| 1. |
- Peterson, Anders, Docent, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Deliverable D 3.1: Analysis of the gap between daily timetable and operational traffic
- 2019
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Fr8Rail II/Work-Package 3 Real-time network management and improved methods for timetable planning addresses the problem to improve capacity and punctuality in the railway system by developing concepts and methods for tactical planning and operational traffic. In this report the state-of-the-art has been summarised.The aim of the project is to:Propose concepts and methods that improve the annual and short-term timetable planning.Demonstrate how the proposed timetable planning concepts improve the prerequisites for real-time network management.Develop methods and tools that can reduce inefficiencies in real time network management.An important aspect is to improve the coordination between yards/terminals and the line network, and between Infrastructure Manager, Yard Managers, and freight Rail Undertakings.We motivate our research by the current situation in Sweden, which is characterised by low on-time performance for freight trains, dense and heterogenous traffic on the major railway lines, and a rigid annual timetabling process, which is non-suitable for short-term changes. We believe that better tools for network planning and management on tactical and operational level can help to connect planning and operational processes.Aiming for improvements of the operational traffic, there is a need for systematic development of methods applied at several planning horizons, based on both simulation and optimization techniques. Close to operation fast methods are needed, for example, based on meta-heuristics.The maintenance planning process and improvement potential have been described. This is a new piece of the puzzle and it is important to close the gap between timetable planning and operational traffic. The different planning processes at the Infrastructure Manager, the Rail Undertakings and the Maintenance Contractors should be aligned.When developing new approaches for computational decision-support tools for real-time network management, it is important — but very challenging — to evaluate and benchmark with existing software tools. We also observe that the research stream on computational decision-support and algorithm development for railway traffic management has not yet been sufficiently merged with the corresponding research stream focusing on aspects of human computer interaction.
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| 2. |
- Berggren, Ulrik, et al.
(författare)
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Hur bör kollektivtrafikens tillförlitlighet mätas, och hur väl står sig befintliga mått till uppmätt punktlighet?
- 2024
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Ingår i: Sammanställning av referat från Transportforum 2024. - Linköping : Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut. ; , s. 100-101
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Då en stor del av Sveriges kollektivtrafik är upphandlad så har ansvariga regionala kollektivtrafikmyndigheter (RKM) främst ekonomiska och avtalsmässiga möjligheter följa upp och påverka kvaliteten gentemot resenärerna. Kvaliteten mäts främst genom kundundersökningar ombord och flera RKM har incitamentsstrukturer där ekonomisk ersättning i viss mån påverkas av resultaten från sådana kundundersökningar i termer av upplevd kvalitet. En viktig faktor för resenärernas upplevelser av utbudets kvalitet är trafikens tillförlitlighet. Samtidigt finns oklarheter när det gäller huruvida den av resenärerna upplevda tillförlitligheten svarar mot olika aspekter av trafikens egenskaper, såsom tidtabellshållning (punktlighet), restidsvariation och turtäthetsvariation. Generellt sett visar litteraturen att restidsvariationen i sig är upphov till obehag hos resenären, men denna är väldigt svår att mäta operativt. Följande studie har syftat till att utvärdera några mått på utbudets tillförlitlighet genom korrelation med upplevd tillförlitlighet för motsvarande linjer och tidsintervall utifrån kundundersökningar. Ett urval av linjer, såväl tåg som stads- och regionbusslinjer, i Skåne har legat till grund för analysen.Samtidig insamling av produktionsdata och kundsynpunkter från Skånetrafiken möjliggjorde en jämförande analys av hur väl olika mått på uppmätt och upplevd tillförlitlighet stämde överens. Såväl sambandet mellan generell kundnöjdhet med en linje och nöjdheten med linjens tillförlitlighet relaterades till mått på linjens tillförlitlighet. Såväl tvärsnittsanalyser som longitudinella analyser gjordes, och då på halvårsbasis. Detta innebär att en genomsnittlig tillförlitlighet per halvår och linje inledninvsvis beräknades utifrån insamlade data. Därefter jämfördes ett antal mått på "objektiv" tillförlitlighet med upplevd punklighet enligt kundundersökningarna för motsvarande halvår och linje. Dessutom analyserades huruvida tidigare tillförlitlighet påverkade hur resenärerna ansåg om befintlig tillförlitlighet för motsvarande linjer. Vilka mått som stämde bäst överens med upplevd kvalitet överlag respektive upplevd tillförlitlighet berodde i hög grad på färdmedel och turtäthet. För tåg (pågaåtåg) var det klassiska punktlighetsmåttet (max fem minuter efter tidtabellen) mest i i överensstämmelse med generell nöjdhet, medan max två minuters försening var högst korrelerad med upplevd tillförlitlighet. För busstrafik med turtäthet på som mest 12 minuter var andelen för tidiga avgångar (mer än en minut före tidtabellen), medelförseningen och turtäthetsjämnheten för linjen viktigare. För busslinjer med glesare trafik var det svårt att över huvud taget relatera kundnöjdheten till linjens tillförlitlighet.
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| 3. |
- Ivina, Daria, et al.
(författare)
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Railway maintenance windows : Discrepancies between planning and practice in Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. - 2590-1982. ; 22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efficient and timely maintenance is essential for the robust operation of infrastructure across all types of transport. In the railway sector, track maintenance presents unique challenges. Specifically, some maintenance tasks require track closures, which can disrupt train schedules. Coordinating these closures with regular train operations makes the scheduling process complicated. To ensure sufficient time for maintenance and prevent conflicts with train operations, the Swedish Transport Administration introduced “maintenance windows.” Maintenance windows, ranging from two to six hours, are periods designated for maintenance, with the track free from train operations. They are set before finalizing the annual train timetable. In this study, we examined the practical application of maintenance windows on a railway line in Southern Sweden from 2019 to 2020. Our findings reveal that while 10% of the total line capacity was allocated for maintenance windows, 11% of the capacity was used for maintenance. Alarmingly, 68% of trackwork occurred outside maintenance windows, and only 34% of the reserved maintenance window capacity was utilized. There is a significant discrepancy between the time and location reserved for maintenance windows and their actual utilization. To address this, we propose aligning maintenance windows more closely with contractor needs by 1) incorporating maintenance windows on the weekends, 2) making maintenance windows available closer to the end of the planning horizon, 3) extending the duration of some maintenance windows, and 4) designing and integrating incentives to encourage contractors to operate within planned maintenance windows.
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| 4. |
- Ivina, Daria, et al.
(författare)
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The Downside of Upkeep : Analysing Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Impact on Train Operations in Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Sciences (Switzerland). - 2076-3417. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efficient and seamless railway operations depend on the systematic and well-coordinated maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure. However, track maintenance, or ‘trackwork’, can cause substantial delays if not properly aligned with train schedules. This study comprehensively investigates how trackwork influences train operations in Sweden. It involves an in-depth analysis of an extensive dataset comprising over 225,000 recorded instances of planned trackwork and approximately 32.5 million train passages throughout the year 2017. Multiple logistic and negative binomial regression models showed that train running time delay occurrence is higher in the sections with scheduled trackwork. Trains passing through trackwork are 1.43 times more likely to experience delays compared to trains that do not pass through scheduled trackwork. The likelihood of an opportunity for the train delay recovery passing the section with scheduled trackwork is reduced by 11%. Additionally, the frequency of train delay increase is 16% higher, and delayed recovery is 4% lower in relation to trackwork. With the number of trackwork set to increase over the coming years, these results bring attention to train scheduling and the performance of trackwork.
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| 5. |
- Ivina, Daria, et al.
(författare)
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Train delays due to trackwork in Sweden
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Only well-maintained railway systems can function without severe interruptions. However, maintenance activities can themselves cause train delays if they conflict with train movements. Trackwork refers to maintenance performed on a railway track. This study aims to investigate the effect of trackwork on train delays in Sweden. It presents a logistic regression analysis based on more than 225,000 planned trackwork and 25,600,000 train movements during 2017. The results show that trains that pass through trackwork on single-track segments were on average 44% more likely to be delayed than those that do not. The corresponding value for double-track segments was 25%, and the weighted average was an increased risk of 31%. With the number of trackwork set to increase over the coming years, these results highlight the importance of improved scheduling and performance of trackwork to reduce the conflicts between trackwork and train movements.
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| 6. |
- Ivina, Daria, et al.
(författare)
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Uncertainties in scheduling and execution of trackwork in Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Public Transport. - 1613-7159. ; 15, s. 767-789
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Trackwork planning and scheduling are demanding because they require strategic foresight and must be completed well in advance. In Sweden, trackwork is performed by maintenance contracting companies during an operation period free from trains. In the contractors’ practice, once the maintenance plan is authorised, some unexpected events might interrupt the plan’s execution, leading to uncertainties. The purpose of this study is to identify and classify uncertainties and strategies applied to manage uncertainties in the contractors’ everyday planning and scheduling of trackwork. This work presents semi-structured interviews with foremen and planners at railway maintenance contracting companies in Sweden. The main findings show that in trackwork planning and scheduling, contractors deal with two types of uncertainties: internal and external. We categorised uncertainties and strategies to deal with uncertainties and described them on tactical and operational levels. The majority of the revealed uncertainties led to trackwork rescheduling. Furthermore, we suggest that current strategies to manage uncertainties applied at contracting companies can be improved by revising organisational design strategies for maintenance projects. This work increases the understanding and supports the management of uncertainties in trackwork planning and scheduling.
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| 7. |
- Jansson, Emil
(författare)
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Challenges with Driverless and Unattended Train Operations
- 2023
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Demand for transportation continues to increase, for both freight and passenger services. One of the most energy-efficient modes of transportation is rail. One solution to increase the attractiveness of rail transport is to introduce automatic train operation (ATO) with a high grade of automation (GoA). Driverless and unattended train operation could entail positive effects but would also bring challenges when removing the train driver. Thus, there is a need to understand the role of train drivers, especially in unplanned events. The main research objectiveis to understand the train driver roles during unplanned events and the frequency of such events. This thesis includes three papers to fulfill the research objective.This thesis studied delay logs and trackside sensor logs. A qualitative method, thematic analysis, was used to identify themes of the roles performed by train driver from the delay logs. The chi-square test statistical method was used to analyze these trackside sensor logs.Six main categories of tasks for train drivers were identified for unplanned events. Detect, Report, Inspect, Adjust, Manage passengers, and Respond to train orders. Each category was analyzed for each grade of automation by giving the responsibility for each category. The results highlight in a novel way the varied challenges between grade of automation in mainline systems. Detecting abnormalities was the most common task train drivers performed during unplanned events. Train drivers use four human senses to detect abnormalities: sight, hearing, touch, and smell. This indicates the need for onboard sensors. However, the real challenge is in processing all sensor data to gain anaccurate evaluation of any fault. One specific type of unplanned event in which the train driver is needed involves trackside sensor alarms. Freight trains are ten times more likely to trip an alarm than passenger trains. Alarms are more frequent in colder climate zones during winter months. These differences are statistically significant and indicate that not all lines and train types might be suitable for a high grade of automation.If driverless or unattended train operation will become a reality in future, many challenges must be met. This thesis gives deeper understanding of these challenges using a novel way to identify and quantify train driver tasks during unplanned events.
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| 8. |
- Johansson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Railway network design and regional labour markets in Sweden
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Investment in railways, and transport infrastructure in general, are often motivated because they are believed to improve peoples’ accessibility to jobs. By linking together and increasing the size of labour markets, the matching between individuals and jobs is improved, and the productivity increases. Communities and municipalities lobby for investments that lead to higher accessibility and those that are successful often see inflows of people as a consequence. This paper looks at the entire Swedish railway network, at the level of service of each station and at the connectivity among stations during the morning peak hour, considering different time bands. Causal inferences between job accessibility levels and socio-demographic features are explored and disclosed, looking at the longitudinal impacts of railway investments over 4 years (from 2011 to 2014) on annual wages. Estimating a fixed effects model, very small effects on wages have been found with the increase in the number of jobs around accessible rail stations. These preliminary results indicate that additional jobs along the rail network seem to have a marginal effect. The findings of this analysis, if communicated to planners, may assist them in assessing and predicting the effects of future railway measures to implement over the Swedish territory.
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| 9. |
- Johansson, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Railway network design and regional labour markets in Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Research in Transportation Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0739-8859. ; 83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Investment in railways, and transport infrastructure in general, are often motivated because they are believed to improve peoples’ accessibility to jobs. By linking together and increasing the size of labour markets, the matching between individuals and jobs is improved, and the productivity increases. Communities and municipalities lobby for investments that lead to higher accessibility and those that are successful often see inflows of people as a consequence. This paper looks at the entire Swedish railway network, at the level of service of each station and at the connectivity among stations during the morning peak hour, considering different time bands. Associations between job accessibility levels and socio-demographic features are explored and disclosed, looking at the longitudinal impacts of railway investments over 4 years (from 2011 to 2014) on annual wages. Estimating a fixed effects model, very small effects on wages have been found with the increase in the number of jobs around accessible rail stations. These preliminary results indicate that additional jobs along the rail network seem to have a marginal effect. The findings of this analysis, if communicated to planners, may assist them in assessing the effects of future railway measures to implement over the Swedish territory.
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| 10. |
- Johansson, Ingrid, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Microscopic and macroscopic simulation of early freight train departures
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- 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.
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