No abstract

Two-track passenger rail lines typically operate with all trains serving every station. Without additional infrastructure, transit planners have limited options to improve travel times. Service could be improved by operating a skip-stop service where trains only serve a subset of all the station stops. A skip-stop pattern must find an optimal balance between faster passenger travel times and lower service frequencies at each station. A mixed integer formulation is proposed to analyze this tradeoff; however, the mixed integer formulation could not scale efficiently to analyze a large scale commuter line. A genetic algorithm is presented to search the solution space incorporating a larger problem scope and complexity. In a case study of a Midwest commuter line, overall passenger travel time could be decreased by 9.5%. Both analyses can give insights to transit operators on how to improve their service to their customers and increase ridership.

Pulp and paper is a major impact industry, in which environmental impacts can be seen to be complex, diverse and characterised by uncertainty and interdependence. A greening process within this industry requires wide ranging environmental knowledge. Also fundamental are effective networks for information exchange and greening is therefore dependent on changes to such networks. This study investigates the issue of how greening occurs, focusing on the process at the Fletcher Challenge New Zealand integrated pulp and paper mill situated in Tasmania, Australia. It was seen that effective greening within this industry relies on information processing capabilities to access external and internal knowledge and skills, and that this is fundamentally dependent on structural arrangements. Appropriate organisational structure and external networks are therefore essential for accessing information and facilitating its dissemination and integration, thereby enhancing the firm's ability to address environmental concerns. The study highlights interaction between the formal change process, one which sought limited change, and an informal change process that continued greening the company beyond the official aims. The reasons for this are located in the power of informal information exchange.Greening, Pulp And Paper, Information, Structure, Networks,