COTM 3082 :

RAILWAY
CONSTRUCTION

Chair, Infrastructure Design & Construction, EIABC

 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Objective: after completing this chapter the student should
able to:
i. Understand the definition and role of transport.
ii. Identify the various modes of transport and describe
the comparative advantages and limitations.
iii. Understand transportation system components
(physical elements) for each type of mode.
iv. Appreciate the history of railway transport in the
world and specifically in Ethiopia.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Definition
• Transport or transportation is the movement of people and
goods from one location to another for some purpose.
• It is the translocation of an object in a physical space and
time.
• Modes of Transport:
• Land (Road and Rail)
• Air Transport
• Water Transport
• Cable Transport
• Pipeline and Space
CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

Transportation Engineering:
The branch of Civil Engineering which applies technology,
science, and human factors to the Planning, Design,
Construction, Traffic Operations and Management and
maintenance of roads, streets, bikeways, highways, railways
and their networks, terminals, and abutting lands”.

The objective is to provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable,

efficient, convenient, and environmentally compatible
movement of people, goods, and services.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Transportation Engineering is one of a specialty area of
Civil Engineering concerned on Planning, Design,
Construction, Traffic Operations and Managements, and
Maintenance of Transport Systems.
• Areas of Transportation Engineering:
Transportation Planning
Traffic Operations (signs, signals,..)
Roadway Geometric Design
Pavement Engineering
Railway Engineering
Design and Planning of Airports
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
I. Planning
• Transportation planning deals with the selection of
projects for design and construction.
• The transportation planner begins by defining the
problem, gathering and analyzing data and evaluating
various alternative solutions.
• Also involved in the process of forecasting future traffic,
estimate impact of the facility on land use, the
environment, and the community and determination of the
benefits and cost that will result if the project is built.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

Activities in transport planning:

1. Identify problems, gather and analyze data.
2. Forecast future traffic demands and estimate the
environmental and social impacts.
3. Evaluate alternatives and determine the alternative
that meet the requirements and constraints of the
problem at the lowest cost.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
II. Design
• Transportation design involves the specification of all
features of the transportation system so that it will function
smoothly and efficiently.
• Transportation Design involves:-
• the selection of dimension for all geometric features, such as
Longitudinal Profile and Vertical Curve and Elevation.
• route cross-section like, pavement width, shoulders, drainage
ditches, and fencing.
• the design of pavement, rails, airports, etc.
• provision for traffic control device, road side area and land
escapes.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

III. Construction
• Transportation construction is closely related to design and
involves all aspects of the construction process such as:
• clearing the native soil
• excavation and embankment
• preparation of the surface
• placement of the pavement material, and
• preparation of the final rout for use by traffic
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
IV. Traffic Operation and Management
• Involves the integration of vehicles, driver, pedestrian, and
road characteristics to improve the safety and capacity of
the streets and highways.
• Among the elements of concern are:-
• traffic accident analyses
• parking
• loading and unloading
• design of terminal facilities
• markings
• traffic sign and signals
• speed regulation
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
V. Maintenance
• Involves all the work necessary to ensure the system is
kept in proper working order. Such as:
• Pavement patching and Over lay (highway).
• Rail joint maintenance, rail deviation correction.
• Redesign of existing structure, etc.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Role of Transport
• Makes available raw materials to manufacturers or
producers.
• Makes available goods to customers.
• Enhances standard of living.
• Helps during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Helps in creation of employment (maintenance, operator,
etc.).
• Helps in labor mobility.
• Helps in bringing nations together.
• Balance between supply and demand.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Modes of Transport
• The transport of a person or cargo/freight may be by one or
more modes of transport (Multi- Modal).
• e.g. Foot---Road --- Rail --- Air --- Water
• The different modes of transport are:
• Human Powered Transport
• Animal Powered Transport
• Water Transport/ Navigation
• Railway Transport
• Road Transport
• Air Transport
 Modes of Transport

15
 Modes of Transport

16
 Unsafe Transport systems

17 Jun 22, 2024

 320 km/h 300 km/h 230 km/h

TGV Duplex (France) AVE (Spain) New Pendolino (Italy)

200 km/h 300 km/h

Virgin West Coast Pendolino (UK) KTX (South Korea)

18
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Human-Powered Transport
• It is the transport of person and/or
goods using human muscle-power.
• The form are walking, running, cycling,
swimming, etc.
• Reasons may be no access of other
mode, cost-saving, leisure (relaxation),
physical exercise and
environmentalism.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Animal-Powered Transport
• It is the use of working animals for the movement of people
and goods (now seen in developing countries).
• Forms of usage:
• directly riding some of the animals.
• use as pack animals for carrying goods.
• harness them, alone or in teams to pull (drawing) wheeled
vehicles/ carts.
• Advantages with respect to man-powered are in their speed,
endurance and carrying capacity.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Water Transport
• Water Transport is the primary means of international
transport /shipping/, movement of goods and commodities
between countries separated by oceans for most products.
• It is very low-cost form of transport to heavy and bulk items
of non-perishable goods such as raw materials, construction
materials, minerals, ores, grains and fertilizer, chemicals,
and petroleum products.
• Slow speed transportation mode.
CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Advantages of Water Transport
• It is a relatively economical mode of transport for bulky and
heavy goods.
• It is a safe mode of transport with respect to occurrence of
accidents.
• The cost of maintaining and constructing routes is very low
as most of them are naturally made.
• It promotes international trade.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Limitations of Water Transport
• The depth and navigability of rivers and canals vary and thus,
affect operations of different transport vessels.
• It is a slow moving mode of transport and therefore not
suitable for transport of perishable goods.
• It is adversely affected by weather conditions.
• Sea transport requires large investment on ships and their
maintenance.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Road Transport
• A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two
or more places.
• It is a flexible and versatile mode of transport
(flexible because it offers point to point service
between any origin-destination; versatile because it can
transport products of varying size and weight -
containers).
• It provides fast and reliable service.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

Road Transportation System

 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Advantages of Road transport
• It is a relatively cheaper mode of transport as compared to
other modes.
• Perishable goods can be transported at a faster speed by road
carriers over a short distance.
• It is a flexible mode of transport as loading and unloading is
possible at any destination. It provides door-to-door service.
• It helps people to travel and carry goods from one place to
another, in places which are not connected by other means of
transport like hilly areas.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Limitations of Road transport

• Due to limited carrying capacity, road transport is not
economical for long distance transportation of goods.
• Transportation of heavy goods or goods in bulk by road
involves high cost.
• It is affected by adverse weather conditions. floods, rain,
landslide, etc., sometimes create obstructions to road
transport.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Railway Transport
• Railroads are cost-effective for transporting high-density
and bulk products such as raw materials, coal, minerals, and
ores over long distances.
• May be LRT [Urban] or conventional railway [Rural].
• The locomotive can be powered by steam, diesel or by
electricity.
• Very high investment cost.
• Advantages are low service cost, environmental friendly,
high capacity.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Advantages of Rail Transport

• It is a convenient mode of transport for travelling long
distances.
• It is relatively faster than road transport.
• It is suitable for carrying heavy goods in large quantities
over long distances.
• Its operation is less affected by adverse weather conditions
like rain, floods, fog, etc.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Limitations of Railway Transport

• It is relatively expensive for carrying goods and passengers
over short distances.
• It is not available in remote parts of the country
• It provides service according to fixed time schedule and is
not flexible for loading or unloading of goods at any place.
• It involves heavy losses of life as well as goods in case of
accident.
CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Air Transport
• It is the quickest and expensive
mode of transporting people and
limited amounts of cargo over
longer distances.
• Usually handle high value products
(pharmaceuticals, high technology
products, and consumer
electronics).
• It provides frequent and reliable
service and rapid time-in-transit.

Boeing 777
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Advantages of Air transport

• It is very useful in transporting goods (eg. Perishable) and
passengers to the area, which are not accessible by any other
means.
• It is the most convenient mode of transport during natural
calamities.
• It provides vital support to the national security and defense.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Limitations of air transport

• It is relatively more expensive mode of transport.
• It is not suitable for transporting heavy and bulky goods.
• It is affected by adverse weather conditions (e.g. volcanic
explosion).
• It is not suitable for short distance travel.
• In case of accidents, it results in heavy losses of goods,
property and life.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Pipeline Transport
• Common products transported by pipeline are:
• Natural gas, crude oil, petroleum products,
• Water, Chemicals, Sewage, and
• Slurry products
• Pipelines deliver products on time (controlled by computer,
minimum effect of climate change, extremely rare leakes
and breakes of pipeline).
• Once in place, pipelines have a long life and are low cost in
terms of operation, maintenance, and labor.
PIPE
 • Comparison of different modes Economic
Characteristics

Modes of Transport
Economic
characteristics
Road Rail Air Water Pipeline

Cost Moderate Low High Low Low

Point to Terminal to Terminal to Terminal to Terminal to

Market coverage
point terminal terminal terminal terminal

Degree of
Many Few Moderate Few Few
competition

Low-
moderate High value,
Predominant Low value, Low value, high
All type value, low- moderate
traffic high density density
moderate- density
high density
 • Comparison of different modes Economic
Characteristics

Modes of Transport
Service
characteristics Road Rail Air Water Pipeline
Speed (time in Moderate-
Moderate Fast Slow Slow
transit) Fast
Availability High Moderate Moderate Low Low
Consistency
Moderate Low to
(delivery time High High High
to high moderate
variability)
Low to
Loss and damage Low Moderate Low Low
moderate

Flexibility
Moderate to Low to
(adjustment to High Moderate Low
high moderate
customers)
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Physical Elements of Transport System

• Physical Infrastructure refers to the fixed parts of a
transportation system (i.e., parts that are static and do not
move). These include:
• Travel ways must be built for rail, pipeline and road but no
need for air and water transport.
• Terminals are required as fixed infrastructure for all modes.
• Stations serve only a subset of the functions served by
terminals. They are primarily points of system exit or entry.
Examples include bus and railway stations.
• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
Travel ways for road transport
• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)

Railway track structure

Station for train

• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)

• Vehicles are the elements of a transportation system that
move along the travel-way. They include automobiles,
buses, locomotives, ships, and airplanes.
• Most vehicles are self-propelled (e.g., automobiles,
locomotives, ships, and aircraft).
• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
• Physical Elements ………. (Cont’d)
• Equipment refers to physical components whose main
function is to facilitate the transportation process.
Examples include:
• snowplows,
• railroad track maintenance vehicles, and
• baggage-handling conveyor belts at airports.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

• Control involves the elements required to allocate right-

of-way. Allocating right-of-way requires air traffic
control centers, traffic signals, and travel-way signs.
• Communications systems link traffic control centers to
travel-way equipment such as variable message signs,
traffic signals, transit vehicles, air traffic controllers, and
pilots.
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
History of World Railway
 The history of railways is closely linked with civilization.
 As the necessity arose, the primitive day ways where goods
were carried as head loads or in carts drawn by men or animals
were made to replace animal power with mechanical power.
 In 1769, Nicholes Carnot, a Frenchman, carried out the
pioneering work of developing steam energy. This work had
very limited success and it was only in the year 1804 that
Richard Trevithick designed and constructed a steam
locomotive. (Railway Engineering by Satish Chandra)

49
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
This locomotive, however, could be used for traction on
roads only. The credit of perfecting the design goes to
George Stephenson, who in 1814 produced the first
steam locomotive used for traction in railways.(Railway
Engineering by Satish Chandra)

50
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
The first public railway in the world was opened to
traffic on 27 September 1825 between Stockton and
Darlington in the UK.
Simultaneously, other countries in Europe also developed
such railway systems. e.g. The first railway in Germany
was opened from Nurenberg to Furth in 1835.
USA opened its first railway line between Mohawk and
Hudson in 1833.

51
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
History of Railway in Ethiopia
The idea of constructing a railway to link the Ethiopian
capital with the coast appears to have been first conceived
by Menelik's Swiss adviser, Alfred Ilg.
After countless negotiations with French, the concession
was reached on March 9, 1894 and the plan was to build
the railway from coast, Djibouti, to Entoto via Harar and
then to the White Nile via Kaffa.

52
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

The Swiss and French Engineer jointly formed a company

in Ethiopia called Compagnie Imperiale des Chemins de
Fer Ethiopian (Imperial Ethiopian Railway) that became
operational in 1917 under a new name and status: Chemin
de Fer Franco–Ethiopien (Ethio-French Railway)
[Pankhurst, 2006; Atnaf Seged Kifle et al, 2000].

53
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
The first trains arrived at the capital, Addis Ababa, in
1917 by which date the service operated along a line of
784 kilometers.
The old
Ethio-Djibouti
Railway Line

54
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
Now Ethiopia has launched the construction of a 5,000
km railway network which aims to link the capital, Addis
Ababa, to various regions of the country and also to some
of her African neighboring countries. Which is part of the
country’s five-year transformation plan [ERC, 2011].

55
 CHAPTER 1: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

The new Addis-Djibouti line which is one of the

transformation plan is now finished.
It was built between 2011 and 2016 by the China
Railway group and the China Civil Engineering
Construction Corporation. Financing for the new line was
provided by the Exim Bank of China, the
China Development Bank, and the
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. A total of
around US$4 billion was invested into the railway.
Trial service began in October 2016, and regular services
begun as of 2017.

56
THANK YOU