PhD position on modelling the societal value of Automated Train Operations

Description of the research project

Railway transportation is generally regarded as a sustainable and attractive mode of transportation in Europe. To keep (inter)national railway systems operating in a reliable and cost-effective manner in the present as well as the future, the development and implementation of novel technologies is needed. Automated Train Operations (ATO) is an example off such a technology where (parts of) train operations are automated to enable novel ways of operating and optimizing train operations.

For novel technologies such as ATO to be considered for implementation, a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the technology are needed, as well as the circumstances under which the technology is applied. ATO relies on the development and gradual implementation of several state-of-the-art sensing, signaling and safety technologies for rolling stock and railway infrastructure in multiple European countries. Assessing the value of such large-scale socio-technical changes is not straightforward, given the technical complexity, broad spectrum of tangible and intangible costs and benefits, and the need to account for a wide range of stakeholder needs.
The PhD project focuses on the development of generalizable methods and tools for valuating novel railway technologies such as ATO. This includes research on (1) How tangible and intangible costs and benefits can be best modelled and evaluated; (2) How the valuation models and assessments can be co-developed in close collaboration with specialists from international railway organizations; (3) How complexities and uncertainties in such models and evaluations can be managed to arrive at a clear and succinct result; (4) How the process of developing these evaluations can be facilitated; And (5) Providing recommendations for the development of evaluation of migration strategies for the transition to more autonomous forms of railway operations

The research is supported by the European Joint Rail Undertaking of the European Union (see https://rail-research.europa.eu), which allows a knowledge exchange with international railway partners and knowledge institutions.

As a PhD candidate, you will be responsible for carrying out an independent, full-time, 4-year research project that requires the integration of several research areas at the interface between engineering and management. As part of the research project, you will have the opportunity to evaluate your developed methods and tools in practice, together with several partners in the European railway sector. You will be assigned to the Asset Management & Maintenance Engineering (AMME) group, which is part of the Department of Design, Production and Management (DPM) of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET). Together with our (inter)national partners and contacts, our group strives to develop state-of-the-art solutions to fundamental and practical challenges in the field of Asset Management and Maintenance Engineering.