Addis Ababa University

Department of Construction Technology and Management

Railway Construction
Chapter I

Introduction to Transportation Systems

Mrs. Asbe S.
 Objective

After studying this lesson, you will be able to

 understand the definition and role of transport

 identify the various modes of transport and describe the

comparative advantages and limitations

 understand transportation system components (Physical

element) for each type of mode

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 Introduction to Transport Systems

 Definition:- Transport or transportation is the movement of peoples

and goods from one location to another for some purpose.
 It is the translocation of object in a physical space and time.
 Modes of transport
Land (Road and Rail) – Air – Water – Cable – Pipeline – Space

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  A transportation system consists of three
components:
 Physical element (Infrastructure, vehicles i.e.

motorized or non-motorized, equipment, and

control and communication)
 Human resources – for operation of
transportation system
 Operations (schedule or private service)

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 Introduction….(cont’d)
 Transportation Engineering is one of a specialty area of

Civil Engineering concerned on:

 Planning

 Design

 Construction

 Traffic operations and managements, and

 Maintenance of transport systems.

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 I. Planning

 Transportation planning deals with the selection of projects for design and construction.

 The transportation planner begins by defining the problem, gathering and analyzing data

and evaluating various alternative solutions. Also involved in the process of forecasting

future traffic, estimate of impact of the facility on land use, the environment, and the

community and determination of the benefits and cost that will result if the project is

built.

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 II. Design
 Transportation design involves the specification of all features of the transportation system so

that it will function smoothly, efficiently and in according with physical laws.

 It involves:-

 the selection of dimension for all geometric features, such as

 Route selection

 Longitudinal profile

 Vertical curve and elevation

 Rout cross-section like, pavement width, shoulders, drainage ditches, and fencing.

 the design of pavement

 provision for traffic control device, road side area and land escapes.
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 III. Construction
 Transportation construction is closely related to design and involves all aspects of the

building process:-

Such as:

 beginning with clearing the native soil

 preparation of the surface

 Construction of drainage structures

 placement of the pavement material, and

 preparation of the final rout for use by traffic

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 IV. Traffic operation
 Involves the integration of vehicles, driver, pedestrian, and road characteristics
to improve the safety and capacity of the streets and highways.
Among the elements of concern are:-
 traffic accident analyses
 Traffic mobility optimization
 Demand management strategies
 parking
 Loading and Un loading
 design of terminal facilities
 markings
 traffic sign and signals
 speed regulation
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 V. Maintenance

 Involves all the work necessary to ensure the system is kept in proper

working order.

 Such as:

 pavement patching and Over lay( highway)

 Rail joint maintenance, rail deviation correction

 Redesign of existing structure and etc

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 Role of Transport
 Makes available raw materials to manufacturers or producers

 Makes available goods to customers

 Enhances standard of living

 Helps during emergencies and natural disasters

 Helps in creation of employment (maintenance, operator, etc)

 Helps in labour mobility

 Helps in bringing nations together

 Balance b/n supply and demand.

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 Different Modes of transport
 The transport of a person or cargo/freight may be by one or more
modes of transport (Multi- modal)
e.g. foot---road --- rail --- air --- water
 Discussion, example…….
 Human powered transport
 Animal powered transport
 Water transport/Navigation
 Railway transport
 Road transport
 Air transport

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 Human-powered transport

- It is the transport of person(s) and/or goods

using human muscle-power.
- The form are walking, running, cycling,
swimming, …..
- Reasons may be no access of other mode,
cost-saving, leisure (relaxation), physical
exercise and environmentalism
→ It is considered an ideal form of
sustainable transportation

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 Animal-powered transport
 It is the use of working animals for the movement of

people and goods (now in less developed country).

 Forms of usage

 directly riding some of the animals

 use as pack animals for carrying goods

 harness them, alone or in teams to pull (drawing)

wheeled vehicles.

 Advantages with respect to man-powered are in their

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speed, endurance and carrying capacity
 Water transport
 Water transport is the primary means of international
shipping between countries separated by oceans for most
products
 It is very low-cost form of shipping to heavy, bulk items of
non-perishable goods such as raw materials, construction
materials, minerals, ores, grains and fertilizer, chemicals, and
petroleum products.
 Slow speed transportation mode.

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 Water Transport … (cont’d)

Advantages of water transport

 It is a relatively economical mode of transport for

bulky and heavy goods.

 It is a safe mode of transport with respect to

occurrence of accidents.
 The cost of maintaining and constructing routes is

very low as most of them are naturally made.

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 It promotes international trade. 6/17/22
 Limitations of water transport
 The depth and navigability of rivers and canals vary and thus, affect
operations of different transport vessels.
 It is a slow moving mode of transport and therefore not suitable for
transport of perishable goods.
 It is adversely affected by weather conditions.
 Sea transport requires large investment on ships and their
maintenance.

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 Road transport
 A road is an identifiable route, way or path
between two or more places.
 It is a flexible and versatile (flexible because
it offers point to point service between any
origin-destination; versatile because it can
transport products of varying size and weight
- container)
 It provides fast and reliable service

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 Road transport….(cont’d)
Advantages of Road transport
It is a relatively cheaper mode of transport as compared to other

modes.
Perishable goods can be transported at a faster speed by road carriers

over a short distance.

It is a flexible mode of transport as loading and unloading is possible at

any destination. It provides door-to-door service.

It helps people to travel and carry goods from one place to another, in

places which are not connected by other means of transport like hilly
19 areas.
 Road transport….(cont’d)
 Limitations of Road transport

 Due to limited carrying capacity road transport is not

economical for long distance transportation of goods.

 Transportation of heavy goods or goods in bulk by road

involves high cost. [25,000 ton on ship – 695 Veh 36 ton]

 It is affected by adverse weather conditions. Floods, rain,

landslide, etc., sometimes create obstructions to road

transport.
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 Railway transport

 Railroads are cost-effective for transporting low-value, high-

density, bulk products such as raw materials, coal, minerals,

and ores over long distances.
 May be LRT [urban] or conventional railway [rural]

 The locomotive can be powered by steam, diesel or by

electricity
 Very high investment cost

 Advantages are low service cost, env'tal friendly, high capacity

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 Railway transport …………(cont’d)
Advantages of Rail transport

 It is a convenient mode of transport for travelling long

distances.
 It is relatively faster than road transport….

 It is suitable for carrying heavy goods in large quantities

over long distances.

 Its operation is less affected by adverse weathers

conditions like rain, floods, fog, etc.

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 Railway transport …………(cont’d)
Limitations of Railway transport
 It is relatively expensive for carrying goods and passengers

over short distances.

 It is not available in remote parts of the country

 It provides service according to fixed time schedule and is

not flexible for loading or unloading of goods at any place.

 It involves heavy losses of life as well as goods in case of

accident.

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 Air transport
 It is the quickest and expensive mode of transporting
people and limited amounts of cargo over longer
distances  Usually handle high value products
(pharmaceuticals, high technology,
and consumer electronics)
 It provides frequent and reliable
service and rapid time-in-transit

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 Air transport………….(cont’d)
Advantages of Air transport

√ It is very useful in transporting goods (perishable, e.g…..) and passengers to the area,
which are not accessible by any other means.
√ It is the most convenient mode of transport during natural calamities.
√ It provides vital support to the national security and defense.
Limitations of air transport

√ It is relatively more expensive mode of transport.

√ It is not suitable for transporting heavy and bulky goods.
√ It is affected by adverse weather conditions (e.g. volcanic explosion…..).
√ It is not suitable for short distance travel.

25 √ In case of accidents, it results in heavy losses of goods, property and life.

 Pipeline transport
 Common products transported by pipeline are:

 Natural gas, crude oil, petroleum products,

 Water, chemicals, sewage, and

 Slurry products

 Pipelines deliver products on time (controlled by computer, minimum

effect of climate change, not labor intensive-little effect if absence,

extremely rare leakes and breakes of pipeline)
 Once in place, pipelines have a long life and are low cost in terms of

26 operation, maintenance, and labor

 Comparison of diffetent modes Economic characteristics
Modes of transport
Economic
characteristics Road Rail Air water Pipeline

Cost Moderate Low High Low Low

Point to Terminal to Terminal to Terminal to Terminal to

Market coverage point terminal terminal terminal terminal

Degree of
competition Many Few Moderate Few Few

Low-
Predominant moderate High value, Low value, Low value,
All type value, low- moderate
traffic moderate- density high density high density
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high density
 Comparison of diffetent modes Service characteristics
Modes of transport
Service
characteristics
Road Rail Air water Pipeline
Speed (time in Moderate Moderate Fast Slow Slow
transit) -Fast
Availability High Moderate Moderate Low Low
Consistency
High Moderate High Low to High
(delivery time to high moderate
variability)
Low to
Loss and damage Low Moderate Low moderate Low

Flexibility
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(adjustment to High Moderate Moderate Low to
to high moderate Low
customers)
 Physical Elements of transport system
 Infrastructure refers to the fixed parts of a transportation system (i.e., parts

that are static and do not move). These include:

 Travel ways must be built for rail, pipeline and road but no need for air

and water transport.

 Terminals are required as fixed infrastructure for all modes

 Stations serve only a subset of the functions served by terminals. They are

primarily points of system exit or entry. Examples include bus, subway,

and railway stations. A parking garage or a regional airport also serves as a
station.
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 Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
 Vehicles are the elements of a transportation system that move along

the travel-way. They include automobiles, buses, locomotives,

railroad cars, ships, and airplanes.
 Most vehicles are self-propelled (e.g., automobiles, locomotives,

ships, and aircraft) and some are without propulsion (e.g., railroad
cars and truck trailers/wagons).

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 Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
 Equipment refers to physical components whose main function is to facilitate
the transportation process. Examples include:
 snowplows,
 railroad track maintenance vehicles, and
 baggage-handling conveyor belts at airports.
 Control involves the elements required to allocate right-of-way. Allocating
right-of-way requires air traffic control centers, traffic signals, and travel-way
signs.
 Communications systems link traffic control centers to travel-way equipment
such as variable message signs, traffic signals, transit vehicles, air traffic
controllers, and pilots.
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