Analyzing the theoretical capacity of railway networks with a radial-backbone topology

Francisco A. Ortega Riejos, Eva Barrena, J. David Canca Ortiz and Gilbert Laporte

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2016, vol. 84, issue C, 83-92

Abstract: In this work we propose a mechanism to optimize the capacity of the main corridor within a railway network with a radial-backbone or X-tree structure. The radial-backbone (or X-tree) structure is composed of two types of lines: the primary lines that travel exclusively on the common backbone (main corridor) and radial lines which, starting from the common backbone, branch out to individual locations. We define possible line configurations as binary strings and propose operators on them for their analysis, yielding an effective algorithm for generating an optimal design and train frequencies. We test our algorithm on real data for the high speed line Madrid–Seville. A frequency plan consistent with the optimal capacity is then proposed in order to eliminate the number of transfers between lines as well as to minimize the network fleet size, determining the minimum number of vehicles needed to serve all travel demand at maximum occupancy.

Keywords: Railway transportation; Capacity analysis; Train scheduling; Shared corridor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2015.03.018

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