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Networks on Rails. Analysis of Railroad Connections in the Western United States Presentation: Sam Delaney CS 765 14 OCT 2014. Breakdown. The problem Railroad history Analysis history Plan of Action Wrap up and Review Questions. What are we talking about?. The Problem!.
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Networks on Rails Analysis of Railroad Connections in the Western United States Presentation: Sam Delaney CS 765 14 OCT 2014
Breakdown • The problem • Railroad history • Analysis history • Plan of Action • Wrap up and Review • Questions
What are we talking about? The Problem!
What are we trying to do? • Railways are an obvious network • Stations are nodes • Rails are edges • But is it a “good” network? • Railroad history • Efficiency • Political vs Practical
The problem as it stand today • Can we transform the rail system of the Western United States into a network that we can analyze? • Based on this network what features can we extract? • Finally, with these features extracted can we create a procedure to enhance the network for certain parameters?
Why is this problem important? • Business application • Government taxation and regulation • Military assets
How we arrived The History of Railroads
Railroads explained • Early Railroads • 1830 – Tom Thumb, first locomotive to run in the US • Early transportation • Poorly mapped, few nodes and edges • No means to move large quantity of goods • ‘Breaking Bulk’ • Documentation/Studies
Modern Railways • 1956 – First analytical study of US railway system • Federal Railroad Administration and the DOT • Rail Network Development Initiative • Major Railroad entities • Union Pacific • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) • Norfolk Southern • Competition with other transportation mediums • Air Travel • US Highways
Those who came before us Previous Studies
India Rail Network (IRN) Railroad Analysis • Stations = nodes • 587 important stations • > 8 000 actual station • N = 587 • Edges = Trains connecting two stations • 579 important trains • > 10 000 actual trains • L = 579 • Characteristics found • Mean path length 2.65; Clustering Coefficient = 0.69 • Small world
China Rail Network (CRN) Railroad Analysis • Stations = nodes • 3 915 stations • N = 3 915 • Edges = Trains connecting two stations • 22 259 edges • L = 22 259 • Edges were directional • Weighted vs weighted results • Characteristics found • Mean path length 3.5; Clustering Coefficient = 0.835 • Small world • Scale free network
Network Modeling • Analyze traffic loads • Develop and promote new links or policies to increase • Profitability • Efficiency • Two studies • Coal network (Eastern US) • Transportation network (US)
Where do we go? The Plan
How are we measuring? • Clustering Coefficient • Shortest Path • Diameter • Betweeness • Weights • Cost • Maintenance • Fuel • Personnel
Putting those measurements to use • What future links could be made? • What current links could be removed? • Is the current system “good” • Small world? • Scale-free? • How does it measure against other mediums? • Air travel? • US Highway?
What’s the difference? • Combination approach • Analysis • Future Modeling • United States vs Europe vs Asia • Take into consideration Company vs Government Control
Connect the dots The Wrap Up
Wrap Up • Why analyze the rail system? • How did the railroad come to be? • What have others done in regards to this problem? • How is this study different?