relation: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4770/
title: Evaluating the impact of operational improvement measures on European railway network: A comparative study between individual and combined mitigation strategies in railway infrastructure
creator: Fidder, B.
description: This study evaluates the impact of operational improvement measures on the European railway network by comparing individual and combined mitigation strategies. Recent research underscores the need for effective strategies to address the impacts of extreme weather events on railway infrastructure (Ochsner et al., 2022; Menoni et al., 2012). The research question guiding this study is: "How do individual versus combined mitigation strategies impact operational improvement measures in railway infrastructure?"  The Shift2Rail (S2R) initiative, launched by the European Commission, aims to enhance the sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness of the European railway system by cutting life-cycle costs, doubling railway capacity, and increasing reliability and punctuality. Despite advancements, a critical gap remains in integrating climate mitigation insights with operational improvement measures.  This study investigates the effectiveness of infrastructural improvements, technological innovations, and policy reforms, assessing their impact on life cycle cost reduction, capacity increase, and performance increasing measures. A comparative cross-sectional research design analyzes 106 S2R projects to determine whether individual or combined strategies yield higher operational impact scores.  The findings reveal that combined strategies have a higher mean operational impact score than individual strategies. A statistical test confirms a statistically significant difference, supporting the hypothesis that combined strategies have a higher operational impact score.  Future research should use more diverse data sources and can be done in another context, since S2R focuses mainly on technological innovations. This can be due to the involvement of academic institutions.
date: 2024
type: Thesis
type: NonPeerReviewed
format: text
language: en
identifier: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/4770/1/Bachelor-Thesis-Bram-Fidder.pdf
identifier:   Fidder, B.  (2024) Evaluating the impact of operational improvement measures on European railway network: A comparative study between individual and combined mitigation strategies in railway infrastructure.  Bachelor thesis.