Objective: to demonstrate the features of the educational strategy for the development of Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University, which consists in organizing advanced training of highly qualifi ed engineers in partnership with organizations in the transport industry; to substantiate the advantages of a non-trans-ational approach to teaching engineering university students over the traditional form of education; to reveal the key features of two directions (vectors) for developing meta-competencies in students of a transport university.
Methods: a competency-based approach to education, analysis of modern educational trajectories, a non-translational method of organizing education, cross-functional modeling of fi nding solutions to engineering problems.
Results: the features of two interrelated and mutually complementary areas in the development of meta-competencies for a graduate of a transport university have been revealed. 1) the digital transformation of engineering training, which consists in obtaining additional IT qualifi cations for all students based on the digital department; the globalization of the educational space and the unifi cation of students and teachers from diff erent countries within the framework of the Advanced Engineering Schools program and the launch of virtual classrooms; 2) the training of cross-functional multi-profi le engineering teams for specifi c orders from industrial partners, including the implementation of complex fi nal qualifying works on orders from transport and construction companies, the creation of international project teams in which students from diff erent countries work on solving common engineering problems; the importance of implementing network programs of Russian and foreign transport universities is shown; examples of joint educational programs with leading universities in China and Uzbekistan are given; the positions of St. Petersburg Transport University are shown ways of communication in international rankings, confi rming the success and eff ectiveness of the strategic course taken by the university leadership.

In the system of secondary vocational education (SVE) for the railway sector, a significant gap remains between graduates’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which negatively affects their professional competence. This problem is particularly acute in training personnel for JSC “Russian Railways” (RZD), where specialists capable of immediately integrating into the production process are in high demand. The aim of the study is to analyse the implementation of dual education and the mentoring system using the example of the Chita Railway Transport College, to identify barriers, and to propose solutions to improve the effectiveness of specialist training.
A comprehensive approach was applied: a systemic analysis of the regulatory framework and dual training practices, empirical methods (questionnaires, observation, expert assessments), and an analysis of international experience and enterprise materials, primarily those of JSC “RZD”.
The effectiveness of the dual model has been confirmed at the Chita Railway Transport College: it enables the training of specialists fully meeting JSC “RZD” requirements, ensures guaranteed employment, and reduces the adaptation period at the enterprise. Effective forms of mentoring were identified (“teacher– teacher”, “teacher–student”, “employer–student”), along with measurable effects — an increase in academic performance, a higher share of employed graduates, and enhanced student motivation. At the same time, key barriers remain: the high workload of mentors, an insufficient motivation system, and underutilisation of the mentoring potential.
Dual education, built in close cooperation with JSC “RZD” and supported by systematic mentoring, is an optimal tool for bridging the gap between theory and practice. The experience of the Chita Railway Transport College demonstrates a replicable model of interaction between the college and the enterprise. To scale up the practice, joint efforts of educational institutions and employers are required, as well as state support, including financial incentives for mentors. The research findings can be used to improve SVE programmes and replicate successful practices in the railway sector.

The article explores the evolution of pedagogical paradigms and the role of sociocultural practices in education at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The aim of the study is to analyze the historical and methodological foundations of the pedagogical organization of sociocultural practices and their impact on the development of students’ personalities.
The focus of the research is on the development of educational concepts by prominent educators, as well as the transformation of views on socialization and inculturation in the educational environment. The methodology is based on the theories of practices, the principles of socio-pedagogical support, and the competence-based approach.
The results demonstrate that the pedagogical organization of sociocultural practices is a key mechanism for transmitting cultural experience and shaping socially signifi cant personal qualities. The article concludes that the “practical turn” in modern pedagogy is signifi cant, as it shifts the focus from the individual characteristics of teachers to the actual practices of teaching and learning.

This article examines the research activities of students in secondary vocational education using the example of the Ulan-Ude College of Railway Transport, a branch of the Irkutsk State University of Railway Engineering in Ulan-Ude.
This article examines the role of the mentor in organizing students’ research activities, as well as the organization of club activities and networking forms of interaction using the potential of several organizations and companies, including for the purpose of gaining access to necessary modern research equipment and information, as the basis for organizing students’ research activities at the college.
A model of pedagogical activity, the foundation of which is research activities, is presented.
The organization of research and project activities is of great importance for future technicians, influences career success, and facilitates admission to higher education institutions.

The article examines the pedagogical potential of student work brigades in secondary vocational education as a resource combining real work experience, professional socialization and educational support. The topic is relevant because employers increasingly associate graduate success not only with professional knowledge and technical skills but also with transferable competencies that are difficult to develop through classroom instruction alone. The study is based on the analysis of Russian and international scholarly publications, the generalization of the college experience and the processing of data obtained from a full survey of student brigade participants. The empirical part made it possible to identify the structure of students’ motivation to join brigades, their assessment of transferable competency development, the influence of brigade participation on career choice and the character of interaction with employers. The findings show that a student brigade functions simultaneously as an environment of early professional immersion, a form of labor education and a channel of recruitment cooperation between the college and employers. At the same time, the results reveal that a high educational effect of brigade activity does not eliminate the deficit of mentoring and the weak institutionalization of pedagogical support. It is concluded that student work brigades should be viewed as a structural element of practice-oriented training in secondary vocational education, while their effectiveness increases when they are integrated into the educational and upbringing system of the college.

It is a reported that the International Trade Show for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management Logimat 2026 took place in March 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. The trade show put on display the latest solutions, technologies and systems in the fields of digitalization, automation, and robotics in warehouse and production logistics. This dynamic trade show brought together numerous exhibitors from around the world showcasing cutting-edge technologies, products, systems and solutions aimed at streamlining, optimizing, and reducing costs of logistics processes inside companies. From purchasing and production to final delivery, Logimat offered a comprehensive overview of key industry topics, emphasizing the need for flexible and innovative approaches in constantly changing markets. Significant attention was paid to potential of using artificial intelligence, machine vision, cloud technologies and other technologies in logistics. The latest transport and warehouse systems as well as achievements in digitalization and automation were widely presented.

Purpose: to reveal, show the advantages and evaluate the effects of the introduction of a digital platform model and an airport management information system (using the example of Sheremetyevo International Airport JSC).
Methods: system analysis, content analysis, systematization of data on the results of the company’s project activities, structural analysis of corporate information projects.
Results: strategic challenges for airport companies have been identified in connection with the development of e-commerce, electronic communications and the introduction of digital technologies into the industry (reducing the role of traditional sales channels; increased competition for data and recommendation technologies based on their use; the need to adapt content (data) to the features of artificial intelligence; risks of reducing marginality (profitability). The most important elements of the digital platform model of airport management are formulated and disclosed (using the example of Sheremetyevo International Airport JSC), estimated values of the economic effect of its implementation are determined (annual savings: about 1 billion rubles per year (for Sheremetyevo airport); a 5-fold increase in the accuracy of forecasting key indicators, and a 20% increase in the capacity of cargo and passenger terminals). The directions of the introduction and further use of unmanned vehicles at Russian airports are shown (unmanned baggage tractors, patrol rovers, grass mowing and snow removal equipment, buses, vacuum cleaner robots, teletrap robots).

Purpose: to reveal the essence and determine the effects of the introduction of the intelligent transport system of the state-owned Avtodor company, to reveal the technological features of multifunctional zones that act as a connecting logistics hub when changing driving modes from unmanned to manual and vice versa. Methods: system analysis, systematization of data, technical and economic modeling, analysis of supply chains and transportation chains, analysis and modeling of operation of complex highly automated vehicles. Results: the technological basis of the intelligent transport system (ITS) of Avtodor Group is shown; the most important purpose of ITS is confirmed: to ensure continuous technological communication with unmanned vehicles; the effects of ITS of Avtodor Group are determined (reduction of operating costs for the operation of toll collection systems; reduction of the time required to create ITS infrastructure for new sites; significant reduction in capital costs for construction of new toll collection points; minimizing the size of land acquisition areas; reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants into the atmosphere; the highest interoperability of the toll collection process); the concept of creating multifunctional road service zones for unmanned vehicles, which will become a connecting logistics hub when changing traffic modes from unmanned to manual and vice versa, is substantiated; the most effective applicability of WATS on the main shoulders of freight transportation between large cities, in particular the principles of placement are formulated and the functionality of multifunctional zones of road service is defined.

Introduction: fuel supply to special rolling stock on railways requires coordinating two decisions: how to lay out the routes of fuel tankers and how often to replenish stocks at containerized automobile fueling stations (CAFS). In practice these tasks are solved separately, although for fuel tankers they are rigidly linked through the tank capacity, while mileage minimization ignores the cost of storing fuel. The aim of the study is a methodology for the joint optimization of delivery routes and supply periodicity, combining the Clarke–Wright algorithm and the Wilson model.
Materials and methods: using data from the West Siberian Railway, a distance matrix was constructed between a fuel depot and four CAFS. Routes were obtained by the Clarke–Wright algorithm, while the supply period and batch size were derived from the economic order quantity model subject to the tanker capacity constraint. Instead of mileage savings, the increment of total daily costs was adopted as the route-merging criterion.
Results. The cost criterion reduces the number of profitable mergers from six pairs to three. Two routes were obtained with supply periods of 23.8 and 16.7 days and costs of 653 RUB/day versus 732 RUB/day for individual delivery (a 10.7% saving). A single route that is optimal in terms of mileage proves inferior in terms of cost; three of the four tanks are oversized.
Conclusions. The methodology simultaneously determines the routes, supply periodicity and required tank capacity, and assesses the robustness of the solution against equipment failure and seasonal peaks, reducing the operating and capital costs of line enterprises.

The emergence of onboard microprocessor-based control systems for traction rolling stock has intensified the trend toward deploying onboard automated technical diagnostic systems. However, onboard diagnostics necessitate the installation of numerous sensors, which are relatively costly, exhibit limited reliability, and may serve as a source of erroneous data. The effectiveness of onboard diagnostics is determined by assessing its informativeness. A key challenge lies in the fact that the number of potential failures is effectively infinite, which implies an infinite number of required diagnostic algorithms. This paper proposes a method for evaluating the informativeness of onboard diagnostics using Shannon’s information theory formula, wherein system informativeness is defined by the probability of the occurrence of relevant information. A probabilistic-statistical method is introduced to determine diagnostic informativeness while accounting for Type I (failure undetected) and Type II (false positive failure indication) diagnostic errors. The primary benefit of onboard diagnostics is the prevention of failures at the pre-failure stage. Consequently, diagnostic informativeness is defined as the probability of identifying pre-failure states, adjusted for the probability of the failure itself. Corresponding software was developed using the Visual Basic for Applications algorithmic language within the MS Excel environment. Calculation results are presented for an eight-car electric multiple unit, covering 46 types of equipment; the failure occurrence probabilities for these equipment types were estimated by the authors based on statistical data from car operation. The study concludes that onboard diagnostics significantly influence the reliability of rolling stock. Nevertheless, a planned preventive maintenance and repair system, incorporating depotlevel diagnostic systems, remains essential. Furthermore, the effectiveness of onboard diagnostics is substantially dependent on inter-repair mileage. The proposed method has demonstrated high efficiency.

Objective: to systematize the main components of the reliability management system for the design, manufacture, operation and maintenance of railway rolling stock, to formulate proposals for improving and developing measures to improve the reliability of all elements and components of railway equipment.
Methods: technical and parametric modeling, analysis of elements of complex production systems, analysis of the life cycle of railway equipment, mathematical modeling of changes in parameters of complex technical systems, engineering analysis, analysis of large engineering data about a product, information and digital modeling.
Results: the requirements of customers and consumers of railway equipment for the elements of the production system for the design and production of railway rolling stock are formed and ranked by the level of prioritization; the approach to the formation of the IT infrastructure for the production of modern railway rolling stock has been clarified; a reliability management system scheme for railway transport has been built; a list of requirements for participants in the production system for the manufacture and maintenance of railway rolling stock (design organizations, component suppliers, manufacturers, maintenance and service enterprises) has been formed, aimed at maintaining and regularly improving the reliability of manufactured products. railway equipment. Practical results: proposals have been formulated to improve the management of ensuring the reliability of railway rolling stock.

Objective: To systematize the main components of assessing the efficiency of the use and development of railway infrastructure for the scientific justification of its creation, operation, and modernization in the context of the transformation of the national transport system and economy, as well as adaptation to new logistics chains. Methods: logical-analytical method, cost-benefit analysis, life cycle cost concept, SWOT analysis, mathematical modeling, infrastructural-economic classification, deductive-inductive approach. Results: an infrastructural-economic classification of transport modes is proposed; the stages of forming the value of transport infrastructure are presented; a scheme of the stages of applying the logical-analytical method for the comprehensive analysis and evaluation of infrastructural-transport projects has been developed; key directions for improving efficiency have been identified; an “objective tree” for increasing the technological efficiency of infrastructure use in freight traffic has been formed. Practical results: it has been proven that optimizing load unevenness and increasing technological efficiency allow for accelerating the payback of previously invested capital and postponing the need for new capital-intensive investments. The application of the logical-analytical method for the analysis of infrastructural transport processes is substantiated. Proposals have been formulated for the application of comprehensive evaluation methods, including life cycle cost and cost-benefit analysis, to support strategic decision-making regarding the development of railway infrastructure.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of alternative energy on increasing the energy security of the railway industry. Arguing that the sustainable development of the modern railway industry faces a number of challenges associated with its dependence on traditional energy sources and acts of illegal interference in the functioning of energy systems of railway transport and infrastructure, as well as the growth of tariffs for electricity and tightening environmental standards, the authors indicate the relevance of conducting research in the field of providing this industry with alternative types of energy. At the same time, the need to counter these challenges, as the authors indicate, is updated taking into account the ongoing special military operation, the associated terrorist attacks and other encroachments on facilities of the railway industry of Russia, as well as global restrictions and unprecedented sanctions against our country by Western countries. In general, in this work, the authors pursue the goal of determining the role of alternative energy in ensuring the energy security of railway transport (with an assessment of the economic and environmental effects) based on a comprehensive analysis of its capabilities. The authors analyze modern technologies of renewable energy sources, their integration into the infrastructure of the railway industry and railway transport, as well as the prospects for reducing their dependence on traditional energy sources. The authors substantiate that the introduction of alternative energy capabilities into the activities of the railway industry meets the requirements of the country’s energy legislation, as well as the National Security Strategy, Transport Strategy, Energy Security Doctrine and Energy Strategy of the Russian Federation. In this context, special attention is paid to solar, wind and hydrogen energy, energy recovery systems, as well as hybrid solutions. It is concluded that alternative energy is becoming an important element of the energy security of Russian railway transport. The introduction of renewable energy sources (especially hydrogen technologies and storage systems) will reduce dependence on traditional fuel, increase the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the industry, and will also contribute to strengthening the national security and defense capability of the country.

This article explores the life and work of Anastasia Petrovna Mestyashova, a woman who became a shining example of devotion to family and the memory of those who died for their homeland. Her dedication, long-term work, and assistance to the families of those killed in local conflicts are highlighted. A.P. Mestyashova, by personal example, demonstrates her steadfast principles and deep sense of responsibility toward those who suffered in wars. The social role of women, who can significantly influence the preservation of historical memory, is highlighted. Her humanitarian work is also characterized, highlighting her role in supporting families and creating aid and socialization projects.

In 2026 Tambov Technical School of Railway Transport, a branch of Rostov State University of Railway Engineering celebrates its 95th anniversary since the beginning of its educational activities.
Every year hundreds of graduates continue the tradition of becoming professionals in their field, strengthening the reputation of the educational institution and making an important contribution to the country’s economy.
Today Tambov Technical School of Railway Transport is an important training center for the railway industry.