Volume 18 (2022): Edition 1 (June 2022)

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on rail transport in the EU. The slowdown in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has been achieved by reducing the mobility of the population. The reduction in mobility has had an impact on passenger transport performance. The number of national rail passengers fell by as much as 90% during the first wave of the pandemic compared to the previous year. Several operators, especially new carriers, had to close down, while rail freight operators reported a dramatic drop in volumes as many sectors slowed or even stopped production as a result of the pandemic. The second wave of the autumn 2020 pandemic has forced many countries to take further restrictive measures regarding population mobility. The outbreak of the third wave of the pandemic has prevented a rapid recovery in rail transport, especially for passenger rail services. The paper focuses on the analysis of the impact of the pandemic and the measures put in place on the development of transport performance in rail transport in the Slovak Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper proposes operational and organizational measures against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in railway transport in the Slovak Republic.

At present, new knowledge about the physical nature and empirical phenomena in the field of distribution, losses, recuperation and consumption of electricity in railway transport is undergoing revolutionary changes. To date, the outputs of various types of traction electricity consumption on electric traction units (HEKV) and in the railway distribution network of the EU railway infrastructure manager (LDSŽ - Local Distribution System of Railways) have not been theoretically or practically analysed in available publications or on the scientific market. There are no empirical or experimental calculations and mathematical models at the level of mathematical approximation and intelligent prediction, i.e. at the level of preparation of technical specifications and documentation for expert software and effective ICT solutions to this problem. Research into new phenomena in the field of railway energy and research in the field of railway energy and research into expert systems and machine learning. The article describes the basic characteristics of determining the prediction of energy efficiency of traction electricity. Brings the results of the project “Research of new knowledge in the field of intelligent energy efficiency management system in rail transport using a modular neural network”, which aims to innovate procedures in solving the problem and didactic transformation of scientific content to simplify them into a subject understandable to students as interpretive and application concept of didactics of professional subjects. Transform the curriculum into students’ knowledge, attitudes and habits using teaching methods, organizational forms and material resources.

The level of development of railway transport is one of the indicators of the economic development of the state. If the state regularly invests in large volumes in railway infrastructure, it creates conditions for the operation of quality passenger and freight rail transport. Analytical comparison of railway infrastructures is key to understanding the increasingly abysmal differences between the quality of railway infrastructure in the two countries. The comparison will be made mainly from the Network Statement of both countries.