Design of a robust railway line system for severe winter conditions in The Netherlands

Winter weather has a major impact on railway operations in The Netherlands. To stay in control, the number of trains is reduced by half in a special “winter timetable”. This results in a more robust network, but an insufficient amount of transport capacity. Adapting the line system can result in more transport capacity without losing robustness. This paper therefore focuses on the performance of a line system under extreme weather conditions. We define several criteria to assess the performance of the line system in terms of robustness and transport capacity. A case study has been conducted on the railway network in The Netherlands, which indicates that all alternatives are more robust and yield more transport capacity than the current winter timetable

High-Speed Train Stop-Schedule Optimization Based on Passenger Travel Convenience

The stop-schedules for passenger trains are important to the operation planning of high-speed trains, and they decide the quality of passenger service and the transportation efficiency. This paper analyzes the specific manifestation of passenger travel convenience and proposes the concepts of interstation accessibility and degree of accessibility. In consideration of both the economic benefits of railway corporations and the travel convenience of passengers, a multitarget optimization model is established. The model aims at minimizing stop cost and maximizing passenger travel convenience. Several constraints are applied to the model establishment, including the number of stops made by individual trains, the frequency of train service received by each station, the operation section, and the 0-1 variable. A hybrid genetic algorithm is designed to solve the model. Both the model and the algorithm are validated through case study