Course syllabus for Transport infrastructure design and planning

Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameDesign och planering av transportinfrastruktur
  • CodeACE640
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPIEE
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 27130
  • Minimum participants8
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0125 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Bachelor degree in Civil, Transport, Environmental Engineering or equivalent.

Aim

The course aims to teach concepts and key knowledge in transport infrastructure design and planning including urban public transport infrastructure and road pavement. This consists of education and knowledge about the process, commonly used methods and practice of designing urban public transport infrastructure (i.e., station and route network), and road infrastructure (e.g. pavement). The overall aim is that students learn, understand and know how to design transport infrastructure satisfying regulatory standards in an efficient and sustainable way. 

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

1. Understand the concepts and process of urban public transport infrastructure and road pavement design.
2. Understand and apply theoretical and computational methods for solving real-world problems:
a) Know the principles and process of urban public transport infrastructure design and planning
b) Understand and apply the procedure and models of urban public transport demand estimation
c) Understand and apply design and optimization methods of urban public transport infrastructure
d) Understand cost-benefit analysis of urban public transport infrastructure
e) Understand the standards, criteria and processes of road pavement design
f) Understand the influencing factors of road pavement performance and their effects
g) Understand and apply methods for estimating longitudinal and lateral vehicle dynamic loads based on traffic volume
h) Know and apply methods of designing asphalt road pavement according to traffic flow and environment
3. Apply and evaluate transport infrastructure design and planning processes and methods into practical real-world examples.
4. Understand and evaluate the potential career paths in transportation engineering field.

Content

The course includes knowledge, key methods and practice about urban public transport and road pavement infrastructure design and planning. The following contents will be covered: (1) basic concepts and methods related to urban public transport design and planning including demand estimation, station deployment and network design, (2) evaluation and assessment of urban public transport systems, (3) key concepts, criterion and theories related to road pavement design, (4) modeling and design methods of asphalt road pavements, and (5) applications of design methods in practical case studies. 

Organisation

The course will contain two modules. The first module will teach urban public transport station planning, route network design and system assessment. Concepts, processes and models for key steps in urban public transport design and assessment will be taught. The second module will teach the design of road pavement structure, materials and layout. The second module will include an introduction of pavement structure and design criterion, continue with the influencing factors on road pavement performances and design methods for asphalt road pavement. In both modules, the teaching is based on lectures, exercises and project work in groups.

Literature

White, Peter R. Public transport: its planning, management and operation. Routledge, 2016.
Daganzo, Carlos F., and Yanfeng Ouyang. Public transportation systems: Principles of system design, operations planning and real-time control. 2019.
AASHTO, Guide. "Guide for design of pavement structures." American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC (1993).
Thom, Nick. Principles of pavement engineering. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024.

Examination including compulsory elements

Course examination consists of project assignment, participation in compulsory exercises and a written exam.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.