Railway rolling stock (locomotives, carriages, and train units) is oneof the most significant cost sources for operatorsof passenger trains,both public and private. Rolling stock costsare due to materialacquisition, power supply, and material maintenance. The efficientcirculation of rolling...

For a commercially operating railway company, providing a high level of service for the passengers is of utmost importance. The latter requires a high punctuality of the trains and an adequate rolling stock capacity. Unfortunately, the latter is currently (2002) one of the bottlenecks in the...