National Taiwan University
Topic Area A covers research issues related to a single mode, and which are not addressed in other topic areas. In particular it provides a focus for the work of the Special Interest Groups on Air, Maritime, Rail, and for Road Transport research work performed. Given the likelihood of overlap with the work of other topic areas, care is needed to avoid duplication of activity. As a general rule, sessions are only included in Topic Area A where the focus is on the characteristics of the mode, or it is clear that they cannot be integrated into other topic areas. In particular, papers on the safety of a given mode may be submitted to this Topic Area A, but will also be copied to Topic Area C, where SIG C4 has the responsibility of convening all safety-related sessions.
This SIG’s principal objective is to facilitate the development, exchange, and dissemination of research ideas and results related to aviation among various constituents, including academics, government officials and industry managers, through various means, such as annual conferences, session tracks at the WCTR, joint meetings with other organisations and through research reports.
This Special Interest Group (SIG) was launched during the 7th WCTR in Sydney, Australia in July, 1995 with strong support from the air transport industry executives and academics doing air transport research. In particular, senior executives of British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airlines, Qantas, and Korean Air participated in this SIG’s inaugural event in Sydney.
SIG A1 organises the aviation-related sessions at the WCTR. In addition, many of its members participate in the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS). The ATRS has organised annual World Conferences since 1997. Recent conferences have been held in Tainan, Taiwan (2012), Bergamo, Italy (2013) Bordeaux, France (2014), Singapore (2015), Rhodes, Greece (2016) and Antwerp, Belgium (2017). Finally, since 2002, the Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Task Force of the ATRS has published its annual benchmarking report.
Membership is open to all academics, researchers, industry managers, executives and policy makers with research interest in the subject area. Anyone interested in joining the ATRS, please do so by visiting the website.
(The full membership list for this SIG is maintained by the SIG Chair/Co-chair)
SIG-A2 is dedicated to create a network of people involved in maritime and port activities, including academic and industry researchers, policy makers and operators. Its targets are the following:
SIG-A2 was established in 1989 at the Yokohama WCTR. Since then, the SIG had a most distinct presence in all WCTRS conferences, and has established a strong brand with a dedicated conference hosted in Antwerp every three years since 2009.
In the Antwerp conference of 1998, SIG-A2 had the largest single presence, with about 60 papers distributed in 14 sessions throughout the week. People joining the SIG-A2 activities of the WCTRS have developed over the years strong research links.
Check the SIG-A2 website.
SIGA2 conferences are not just a conference, but have a number of specific features:
Membership is open to any academics, researchers, industry managers, executives and policy makers with research interest in the subject area. Anyone interested in SIG-2 can contact any of the following:
(The full membership list for this SIG is maintained by the SIG Chair/Co-chair)
The SIG Rail Transport focuses on academic research and education on rail operations, planning, policy and economics. It covers passenger and freight and long distance, regional and urban (including metro and light rail) services. Its objectives are to:
The SIG Rail Transport was launched at WCTR12 in Lisbon (2010) and organized the review of the related abstracts and papers, as well as the Rail sessions at WCTR13 in Rio de Janeiro (2013).
The SIG Rail Transport collaborates with the Board and members of the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR) and contributes to the bi-annual International Conferences on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (ICROR). The recent 6th ICROR, RailTokyo March 23-26, 2015, was attended by 175 participants from 20 countries. The 7th ICROR will take place in spring 2017 in Lille, France.
Membership is open to any academic researchers or educator with an interest in rail technologies, operations, planning, policy and economics. The SIG is currently jointly led by Professor John Preston (University of Southampton), who leads the policy and economics aspects and Professor Emeritus Ingo Hansen (Delft University of Technology), who leads the planning and operations aspects. Dr Marin Marinov (Newcastle University) acts as a champion for international railway education and the research–base that underpins this. Contact details are given below.
We particularly exploit synergies with the International Association of Railway Operations Research (IAROR), of which Professor Hansen is Vice-President and there are Board Members from Australia, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
In Asia, we have contacts with the Korean Railroad Research Institute (Yong-Sang Lee), the Japanese Society of Transportation Economists (Fumitoshi Mizutani) and the Railway Technical Research Institute in Japan (C. Hirai).
Industrial contacts will be made via the International Union of Railways (UIC), the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) and the International Transport Forum (ITF), as well as relevant national bodies.
To join this Special Interest Group please contact any of the Chairs listed below.
John Preston
Professor of Rail Transport
Faculty of Engineering and the Environment
University of Southampton
Tel: +44 (0)2380594660
Southampton University webpage
Yung-Cheng (Rex) Lai
Professor
Railway Technology Research Center
Department of Civil Engineering
National Taiwan University
Tel: +886-2-3366-4243
Melody Khadem Sameni
Assistant Professor in Railway Transportation Engineering
School of Railway Engineering
Iran University of Science and Technology
IUST School of Railway Engineering website
(The full membership list for this SIG is maintained by the SIG Chair/Co-chair)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimated, “Developing Asia will need to invest $1.7 trillion per year in infrastructure until 2030 to maintain its growth momentum, tackle poverty, and respond to climate change.” Existing literature discuss the ambivalence of the resultant economic impact of such investments in infrastructure, in terms of economic growth. “Many countries in developing Asia have significantly improved their basic infrastructure endowments in the recent past, and this appears to correlate significantly with good growth performances. However, the evidence seems to indicate that this is mostly the result of factor accumulation (a direct effect), while the impact on productivity is inconclusive.” Political leaders and governments in developing countries are unable to replicate the experiences of the developed countries in the past decades, to commit long term and large-scale public resources for infrastructure. Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) has thus launched its activities on promoting evidence-based decision making and identifying new insights for investing in HSR and its implication for developing economies.
The SIG research will emphasize on, but is not limited to the following topics:
(i) effects of HSR projects on economy, environment, and society;
(ii) survey of past studies of positive and negative effects of HSR various countries and regions;
(iv) modeling the mechanisms to create the effects by representing spatial interactions between industrial sectors and population for estimating impacts;
(v) evaluating the effects in terms of internal rate of return and quality of life;
(ii) specific case studies from all parts of the world, and draw lessons for developing countries;
(vi) policy messages for senior government officials in the ministries of finance, transport, and planning. (vii) aspects related to institutional capacity; governance structures; capacity building for both government and private entities; etc.
(viii) policy interventions necessary for the successful planning, construction, and operation for the large-scale infrastructure projects such as HSR
SIG welcomes proposals and interests on other topics as well.
| No. | Title | Activity Brief | Links |
| 1. | A two-day conference at Chubu University in Japan, October 2020 | The objective of the conference is to share experiences on HSR projects and operations and highlight the effects of HSR projects on the economy, environment, society, and quality of life by introducing novel models and mechanisms that can replicate the positive effects in new projects. The conference will also examine the policy implications and lessons for countries with planned HSR projects, specifically focusing on innovative policy instruments for attracting private sector investment and enhancing the quality of life in the areas along with these large-scale infrastructure projects. | Call for Papers |
| 2. | Quarterly Webinar | ADBI will coordinate with experts, eminent researchers, and organize webinars on the topics related to the scope of the SIG. Each 1 – 1.5-hour webinar will host 2-3 presentations and discussions. The webinars will be accessible to all society members. ADBI will welcome proposals, presentations, and webinar themes from all society members. |
The first webinar has already been scheduled for 15th May. Please find the poster for this event here Please register here |
| 3. | Several One Day Seminars at ADBI | Continuous focus on the key themes on the scope of the SIG. |
| No. | Title | Activity Brief | Links |
| 1. | One-day Seminars at ADBI February- August 2018 | India’s government has announced plans to adopt Japan’s shinkansen technology for the high-speed rail (HSR) project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. As public and private entities work together in this project, JR East is providing technical support based on its extensive experience as a shinkansen operator. | Presentations from ‘Research and Capacity Development for Planning, Implementing, and Operating High-Speed Rail (HSR) in Asia’ (2018) |
| 2 | A two-day conference at ADBI November 2018 | The conference shared experiences of HSR projects and operations and to highlight the effects of HSR projects on the economy, environment, society, and quality of life (QOL) by introducing novel models and mechanisms to replicate the positive effects in new projects. | Presentations from ‘Research and Capacity Development for Planning, Implementing, and Operating High-Speed Rail (HSR) in Asia’ (2018) |
| 3 | Special sessions at WCTRS 2019 | Five ADBI sessions were held at the World Conference on Transportation Research, at Mumbai in 2019. Policymakers planning large infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail (HSR) are increasingly looking for innovative policy instruments to attract private sector investment in these projects. The ADBI sessions spotlighted lessons from infrastructure projects and operations in Asia and the Pacific, with emphasis on the effects of HSR projects on the economy, environment, society, and quality of life. The sessions also provided guidance to policymakers on managing these “spillover effects” of high-speed rail and quality of life, building on recent discussions at ADBI on this emerging policy focus at ADBI. | ADBI Sessions on Transport Infrastructure and Quality of Life at World Conference on Transportation Research |
| 4 | One-day Seminar at ADBI September 2019 | This seminar examined the economic, environmental, and social effects of the People’s Republic of China’s infrastructure projects and the implications for people’s quality of life in surrounding areas. The event also explored planning and policy approaches that have enabled the PRC’s rapid infrastructure development and drew upon the lessons from Asia and the Pacific to realize more sustainable and inclusive transport growth. | ADBI Sessions on Transport Infrastructure and Quality of Life at World Conference on Transportation Research |
Membership is open to all with a research interest in the subject area. Anyone interested in joining is invited to contact the addresses below.
Contact
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and the University of Tokyo
Emeritus professor of Nagoya University and a professor at Chubu University, Japan
Secretary
Construction Management and Infrastructure System Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Nikhil Bugalia Linkedin Profile
