Day-to-Day Tuning of the Tokaido Shinkansen Timetable – Carried Out for Every Single Operating Hour throughout the Year

This paper introduces key concepts that were used to formulate day-to-day scheduling of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the main transportation artery linking Japan’s principal metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. In order to schedule train services so that passengers can always reserve a seat smoothly, the paper adjusts the number of services for every single operating hour throughout the year, by adding extra services in addition to regular services to meet the demand of passengers, based on the detailed demand forecast. In addition, the authors analyze unsatisfied and potential needs by keeping a close eye on ticket sales information. For example, ticket sales progress is used to tell us whether the sales were quick or slow. Quick and good sales are an indication of strong potential needs. The paper adds extra services promptly when the sales are faster than expected. If the Shinkansen is crowded with few seats available, it would be inconvenient and uncomfortable for passengers. Furthermore, even when there are travelers who would choose the Shinkansen if a ticket were available, the railway may lose the opportunity to serve them if there are no seats to sell. Therefore, the staff at JR-Central aim to respond to passenger needs, suppress congestion, and avoid fully-booked-up situations. This paper focuses on the measures taken to avoid congestion and maintain efficient and smooth transport services for passengers. Minute and flexible tuning of timetables, along with scrupulous and expeditious scheduling approaches, is a feature of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the most densely scheduled high-speed railway in the world, operating up to 12 train runs per hour per direction and more than 370 train runs per day and serving approximately 410 thousand passengers a day.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781845641269
• Corporate Authors:

  WIT Press

  Ashurst Lodge
  Ashurst, Southampton  United Kingdom  SO40 7AA
• Authors:
  • Ogawa, H
  • Kawai, S
  • Kojima, Y
  • Goto, M
  • Shoji, H
• Conference:
  • Eleventh International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in the Railway and Other Transit Systems (COMPRAIL08)
  • Location: Toledo , Spain
  • Date: 2008-9-15 to 2008-9-17
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 515-524
• Monograph Title: Computers in Railways XI. Computer System Design and Operation in the Railway and other Transit Systems

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Customer service; Passenger trains; Passenger transportation; Sales; Scheduling; Seats; Tickets; Timetables
• Identifier Terms: Tokaido Shinkansen
• Uncontrolled Terms: Congestion (Railroads); Customer relations; Railroad capacity
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01115310
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781845641269
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 25 2008 7:32AM