Construction of Differentiated Periodic Freight Train Paths in Dense Mixed Traffic

Abstract

Freight rail transport plays key role in the transition to sustainable development. However, on European mainlines, freight trains have to cope with busy passenger operation—mostly in the form of (integrated) periodic timetables. Freight trains are characterized with very diverse parameters, so scheduling pre-arranged periodic freight train paths (PFTPs) on the basis of one sample freight train does not meet the needs of most freight operators. This article introduces new detailed framework process for hierarchized construction of differentiated (segmented) pre-arranged PFTPs. The process considers fluctuations in demand for capacity from freight rail operators, so the quality of a freight train path in terms of number of stops is related with its construction priority. This way, the process enhances competitiveness and decreases energy consumption of freight railway, as a factor for sustainable development. Correctness of the framework process is tested on the example of the Prague—Dresden mainline, in the context of prospective (denser) model passenger timetable. Results show that above 70% of real freight trains from the available historical data can fit into the proposed PFTPs. As a conclusion, the authors recommend reduction of service of the least frequent stops of regional trains to reduce number of scheduled stops for freight trains.

Optimization of Passenger-like Container Train Running Plan Considering Empty Container Dispatch

“…Khaled et al [7] built models in the case of infrastructure damage in the network, determining the routes, segments, and numbers of freight trains. Drabek, Janos [8] comprehensively considered passengers and freight, and proposed a hierarchically structured method for combining regular freight train paths. Lin et al [9] proposed the train connection services problem in the railway network to determine the optimal intermodal plan for freight trains, allocating freight transportation needs to trains and determining the service frequency of trains.…”

“…The nodes that can be used as the origin and destination of the passenger-like container train are Beijing(1), Tianjin(2), Qingdao(4), Lianyungang(6), Shanghai (8), Ningbo (10), Xiamen(11), Zhengzhou (13), Wuhan (14), Guangzhou (16), Xi'an (20), Kunming(23), Baotou (24), Wulumuqi (25), Lanzhou (27), Xining (28), Chengdu (29), Harbin (30), Jilin(32), Shenyang(33), and Dalian(34). The shortest path between them constitutes a candidate set of train lines, with a total of 210 candidate lines.…”

Capabilities of a Periodic Containerised Railfreight System in Germany

“…This includes aspects such as demonstration of proven strategies to encourage rail freight transportation [5,6] management of port container transshipment in conjunction with freight rail timetable construction [7,8] operational efficiency of rail freight in providing hinterland market access [9] opportunities of high-speed rail freight [10] improvement of cross-border procedures, complicated by gauge change [11], and construction of efficient periodic train paths in the case of mixed traffic allocation and its impact on both inter and intra-modal competition. [12,13].…”