lighting.

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5. Maintenance: involves all the work necessary to ensure
that the highway system is kept working properly.
 Pavement patching, repair

 Scheduling of work crews, replacement of worn or

damaged signs, and repair of damaged roadway sections.

 Economic evaluation of maintenance programs.

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1.4 Transportation Systems
Issues and Challenges

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1. Traffic Congestion: wherever demand exceeds the
capacity of the transportation system.
 In many urban areas, congestion is the main problem .

 Congestion of facilities is rare for other modes.

 Solutions:

‒ Intelligent transportation system

‒ Traffic system management (TSM).

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2. Traffic Safety: for all modes, especially for highways
and commercial air.
 Traffic accidents results in fatalities, injuries, and

physical damage.
 Congestion of facilities is rare for other modes.

 Solutions:

‒ Intelligent transportation system

‒ Traffic system management (TSM).

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3. Environmental Protection : the most important
challenge .
 large-scale impacts due to the system as a whole such as:

‒ air quality, energy consumption, and land use

 smal-scale impacts due to specific transportation facilities

and activities.
‒ displacement of residents and businesses, noise,

impacts on water quality, visual impacts

‒ construction of transportation facilities impacts upon

agricultural lands, historical sites, and rivers.

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4. New Technology : has often had a revolutionary impact on
transportation systems.
 Vehicle technology (steamship and railroad in 90
th century,

the airplane in the 20th century).

‒ new types of physical facilities, control systems, and

institutional systems

Electric Cars Segway 47

4. New Technology :
The major technological development of the past
20 years is:
 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

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Information Technology (IT) +
Transportation Systems (TS)

 Information
 Communications
 Integration

The application of modern technology-

electronics, computers, remote sensing,
and telecommunications for efficient and
safe movement of people and goods.
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Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS)
Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS)
 Freeway Management
 Traffic Signal Control
 Incident Management
 Emergency Management

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Advanced Public Transportation Systems (ATMS)
 Transit Management Systems
 Traveler Information Systems
 Electronic Fare Payment Systems
Advanced Rural Transportation Systems (ARMS)
 Incident management/Mayday system
 Transportation management in congested areas:
• Tourist sites
• Seasonal harvesting areas
• Construction zones
 Integrated traveler information: tourist/ road/weather
conditions
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Advanced Vehicle Control and Safety Systems
 Vision Enhancement Systems
 Collision Avoidance Systems
 Intelligent Cruise Control
 Automated Highway Systems

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5. Funding: Securing adequate financial resources.
 Facility-oriented public agencies have rarely been able

to find revenue sources adequate to meet the

"needed" facilities.
 Possible solution: by instituting user charges, such as

fuel taxes, direct fares or tolls.

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6. Institutional Arrangements: new institutional
arrangements have come as a response to the deficiencies
in the existing system..
 Imposed by outside agencies such as legislatures

‒ resisted by established institutions.

Most challenging

Adjustments to the relationship

between the public and private sectors

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Introduction to Transportation
System Engineering

Wael K. M. ALHAJYASEEN
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ENGINEERING 1 , 61360