Modeling the Holiday Line Planning Problem with Profitability and Homogeneity Under Passenger Flow Explosion Conditions in China—A Sustainable Perspective

Peiwen Han, Lu Tong (), Wenjun Li, Xin Zhang, Wuyang Yuan and Yu Ke
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Peiwen Han: Institute of Transport Planning Research, China Railway Design Corporation, Tianjin 300308, China
Lu Tong: School of Traffic and Transportation, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Wenjun Li: School of Economics and Management, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China
Xin Zhang: Transportation and Economics Research Institute, China Academy of Railway Sciences Corporation Limited, Beijing 100081, China
Wuyang Yuan: School of Transportation Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
Yu Ke: School of Transportation Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-35

Abstract: In China, there is a significant surge and fluctuation in the passenger flow of high-speed railways during holidays, and the holiday line plan is made by adding weekend/peak lines to the workday line plan. Therefore, finding a balance between the adaptability to passenger flow demand and such a relatively fixed line plan structure has become a difficult problem, which is a crucial factor in the sustainable operation of railway passenger transport. This paper first designs and proposes an algorithm for compiling the line pool of weekend and peak lines. By introducing the time dimension, a multi-day train service network is constructed. Then, an optimized model for the holiday line planning problem (HLPP) that comprehensively considers passenger flow demand and plan structure is established. Taking the Qingming Festival as an example, the results showed that among the trains with expanded formations in the optimized holiday line plan, short-distance trains accounted for nearly 70% and some long-distance trains was cancelled, reducing the operation cost by 4.46% compared to the actual plan. The train routing plan also maintains similarity to the weekday EMU circulation. It is demonstrated that the method proposed in this paper can achieve a better balance between efficient resource utilization and operational stability, enhancing the sustainable operability and profitability of the high-speed railway system.

Keywords: high speed railway; holiday passenger flow; holiday line plan; line pool; EMU circulation; profitability; homogeneity; sustainable operation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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