1.1 An Integrated Approach
The first hour focuses on the interactions between the essential elements of railways by introducing the Cascade model. Integration is needed in the operations of infrastructure, rolling stock and staff, which all have different values. Now that you have discovered the railway markets and stakeholders, we will discuss the challenges and advantages of railway transport.
1.2 Stakeholders
Railway systems require the collaboration of many actors and stakeholders. This section dives deeper into which stakeholders are relevant for railway systems and what their needs and wishes are. Namely, the interests of the traveller, internal stakeholders and the governments will be discussed. This will be done through, for example, a video from the perspective of a selected expert in the field.
1.3 Freight Traffic
In the third hour, the focus will be on freight traffic. After an introduction, we will continue with the logistic chain of rail freight transport. Different kinds of freight trains will be named along with the advantages and disadvantages of each freight train. In addition, the organizations that are needed for freight traffic, and their roles will be discussed. With the information provided, you will learn how to create the most efficient and sustainable transportation plan in an entire network of different modes and routes.
1.4 Passenger Traffic
In most countries, the majority of train transportation operates to move passengers. In this section, you will learn what stages can be identified during the journey of a passenger and which variables contribute to the demands of passengers. Customer satisfaction is an important but complex variable in railway systems. Passenger demands are present in each stage, giving 7 basic needs of customers.
1.5 Forms of Governance
In the last hour of the week, more background on governance is given in the context of decision-making between various stakeholders. Literature makes a distinction between three different forms: markets, hierarchy, and networks. The processes and interaction between those will be given to provide some main guidelines.
