Master thesis | RSE

If you are interested in a master thesis at VIA and you are enrolled in the specialization Railway Systems Engineering (RSE), please contact Mr. Felix Lampe (lampe@via.rwth-aachen.de) with three topic preferences from the list and attach your transcript of records.
The requests are collected until 19.03.2023. Subsequently, the topics will be distributed. If a request is submitted after this date, it will not be given the same priority as requests submitted by the deadline. Depending on demand, it cannot be guaranteed that a topic can be assigned.

Number

Topic

Short description

1 Clustering stations in a Railway Network
  • Summarize used types of differentiation for stations in a railway network
  • Explore possible contributing factors and select some to include in a clustering algorithm
  • Develop a clustering algorithm that groups all stations in a given railway network into defined clusters
  • Implement the developed clustering algorithm in python and test it on given data
2 Safety measures at level crossings
  • Research about safety measures used worldwide to prevent accidents at level crossings
  • Comparison of four countries in detail by constructing typical reference models
  • Derivation of appropriate measures to improve safety at German level crossings
3 Macroeconomic analysis of safety measurements for level crossings to minimize risks
  • Level crossings, as intersections between train and vehicle traffic, represent a significant portion of accidents with increased criticality
  • Describe different measures to reduce the risk
  • Perform an overall quantitative analysis of the measures to reduce the overall risk, taking into account budgetary constraints
  • Evaluate and analyze the potential for early and efficient risk reduction in Germany
4 Analysis of the potential of introducing high speed rail transport in India
  • India starts with building high speed rail infrastructure and expanding it between major cities
  • Analysis of the potential through high-speed traffic using exemplary routes
  • Rating the routes in different regards
  • Analysis of the costs and benefits for high speed lines
  • Analysis and identification of obstacles to the implementation of high speed lines
5 Sensitivity analysis of various influencing parameters on infrastructure quality at railroad stations
  • Definition of station Infrastructure in comparison to infrastructure of lines
  • Describing the station Infrastructure quality definition and measuremant in Germany and other countries
  • Create and use a generic infrastructure to analyse the impact of different factors to the BAQ-grad
  • Implement the BAQ methology in a tool (Excel/Matlab) to calculate the BAQ grade for the generic infrastructure and carry out a sensitivity analysis
  • Analyse the results and define the factors with the biggest impact of the quality
6 Transnational analysis of the development of modal split and land use in the transport sector
  • Comparison of the modal split and land use by the transport sector for various countries, including the historical development as well as the current situation
  • Describing and analysing the trend
  • Analysis of the influence of land use on the modal split
  • Derivation of different policy objectives
7 Analysis of potential cost savings due to automated trains
  • Give an overview of the characteristics of an autonomous train
  • Description of the factors that can be reduced by train automisation
  • Describe the composition of the operating costs of a railroad company
  • Analysis of the potential for savings in wage costs
  • Consideration of the potential savings from staff shortages following accidents due to psychological problems
8 Harmonization of railway operation sets of regulations between different national operators in Europe
  • Comparison of rail and road legal frameworks in terms of international transportation
  • Analysis of the requirements for the operational regulations according to the TSI
  • Demonstration of the resulting effects on national regulations using selected examples
  • Approaches to deal with specific challenges such as the language using various examples
  • Conclusions and hints for the revision of a national set of rules with regard to new requirements under consideration of the operational principles of the respective operator
9 Handling of capacity bottlenecks in European railway networks
  • Review of definitions of railway capacity bottlenecks within the EU
  • Description and categorization of possible railway capacity bottlenecks
  • Evaluation of network-wide impacts of some railway capacity bottlenecks
  • Deduction of measures for the reduction or elimination of railway capacity bottlenecks
  • Recommendations for improved handling of railway capacity bottlenecks
10 EU-wide harmonization of operational rules
  • Technical harmonization is achievable with ERTMS, but national operational rules are still in place, manifesting the fragmentation and hindering interoperability
  • Description of the differences in safety culture and requirements in the EU-member states
  • Analysis of the requirements for a single European railway area
  • Show a migration path with hurdles and necessary regulative changes
11 Looking beyond semi-automatic train operations for railway freight operations
  • Conduct a comparison between railway freight operations and metro systems
  • Preperation and Execution of expert interviews to find the limits for the roll out of ATO over ECTS
  • Conduct a comparison between railway freight operations and metro systems
  • Identification of requirements for intsallation of additional sbsystems (e.g. anti-collision systems)
  • Prepare suggestions of use cases for automation of railway freight operations
12 Current state of the art of CBTC interoperability
  • Investigation of the current standards for CBTC
  • Preperation and execution of expert interviews with international metro operators and manufacturers
  • Systematic analysis of CAMET standards and comparison against international standads