Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia currently serves a dual purpose, providing both a transient space that links the city to its suburban roots and creating a physical barrier between the city and its watercourse. Ultimately, the existing station denies Melbourne the fulfillment of its need for centrality. Historically, the Yarra River was a source of life and sacred feature of the Australian Aboriginal landscape. A renewed interest in the riverfront as the new focus for Melbourne, an emerging global city, has turned the area into an urban destination following years of neglect. Flinders Station stands at the new centre of Melbourne on the North Banks of the Yarra River. The geographical isolation and entrenched suburban nature of Melbourne has led to the celebration of train travel as a cultural phenomenon. Twice daily Flinders Station filters Melbourne's commuters en route between the city and suburbia. The integration of a new public space as a commuter thoroughfare into the existing rail station introduces a transitory space between the disconnected urban/suburban landscapes of the commuter experience. The train station is seen as a fascinating place of cultural significance where the world of fast movement is intermittently juxtaposed with that of dwelling and leisure. This thesis redesigns Flinders Street Station, filtering travelers through a new public landscape to activate the connection between city, river, and suburbia while heightening the sense of urban arrival and departure.

Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australia currently serves a dual purpose, providing both a transient space that links the city to its suburban roots and creating a physical barrier between the city and its watercourse. Ultimately, the existing station denies Melbourne the fulfillment of its need for centrality. Historically, the Yarra River was a source of life and sacred feature of the Australian Aboriginal landscape. A renewed interest in the riverfront as the new focus for Melbourne, an emerging global city, has turned the area into an urban destination following years of neglect. Flinders Station stands at the new centre of Melbourne on the North Banks of the Yarra River. The geographical isolation and entrenched suburban nature of Melbourne has led to the celebration of train travel as a cultural phenomenon. Twice daily Flinders Station filters Melbourne's commuters en route between the city and suburbia. The integration of a new public space as a commuter thoroughfare into the existing rail station introduces a transitory space between the disconnected urban/suburban landscapes of the commuter experience. The train station is seen as a fascinating place of cultural significance where the world of fast movement is intermittently juxtaposed with that of dwelling and leisure. This thesis redesigns Flinders Street Station, filtering travelers through a new public landscape to activate the connection between city, river, and suburbia while heightening the sense of urban arrival and departure.

Train-the-trainer is an educational method extensively used by organizations for capacity development. Despite the wide spread use of this method, there is little information regarding its use, role in educating adults, and participant perceptions of its utility. Healthcare service providers’ perceptions of a train-the-trainer educational method was investigated in this qualitative study. A focus group methodology was used. Content analysis revealed themes about participant perceptions. The overall theme identified was the need to address location-specific challenges, specifically, recognition by the trainer of the context of communities and programs in which the training occurs. Organizations using this method need be flexible and willing to revise the training plan based in adult learner needs. Service providers recommended that the provision of strategies and examples for transfer of learning into practice was critical as was the tailoring of train-the-trainer workshops in length, facilitation style, resources, and delivery modality to community capacity and needs.

Train-the-trainer is an educational method extensively used by organizations for capacity development. Despite the wide spread use of this method, there is little information regarding its use, role in educating adults, and participant perceptions of its utility. Healthcare service providers’ perceptions of a train-the-trainer educational method was investigated in this qualitative study. A focus group methodology was used. Content analysis revealed themes about participant perceptions. The overall theme identified was the need to address location-specific challenges, specifically, recognition by the trainer of the context of communities and programs in which the training occurs. Organizations using this method need be flexible and willing to revise the training plan based in adult learner needs. Service providers recommended that the provision of strategies and examples for transfer of learning into practice was critical as was the tailoring of train-the-trainer workshops in length, facilitation style, resources, and delivery modality to community capacity and needs.

La localisation précise d’un train sur la voie ferrée est une information vitale pour la gestion du trafic et la sécurité des passagers. Le système européen de contrôle des trains (ETCS) embarque ainsi un accéléromètre mono axe mesurant l’accélération longitudinale du train. Ce capteur est l’un des nombreux capteurs présents à bord permettant une odométrie précise. Cependant, sa mesure est faussée par la projection de la gravité sur l’axe sensible en fonction de l’inclinaison de la voie. L’objectif de ce mémoire est donc d’augmenter l’intérêt de ce capteur en développant une solution basée sur une centrale inertielle complète dans le but de fournir une accélération longitudinale fiable. Pour cela, un estimateur d’état a été développé à partir d’un filtre de Kalman étendu et de la prise en compte de contraintes sur le vecteur d’état. L’utilisation d’une équation de réactualisation du gain de Kalman force ainsi l’estimation d’état à évoluer dans un espace contraint. De plus, le vecteur d’observation du système a été augmenté par les informations fournies par un estimateur de vitesse et un estimateur d’attitude du train. L’estimateur de vitesse utilise une analyse fréquentielle des mesures accélérométriques et l’estimateur d’attitude exploite la complémentarité fréquentielle des mesures gyrométriques et accélérométriques pour estimer les angles de roulis et de tangage. Ces informations sont ensuite fusionnées avec les mesures de la centrale. Enfin, des expérimentations ont été réalisées en Turquie dans un train et les performances de l’estimateur ont été validées en comparant les résultats obtenus aux données fournies par une centrale de navigation haut de gamme. / The precise location of a train on the rail network is vital information for traffic management and passenger safety. The European Train Control System (ETCS) features a single-axis accelerometer which measures the longitudinal acceleration of the train. This sensor is one of many sensors onboard providing a precise odometry. However, its measurement is corrupted by the projection of the gravity on the sensitive axis as a function of the inclination of the track. The purpose of this work is to increase the value of this sensor by developing a solution based on a complete inertial system in order to provide a reliable longitudinal acceleration. For this, a state estimator was developed based on an extended Kalman filter and the consideration of constraints on the state vector. The use of updating equation of the Kalman gain forces the state estimation to evolve in a constrained space. In addition, the observation vector has been increased with the information provided by a velocity estimator and a train attitude estimator. The velocity estimator uses a frequency analysis of the accelerometer measurements and the attitude estimator operates the frequency complementarity of gyro and accelerometer measurements, to estimate the roll and pitch angles. This information is then merged with the measurements of the IMU. Finally, experiments were carried out in Turkey on a train and the estimator's performance was validated by comparing the results with data from a high-performance inertial navigation system.

No abstract available. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Architecture / unrestricted

A Doppler LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR or lidar) system is studied for the application of measuring train ground speed in a non-contacting manner, as an alternative to the current train speed measurement devices such as wheel-mounted tachometers or encoders. The ability to accurately measure train speed and distance is a critical part of monitoring track geometry conditions. Wheel-mounted tachometer speed measurements often fluctuate due to wheel vibrations, change in wheel diameter, or wheel slip affecting the measurement accuracy.  Frequent calibrations are needed to account for changes in wheel diameter due to wear.  Additionally, the high levels of vibrations at the wheel can cause occasional mechanical failure of the encoder.   This thesis examines LIDAR as a non-contact train speed measurement device as a direct retrofit for wheel-mounted encoders. LIDAR uses Doppler technology to accurately measure train speed. The LIDAR system consists of two laser sensors and can be installed on either the car body or the truck on the underside of the train. The sensors measure the true ground speed of each rail, from which the track curvature can then be assessed based on the difference between the right and left rail speeds. The LIDAR train speed, distance, and curvature results are then evaluated against encoder readings and other conventional train measurement devices. Various tests were performed, including field-testing onboard a track geometry railcar operated by Norfolk Southern for evaluating the efficacy, accuracy, and durability of the LIDAR system; and laboratory tests on a 40-foot rail panel for assessing the ability to obtain measurements at super low speeds. The test results indicate that when compared with other conventional means used by the railroad industry, LIDAR is capable of accurately measuring train speed and distance from speeds as slow as 0.3 mph and up to 100 mph.  Additionally, the curvature  measurements proved to be as accurate as Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) that are commonly used in track geometry measurement railcars. / Master of Science

This thesis explores the framing of graphical qualities of the passenger train and the city of Roanoke, Virginia. A passenger train station frames these icons and brings people directly to the train. This framing creates a new icon for the city. An area on the train tracks is revitalized and creates a permeable threshold into and out of the city. / Master of Architecture

Abstract The Tyne and Wear Metro is a modern light rail transit system which was opened in stages from 1980 onwards. Provision for disabled people has been made so that the system is intended to be fully accessible throughout. This thesis comprises an evaluation of these facilities for disabled people and the main findings are as follows: i) The system was not originally intended to incorporate facilities for disabled people, but a gradual change of policy resulted in the provision of full access; ii) Surveys of disability indicate that about 7% to 8% of the population of the Tyne and Wear area suffer from some disability. However, those disabled people most likely to use Metro and benefit from its facilities (i.e. non-housebound, physically handicapped or visually impaired people) together comprise only about 2% of the Tyne and Wear population; iii) Only a minority (perhaps one-third) of local disabled people use the system and disabled people account for only about 0.5% of Metro passengers. However, the facilities for disabled people are also used by non-disabled passengers, such as people with prams, pushchairs, luggage, shopping, and so on. In fact, these non-disabled users considerably outnumber disabled users; iv) The ergonomic performance of the facilities for disabled people was varied. Provision at new purpose-built stations was generally more satisfactory than at older stations taken over from British Rail, even where the latter had undergone some modernisation; v) Among disabled people who had not been on Metro, non-use appeared to be mainly due to poor overall mobility rather than any specific problems with Metro; vi) A social cost-benefit analysis nevertheless suggests that the total value of all benefits likely to accrue from the facilities for disabled people will, over time, offset the capital cost and also provide a social return on investment. This is mainly due to the large number of non-disabled, but "legitimate" users of these facilities. Costs per trip also compare very favourably with other forms of transport for disabled people.

Doctor en Ciencias con mención en Matemáticas