Recent News

Within “Sapienza” University of Rome, the DICEA Department is involved in civil, building and environmental engineering. The Transport Area is one of the largest of the Department’s nine areas. Its teaching and research are mainly in the field of planning and management of passenger and freight transport systems. In addition to teaching, the Department’s laboratories and personnel are also engaged in numerous experiments, research projects, and consultancies in Italy, Europe and elsewhere. Important research topics are railway and road safety, freight transport, and public transport systems. The participation in numerous (more than 30 in the last 10 years) and prestigious European research projects has permitted the DICEA Transport Area to develop its research in a context of cultural interchange with the most important research centres in Europe and elsewhere in the world, making it thus possible to make known the results of its activities.

• Stefano RICCI: Chair of Transport Engineering Education Area, Professor of “Transport Science and Economics”-“Railway Transport”-“Maritime Transport”; operation and system performance (freight terminals, passenger terminals, maritime terminals, capacity of lines and terminals, logistics, simulation of operations, inter-modal transport), safety and security (railway risks, security), environment and energy efficiency (rail noise, traction energy saving), railway signalling, economics of rail transport, rail market, rail legislation, Transfer Of Knowledge, training.
• Gabriele MALAVASI: Professor of „Railway System Design“, „Safety and mobility design“, „Transport Safety“, Director of the post-graduate course in engineering of railway systems and infrastructure; vehicle-track interaction, vehicle dynamics, railway measurements, virtual prototyping, railway track, switches and crossings, railway signalling, operation and system performance (freight terminals, passenger terminals, capacity of lines and terminals, management of large events), safety and security (railways risks, rail legislation), rail market, Transfer of Knowledge, training.
• Dr Marco ANTOGNOLI: freight terminals, capacity of lines and terminals, railway signalling, risks in railway systems, rail legislation, rail market.
• Dr Massimiliano BRUNER: vehicle-track interaction, vehicle dynamics, railway measurements, virtual prototyping, rail noise, railway track, switches and crossings, risks in railway systems, rail legislation, rail market.
• Dr Riccardo LICCIARDELLO: vehicle-track interaction, vehicle dynamics, railway measurements, virtual prototyping, rail noise, railway track, switches and crossings, risks in railway systems, rail legislation, energy efficiency, impact assessment.
• Dr Cristiano MARINACCI: freight terminals, maritime terminals, capacity of lines and terminals, logistics, simulation of operations, inter-modal transport, management of large events.
• Dr Luca RIZZETTO: Transfer Of Knowledge, training, vehicle-track interaction, vehicle dynamics, maritime terminals, management of large events.
• Dr Pietro VITALI: vehicle-track interaction, vehicle dynamics, virtual prototyping, energy efficiency, railway track, switches and crossings, freight terminals, simulation of operations, risks in railway systems..

Projects and activities

Capacity4Rail (on-going): design of rail freight and intermodal terminals with the support of micro-simulation

IN2RAIL (on-going): requirements for innovative dispatching&asset maintenance platform, rail thermal stress monitoring

Wayside measurement of passing loads on track, vertical and lateral (on-going): innovative strain-gauge-based measurement technology

Post-Master Specialist Course on Rail Infrastructures and Systems (on-going): training for railway engineers in cooperation with important operators and manufacturers

Track geometry quality for rail sidings (-2014): proposal of reference values for track-geometry assessment quantities in rail sidings

TrioTRAIN (-2013): accuracy of experimental and virtual methods for vehicle authorisation – aerodynamics, running dynamics and pantograph-catenary interaction; regulatory acceptance

ECORAILS (-2011): energy-saving requirements for rolling stock

Scientific support to the Italian NSA for reviewing and upgrading guidelines to obtain the Safety Certificate (2011): detailing EU legislation (Safety Directive and related documents)

Scientific support to Italian NSA for the definition of an implementation methodology of risk analysis in the railway sector (2011): detailing EU legislation on CSM for risk assessment

RACAM, Risk Assessment – Countermeasures – Audit – methodology against potential terrorist attack on railway system) (-2011): identification of risks related to rail system architecture

RIFLE, Rail Freight and Logistics Curriculum Development (-2011)

Goods tracking in railway, maritime and road transport (-2011)

Study on switch-blade actuation and of the effects of blade loads due to passing trains (2011)

Technical-scientific support for functional verification of signalling equipment and rolling stock in final and constructive design of T2 to T7 sections and Graniti depot of the line C of the Rome metro (-2010)

SELCAT, Safety European Level Crossing Appraisal and Technology (-2008): simulation of road and rail vehicle interaction at level crossings

Papers

Grimaldi, R; Malavasi, G (2015) Potentials of technological innovations with respect to rail freight transport performance in Europe, Ingegneria Ferroviaria 70 (6), pp. 539-554.

Licciardello, R; Grappein, E; Rueter, A (2015). On the accuracy of the assessment of open-air pressure loads due to passing trains. Part 1: experimental assessment , Part 2: assessment by simulation. Proc IMechE Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit.

Malavasi, G; Molkova, T; Ricci, S; Rotoli, F (2014). A synthetic approach to the evaluation of the carrying capacity of complex railway nodes, Journal of Rail Transport Planning and Management, Volume 4, Issues 1-2, p. 28-42.

Accattatis, F M D; Bruner, M, Catena, M; Corazza, G R; Cosciotti, E, Malavasi, G; Rossi, S; Testa, M (2014) Measurement of the vertical loads transferred to the rail, Ingegneria Ferroviaria, 69 (12), pp. 1001-1012.

Ricci, S (2014) Punctuality Based Calibration of Railway Capacity Models – International Journal of Railway Technology, The Second International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance, Ajaccio.

Ricci, S (2014) Automation in Railway Operations: Challenges, Perspectives and Experimented Effects on System Performance, The Second International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance, Ajaccio.

Ricci, S (2014) Systematic approach to Functional Requirements for Future Freight Terminals, 5th Transport Research Arena TRA 2014, Paris, 2014.

Mangone, A; Ricci, S (2014) Modeling of port – freight village systems and loading units’ tracking functions, Ingegneria Ferroviaria n. 01/2014 (ISSN: 0020-0956).

Marinov, M; Fraszczyk, A; Zunder, T; Rizzetto, L; Ricci, S; Todorova, M; Dzhaleva, A; Karagyozov, K; Trendafilov, Z; Schlingensiepen, J (2013). A supply-demand study of practice in rail logistics higher education, Journal of Transport Literature, vol. 7, no. 2.

Marinov, M; Sahin, I; Ricci, S; Vasic-Franklin, G (2013). Railway Operations, time-tabling and control, Research in Transportation Economics, Volume 41, Issue 1, p. 59-75.

Licciardello, R; Baldassarra, A; Tieri, A; Cruciani, M; Vasile, A N. (2013). Limits and opportunities of risk analysis application in railway systems, Safety and Security Engineering V, WIT Press, ISBN 978-1-84564-744-5, ISSN 1746-4498.

Malavasi, G; Ronzino C D (2013) Generation of filling curves of railway stations, Ingegneria Ferroviaria, 68 (2), pp. 155-170.

Baker, C J; Quinn, A D; Hoefener, L; Sima, M; Licciardello R (2013). Full scale measurement and analysis of train slipstreams and wakes: Part 1 Ensemble averages, Part 2 Gust analysis, Proc IMechE Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit.

Ricci, S; Marinacci, C; Rizzetto, L (2012). The modelling support to maritime terminals sea operation: the case study of port of Messina, Journal of Maritime Research, Vol 9, No 3.

Alessandria, M; Dotta, B; Licciardello, R (2011) Long-term contact force measurements with the CML method, Ingegneria Ferroviaria, CIFI Ed, Rome.

Malavasi, G; Palleschi, P; Ricci, S (2011) Driving and operation strategies for traction-energy saving in mass rapid transit systems, Proc IMechE Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, vol. 225 no. 5, p. 475-482.