This article presents a process of developing operational reliability based on damage occurring during operation. A programme operating on the basis of the artificial neural network method was used to determine the probability of damage to selected engine elements. The results calculated in this way may serve as feedback information for the design process, enabling continuous improvement in the quality of the product, i.e. the automobile combustion engine. Factors taken into consideration during artificial neural network construction, the number of inputs and outputs resulting from the number of variables, and the learning algorithm were described.

This paper presents an FMEA analysis of turbochargers for combustion engines by the use of the similarity method and dependency diagrams. Typical functions of selected components of turbochargers were defined and the dependency between them identified. Potential failures that may appear during operation have also been defined. Using the principle of similarity, potential failures have been defined and classified.

Railway transport capacities all over the world have been growing, a phenomenon which is accompanied by the requirement to increase axle loads of freight rolling stock. Apart from new wheel designs for higher axle loads, the requirements of their safety and reliability have also been growing, since these wheels are often used in extreme climactic conditions. Cruising speeds of passenger trains been increasing, which likewise brings more stringent requirements concerning the quality and safety of the supplied railway wheels. This paper describes methods of evaluating fatigue strength of railway wheel webs and methods of evaluating the quality of machined railway wheel webs. Results of fatigue tests performed on wheels machined in a standard way are compared with wheels which have been treated by shot peening, a treatment frequently used to increase the fatigue strength of wheel webs of the railway wheelset.

The article presents the issue of electric shock safety in automotive electrical systems, discussed from two different points of view, that is the point of view of a user and the point of view of the garage personnel. The authors also review the requirements posed by the norms that are in force in this area, and discuss the problems concerning the levels of the applied and the generated voltage, which are presented with reference to typical 14 V and 28 V automotive electrical systems, 42 V systems, and the systems used in hybrid and electric cars.

The algorithm of transient process control in electrohydromechanical united regulator of locomotive diesel generator and in microprocessor system of adjusting diesel crankshaft rotation frequency and power of traction generator ERChM30T is observed. The new definition of speed restrictive performance of transient process is given as well as methods of its determination and representation in microprocessor system.

This article presents brief characteristics of rail vehicles modernised or produced by NEWAG S.A. The article discusses currently produced and modernised Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) as well as diesel locomotives undergoing a modernisation process. Based on the presented characteristics, the rail vehicle modernisation and construction process trends prevailing in the contemporary railway market were brought closer to the reader.

This article raises the question of the optimal choice based on time, cost and safety, of road cargo routes between Poland and Russia. The analysis includes twelve routes running through Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine depending on the estimated costs and travel time. To choose the optimal route, AHP method was used. The article also addresses the issues of safety and liability of the carrier.

This article describes the current situation in the area of European road safety and draws attention to the adverse developments in several Central European countries. It presents the approach of the international project SOL in relation to strengthening road safety management capacity in the region of Central Europe. It underlines the added value of networking and contains recommendations for building multi-stakeholder partnerships for road safety at national, regional and community levels. It also provides a resume of stakeholder assessment undertaken in Zilina region.

The article presents an attempt to use synthetic and partial qualitative criteria to analyse the qualitative workings of railway transport enterprises providing passenger transport on the Kraków–Katowice route. Both cities are capitals of the largest industrial, scientific, cultural, touristic and trade centres in the south of Poland. They are placed a small distance from each other, and thanks to a well developed road and railway net, a quick journey between those cities is theoretically possible.

This article presents a proposal for applying neural networks to control road traffic. The proposed solution makes it possible to determine durations of traffic signals at intersections so that the waiting time for transit is as short as possible. The variability of traffic intensity on all access roads and between analysed intersections was taken into account. The developed concept was compared with a method of determining the durations of lights based on the coefficient of intersection readiness, and the feasibility for practical applications of the method was assessed.

The effectiveness of East-West rail transportation systems significantly depends on the track gauge change from 1435 mm to 1520 mm, which requires complicated handling-shifting operations. Comparative analysis of hazardous materials transport, among others using SUW 2000 system of self-adjusted wheel-sets, was based on the established effectiveness model (LCC analysis). The analysis pointed out both economic effects and the application’s restrictions in assumed and presented variants.

The purpose of this article is to propose the concept of an integrated system-wide approach to the management of urban freight transport. This work also addresses the aspects of environmental and social impacts from the road freight transport in a confrontation with modern and eco-efficient solutions in this area taken in cities areas the world.