Railway Systems

Code:

M.EC045

Acronym:

SF

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Transport Infrastructures

Instance: 2024/2025 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Civil and Georesources Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Civil Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M.EC	5	Syllabus	2	-	6	45,5	162

Teaching language

Portuguese and english

Objectives

Being rail transport more eco-efficient than road transport, the raise of demand in recent decades has justified the significant increase of investment in the modernization and technological development of railways, of which the expansion of high-speed networks and the development of magnetic levitation trains (Maglev) are the most visible examples. Thus, it is understood that railways should be considered as a nuclear course unit in the training of a Civil Engineer with specialization in Transport Infrastructures. For this reason, the syllabus addresses a wide array of subjects, favoring a basic training of railway engineers with a wide intervention range. Therefore, after this course unit, students should be able to coordinate and develop many components of a railway project.

Objectives: - Understanding the railway environment; - Test acquired knowledge in unusual environments; - Demonstrate the importance of normative and non-normative factors in the development of a railway project; - Integrate the normative specifications for design, construction and maintenance; - Define criteria for assessing the quality and operation of the railway infrastructure and alternative constructive processes; - Develop critical thinking in relation to the developed work and apply notions of common sense

Learning outcomes and competences

The proposed teaching methodologies allows students to develop the following tasks in railway engineering:

- Establish procedures to prioritize different conceptual and constructive solutions, in order to identify the most efficient ones according to different situations.

- Solving problems in new and unfamiliar situations under broad and multidisciplinary contexts.

- Integrate knowledge and skills to tackle complex problems, develop solutions and make judgments in situations of limited or incomplete information, including the evaluation of the implications and of the ethical and social responsibilities related with each possible decision.

- Develop critical thinking about concepts and methods and anticipate their future developments;

- Provide efficient solutions for concrete/real design problems.

- Analyze information provided by companies in the railway sector and elaborate about its meaning for a sustainable future, both in national and international contexts.

Working method

Presencial

Program

History and evolution of railways.

Characteristics of different types of railway systems.

Traction, guiding strength and vehicle movement. Hunting movement and equivalent conicity.

Track geometrics and standard specifications. Analysis of track layouts.

Track quality analysis and standard specifications.

Loading gauges.

Switches and crossing.

Track components.

Construction and maintenance of railway tracks.

High-speed and tilting train technology.

Track signaling and electrification systems.

Scientific component - 70%; Tecnological component - 30%

DEMONSTRATION OF THE SYLLABUS COHERENCE WITH THE CURRICULAR UNIT'S OBJECTIVES:
Being the railway energetically more efficient and less polluting than road transportation, the demand has increasing in recent decades and has justified the significant increase of investment in modernization and consequent technological development, revealing essentially the bet on high-speed (TGV) .  Thus, it is understood that the Railway Systems should be considered in its essence as a nuclear and transversal curricular unit in the education of a Civil Engineer with specialization in Roads. For this reason the syllabus is comprehensive, focusing on general education type with a wide range of intervention. Therefore it allows the training of technicians able to develop and to coordinate a railway project.

Mandatory literature

Profillidis, V.A.; Railway engineering. ISBN: 0-291-39828-6
Esveld, Coenraad; Modern railway track. ISBN: 90-800324-1-7
António Fidalgo Couto; Apontamentos de Caminhos de Ferro (Teórica), 2009
Cecília Maria Nogueira Alvarenga Santos do Vale; Influência da qualidade dos sistemas ferroviários no comportamento dinâmico e no planeamento da m
CEN; EN 13848 -5 Railway applications - Track - Track geometry quality - Part 5: Geometric quality levels - Plain line, switches and crossings, CEN

Complementary Bibliography

Bonnett, Clifford F.; Practical railway engineering. ISBN: 1-86094-515-5
Andrews, H. I.; Railway traction. ISBN: 0-444-42489-X
American Railway Engineering Association 400; Manual for railway engineering
Oliveros Rives, Fernando; Tratado de ferrocarriles. ISBN: 84-7207-015-8

Teaching methods and learning activities

Lecture classes for the presentation and discussion of the contents using slides available at the webpage of the course unit. Occasionally (one or two classes per semester), lectures may be held by experts with recognized merit in the area. Theoretical-practical classes to assist the development of individual and group assignments. Introduction of additional questions about the topics covered in the lectures, to which the students are required to provide a solution or their own perspective in a short time period.

DEMONSTRATION OF THE COHERENCE BETWEEN THE TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND THE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Establish procedures for the prioritization of various conceptual and constructive solutions in order to identify the most efficient according to various point of views. To apply the knowledge on solving problems in new situations and unfamiliar in broad and multidisciplinary contexts. Ability to integrate knowledge, handle complex issues, develop solutions and make judgments in situations of limited or incomplete information, including reflections on the implications and ethical and social responsibilities that result or condition these solutions and these judgments. Criticizing the methodologies and concepts used and anticipate the lines of evolution that they may follow. Dealing with real elements of design and seek to develop more efficient solutions. Identify the various sources of technical and scientific references accessible via Web (eg through the portal of the FEUP Library) and its applicability in the national context. Meet and contact information provided by actual companies and reflect on its meaning in the context of a sustainable future, both nationally and internationally.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	70,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	26,00
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	46,00
Elaboração de projeto	30,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Achieving final classification requires compliance with attendance at the course unit, according to the MEC assessment rules. It is considered that students meet the attendance requirements if, having been regularly enrolled, the number of absences of 25% for each of the classes’ types is not exceeded.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final mark: FM = 0.7 E + 0.3 PA

FM = Final mark; E = mark of the final exam; PA= mark of the practical assignments + study case.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

In accordance with FEUP assessment regulations. SPECIAL RULES FOR MOBILITY STUDENTS: Proficiency in Portuguese or in English. In the written exams, exercises ou practical works, mobility students may use one of the following languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish and Italian.

Observations

Territory and transport Engineering
Roads