Investigation on the Capacity Consumption at Dutch Railways for Various Signalling Technologies and Traffic Conditions

This paper presents advanced methods for the computation of railway capacity under scheduled and disturbed traffic conditions, with application to a Dutch case. For the scheduled condition the standard UIC compression method is used, while the capacity consumption computation under disturbed conditions requires multiple simulation runs via a Monte Carlo simulation set up. For the analysis the authors use the optimization-based train dispatching system ROMA that combines the alternative graph formulation of train rescheduling with blocking time modeling of the signaling constraints. An extended version of ROMA is adopted, for which various signaling/automatic train protection (ATP) systems can be modeled with high precision so that the dynamic behavior of hindered trains is accurately simulated in the different configurations. Further, the authors apply ROMA for the computation of the compressed timetable with conflict-free train paths without rescheduling. As test bed, the authors consider the Utrecht-Den Bosch double-track line for various signaling /ATP systems scenarios. Two traffic control algorithms are evaluated for the disturbed scenarios: a first come first served rule and a state-of-the-art branch-and-bound algorithm. The computational results show a remarkable reduction in terms of the scheduled capacity consumption when adopting European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 with short blocks compared to the Dutch signaling system NS’54/ATB. In case of disturbed rail operations, the capacity consumption and punctuality declines for NS’54/ATB, since trains have to brake and run at lower speeds. ETCS offers considerably better results, since the braking distances decrease when delayed trains run at lower speeds, having a stabilizing effect on headway times, delay propagation and throughput.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR030 Railroad Operating Technologies.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Goverde, Rob M P
  • Corman, Francesco
  • D'Ariano, Andrea
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Automatic train protection; Railroad signaling; Railroad traffic; Railroad traffic control; Schedules
• Identifier Terms: European Train Control System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Railway line capacity
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01518873
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-2620
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 21 2014 11:27AM