A Mini-Network Simulation Approach to Investigate the Capacity and Safety Aspects of National Rail Network

Abstract

Abstract Over the last decades there have been major technology advancements in the railroad industry to improve the operational safety as well as performance of freight trains in shared-use corridors. This study was focused on developing a methodology that allows evaluation of the impact of such advanced technologies over the safety and capacity aspects of the U.S. rail network using a benchmark mini-network simulation approach. A hypothetical mini-network of 5,000 miles of track with characteristics typical of the North American rail network was developed. Two hundred thirty two (232) daily trains, including a mix of intercity passenger, commuter, High Speed Rail and 78 freight trains, were used to simulate the traffic flow. Several network capacity and safety related parameters; network delay, network velocity, track utilization level, number of stops at stations, number of braking for route reservations, and number of stops at signals were analyzed in this study. The results of the benchmark network simulations were then extended to the U.S. rail network, using an analytical technique with assumptions for important parameters and impact factors such as total route miles, freight train-miles, number of sidings/yards, congestion level and age of fleets. The results indicate that the methodology is able to quantify the improvement in network capacity and safety features that can be obtained when advanced technologies are deployed on freight trains.