Photo of Abderrahman Ait Ali

Abderrahman Ait Ali

Principal Research Engineer

I develop socio-economic and data-driven decision-support methods for better railway and public transport systems.

Presentation

My research focuses on how transport economics, optimization and data analysis can be used to improve the planning, operation and maintenance of railway and public transport systems. I share my time between Linköping University, where I am an Adjunct Associate Professor, and VTI, where I am a Senior Researcher in Transport Economics.

I develop decision-support models that combine cost-benefit analysis, life-cycle costing, mathematical optimization, simulation and econometrics. The aim is to provide better evidence for decisions on capacity allocation, timetabling, maintenance, traffic information and punctuality.

My teaching includes courses in transport optimization, statistics, transport economics, public transport and railway systems. I also supervise thesis projects and aim to connect quantitative methods with real decision problems in the transport sector.

CV

Education

2020 – PhD / Doctor of Technology in Infra-Informatics, Linköping University
2015 – MSc in Computer Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
2013 – BSc in Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Grenoble Institute of Technology

Positions

2026-present – Adjunct Associate Professor, Linköping University
2025-present – Senior Researcher, Transport Economics, VTI
2021-2026 – Principal Research Engineer, Linköping University
2021-2025 – Researcher, VTI
2019-2020 – Research Assistant, VTI
2015-2016 – Research Engineer, KTH
2014-2015 – Research Intern, ABB - Germany

Publications

2026

Abderrahman Ait-Ali, Zohreh Ranjbar, Martin Joborn (2026) Integrating demand data with train delay models: A socio-economic evaluation for maintenance planning Transportation Research Procedia, Vol. 95, p. 177-184 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2026.02.023

2025

Abderrahman Ait-Ali, Anders Peterson (2025) Assessing the effects of traffic information to passengers: a literature review World Conference on Transport Research - WCTR 2023 Montreal 17-21 July 2023, p. 24-42 (Conference paper) https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2024.12.026
Jonathan Leung, Sebastian Stichel, P-O Larsson Kråik, Arne Nissen, Abderrahman Ait-Ali, Kristofer Odolinski, Emma From, Peter Torstensson (2025) Resource-efficient maintenance and renewal strategies for railway infrastructure via look-up tables 13th International Conference on Contact Mechanics and Wear of Rail/Wheel Systems (CM2025), Tokyo, Japan, September 22-26, 2025 (Conference paper)
Abderrahman Ait-Ali, Saeed Hossein-Nia, Kristofer Odolinski, Peter Torstensson, Sebastian Stichel (2025) Simulation-based evaluation of maintenance strategies using look-up tables Proceedings of the Institution of mechanical engineers. Part F, journal of rail and rapid transit, Vol. 239, p. 804-816 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/09544097251360450

2024

Abderrahman Ait Ali, Kristofer Odolinski, Bjorn Palsson, Peter Torstensson (2024) Evaluating the mix of maintenance activities on railway crossings with respect to life-cycle costs European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, Vol. 24 (Article in journal) https://dx.doi.org/10.59490/ejtir.2024.24.1.6885

Research

Teaching

Abderrahman Ait-Ali is involved in the following courses at Linköping University:
TNK127 - Optimization and Statistics in Transportation: This course provides fundamental insights into optimization, focusing on linear, nonlinear, and integer problem optimization with applications in transportation.
TNK125 - Public Transportation and Rail Traffic: This course offers foundational knowledge of public transport systems and rail transport, with an emphasis on tactical planning of public transport.
Aerial image of major highway crossing with on- and offramps

Intelligent Transport Systems and Logistics, Master's Programme, 120 credits

This programme focuses on the integration of IT and telecommunications into transport and logistics systems, with the aim of increasing efficiency, safety, mobility and customer satisfaction while reducing environmental impact.

Organisation