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Discover the science and complexity of railway systems, including how their efficiency depends on the alignment of all their components.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your train on the right platform at the scheduled time every day?
Journey with us into the world of rail - a complex system that connects people, cities and countries.
Railway systems entail much more than a train and a track. They are based on advanced technical and operational solutions, dealing with continuously changing demands for more efficient transport for both passengers and freight every day. Each system consists of many components that must be properly integrated: from trains, tracks, stations, signaling and control systems, through monitoring, maintenance and the impact on cities, landscape and people. This integration is the big challenge and the source of many train delays, inconvenient connections and other issues that impact our society.
This engineering course attempts to tackle those issues by introducing you to a holistic approach to railway systems engineering. You will learn how the system components depend on each other to create a reliable, efficient and state-of-the-art network.
We will address questions such as:
A new serious game has been designed for this course to guide you through the process of decision making while building a rail network and maintaining it. Cities have to be connected in an ever-changing setting, dealing with wear, capacity, developments and disturbances. How will your choices affect the performance of the system?
This first ever MOOC on railway systems engineering is delivered by the renowned experts of TU Delft and leading professionals working in the industry. It combines theoretical knowledge with practical examples, with the main objective to maintain a high degree of reliability under predictable and unknown circumstances.
If you want to learn about the science behind the exciting world of railway systems - whether train, metro or tram - this course will set you on the right track!
This course is offered twice a year, usually starting in April and October.
“Since many of my current activities focus on the risks associated with the track, I wanted more background information about rail in the broadest sense to better understand the problems with the track. The course is well prepared in terms of interaction with teachers and fellow participants, and it is designed in a way that it is just fun to go through. A must for anyone who wants to learn more about railways.” – Edwin Pirson (Civil Servant/Policy Officer – The Netherlands)
“I like to keep myself up to date so it was great to find the railway engineering courses offered by TU Delft as they are not available in my country. I thoroughly enjoyed the online learning experience and the flexibility to be able to study while working full time. The content was practical and the interaction with peers from all over the world was invaluable in terms of looking at concepts from various perspectives.” – Khalid Saleem (Senior Engineering Manager – Australia)
“I was interested in knowledge acquisition and sharing through this course. It had a significant effect on my daily work and in my decision making. This world class course was very rewarding, and I recommend it to anyone interested in railway engineering and managerial fields who might benefit from this course.” – Tarek Mohammad Shams Tushar (Divisional Railway Manager – Bangladesh)
