Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Railway organisations in South Africa are government parastatals. These organisations have embarked on mega modernisation programmes. Project and procurement process alignment is crucial to the successful implementation of such programmes, as the disconnect between the two processes may result in project cost overruns and escalations. Projects in the parastatal organisations are not completed on or executed according to the planned schedules. The two main research questions are stated as follows: i) What factors affect the alignment between procurement and project management processes in the South African railway organisation? ii) How can the parastatal organisation align the procurement and project management processes? For the research methodology, a subjectivist ontological and interpretivist epistemological stance was followed. The research approach is inductive, with a case study as strategy. Data collection was done on a non-random, purposively selected unit of analysis and observation. Purposive sampling allows the researcher to rely on his or her own judgement when choosing to participate in the study. Participants were selected based on characteristics of a population and the objectives of the study. The participants belong to three departments, namely IT, SCM, and the Project Management Office (Project Managers). These three departments were selected because of their relevance to the study. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires. The instrument used was interview guide. Data was analysed by firstly transcribing the interviews. To confirm the correctness of the interviews, the data was validated. Data was further analysed by means of summarising, categorising, and conducting a thematic analysis. Ethical principles were followed in accordance with the policies and procedure of CPUT. The study revealed that project and procurement process misalignment in the railway sector in South Africa does exists. A detailed discussion of factors contributing to this misalignment are discussed further in chapter five and chapter six is recommendations.

Thesis (Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / South Africa’s railway system is the most highly developed in Africa. There are different kinds of transport systems in South Africa but rail transport is considered as one of an important element of the country’s transport infrastructure. In South Africa, over 2.4 million passengers make use of rail transport to get them to their destinations. However, evidence shows that train accidents have become a common occurrence across the country. Train-related accidents such as collision, derailments, platform change incidents and commuter accidents, cost South Africa over R400 million per year. The analysis of derailments indicates that the most significant single contributor to derailments is rail breaks. This contrasts considerably with prescribed relevant local and international benchmarks, which show a much lower percentage of derailments due to rail break. The frequency of derailments due to rail breaks in South Africa seems to be higher in the northern than the southern region. Furthermore, the proportion of rail breaks that result in derailment is considerably higher than the set benchmarks and therefore, if there is a rail break, then the probability of this translating into a derailment is astonishingly high. Equally, the high incidence of derailments due to rail breaks is affected by the train length and axle load and further exacerbated by the absence of track circuitry. Since derailments are a direct function of the incidence of rail breaks, focus is required to characterize the factors causing defects on rail lines. This study investigated steel rail material by characterising the piece of the damaged rail with the aim to gain a better understanding of the wear mechanism. Chemical composition analysis of steel rail sample was conducted with the use of a Scanning Electron microscopy. Hardness of steel rail was measured with a Vickers hardness tester. An Optical Microscopy was used to examine the microstructure features of the worn rail samples. This study discovered that the worn out rail, which was produced from high carbon steel with pearlite and ferrite microstructure, undergoes decarburization and a plastic deformation process. The decarburization process happens when the rail track is heated to 700 oC and above when the carbon atoms at the surface interact with the atmospheric gases and are removed from the steel as a gaseous phase. Plastic deformation is created when the iron atoms are heated above the elastic point resulting in the permanent movement of iron atoms.

Abstract not available

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

This study examines, in some depth, the rationale behind the tramway development that occurred in Kimberley. It also looks at the socio-economic impact that the tramways had on Kimberley’s development and growth, covering the period from 1880 to 2000. After the introduction in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 looks at the overall evolution of tramway development in America, Britain and Europe, with a brief outline of its rise, decline and slow return to favour, which has seen the re-emergence of the tram in many cities. Chapter 3 looks at the area now occupied by Kimberley and sets the scene for the events that were about to unfold. This chapter also sketches an outline of the early development, which occurred on the Diamond Fields following the earliest diamond discoveries, as Colesberg Kopje was quickly transformed from a small hill to an ever-deepening hole in the ground. Chapter 4 of this study examines the machinations of the earliest, but stillborn tramway proposals, which came to naught amidst a host of unrelated but pressing issues, including the vital supply of water to the dry diggings. Other significant issues, which are included, are the great Smallpox Epidemic and the general feeling of uncertainty and unease on the Diamond Fields, which was to come to characterise and haunt the diamond mining activities for many years to come. v Chapter 5 looks at the Gibson Brothers’ rise to prominence with their Victoria Tramway Company, which despite setbacks and delays finally became operational in 1887. The chapter continues by explaining how the tramway survived, largely along British lines, using horse, mule, steam and electric traction, despite the difficulties posed by the Anglo Boer war, especially the Siege of Kimberley. However, as described in this study, the tramways served more than merely the provision of a means of public transport, although this was certainly the primary function. The tramways assisted in transforming a shanty town of tents and corrugated iron huts into a “proper” town, complete with all the trappings of civilisation, such as electric street lighting and theatres, and later on into a fully-fledged city. As the settlements expanded, the tramways were extended to serve the new fledgling suburbs, although it must be stated, sometimes with a certain degree of reluctance. This meant that Kimberley’s growth was not as a result of the expansion of the extending network of the tramways, but rather the other way around. This was partly because that prior to 1914, the tramways had been expected to generate a profit rather than a loss! Basic economic principles applied, and although the social responsibility of providing the inhabitants with an effective means of public transport was forthcoming, it came at a cost to the passengers, and the fares were never cheap. Chapter 6 looks at the two schemes considered by the Kimberley Borough Council, one of which became operational, but as an industrial undertaking only. The second, and more important scheme, proposed by the ratepayers of Ward 5, failed to find municipal support and thus the residents were compelled to wait until it was finally resurrected successfully in 1915. vi Chapter 7 examines the promotion of De Beers own tramway scheme into a highly professional Americanised electric interurban, linking Kimberley with the pleasure resort at Alexandersfontein. Despite difficulties, the system also developed into a successful tramway, which in 1914 was incorporated into the Kimberley Tramways, which also took over the operations of the Victoria Tramways Company as from 1 July 1914. Chapter 8 of this study looks at the challenges confronting De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited with assuming full responsibility for operating the Kimberley Tramways. The year 1914 was to prove a watershed in the fortune of the tramways, in that from the De Beers’ perspective, the tramways were now seen as part of a larger corporate initiative involving the provision of greater social responsibility for Kimberley. Thus running the tram service at a small loss was quite acceptable. Indeed it was perceived as part of the necessary price to be paid for “keeping faith with the inhabitants of Kimberley”. The main difficulty was the integration of two virtually separate systems and routes, plus three new extensions, into a properly integrated public system. This task would have been eased considerably had Kimberley been in the midst of an economic boom. Unfortunately the opposite was true, and Kimberley experienced more economic turbulence during the inter-war years than at any other period in its history. Somehow the trams kept operating for the full twenty-five year period of the concession, but thereafter even De Beers could not afford to continue. Sadly, the price of keeping faith, in monetary terms, did eventually rise to unacceptable levels. With annual losses exceeding £12,000 during the late 1930s, and the expectation that this figure would increase, closure was inevitable. Nevertheless, the public passenger service provided by De Beers offered Kimberley’s inhabitants the lowest tram fares in the country. Nevertheless, certain truncated sections of the system lingered on right through to the mid-1970s. vii Having operated the public passenger service for the residents of Kimberley for the full twenty-five year concessionary period on behalf of the Kimberley City Council, the tramways did eventually close in 1939. Had De Beers not closed the tramways when they did, the outbreak of the Second World War would most certainly have. Chapter 9 examines how the revival of the tramways was first mooted, until success was finally achieved. This study has also chronicled that through some strange quirk of fortune, some of the tramcars managed to survive, albeit on the De Beers industrial system, but survive they did, until the time came for their revival. Although today only one solitary tramcar survives in service, the spirit of the past is retained. Nevertheless, much more could have been achieved, but the initiatives offered were not acted upon. Thus tramcars that could have been restored were thrown aside as surplus to requirements, and bereft of their fittings, unceremoniously dumped in a scrap yard. The chapter continues with how the tramway has continued in operation into the twenty-first century, and so that today, it remains unique in Southern Africa. Having chronicled the socio-economic history of the tramways of Kimberley, Chapter 10 of this study attempts to put events in Kimberley into the larger global and South African perspective. It looks at what lessons can be learnt from Kimberley’s experiences in tramway operation, and considers whether Kimberley’s experiences with trams, combined with the light rail transit concept, offer any possible benefits or solutions towards solving some of South Africa’s current public transport needs. It concludes with recommendations for the future, including the suggestion for taking the original tramway concept and updating it to today’s modern-day counterpart, light rail transit. viii An interesting parallel with Bloemfontein is also explored, where trolley buses rather than trams, were introduced. The concept of other large South African centres of population such as Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban following Kimberley’s example in introducing tourist-orientated tramway systems, is also examined. In the section entitled The Road Ahead, the three present-day imperatives of public transport are examined. Having explained the nature of these three imperatives, namely; Strategic, Tactical and Operational, Kimberley is compared against each of these imperatives in turn, and then against modern day parameters. The two perspectives are then compared and comparisons drawn, showing both similarities and differences. The scope of the similarities are very apparent and the main difference is noted as being that South Africa’s current transport legislation appears better equipped to guide current and future transport policy, than previous legislation. Thus the study concludes by expressing the hope that Kimberley’s experiences with the provision of public passenger transport, covering the last one hundred and twenty years, can make a valuable contribution to the future wellbeing of public transport throughout Southern Africa. / Dr. C. W. V. Mostert Prof. J. Walters

Thesis: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering, 1982 / Bibliography: leaves 104-105. / by Patrick Little. / M.S. / M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering

No description available.

Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century railroads were considered important, perhaps essential, to the development of those regions whose transportation system they augmented. The present work tests the validity of this statement in the instance of European rail development in India. This is accomplished by examining the origins, implementation, and functioning of railways in a colonial setting in northern India, focusing upon Awadh, a province recently absorbed into Britain's overseas empire. The study assesses the extent to which rail development mirrored colonial policy, and the degree to which rail service affected Awadh's commerce, society, and agrarian economy. To achieve the analysis, each chapter is directed at one of these topics. Accordingly, the first chapter explores the policy considerations and implications of pre-rail road-building by the British and their predecessors, the nawabs of Awadh. The next chapter treats the policies which motivated the financing, building, and functioning of the province's rail system, the Oude and Rohilkund Railway. It examines the chief problems inhibiting profitable operation of private trains in a tropical colonial environment, and culminates with an assessment of the circumstances leading to public take-over. Chapter 4 continues the discussion of the railways' financial difficulties by highlighting the interactions of trains with Awadh's vital and established road transport system. Comparisons of road and rail traffic statistics permit a number of conclusions regarding the railways' appeal to potential users and the trains' relative inability to overcome competition. Chapter 5 provides a detailed analysis of the varying ways railroads intruded into Indian society. The chapter offers give selected case studies which illustrate the degrees to which social institutions and processes were disrupted by rail service. By examining the trains' effects on rural fairs, travel conditions, transporting agents, railways employees, and social and environmental stability, it is possible to demonstrate the enormous diversity of responses to technological change and the resiliency of certain time-tested social patterns. The final chapter ascertains the trains' impact upon provincial agriculture by discussing changes in cultivation and evaluating the railways' influence upon provincial movement of goods. The work concludes that contrary to the railways' enthusiastic backers' expectations, trains had generally failed to attain their objectives. The Oude and Rohilkund Railway had neither dislodged its road competition nor succeeded in functioning profitably. In the course of their operation, moreover, the railways had caused a number of unexpected social disturbances.

Στη παρακάτω διπλωματική εργασία, δύναται να περιγραφούν τα τεχνικο-γεωλογικά χαρακτηριστικά που μπορούν να ταξινομήσουν και να πιστοποιήσουν βραχώδη υλικά, κατόπιν εργαστηριακών δοκιμών, ως κατάλληλα (ή μη κατάλληλα), για συγκεκριμένες χρήσεις ως αδρανή υλικά. Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία, αναφέρεται για χρήσεις αδρανών υλικών σε έρμα σιδηροδρομικών γραμμών. Επίσης, γίνεται εκτεταμένη θεωρητική αναφορά στις φυσικές- μηχανικές, χημικές, γεωμετρικές και άλλες ιδιότητες, που παρουσιάζουν τα υλικά που μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν ως αδρανή, καθώς και περιγραφή των εργαστηριακών δοκιμών, όπως προβλέπονται από τους Ευρωπαϊκούς Κανονισμούς (ΕΝ)περί καταλληλότητας αδρανών υλικών και που βρίσκονται σε συνάφεια με τις νομοθεσίες του Ελληνικού Κράτους για το θέμα αυτό. Μια άλλη πτυχή του θέματος που περιγράφεται, είναι οι λατομικές ζώνες (λατομεία), όπου είναι ο χώρος που γίνεται μαζική λήψη υλικού, απευθείας από το υγιές τμήμα της βραχόμαζας, που προορίζεται για χρήση αδρανών υλικών και εξετάζονται οι περιορισμοί που προκύπτουν βάσει της Ελληνικής νομοθεσίας στο θέμα αυτό, που αφορούν άμεσα αστικές και κατοικημένες περιοχές, καθώς και περιβαλλοντικές πτυχές του όλο θέματος. Εργαστηριακά, η παρακάτω διπλωματική εργασία, βασίζεται στην λήψη δείγματος από βραχώδες υπερβασικό υλικό (διαβασικά πετρώματα), το οποίο εξετάστηκε πετρογραφικά και εργαστηριακά βάσει των πιο πάνω Ευρωπαϊκών Κανονισμών και στην συνέχεια συγκρίνονται με τα προβλεπόμενα όρια της κάθε εργαστηριακής δοκιμής που αναφέρονται ως εργαστηριακά όρια χρήσης αδρανών υλικών σε έρμα σιδηροδρομικών γραμμών. Αυτή η διαδικασία πραγματοποιείται, ώστε να γίνει δυνατή η πιστοποίηση του συγκεκριμένου υλικού ως κατάλληλο ή ακατάλληλο για την συγκεκριμένη χρήση. Όλες οι διαδικασίες και εργαστηριακές δοκιμές, πραγματοποιήθηκαν στο χώρο του εργαστηρίου Τεχνικής Γεωλογίας ,στο τμήμα Γεωλογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Συγκεκριμένα πάρθηκαν 4 δείγματα όμοιου υλικού(διαβασικό) από κοινή πηγή (Πολύκαστρο- Κιλκίς) βάρους: ΔΕΙΓΜΑ (7)=17.775KG, ΔΕΙΓΜΑ (8)=16.345KG, ΔΕΙΓΜΑ (9)=19,490KG και ΔΕΙΓΜΑ (10)=17.231ΚG. Έπειτα, πραγματοποιήθηκαν οι πιο κάτω εργαστηριακές δοκιμές, στο εργαστήριο Τεχνικής Γεωλογίας του τμήματος Γεωλογίας του Πανεπιστήμιου Πατρών. (α)Κοκκομετρική Ανάλυση (β)Δείκτης Μορφής (γ)Δείκτης Πλακοειδούς (δ)Δείκτης Los Angeles (ε)Δείκτης micro- Deval Tα αποτελέσματα που πρόεκυψαν, εμφανίζονται στη διπλωματική εργασία στα Παραρτήματα 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Γίνετε επίσης σύγκριση των εργαστηριακών αποτελεσμάτων με τα αντίστοιχα κατάλληλα όρια και το αποτέλεσμα εμφανίζεται στην ενότητα ‘’Συμπεράσματα’’ της εργασίας. Τέλος γίνεται γεωμορφολογική και γεωλογική αναφορά της περιοχής(Ν.Κιλκίς), από όπου πάρθηκαν τα δείγματα και περιγράφεται συνοπτικά η γεωτεκτονική ζώνη όπου ανήκει. / -

published_or_final_version / abstract / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning