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S.P.Blainey@soton.ac.uk

Dr Simon Blainey BA (Hons), MSc, PhD, FRGS, MCIHT, FHEA, CMILT

Associate Professor in Transportation

Dr Simon Blainey's photo

Dr Simon Blainey is an Associate Professor in Transportation within Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton.

Background:

I am an Associate Professor at the University's Transportation Research Group, with particular expertise in rail transport but with experience of work relating to all transport modes.  From an early age I have had a keen interest in all facets of transportation systems and their relationships with wider society and the physical environment.  Transport plays a crucial role in enabling and creating the complex linkages which allow our society to function, but also poses a threat to the continued existence of that society through the demands it makes on natural and human resources and the damage it causes to the environment.  Through my work at TRG I aim to make a contribution to the development of a transport network which is more sustainable, more efficient, and less costly to users, government and the environment.  This aim is central to both my research and my teaching, full details of which are provided on the relevant tabs below.

Recent tweets from Simon Blainey

  • Greater Manchester considers taking back control of bus network https://t.co/NSlnlUdByL

    @SPBTransport - Mon 24 Jun

  • Indeed: "Heathrow’s expansion plans make a mockery of the zero emissions strategy" | Caroline Lucas https://t.co/c4abUxYY1c

    @SPBTransport - Tue 18 Jun

  • RT @MAYoungUK: Here's a video demo (7 mins) of our automated demand forecasting model for new railway stations which is one of four @DAFNIf…

    @SPBTransport - Thu 13 Jun

    • Research interests

    My research interests are centred on understanding and modelling the interdependencies between transport and other human and natural systems.  I am a geographer by background and have made extensive use of geographical information systems and spatial modelling techniques in my research.  My work initially focused on rail transport, but I have subsequently carried out research relating to nearly all major transport modes. 

    I am currently a Co-Investigator on four large scale multi-institutional inter-disciplinary projects.  I am a Co-I on the EPSRC-funded Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) MISTRAL project, and am leading the development of the national transport element of the ITRC's National Infrastructure Systems Model, which is currently being used by the National Infrastructure Commission. I am also co-leading work on whole life cost and carbon modelling for railway track systems (with Prof. John Preston) as part of the EPSRC-funded Track to the Future project, having previously worked as a researcher on the earlier Track 21 project.  I am leading Southampton's input to the EPSRC-funded DICE project, which considers the relationship between data security and the rail customer experience.  I am also a Co-I on UKCRIC Strand 3, the Data Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure, which will enable unprecedented understanding of complex cities and infrastructures to inform planning, design and management.

    I have extensive experience in rail research, and am currently leading a RSSB/RRUKA-funded study on predicting and mitigating small fluctuations in station dwell times.  I have established a reputation domestically and internationally as an expert in rail demand modelling and appraisal, providing peer review and guidance to government bodies in the UK and overseas.  I have also carried out rail demand forecasting projects for clients including the Association of Train Operating Companies, the Welsh Government, the Department for Transport and Transport for London, as well as EPSRC-funded research.  This research has covered a number of different topics, focusing particularly on making use of innovative techniques such as GIS and Geographically Weighted Regression to explain and forecast the use of rail networks.

    My background in geography means that I am also interested in researching a range of issues associated with the development of a more sustainable transport system, and in the history of public transport systems.

    Research group

    Transportation Group

    Research project(s)

    Track 21 - Railway Track for the 21st Century

    Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC)

    An Integrated Appraisal Tool For Local Railway Stations

    There is a common perception (even amongst some transport professionals) that the rail network is in a state of decline, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. UK passenger rail use is currently at record levels and, despite the recent economic downturn, growth in rail travel seems likely to continue. This growth will be accentuated by the need to reduce carbon emissions to meet government targets, which will necessitate considerable mode shift from private to public transport. Expansion in capacity will be required to accommodate these additional rail passengers, and there are a large number of schemes proposed for new railway services, stations and lines. However, only limited funds are available to implement such schemes, and it is therefore important to ensure that this money goes to the projects which will deliver the greatest benefits to passengers in the most cost-effective way. In order to achieve this, a range of work has taken place at the University of Southampton Transportation Research Group to develop modelling and appraisal procedures for assessing the likely performance of schemes to improve rail services.

    Rail Capacity and Demand

    Research work in rail capacity at Southampton was initiated with the OCCASION project (2010-2012), followed-up with a Knowledge Transfer Secondment with Arup (2013-14) and continues with the DITTO project (2014-2017). Research work on rail demand forecasting at Southampton was initiated with Rail Research UK (2003-2010) and has continued with a series of grants, contracts and consultancy studies.

    An Automated Demand Forecasting Model For New Local Railway Stations

    The key objective of this project is to develop a software tool capable of providing forecasts of the demand impacts of new railway stations sited at any location in Great Britain.

    Improving Customer Experience While Ensuring Data Privacy (DICE)

    UKCRIC Strand C: Data Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure

    Predicting and mitigating small fluctuations in station dwell times

    ITRC MISTRAL – Transport Research

    Programme Lead and Admissions Tutor, MSc Transportation Planning and Engineering

    Employability Officer, Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society's Transport Geography Research Group

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    Articles

    Book

    • Mulley, C., Higginson, M., Blainey, S. P., Swallow, K., Hibbs, J., Axten, A., ... Yearsley, I. (Eds.) (Accepted/In press). Companion to road passenger transport history. Swansea, GB: Roads and Road Transport History Association.

    Book Chapters

    • Blainey, S. (2018). Passenger rail structure and reform. In J. Cowie, & S. Ison (Eds.), Handbook of Transport Economics (pp. 17-30). Abingdon: Routeledge.
    • Stanton, N., McIlroy, R. C., Harvey, C., Preston, J., Blainey, S., Hickford, A., & Ryan, B. (2017). Exploring the constraints of modal shift to rail transport. In N. A. Stanton, P. M. Salmon, G. H. Walker, & D. P. Jenkins (Eds.), Cognitive Work Analysis: Applications, Extensions and Future Directions (pp. 207-231). CRC Press.
    • Tran, M., Byers, E. A., Blainey, S. P., Baruah, P., Chaudry, M., Qadrdan, M., ... Jenkins, N. (2016). Quantifying interdependencies: the energy-transport and water-energy nexus. In J. W. Hall, M. Tran, A. J. Hickford, & R. J. Nicholls (Eds.), The Future of National Infrastructure: A System-of-Systems Approach (pp. 227-240). Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press.
    • Blainey, S. P., & Preston, J. M. (2016). Transport Systems Assessment. In J. W. Hall, M. Tran, A. J. Hickford, & R. J. Nicholls (Eds.), The Future of National Infrastructure: a System-of-Systems Approach (pp. 88-113). Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press.

    Conferences

    Report

    I am programme lead for the postgraduate MSc Transportation Planning and Engineering course, and am also involved in teaching several modules on this course and others, specifically:

    CENV 3065 Railway Engineering and Operations

    This module provides comprehensive coverage of the main features of railway engineering and operations, including topics ranging from system planning through to the impacts of noise and vibration.  I lead the module and teach sessions on rail system planning, signalling systems, station and interchange design, light rail and high speed rail.

    CENV 6001 Transport Planning: Practice

    This module covers a range of practical techniques used by transport planners.  I lead the module and teach sessions on transport planning measures, planning for pedestrians and cyclists, and transport users and user engagement.

    CENV6016 Transport Economics

    This module provides students with an understanding of economic theory as applied to transport, including demand, supply and pricing theory.  It also considers economic appraisal and evaluation methods and their application in developing and developed countries, and the links between transport and the wider economy.  I give lectures on cost benefit analysis and appraisal.

    CENV6152 Project Economics and Management. 

    This module provides a systematic understanding of how civil and environmental engineering topics work in financial, economic, social and environmental terms. I give lectures on cost benefit analysis and related techniques.

    CENV6153 Transport Modelling

    This module provides students with knowledge and experience of a range of transport modelling techniques at different scales.  I lead a lecture and practical system on the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in a transport context.

    CENV6168 Transport Management and Safety

    This model explores issues around the management of transport systems from a range of perspectives.  I lead a session on resilience engineering for transport systems.

    CENV6169 Transport Planning: Policy and Governance

    This module introduces students to a range of issues relating to transport planning, policy-making, and governance.  I lead sessions on the background to transport planning, the development of transport systems, theoretical models of transport systems and networks,  transport trends, transport policy around the world, and strategic transport planning.

    CENV6170 Logistics Systems Operations

    This module provides a comprehensive overview of the main features of logistic system operations.  I lead a session on rail freight systems.

    I am involved in supervising both undergraduate and postgraduate students on research projects relating to transport policy and planning, transport modelling, transport and land use, and rail transport.  I have supervised over 40 students in the past, with topics including (amongst others):

    • Accessibility and transport deprivation in Greater London
    • Assessing the quality of Southampton's cycle network
    • Classifying UK railway stations
    • Creating multi-attribute accessibility indices
    • Evaluating the level of service provision on the Athens Metro
    • Factors influencing local bus usage in UK provincial cities
    • Future transport scenarios for the UK
    • Impacts of transport investments on property prices
    • Long term modelling of air, road and sea transport demand and capacity
    • Quantifying the impacts of underestimating motor vehicle emissions
    • Stability of demand at new local railway stations
    • Tool design for personalised travel planning
    • Using smartcard data to analyse public transport usage in London

    I will also consider supervising postgraduate research students on topics which relate to my main research interests.  Please contact me if you would like to discuss a potential project.

    Career History:

    My career at TRG began in 2006, when I started work on a PhD on demand forecasting for new local railway stations and services.  While undertaking my PhD research I reached the final of the 2007 BA Perspectives competition, and won the 2009 Smeed Prize for the best student paper at the Universities' Transport Study Group Annual Conference.  In 2009 I was awarded an EPSRC PHD+ research fellowship to undertake a project titled ‘A Decision Support System For Optimising Local Rail Networks'.  My contract was subsequently extended to allow me to work on a range of research projects relating both to rail and to transport more widely (see my ‘Research' tab for more details).  I was appointed to a lecturing post at TRG effective from February 2014, having previously been promoted to the position of Senior Research Fellow in 2012.

    Throughout my career I have worked hard to disseminate my research to interested parties in academia, government and industry and to the general public.  I am a member of the Rail Research UK Association Executive Committee, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Secretary of its Transport Geography Special Interest Group, a member of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.  In 2012 I spent time as a Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Transport and Logistics Studies, University of Sydney, and I was Honorary Secretary of the Universities' Transport Study Group from 2011-2012.

    Before moving to TRG I obtained an MSc in Transport from Imperial College London and University College London, and a first class honours degree in Geography from the University of Oxford.  During both degrees I undertook transport-related research projects, looking respectively at the occurrence of fatal railway accidents across Europe, and the potential for microfranchising of local UK rail operations.  I also gained first-hand experience of working in the transport industry as a travel advisor for First North Western Trains and carrying out public transport surveys for Flintshire County Council.

    Alongside my work at TRG between 2006 and 2013 I was project manager for a major new encyclopaedic reference work, the ‘Companion to Public Road Transport History'.  This involved coordinating the work of a ten member editorial board and over 140 individual authors, to produce a 400,000 word book which was published in December 2013.

    Dr Simon Blainey
    Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, Southampton, SO16 7QF

    Room Number: 176/4005

    Facsimile: (023) 8059 3152

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