Stochastic Improvement of Cyclic Railway Timetables

30 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2007

See all articles by L. G. Kroon

L. G. Kroon

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Department of Technology and Operations Management; Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM); NS Reizigers - Department of Logistics

Rommert Dekker

Erasmus University, Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics ; Econometric Institute; Erasmus University, Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) ; Tinbergen Institute Rotterdam

Gabor Maroti

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)

Mathijn Retel Helmrich

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

M. J. C. M. Vromans

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Date Written: December 20, 2006

Abstract

Real-time railway operations are subject to stochastic disturbances. However, a railway timetable is a deterministic plan. Thus a timetable should be designed in such a way that it can cope with the stochastic disturbances as well as possible. For that purpose, a timetable usually contains time supplements in several process times and buffer times between pairs of consecutive trains. This paper describes a Stochastic Optimization Model that can be used to allocate the time supplements and the buffer times in a given timetable in such a way that the timetable becomes maximally robust against stochastic disturbances. The Stochastic Optimization Model was tested on several instances of NS Reizigers, the main operator of passenger trains in the Netherlands. Moreover, a timetable that was computed by the model was operated in practice in a timetable experiment on the so-called “Zaanlijn”. The results show that the average delays of trains can often be reduced significantly by applying relatively small modifications to a given timetable.

Keywords: Railway Timetabling, Stochastic Optimization, Robustness

Suggested Citation

Kroon, Leo and Dekker, Rommert and Dekker, Rommert and Maroti, Gabor and Retel Helmrich, Mathijn and Vromans, Michiel J.C.M., Stochastic Improvement of Cyclic Railway Timetables (December 20, 2006). ERIM Report Series Reference No. ERS-2006-067-LIS, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=957409

Leo Kroon (Contact Author)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Department of Technology and Operations Management ( email )

RSM Erasmus University
PO Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands
+31 0 10 408 1957 (Phone)
+31 0 10 408 9010 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://web.eur.nl/fbk/dep/dep1/Introduction/Staff/People/Kroon

Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

NS Reizigers - Department of Logistics

3500 HA Utrecht
Netherlands

Rommert Dekker

Erasmus University, Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus School of Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam, NL 3062 PA
Netherlands
+31 10 408 1274 (Phone)
+31 10 408 9162 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.few.eur.nl/few/people/rdekker/

Econometric Institute ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.eur.nl/people/rommert-dekker

Erasmus University, Rotterdam (EUR) - Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

Tinbergen Institute Rotterdam ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

Gabor Maroti

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
Room T08-21
3000 DR Rotterdam, 3000 DR
Netherlands

Mathijn Retel Helmrich

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) ( email )

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3000 DR Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland 3062PA
Netherlands

Michiel J.C.M. Vromans

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) ( email )

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3000 DR Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland 3062PA
Netherlands

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