Stop plan optimisation for three-pattern skip-stop schemes for urban rail transit systems

Somporn Sahachaiseree, Mohammad Sadrani, Constantinos Antoniou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Mass rapid transit systems around the world are typically designed for all-stop operation schemes, in which train overtaking is not possible. To accelerate transit operation, the conventional A/B skip-stop scheme may be planned. This research explores alternative skip-stop schemes with three stop patterns, aiming to better match transit services with the spatial distribution of travel demand. The proposed generalised skip-stop operation model considers both the total cost of passengers and operator. A genetic algorithm is employed to solve the stop-plan optimisation problem, and a heuristic is tailored to determine an optimal dispatch headway for the respective stop plan. Based on computational experiments using synthetic data, the results suggest that skip-stop schemes have the potential to reduce total time costs by about 10%, particularly when there are structured demand concentrations, transit systems can operate safely with low time headway and short-distance demand is low. Although the total-cost saving of the best A/B skip-stop plan found is generally superior to those of other three-pattern skip-stop schemes, a three-pattern skip-stop scheme was found to offer a better total-cost saving in a scenario without short-distance travel demands. Overall, this research offers valuable insights into the potential benefits and limitations of different skip-stop schemes, contributing to a better understanding of their impact on passengers and operators.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100149
JournalEURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics
Volume14
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2025

Keywords

  • Genetic Algorithm
  • Public transportation
  • Skip-stop operation
  • Stop-plan optimisation
  • Urban rail transit

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