This Master's Thesis deals with high-speed rail in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part describes the history, the evolution and the present of high-speed rail and presents the successful foreign high-speed rail systems. Furthermore this part presents the high-speed railway tracks which are planned in the Czech Republic. The practical part researches the perception of high-speed rail by passengers. Based on the result of the survey, which was realized via the questionnaire, it analyses the criteria that passengers consider important in the choice of means of transport and it looks into passenger willingness to accept higher fare for shorten of travel time. With using the result of the survey it also deals with competitiveness of high-speed rail compared with other modes of transport. The aim of the Thesis is determine whether high-speed rail is attractive from the perspective of passengers and whether it is able to compete with other modes of transport.

The purpose of this diploma thesis is evaluation of development of price on selected objects of civil engineering. Part of comparison is creation a database of internal prices, prices from software program and data from Statistical Office. At the end of the thesis comparison and comments on selected objects public works on railway line are shown.

The crew scheduling problem with attendance rates is highly relevant for regional passenger rail transport in Germany. Its major characteristic is that only a certain percentage of trains have to be covered by crew members or conductors, causing a significant increase in complexity. Despite being commonly found in regional transport networks, discussions regarding this issue remain relatively rare in the literature. We propose a novel hybrid column generation approach for a real-world problem in railway passenger transport. To the best of our knowledge, several realistic requirements that are necessary for successful application of generated schedules in practice have been integrated for the first time in this study. A mixed integer programming model is used to solve the master problem, whereas a genetic algorithm is applied for the pricing problem. Several improvement strategies are applied to accelerate the solution process; these strategies are analyzed in detail and are exemplified. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is proven by a comprehensive computational study using real-world instances, which are made publicly available. Further we provide real optimality gaps on average less than 10 % based on lower bounds generated by solving an arc flow formulation. The developed approach is successfully used in practice by DB Regio AG.

Thesis "Consumer Protection in transport in EU legislation" deals with consumer protection in specific areas. This thesis defined the rights and obligations of air passengers, rail transport, bus and coach transport and consumer protection when traveling by sea and inland waterways. The thesis is also exploring the awareness of EU citizens of their rights by the European Commission - Eurobarometer. Thesis is processed by analysis and comparison of selected judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union and EU legislation.

Urban rail transport systems play a vital role in providing efficient and sustainable mobility solutions for growing metropolitan areas. This thesis focuses on the case of Stockholm's urban rail transport, managed by Region Stockholm, which serves nearly 900,000 daily passengers amid rapid population growth. However, the aging power supply system poses challenges to the system's efficiency and capacity expansion. To address these issues, this study develops cost modeling and decision-making tools aimed at evaluating future energy-saving business cases within the urban rail transport system. These tools, though preliminary, provide decision-makers with a techno-economic perspective to compare the cost-effectiveness of various measures and inform future interventions. The research methodology involves a system engineering approach, with continuous collaboration between the academic institution (KTH), transport authority (TF), and industrial partner (MTR). Weekly meetings facilitated the understanding of the urban rail transport system and the development of a decision-making algorithm. The study identifies stakeholders, primarily TF and passengers, and outlines a decision-making framework to assess proposed business cases. The tools generated undergo validation through expert feedback, laying the foundation for future empirical testing. Key findings highlight two main methods for energy-saving measures: technological modifications (e.g., Energy Storage Systems - ESS) and operational adjustments. Both On board and Wayside ESS installations demonstrate significant energy-saving potential, while operational adjustments such as HVAC modifications present challenges in automation. Qualitative reviews were made on these measures. The thesis proposes a preliminary Decision Making Tool to quantify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and facilitate informed decision making. Future work includes expanding stakeholder inclusion, refining cost models, and integrating additional business cases into the decision-making framework. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to the understanding of cost-effective measures for enhancing energy efficiency within urban rail transport systems. The developed tools offer an initial approach for decision-makers to navigate complex trade-offs and prioritize interventions, ultimately contributing to the sustainability and resilience of urban mobility infrastructure. / Järnvägstransportsystem i städerna spelar en viktig roll för att tillhandahålla effektiva och hållbara mobilitetslösningar för växande storstadsområden. Detta examensarbete fokuserar på fallet med Stockholms stadstrafik, som drivs av Region Stockholm, som servar nästan 900 000 dagliga passagerare i en snabb befolkningstillväxt. De åldrande strömförsörjningssystemen innebär dock utmaningar för systemets effektivitet och kapacitetsutbyggnad. För att ta itu med dessa frågor, utvecklar denna studiekostnadsmodellering och beslutsfattande verktyg som syftar till att utvärdera framtida energibesparande affärscases inom det urbana järnvägstransportsystemet. Dessa verktyg, även om de är preliminära, ger beslutsfattare ett tekniskt-ekonomiskt perspektiv för att jämföra kostnadseffektiviteten för olika åtgärder och informera framtida insatser. Forskningsmetodiken innebär ett systemtekniskt tillvägagångssätt, med kontinuerligt samarbete mellan den akademiska institutionen (KTH), transportmyndigheten (TF) och industriell partner (MTR). Veckomöten underlättade förståelsen av det urbana järnvägstransportsystemet och utvecklingen av en beslutsalgoritm. Studien identifierar intressenter, främst TF och passagerare, och skisserar en ram för beslutsfattande för att bedöma föreslagna affärsfall. Verktygen som genereras genomgår validering genom expertfeedback, vilket lägger grunden för framtida empiriska tester. Nyckelresultat belyser två huvudmetoder för energibesparande åtgärder: tekniska modifieringar (t.ex. Energy Storage Systems - ESS) och driftsanpassningar. Både ESS-installationer ombord och längs vägen uppvisar betydande energibesparingspotential, medan operativa justeringar som HVAC-modifieringar innebär utmaningar inom automatisering. Kvalitativa granskningar gjordes av dessa åtgärder. Avhandlingen föreslår ett preliminärt beslutsfattande verktyg för att kvantifiera Key Performance Indicators (KPI:er) och underlätta välgrundat beslutsfattande. Framtida arbete inkluderar att utöka inkluderingen av intressenter, förfina kostnadsmodeller och integrera ytterligare affärscase i beslutsfattandet. Sammanfattningsvis bidrar detta examensarbete till förståelsen av kostnadseffektiva åtgärder för att förbättra energieffektiviteten inom stadstrafiksystem. De utvecklade verktygen erbjuder ett första tillvägagångssätt för beslutsfattare att navigera i komplexa avvägningar och prioritera insatser, vilket i slutändan bidrar till hållbarheten och motståndskraften hos mobilitetsinfrastrukturen i städerna.

The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the brokered transport costs of road and rail transport for the independent timber growers of NCT Forestry Co-operative Limited in Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Reliability, flexibility, visibility, rates and total transport time were evaluated for each mode of transport. The impact of the carbon emissions was also considered and the option of performance based standard vehicles investigated. During the period 2000 to 2003, rail was the dominant mode of transport. However from 2004 onwards, due to the diminishing service levels and the high tariff structures of rail transport, road became the preferred mode of transport. The results of the survey conducted for the purposes of this study showed that although road transport outperformed rail transport, rail transport scored significantly higher than road transport as a cost-effective mode of transportation. Rail transport was shown to be a far less carbon intensive mode of transport than road transport, while there were substantial cost savings and benefits from performance based standard vehicles. / Transport Economics, Logistics and Tourism / M. Com. (Logistics)

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’analyser les contributions de Clément Colson à la science économique dans le but de mieux connaître sa pensée, de mieux connaître l’École libérale française au début du XXème siècle, d’étudier l’influence qu’a pu avoir cet auteur sur ses principaux élèves, Divisia, Roy et Rueff, et d’évaluer l’actualité de certaines de ses recommandations.Le premier chapitre montre quels sont les apports théoriques de Colson à la science économique.Pour ses élèves, son principal apport serait la théorie de la détermination conjointe du salaire et du taux d’intérêt. Nous montrerons que cette théorie est proche de la règle de gestion optimale en microéconomie attribuée à Clark ; nous verrons alors que l’on peut parler de découverte multiple.Colson est également intéressant au point de vue de la méthode utilisée. Nous verrons alors qu’il utilise les statistiques et les mathématiques dans ses développements : il est à l’origine d’une évaluation pionnière du revenu de la France, son enseignement impulse le calcul économique, il peut être considéré comme un précurseur de l’économétrie en France. Le deuxième chapitre montre que Colson développe la méthode de tarification des voies de communication exploitées en monopole de Jules Dupuit en proposant des moyens pratiques de révélation des préférences. Nous verrons également que cette théorie est reprise de nos jours avec le Yield Management et par les compagnies aériennes à bas coûts. Le troisième chapitre a pour but de voir comment Colson prend en compte la question sociale. Nous verrons qu’il défend une intervention de l’État plus importante que d’autres économistes libéraux afin d’éviter que les ouvriers ne se tournent vers le socialisme. Le quatrième chapitre étudie l’intervention de l’État préconisée par Colson dans le domaine des chemins de fer. Nous verrons que dans ce domaine où l’État est très présent, l’auteur souhaite le limiter. Il préfère ainsi la concession à la régie et souhaite la construction de nouvelles lignes uniquement si elles sont rentables. Nous verrons qu’à nouveau, la crainte du socialisme n’est pas étrangère à ses positions. Sur chacun des thèmes, nous verrons que Colson accorde à la pratique une place importante. Au niveau théorique tout part de l’observation et se termine par l’observation, au niveau pratique il est marqué par les préoccupations de son époque. / The object of this dissertation is to analyse the contributions of Clément Colson to the economics in order to be better acquainted with his thought, with the French Liberal School at the beginning of the 20th century, to see the influence he had on his main students, Divisia, Roy and Rueff, and to evaluate the actuality of his recomandations. The first chapter develops the Colson’s theoretical contributions.For his students, his main contribution would be the theory of the joint setting of wage and of the interest rate. We will explain this theory is close to the optimal management rule in microeconomics attributed to Clark; we will see we can speak then about multiple discovery.Colson is interesting too from the point of view of the method used. We will see he uses statistics and mathematics in his developments: he makes one of the first assesments of the French income, his lectures develop economics calculus, he can be seen as a precursor of econometrics in France. The second chapter shows that Colson develops the Jules Dupuit pricing method for means of communications exploited by a monopoly by proposing practical way of preferences revelation. We will show too that this theory is used nowadays with the Yield Management and by airline lowcost companies.The third chapter has for purpose to see how Colson takes into account the social question. We will see he argues for a more important State intervention than other liberal economists in order to avoid workers to turn to socialism. The fourth chapter is devoted to the State intervention recommended by Colson in the field of railways. We will see that in this field in which the State is very present, the author wishes to limit it. So he prefers the concession to the public exploitation and wishes construction of new railway lines just if they are profitable. We will see again that the fear of socialism is not stranger to his positions. On each theme, we will see that Colson gives an important place to the practice. At the theoretical level all starts and finishes with the observation, at the practice level he is influenced by the preoccupations of his time.