Skip to main content
Till KTH:s startsida

AH2038 Railway Planning and Operations, project course 7.5 credits

The project course is a course for you who want to immerse yourself in the planning of railways and train traffic, metro or light rail. Depending on the group's interest, a larger project is carried out which may include physical planning from a sustainability perspective, technical concepts, finance and implementation issues. The course is also a good preparatory course for a degree project at advanced level.

Information per course offering

Termin

Information for Autumn 2025 Start 25 Aug 2025 programme students

Course location

KTH Campus

Duration
25 Aug 2025 - 12 Jan 2026
Periods

Autumn 2025: P1 (3 hp), P2 (4.5 hp)

Pace of study

25%

Application code

50038

Form of study

Normal Daytime

Language of instruction

English

Number of places

6 - 16

Target group
No information inserted
Planned modular schedule
[object Object]
Part of programme
No information inserted

Contact

Examiner
No information inserted
Course coordinator
No information inserted
Teachers
No information inserted

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus AH2038 (Autumn 2024–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus AH2038 (Autumn 2024–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

The course includes the planning and implementation of an investigation project. Depending on the students' interests and in consultation with the course management, several of the following subject areas are chosen for a suitable project scope:

  • Development of new railways and studies of physical locations in the planning stages of feasibility studies and railway plans, to understand the process from idea to finished railway
  • Demand calculations for passenger and freight transport with railways and other transport modes.
  • Comparisons between different forecast scenarios, the model's input data requirements, and reliability
  • Economic analysis of different traffic layouts and demand with passenger and/or freight traffic on a future planned railway, subway or light rail, and sensitivity analysis of various designs of vehicle performance and timetables
  • Design of the physical track, its foundation and technical works, track and station/yard design and other technical systems such as electricity, signal and telecommunication facilities
  • Investigation of travellers' values of their journey and their opinions of different designs of the supply of train services
  • Logistics arrangements for freight with intermodal solutions where rail transport is a part
  • Timetable and capacity analysis, including punctuality, of efficient train traffic by studying combinations of commuter trains, regional trains, long-distance trains and freight trains with different combinations of stops, skip-stops and train changes
  • Environmental consequences for both railway construction and train operation
  • Analysis of and proposals for the framework for maintenance of facilities, taking into account economics, traffic disruptions and effects on the demand.

Intended learning outcomes

The course aims to provide in-depth knowledge of the construction of a railway system for passenger and freight transport. By choosing a project topic, the student can profile themselves in various aspects of the railway system, such as forecasting, traffic control, traffic analysis, economics, or train traffic planning. A learning objective is also to practice project work in a group.

After completing the course, the student should have achieved the four intended learning outcomes:

  • Organise project work in groups
  • Identify an aim and a target group, and design the report as a basis for decision-making for the target group
  • Choose, delimit and write about a topic suitable for group work within the planning of railways and train traffic, metro or light rail
  • Be able to analyse and draw conclusions from the analysis that are put into context – understanding in context.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

Degree of Bachelor or 180 higher education credits including at least 60 higher education credits in mathematics, physics, statistics or computer science

English B/6

Knowledge of planning of railway systems and train operations with course(s) at university level, as AH2036 Train traffic planning (7.5 higher education credits), SD2307 Track vehicle technology (7.5 higher education credits) or an equivalent discipline.

Literature

You can find information about course literature either in the course memo for the course offering or in the course room in Canvas.

Examination and completion

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • PRO1 - Project assignment, 7.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Other requirements for final grade

Compulsory attendance when planning the group task and at reporting (seminar).

Project participants who do not have contributed to the work of the group according to expectations from other group members and examiner need to be re-examined to pass.

Examiner

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

Main field of study

The Built Environment

Education cycle

Second cycle