Designing urban rail transit systems is a complex problem, which involves the determination of station locations, track geometry, and various other system characteristics. Most of the previous rail transit route optimization studies have focused on the alignment design between predetermined stations, whereas a practical design process has to account for the complex interactions among railway alignments and station locations. This paper proposes a methodology for concurrently optimizing station locations and the rail transit alignment connecting those stations, by accommodating multiple system objectives, satisfying various design constraints, and integrating the analysis models with a geographical information system database. The methodology incorporates demand and station costs in the evaluation framework and employs a genetic algorithm for optimizing the decision variables for station locations, station types, and track alignments. It is expected that transit planners may greatly benefit from the proposed methodology, with which they can conveniently and efficiently optimize candidate alternatives. The Baltimore Red Line is used as a case study to demonstrate how the model can find very good solutions in regions with complex geography.

Emergent events of urban rail transit may cause train delay, even service disruption, and then lead to a large number of passengers stranded. Urban rail transit system is difficult to maintain normal operation, so passengers shall be transported through other traffic modes outside the station. Traffic management plan outside the station is analyzed and evaluated in advance, which can increase evacuation efficiency and reduce the influence of events on society. The plan is evaluated through analyzing and simulation. Firstly, this paper analyzes the influence of events on traffic outside the station and introduces common means of traffic management. Then, this paper studies integrated simulation method and chooses key evaluation indicators, thus use the order of preference by similarity to ideal solution to evaluate the traffic management plan based on simulation. Finally, taking Jiangsu Road station as an example, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of different plans by simulation, the evaluation results show that plan 2 (partial priority) is optimal, which provides a reference for urban rail transit emergency management.

In the past 10 years, the independent and innovative communications-based train control system has experienced breakthroughs in key technologies by conducting pilot experiments, field tests, and demonstration projects. For the first time, the design theories and technical aspects of moving block systems, which cover the entire life cycle of fail-safe systems, are set up. The models and algorithms are proposed to control the safe operation of trains. The safety technologies for short-interval train sequencing are adopted to realize the 90 s headway between consecutive trains. The optimized automatic train operation strategies are used to save energy and allow trains to safely reach their destinations. The highly dependable and bi-directional train-to-ground communication technologies are introduced for reliable transmission of safety related train-to-ground information in a complex environment which is compatible with multiple media, such as free waves, leaky waveguides, and leaky feeders. The simulation, tests, and verification technologies based on the minimum system and test cases were adopted to conduct the following: principle demonstration, functional tests, integrated tests, field failure data replay, analysis and disposal, system upgrade, and maintenance.

Urban rail transit operations have changed from a single line to a multiline network. The network operations have undergone quantitative and qualitative changes, and operations management is facing rapid internal and external changes. Using the Guangzhou Metro network operation practices as a case study, this paper first systematically analyzes the features of the operation scale, the proportion of urban mass transit, the surge in public demand, the security of the operational service capacity, reforms to the operation governance structure, the high-speed expansion of staff, and the development of knowledge and skills in urban mass transit networks. The paper then proposes several responses to the challenges that such networks face; for example, this paper proposes creating an innovative network operations management system, strengthening the management foundation, creating plans to promote operation capacity, enhancing security risk management and equipment quality management, developing a crisis public relations response, and applying information technology. In addition, this paper systematically describes countermeasures for multiline network operations, such as developing a management mechanism for network operations, actively cultivating staff skills, creating innovative transport organization models to enhance operational capacity, establishing a production service assessment system to continuously improve the level of transportation service, establishing a quantifiable safety assessment system and equipment quality index model, strengthening quality controls for security and equipment, extensively using information technology to ensure the health of the urban mass transit network operation, and implementing sustainable development measures.