Abstract. The development of regional transport and logistics infrastructure requires systematic planning methods that ensure coordination between economic demand, transport network capacity, and delivery time parameters. Under conditions of limited infrastructure resources and growing freight volumes, traditional approaches based on static indicators become insufficient. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodological approach to forming a system for planning the development of regional transport and logistics infrastructure based on transport balances and time-based performance criteria. The research applies methods of balance analysis, system modeling, indicative planning, and time accessibility assessment. The proposed approach is based on the formation of intersectoral transport balances reflecting the distribution of freight flows among economic sectors and transport infrastructure elements, as well as the use of time criteria as key indicators of infrastructure development effectiveness. The methodology allows identifying imbalances between transport demand and infrastructure capacity, determining development priorities, and evaluating the temporal effects of infrastructure measures. The scientific novelty lies in integrating transport balances and time criteria into a unified planning system for regional transport and logistics infrastructure development. The practical significance of the study is associated with the applicability of the proposed approach for regional authorities in substantiating strategic and program decisions in transport sector development.

The most important principles of urban logistics are coordination and consolidation. They are believed to be realized through the creation of an urban consolidation center or a network of such centers. Theoretically, the operation of such a center should lead to a reduction in the overall volume of truck traffic in the given city district. This article describes the signs of these principles' implementation. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the impact of coordinating the activities of different consignees and consolidating their cargo shipments on the change in a specific parameter – the total mileage of trucks in real transportation conditions.

An algorithm for modeling urban delivery in specialized software is proposed. Using this software, experiments were conducted across four scenarios with three parameters of demand for goods delivery within the Novosibirsk district. The scenario and demand settings determine various restrictions on the joint delivery of goods from different clients in a single vehicle. The article confirms the dependence of the reduction in the total mileage of trucks on the number of companies-clients of the urban consolidation center (level of participation) and the number of jointly delivered cargo batches (level of consolidation).

The influence of cargo lot ownership on the design of joint delivery routes was determined. It was concluded that, with equal levels of participation and consolidation, overall vehicle traffic can be reduced by consolidating cargo lots belonging not to a single company, but to different commercial enterprises. Therefore, it is important that the services of a city distribution center be used by different retail chains with similar cargo flow characteristics.

This article examines approaches to developing an effective universal methodology for operational route planning and material flow processing in various logistics networks with limited node processing capacity, enabling economically justified rejection of low-profitability cargo shipments when bottlenecks occur. A mathematical model is proposed in the form of an integer optimization problem with an objective function that includes costs of accumulating transport batches, node processing costs (with a nonlinear penalty for exceeding capacity), savings from transit without processing, as well as the opportunity cost of rejecting transportation. An iterative heuristic algorithm (dynamic stabilization method) is used for solution, fixing load coefficients at each step and redistributing flows until convergence. The model developed by the author uniquely combines a nonlinear penalty for node overloading (incorporated directly into the objective function) with the possibility of selectively excluding low-profitability shipments. The methodology is invariant to the mode of transport and can be used for planning operations at classification yards, warehouses, ports, and terminals, as well as for justifying investments in expanding infrastructure processing capacity. In contrast to the current regulatory documents of Russian Railways, where the overload penalty is introduced only as a temporary computational device and excluded from the final assessment, while all flows are considered mandatory for handling, the proposed methodology allows ranking cargo flows by value and making economically justified decisions to reject transportation under resource scarcity conditions, which is particularly relevant during peak periods.

The article addresses the problem of selecting a station for the formation of technical routes under constraints of line capacity and station processing capacity within port-access railway corridors. Based on the functional capabilities of the Unified Data Model of the Transportation Process for Operational Management (UDM TP OM), a multicriteria model and an algorithm for the dynamic formation of technical routes to a single consignee have been developed. The proposed approach relies on the integration of data on wagon-flow distribution, infrastructure constraints, and forecast train movement parameters, which makes it possible to select a route formation station with due regard to the current parameters of the transportation process. A formalization of the objective function is presented, incorporating the effects of reducing wagon turnaround time, increasing the level of routing, and changing operating costs. The model takes into account economic and technological factors related to section capacity, station processing capacity, the conditions for route formation toward port railway hubs, and the specific features of wagon-flow organization on the approaches to them. In addition, the influence of uneven wagon arrivals, the level of infrastructure utilization, and technological constraints of station operations on the choice of a rational routing option is considered. The operational and economic effects are assessed using the example of grain transportation to the port station of N under alternative options for selecting the route formation station. It is established that the application of the algorithm within the UDM TP OM framework ensures a transition from static planning to a dynamic decision-support mode, improves the stability of wagon delivery to port stations, contributes to the rationalization of wagon flows, reduces train reclassification at port hubs, and increases the efficiency of operational work under conditions of limited infrastructure capacity.

The article discusses an automated system for measuring geometric parameters of suspension spring coils. Spring suspension is an important element of the carriage undercarriage, it reduces the dynamic loads on the carriage elements, ensures smooth running, including on curved sections of the track, and reduces the intensity of wear build-up in all nodes and parts of the wagons. The regulatory documentation establishes requirements for the heights of springs located in one set, since a properly formed set ensures the safe operation of rolling stock. Currently, the geometric parameters of the suspension spring coils are monitored using manual standard tools. Carrying out these measurements requires considerable time. In order to reduce the measurement time and the influence of the human factor on the measurement results, and therefore reduce the error, it is necessary to develop specialized systems that will automatically determine the geometric dimensions and form kits for installation on the car.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the operation of an automated system for measuring the geometric parameters of suspension spring coils and selecting kits in accordance with the requirements of regulatory documentation. The principle of the installation is based on the automatic photographing of the spring on a contrasting luminous background from different angles and the analysis of the resulting images by specialized algorithms. Using the technology of technical vision, the geometric parameters of the object are determined in two modes of operation: continuous control of springs and the formation of sets. The results of the system's operation in wagon repair depots for one calendar year are analyzed. It is established that the control time of one spring does not exceed 5 seconds, and the formation of a set takes no more than 3 minutes without the need to replace the springs.

In the modern practice of managing the resource of the upper structure of the railway track, two fundamentally different approaches to forecasting are used: physical modeling, taking into account the passages of rolling stock with defective wheelsets, and statistical modeling of track degradation with a horizon of up to 15 years. These approaches were developed independently and did not have a methodological connection, which limited the possibilities of forecasting for new operating conditions that did not have an accumulated array of degradation data.

The article proposes a method of bilateral integration of the physical load model (micro-level) and the statistical degradation model of the Unified Corporate Automated System for Monitoring the Degradation of the Infrastructure of Russian Railways, UCASMD (macro-level). The integration is performed in two directions: bottom-up – calculation of the degradation function coefficient from the physical equivalence coefficient and the observed proportion of defective wheelsets – and top-down – refinement of physical parameters from accumulated diagnostic data of reference sections.

The inverse-variance weighting principle is applied to determine the optimal balance between the two models. It is shown that the characteristic duration of accumulated data at which the contributions of the physical and statistical models are equal is (3.5 ± 0.8) years: below this threshold the forecast is predominantly physical, above it – predominantly statistical. The method was validated on four sections of the Eastern polygon of Russian Railways carrying 14,200-tonne freight trains. The average deviation of the hybrid forecast from actual data was 8–12 %, which outperforms the accuracy of the individual models (15–25 % for the statistical model, 12–18 % for the physical model without calibration). The proposed approach substantially extends the applicability of upper track structure resource forecasting to conditions where accumulated diagnostic data are limited or unavailable.

The article presents an assessment of the growth dynamics of failures of insulating metal-composite joints (MCJ) in the operational conditions of the Trans-Siberian and Central Siberian Railways within the West Siberian Directorate of Infrastructure. The analysis of the growth dynamics of failures of insulating joints was carried out on the example of the Z, K, and Kar distances of the Central Siberian Railway and the T, B, Ch, and Ka distances of the Trans-Siberian Railway on the I and II tracks. The analysis included 24 experimental sections on track I, 9 experimental sections on track II on the Central Siberian Railway, and 26 experimental sections on track I and 19 experimental sections on track II on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The data required for the analysis was taken from the annual reports on the continuous track (in the period 2020...2024).

The changes in the failure rate of the insulating joints of the continuous track were obtained as a function of the tonnage passed (0...1 200 million tons) in the particularly heavy-duty conditions of the Siberian railways, within the West Siberian Directorate of Infrastructure.

The average values of the share of failures of insulating joints were determined on a cumulative basis for the Central Siberian and Trans-Siberian Railways. The intensity of change in the share of failures of insulating joints from the interval of carried tonnage was calculated, which amounted to: for the Trans-Siberian Railway: for track 1 – 6.7% per 100 million tons and for track 2 – 5.9% per 100 million tons; for the Central Siberian Railway: for track 1 – 5% per 100 million tons and for track 2 – 1.5% per 100 million tons.

The average values of the failure rate of the insulating joints of the continuous track were determined.

The reliability of intermediate rail fastenings acquires particular importance under conditions of increasing traffic density and axle loads of rolling stock. The serviceability of the fastening assembly is largely determined by the rail clamping force exerted by the elastic clip, which in operational practice is not measured directly but is monitored indirectly – by the tightening torque of the fastener. Due to the significant expenditure of the applied torque on overcoming friction forces, the actual axial force in the fastener is characterized by considerable statistical scatter, which leads to both insufficient and excessive loading of the clip. Analysis of inservice failures shows that about 99 % of cases of ZhBR clip failure are associated with crack formation and fractures, which necessitates a quantitative assessment of the stress state of the clip over the entire range of attainable tightening forces.

In this study, the finite element method in the APM FEM environment was used to model the stress-strain state of the CP369.102 spring clip of the ZhBR fastening within the ‘clip – rail – thrust bracket’ assembly. The location of the most heavily loaded zones was established, analytical dependences of stresses at the control points on the axial tightening force were obtained, and the critical force values were determined at which stresses in the dangerous section reach the yield strength (about 35.4 kN) and the ultimate strength (about 39.5 kN) of 60S2A steel. Based on statistical data on the scatter of the tightening force, a probabilistic assessment of the risk of reaching limit states was performed for various conditions of the threaded surfaces. It is shown that for new and lubricated screws the probability of exceeding the yield strength reaches significant values.

Continuously welded rail (CWR) is the primary and most advanced design for railway superstructure, with its annual installation mileage increasing due to significant advantages over jointed track. These benefits include the elimination of impact loads and track disorders at joints, extended service life for both superstructure components and rolling stock, noise reduction, decreased train running resistance, and others. When strict temperature regimes are observed, CWR proves to be more efficient, easier to maintain, and safer than jointed track. Currently, a temperature-stressed CWR structure is universally employed, where rails are fastened for permanent operation without seasonal re-fastening. Consequently, the question of how to correctly determine the required temperature for anchoring rail strings has always been and remains relevant. Longitudinal forces and stresses arising from temperature fluctuations relative to the rail fastening temperature reach high values in summer and winter, posing a threat of buckling or fracture of the rail strings.

The objective of this work is to analyze methods for determining the optimal temperature range for fastening rail strings currently used on Russian Railways as well as on railways worldwide, aiming to minimize risks associated with high longitudinal thermal forces.

Both stability theory and long-term practice in the construction and maintenance of continuous track indicate that the higher the rail string fastening temperature, the lower the probability of its instability (buckling), and vice versa: the probability of fracture increases during the winter period. Since the loss of stability is considered a more hazardous event than fracture, it is common practice on Russian Railways and in many other countries to fasten rails at higher temperatures. Annual efforts are being made to improve the quality of rail steel, whose tensile strength currently exceeds 800 MPa. However, beyond the strength of the rail itself, the durability of bolted joint connections at turnout approaches must also be taken into account. To prevent shear failure of fishplate bolts during lowtemperature exposure, the paper proposes the seasonal re-fastening of 200-meter ends of long and extra-long rail strings (extending up to a signaling block section or an entire line section). A more radical solution to ensure the integrity of joint bolts in winter is the direct welding of rail strings to turnouts.

In the track sections, mechanized track sections, and track mechanized stations of Russian Railways, there are practically no developments in the quality management system for the work performed, although the quality of work is one of the most important problems in the smooth and trouble-free operation of railways. Therefore,  it is necessary to define the term ‘quality’ as it applies to the work of track and snow removal machines. This is especially true given that the wording in the Snow Removal Instructions has changed since 2022. Track machine performance is assessed based on the Instructions for Assessing Track Condition with Track Measuring Instruments and Measures to Ensure Train Traffic Safety after completion of all work, which leads to increased work time if the assessment is unsatisfactory. Negative aspects can be avoided by defining the concept of ‘quality’ in a comprehensive manner for all technological processes performed by track departments, mechanized track departments, and track mechanized stations.

Track maintenance and repair is a continuous process, and as the information obtained from monitoring is monitored, adjustments may be required to ensure quality, which is the essence of operational quality management.

STU offers methods and tools for interim monitoring and recording of work results for automatic quality control of track ballast compaction, a device for implementing this, a device and software for measuring bearing capacity, and an algorithm for monitoring the efficiency of snow removal machines. The specific operational nature of Russian Railways requires constant quality assurance, as even the slightest indication of non-compliance can lead to significant material and human losses. Therefore, improving quality within the holding company entails maintaining equipment in good working order, fuel savings, technology compliance, and reducing track occupancy time. 

When designing and operating overhead power line pylons in challenging geological conditions, such as permafrost (perennially frozen) soils, particular attention must be paid to the design of the foundations. Most foundations constructed in areas with permafrost are built using standard driven reinforced concrete piles. In frozen soils, this design is characterized by relatively low material costs and greater load-bearing capacity for horizontal loads and uplift loads, however, this type of structure is most susceptible to the effects of frost heave. A wide range of structural and technical measures has been developed to counteract heave. The authors’ analysis of the proposed solutions has shown that most of the measures implemented in domestic practice require further research.

The aim of this study was to justify the use of shallow strip foundations, to confirm their effectiveness, and to identify the most rational structural solutions (configurations of foundation elements). The aim of this study was to justify the use of shallow strip foundations, to confirm their effectiveness, and to identify the most appropriate structural solutions (configurations of foundation elements).

To analyse vertical deformations and overall behaviour. For strip foundations of various configurations, analytical calculation methods were selected, such as the layer-by-layer summation method and the linearly deformable layer method, as well as numerical methods, using a specialized geotechnical software package implementing the finite element method. Quantitative data were obtained on the settlements of continuous slab and element foundations, as well as their influence on the surrounding soil mass. The effectiveness of using element foundations was established in terms of a reduction in vertical deformations of up to 30–40% compared to a standard continuous slab foundation. Graphical materials illustrating the behaviour of the soil mass are presented for each foundation configuration.

The study examines the effect of uneven track settlement on the force interaction between rails and sleepers when affecting the track of a freight train. Due to the presence of gaps between the elements of the track superstructure, the difference in the mechanical characteristics of the elastic gaskets and the soil base in the longitudinal direction, the settlement of the sleepers may be uneven. The importance of this factor increases with increasing axial loads and load stress. In the end, individual sleepers have a greater load than others compared to the calculated normative state of the track.

The analytical solution to the problem of determining the interaction forces between rails and sleepers under uneven settlement proves to be difficult and cumbersome. In this work, the numerical modeling method was used – the finite element method. For the rail, a mathematical model of the beam was used, resting on an elastic base, the pressure on which linearly depends on the movements of the rail, and its rigidity on a combination of deformation characteristics of rail and napkin rubber pads and soil. Based on this model, a finite element scheme for calculating rails supported by sleepers under the influence of a standard load was built. Track settlement was modeled by changing the parameters of special contact finite elements. When varying the parameters of these elements, the maximum rail pressure on a single sleeper was calculated. From the analysis of the results, the most unfavorable cases of base settlement unevenness were identified. It was found that the settlement of the track, in which one sleeper is turned off from the operation of the topsides, leads to an increase in maximum pressure by 25%. The shutdown of four adjacent sleepers increases the maximum pressure by 2.16 times compared to the standard condition of the railway track. This circumstance should be taken into account when calculating the strength of railway ties.

This paper proposes a methodology for predictive forecasting of the technical condition of artificial structures based on the integration of automated monitoring data, a reference numerical model, and a library of defect scenarios. The purpose of the methodology is to improve the reliability of determining the actual technical condition of a structure and the accuracy of forecasting its future change and remaining useful life. The approach is based on representing the structural state as a multidimensional feature vector of the stress-strain state, followed by the application of taxonomic analysis methods to assess proximity to reference and defective conditions.

An integral indicator – the taxonomic condition index – is introduced to quantitatively evaluate the degree of structural degradation and to identify transition states at early stages of defect development. A classification algorithm is developed to identify the most probable dominant defect type (corrosion, fatigue crack, bearing malfunction), to provide scenario-based localization and to estimate its parameters.

A predictive framework based on time series analysis of diagnostic features is implemented, enabling forecasting of degradation processes and estimation of the remaining service life. It is shown that the proposed methodology provides a transition from threshold-based monitoring to multidimensional state assessment, improves the informativeness of monitoring data, and enhances decision-making in infrastructure risk management.

The practical significance of the study lies in the applicability of the proposed methodology for improving the reliability and safety of bridge structures through early defect detection and proactive maintenance planning.