Railway engineering

Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of railway systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and production engineering. A great many other engineering sub-disciplines are also called upon.

History
With the advent of the railways in the early nineteenth century, a need arose for a specialized group of engineers capable of dealing with the unique problems associated with Railway engineering. As the railways expanded and became a major economic force, a great many engineers became involved in the field, probably the most notable in Britain being Richard Trevithick, George Stephenson and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Today, railway systems engineering continues to be a vibrant field of engineering, with many major projects such as the Channel Tunnel in progress.

Subfields

 * Mechanical engineering
 * Command, control & railway signalling
 * Office systems design
 * Data center design
 * SCADA
 * Network design
 * Electrical engineering
 * Energy electrification
 * Third rail
 * Overhead contact system
 * Civil engineering
 * Permanent way engineering


 * Light rail systems
 * On-track plant
 * Rail systems integration
 * Train control systems
 * Cab signalling
 * Railway vehicle engineering
 * Rolling resistance
 * Curve resistance
 * Wheel–rail interface
 * Hunting oscillation
 * Railway systems engineering
 * Railway signalling
 * Fare collection
 * CCTV
 * Public address
 * Intrusion detection
 * Access control
 * Systems integration

Professional organizations
In the UK: The Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

In the US The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA)

Worldwide The Institute of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE)