Interface management is the process of managing communications, responsibilities and coordination of project parties, phases or physical entities which are dependent on one another. Interface management is a crucial part of managing any construction project – but particularly important for high-speed railway projects that often have several contractual parties and stakeholders, very long project timelines and huge upfront cost overlays. This paper discusses how various project interfaces were managed during the design and construction of the civil engineering infrastructure for the High Speed Two (HS2) project in the United Kingdom.

The paper uses the case study methodology. Key interfaces on the HS2 project are grouped into various categories and the paper discusses how they were managed within the Area North Integrated Project Team (IPT) of the HS2 project made up of contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), the Mott MacDonald SYSTRA Design Joint Venture (DJV) and client HS2 Ltd. 3 different case studies drawn from across the IPT are used, each of them highlighting different interfaces and how these interfaces were managed.

The paper shows how innovative technical designs and modern methods of construction were used to address some of the unique and peculiar challenges of designing a brand-new railway in the United Kingdom. Addressing the contrasting and often competing requirements of different stakeholders, coupled with challenging physical constraints of the very limited land available for the project and the use of a rarely used Act of Parliament in the delivery of the project required different approach to interface management. Collaboration and proactive stakeholder engagement are necessary for successful interface management on megaprojects. The authors posit that adopting an integrated approach to engineering and construction management is an essential ingredient for the successful delivery of high-speed railway projects.

With many high-speed railway projects around the world coming up in the next few years, understanding the context and challenges for each country will help engineering and design managers adopt appropriate approaches for their projects. The lessons learned on the HS2 project are also transferable to other mega infrastructure projects with complex project interfaces.

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the Brazilian freight railway system, examining the efficacy of the current concession renewal model in light of persistent structural problems such as market concentration, cargo dependence on export commodities and underutilization of the network. Situating Brazil within the broader international debate on railway reforms, the paper evaluates whether the ongoing early renewal of concessions can deliver a more diversified and competitive freight system.

The study adopts a sequential mixed-methods research design that integrates longitudinal quantitative analysis with qualitative institutional and policy evaluation. The quantitative component examines time-series indicators published by ANTT, DNIT and INFRA S.A. from 1999 to 2023 to identify structural patterns in traffic growth, investment, safety and market concentration. The qualitative component employs a process-tracing logic to reconstruct the evolution of concession renewals and the implementation of Railway Law 14.273/2021, drawing on concepts from regulatory economics, institutional theory and industrial organization. These empirical streams are synthesized through an analytical framework that connects three dimensions - regulatory design, market structure and system performance - allowing for a systematic assessment of how Brazil’s institutional configuration shapes incentives, competitive dynamics and network utilization.

The analysis confirms that the early renewal of concessions has successfully secured substantial private investment for capacity expansion on existing trunk lines. However, it has perpetuated the vertically integrated model, reinforcing the market power of incumbent operators and failing to significantly promote intramodal competition or cargo diversification. The system remains dominated by iron ore and agricultural commodities, with general cargo representing a minuscule share. The new authorization regime and short-line railway policies present a viable pathway for market opening but face significant operational and institutional barriers to implementation.

This research offers a timely and critical assessment of a pivotal moment in Brazilian railway policy. It moves beyond a simplistic evaluation of volume growth to a structural analysis of market failures and the interplay between concession renewal and regulatory innovation. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers in Brazil and other emerging economies seeking to balance private investment with public interest goals in railway infrastructure, highlighting the necessity of complementary, pro-competitive measures alongside financial investment.

The utilization of alkali-free accelerators, primarily based on aluminum sulfate, in shotcrete often leads to significant shrinkage and cracking, jeopardizing long-term durability. This study aims to mitigate this issue by investigating the efficacy of silica fume (SF) and fly ash (FA), individually and combined, in controlling the shrinkage deformation of shotcrete.

Shotcrete mixtures were prepared with cement partially replaced by SF, FA, or their combination (SF-FA). Aluminum sulfate was used as an accelerator. The shrinkage behavior under sealed and dry conditions was monitored. The underlying mechanisms were elucidated through hardened airvoid analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and internal humidity tracking.

Contrary to some previous studies, both individual and combined incorporation of mineral admixtures reduced the 28-day shrinkage. The SF-FA composite exhibited the most substantial reduction (23.72% sealed, 17.76% dry), followed by SF alone (18.11% sealed) and FA alone (11.35% sealed). Mechanism analysis revealed that the admixtures refined the pore structure, reduced the volume of harmful pores, and, crucially, optimized the air-void system by increasing the population of fine bubbles. This created an internal buffering effect that alleviates capillary stress. The synergistic effect in the SF-FA group is attributed to complementary pore-filling at dual scales.

This work demonstrates that, within an aluminum sulfate-accelerated shotcrete system, silica fume can effectively reduce shrinkage when its pore-refining effect is counterbalanced by a well-optimized micro-bubble network. It provides the first comprehensive evidence of the synergistic shrinkage-reducing mechanism of SF and FA in such systems, offering a practical strategy for mix design optimization to enhance the volume stability of shotcrete.

Association of American railroads (AAR) standard automatic couplers are designed for much higher capacity than the normal operating loads. However, failure of knuckles and coupler bodies is still a common occurrence. Recent studies have shown that fatigue is the main reason behind such failures below the expected load. Moreover, knuckle failures occur more frequently than coupler body failures, which cause operational disruptions and also influence overall coupler life because of nonconforming contact between a new knuckle and an old coupler. In addition to new and old counterparts, undesired contact conditions are often the case with the new assembly due to casting-based manufacturing inaccuracies.

A study is thus carried out in this paper to understand the variation of load transfer paths and its consequences caused by dimensional variability. A finite element model of an E-type coupler’s knuckle is developed and different possible contact conditions of the knuckle with the coupler head are simulated. Knuckles generally fail in pulling mode, during which the possible contacting elements of knuckle are pulling lugs, pin protector regions and pinholes. Due to dimensional variability, contact conditions may exist where an individual or a combination of these elements are in contact.

Simulation results indicate that under regular operational conditions, having only the pulling lugs in contact reduces the risk of knuckle failure and maintains assembly integrity even if the knuckle fails. However, under extreme loading conditions, the safest scenario is when both pulling lugs and pin protector regions are in contact.

These findings are believed to assist in defining the dimensional variability limits to ensure the desired contacts between the mating surfaces of the knuckle and coupler body of railway couplers of AAR type. This work contributes to understanding implications of dimensional variability in the railway couplers. The insight presented are useful in design, manufacturing and maintenance of railway coupler’s knuckle.

With the deepening integration of rail transit systems–encompassing urban rail, regional railways, trunk lines and medium-low capacity transportation–the four-network integration imposes higher demands on operation and maintenance systems regarding cross-modal coordination, full-element interconnectivity and dynamic responsiveness.

This paper, based on policy directives and engineering practices, analyzes the operational maintenance characteristics of urban rail traction systems from perspectives including device interconnectivity and fault data mining. A non-intrusive high-frequency diagnostic device independent of vehicle control is proposed, informed by practical onboard operation experience. This innovation significantly enhances diagnostic accuracy for components requiring high sampling frequency, while integrating “Flash” storage with far greater capacity than conventional control chips.

This article will systematically introduces the key points and diagnostic methods for typical faults in urban rail traction systems. Through rational diagnostic algorithms combined with high-precision, high-storage diagnostic instrumentation, the overall safety and reliability of urban rail traction systems have been improved. The proposed non-intrusive high-frequency diagnostic solution has been validated across multiple rail lines.

This paper introduces an innovative non-intrusive diagnostic device with a dual-channel design for multi-system compatibility and a high-speed acquisition architecture enabling 400 kHz sampling. Its originality stems from the independent, high-fidelity capture of microsecond-level transient faults like IGBT shoot-through and pantograph arcing; Validated in operational environments, this approach provides a significant leap in diagnostic precision, directly enhancing traction system availability and operational safety by enabling precise fault localization and intelligent, adaptive protection strategies.

This study investigates the impact of flagship trains on high-speed railway capacity utilization and develops a brand value-oriented optimization framework that balances service quality enhancement with operational efficiency.

A mathematical optimization model based on integer programming is developed, incorporating flagship train constraints into capacity optimization. Case studies compare scenarios with and without flagship train considerations using the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway data across 20 experimental groups.

Operating flagship trains with hourly departure constraints results in an average decrease of 0.9 trains and an 8.4% reduction in capacity utilization rate. When scheduling 2 flagship trains within a 2-h timeframe, capacity utilization decreases from 86.43% to 83.73%, quantifying the trade-off between brand positioning and operational capacity.

This research provides the first quantitative framework for brand value-oriented railway capacity optimization, establishing clear definitions for flagship trains and mathematical foundations for evaluating service quality versus efficiency trade-offs. The findings offer practical decision support for railway operators balancing competitive positioning with capacity maximization.

This study explores how managerial leadership and organizational innovation interact to enhance resilience and risk management in railway supply chains and how these capabilities contribute to sustained competitive advantage. It emphasizes the strategic importance of resilience in railway systems that face operational complexity, regulatory pressures and increasing exposure to systemic risks.

A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating survey data from 186 railway organizations with six case studies involving railway operators, rolling stock manufacturers and supply chain partners across multiple regions. Constructs were measured using validated scales and hypothesized relationships were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Case study interviews were analyzed thematically to provide contextual understanding of leadership practices and innovation strategies.

The results confirm that transformational managerial leadership significantly predicts innovation adoption, which in turn strengthens resilience and risk management capabilities. Resilience emerged as a powerful driver of competitive advantage, reinforcing its role as a strategic capability rather than a reactive response to disruptions. Furthermore, innovation was shown to partially mediate the relationship between leadership and resilience, highlighting its function as the operational channel through which vision translates into capability.

This study contributes to the literature by integrating the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities (DC) framework into the context of railway supply chains. It is among the first to empirically validate the mediating role of innovation between leadership and resilience, offering both theoretical advancements and actionable strategies for building resilient and competitive railway systems.

Amidst an increasingly severe cybersecurity landscape, the widespread adoption of Xinchuang endpoints has become a strategic imperative. Governments and enterprises have established terminal localization as a critical objective, aiming for comprehensive indigenous replacement through rapid technological iteration. Consequently, Xinchuang systems and Windows platforms are expected to coexist over an extended period. This study seeks to establish an automated verification framework for multi-version operating systems and validate the efficacy of baseline hardening in mitigating security risks.

Based on the Classified Protection 2.0 framework and relevant national standards for endpoint security, this study proposes an endpoint security baseline verification scheme applicable to multiple operating systems. The scheme addresses divergent security policies and implementation methodologies across heterogeneous environments. It automates the inspection of core baselines, including account password complexity, default shared service status and patch installation status. Furthermore, a comprehensive scoring model is established by incorporating differentiated weights for account security, patch management and log auditing, ultimately generating visualized risk reports to facilitate remediation prioritization.

This study reveals that baseline configuration serves as the fundamental prerequisite in endpoint security practices. Through a scalable detection engine and quantitative scoring model, the system can promptly identify and remediate potential risks, thereby reducing the attack surface and mitigating intrusion risks. However, on certain domestic chip architectures, compatibility issues persist in detecting specific configuration items. Further improvement in hardware–software co-adaptation for domestic platforms is required to advance the development of localized security protection systems.

Through in-depth research on security baseline configurations across multiple operating systems, this study implements an automated and visualized baseline verification methodology. This approach significantly strengthens the security posture of domestic operating systems and supports the establishment of a more robust, national-level cybersecurity defense framework.