Evaluating the effects of an improved timetable compression model for railway capacity calculations
Time: Fri 2025-09-26 14.15
Location: E2, Lindstedtsvägen 3, Stockholm
Video link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/61918936661
Language: English
Subject area: Transport Science, Transport Systems
Doctoral student: Elin Hellblom , Transportplanering, Järnvägsgruppen, JVG
Opponent: Reader John Armstrong, University of Southhampton, United Kingdom
Supervisor: Docent Oskar Fröidh, Järnvägsgruppen, JVG, Transportplanering; Tekn.dr Ingrid Johansson, Transportplanering, Järnvägsgruppen, JVG; Dr Anders Lindfeldt, Järnvägsgruppen, JVG
QC 20250903
Abstract
The interest in rail transportation is growing, but building new infrastructure is expensive, it is therefore important to make the most efficient use of the resources we already have. Measuring the railway network’s capacity and utilisation is one important part of the work to guide more sustainable transportation by rail. To make these calculations useful, we must know what the results represent and understand the implication of the chosen method.
This licentiate thesis explore how various improvements of a model can make results more realistic and reflect reality in an accurate way. The method used is timetable compression, a way of estimating how much capacity of a line segment or station is utilised by a defined timetable. The work has been focused on identifying which details are necessary to include to model activities such as simultaneous entry at crossing stations on single-tracks and stations.
In Paper I, the resolution of the input data is improved to capture and study the effects of crossings at crossing stations, both with and without simultaneous entry, on single-track lines. The results are compared to two other established methods: The Swedish Transport Administration's model for line capacity calculations and the UIC 406 compression method. The findings show the importance of including crossing stations in calculations due to their effect on capacity, and that the additional time for crossings depends on whether a crossing actually takes place and whether simultaneous entry is possible.
Paper II investigates how the improved data and additional features to the model such as including connections of turnarounds and alternative routes, can make capacity calculations for stations more realistic compared to the previous model. The study highlights that station and timetable design influences capacity utilisation and that the implemented extensions affect the results.
In summary, the thesis finds that a higher level of detail of data and the additional features described, may be necessary to understand and accurately represent the operational conditions of timetable compression. However, this refinement and complexity put a higher demand on the quality and accessibility of data. Furthermore, the results from the two studies are intended to contribute to a better understanding of what aspects are influential in future large-scale capacity analyses.