Computation and evaluation of scheduled waiting time for railway networks

Abstract

This paper on the computation and evaluation of scheduled waiting time for railway networks is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The authors contend that timetables are affected by the scheduled waiting time (SWT), which prolongs the travel times for trains and thereby passengers. SWT occurs when a train prevents another train from running at the necessary speed. The passengers may be further affected due to longer transfer times to other trains. SWT can be estimated analytically for a given timetable or by simulation of timetables and/or plans of operation. The simulation of SWT has the benefit of making it is possible to examine the entire network and thus improve the future timetable by analyzing different timetables and/or plans of operation. The authors review methods to examine SWT by simulation for both trains and passengers in entire railway networks. These simulations can be used to evaluate the consequences of different scenarios, including cases of disrupted operation.