Railway Transport

The objective of this paper is to propose an analog circuit based design to control suicides in Indian metro railways. The proposed design is cheap, flexible and reliable. A laser beam is used to detect people jumping on the track which is connected to a light dependent resistor to send signal to control room of the station and the train arriving on that platform. Simple encoded transmitter and receiver are used to design the system. The design not only deals with stopping the train in such cases but also catching the people on an automatic driven mechanical tray.

"En este trabajo se presenta el resulado del análisis de datos de vibracionesinducidas por la propagación de ondas originadas por el paso de trenes, metroy tranvía. Dichos datos han sido tomados con aelerómetros de fibra optica,dentro del marco del proyecto de investigación TRAVIESA (Transmisión de Vibraciones del ferrocarril urbano al entorno: Estrategias, Tecnologías y materialespara su atenuación) financiado por el CDTI y el Ministerio De Cienciae Innovación del Gobierno de España. La metodología desarrollada permite caracterizar el nivel de las vibraciones que afectan a los diferentes elementos dela infraestructura ferroviaria y los edificios cercanos. La tecnología de los acelerómetroses la fibra óptica y las mediciones fueron realizadas por el InstitutoTecnológico de Óptica, Color e Imagen (AIDO)"

Maputo is growing by a 4% annual rate. That is 50% in ten years from 1997 to 2007. With an actual population now close to 2 million inhabitants we must plan for a 4 million population in a short time and a 8 million in the long term.

This urbanization process is consistent with the low urbanized rate of the country (30%) but a rapid economic development (Annual +7% GDP) from a low GDP per Capita (600 USD). A more equilibrate urbanization has to be achieved among the secondary urban areas of the country. Specially in an elongated country (2.750 km long) with an eccentric capital location (a port related to strategic maritime routes around Good Hope Cape)

Meanwhile Maputo has to be prepared to house such large growth. Orbital Radial system cannot adequately respond. However Chinese eagerness to provide finance and build road infrastructures is not enough to provide for that sustainable future. A rational long-term vision must be provided and short term/sight infrastructure can harm, rather that benefit the metropolitan and national development.

Rail commuter is to be praised compared to many other African capitals. Frequency can be improved to build up a transit oriented development metropolis. Centralities have to be established in coordination with Land Use policies and management capacity: Economic activities, Social facilities and Housing density essential part of those centralities. We will have then Maputo… on tracks.

Addis Ababa is promoting its master Plan to be finalized in December 2013. The strong investments in Public Transport Infrastructure (LRT and BRT) need to be complemented in the long term with a truly 'Metropolitan' Mass Transit mode like the Commuter Train or Metro. A World Class Metropolis as Addis Ababa can not only rely on urban modes as the BRT and LRT. It needs a Metro, and the tracks of that Metro are there.

Addis has to understand it's structure. The star shape proposal of the 2001 Plan is today obsolete. The North Mountains to be protected provide Addis with a ‘T’ structure instead of a ‘Star’ shape. This feature has a secondary important effect. It takes Addis away from a radial-orbital to a linear-reticular one. Transport planners have understood that. Physical Planners have to become aware of it and plan Addis accordingly.

This Diagram of Addis, Metropolitan 'smilies' approach presented in this heading, provides the clues to understand the ‘meta’ structure of Addis and thus the simple growth decisions that derive from it. That is the essence of the Coup d'Oeil (Clausewitz) in Metropolitan Planning.

We have attached a file to this entry of just images. No words. Food for thought. For those who know Addis and understand planning could be enough to spring a discussion: Structuring axis? New Centralities? Growth areas? Integrated transport systems? Housing developments? Productive-activities strategy? All hints within the slides.