Microscopic and macroscopic simulation of early freight train departures

• In Sweden and other countries it is not an uncommon practice that freight trains depart more or less on-demand instead of strictly following a pre-planned timetable. However, the systematic effects of freight trains departing late or, in particular, early has long been a contested issue. Although some microscopic simulation tools currently have the capability to evaluate the effect of freight trains departing before schedule, it has yet not been established how macroscopic simulation tools, capable of fast simulation of nation-wide networks, can manage such tasks. This paper uses a case study on a line between two large freight yards in Sweden to investigate how the results of microscopic and macroscopic simulation, represented by two modern simulation tools, differ when it comes to this particular problem. The main findings are that both the microscopic and the macroscopic tools could replicate the empirical punctuality fairly well, with the macroscopic case study results being closer to the empirical data. Furthermore, allowing early departures of freight trains increased overall freight train punctuality without any major impact on passenger train punctuality, as determined by both tools. The results are encouraging, but further studies are needed to determine if macroscopic simulation is on-par with microscopic simulation.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Transportteknik och logistik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Transport Systems and Logistics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

railway

simulation

microscopic

macroscopic

freight trains

early departures

Transportsystem

Transport Systems

Järnvägsgruppen - Effektiva tågsystem för godstrafik

Järnvägsgruppen - Effektiva tågsystem för godstrafik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

ovr (ämneskategori)