Abstract
The development of the transport plan must take into account various criteria impacting the transport process. The main objective of the study is to propose an integrated approach to determine the transport plan of passenger trains. The methodology consists of five steps. In the first step, the criteria for optimization of the transport plan were defined. In the second step, variants of the transport plan were formulated. In the third step, the weights of the criteria are determined by applying the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis method (SWARA) multi-criteria method. The multi-objective optimization was conducted in the fourth step. The following multi-objective optimization approaches were used and compared: weighted sum method (WSM), compromise programming method (CP), and the epsilon–constraint method (EC). The study proposes a modified epsilon–constraint method (MEC) by applying normalization of each objective function according to the maximal value of the solution by individual optimization for each objective function, and hybrid methods: hybrid WSM and EC, hybrid WSM and MEC, hybrid CP and EC, and Hybrid CP and MEC. The impact of the variation of passenger flows on the choice of an optimal transport plan was studied in the fifth step. The Laplace’s criterion, Hurwitz’s criterion, and Savage’s criterion were applied to come to a decision. The approbation of the methodology was demonstrated through the case study of Bulgaria’s railway network. Suitable variant of transport plan is proposed.
Highlights
The establishment of passenger train services is the most important task in railway operations planning and determines its sustainable development
Four variants of transport plan of intercity passenger trains were examined for the Bulgarian railway network
The determined weights by the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis method (SWARA) method were applied in the weighted sum method (WSM), compromise programming method (CP), and hybrid methods
Summary
The establishment of passenger train services is the most important task in railway operations planning and determines its sustainable development. The determination of the transport plan of intercity trains is an optimization problem that depends on different criteria affecting the transport process. Passenger train planning is related to the train timetable, rolling stocks planning, crew scheduling, and other operational parameters (trains stopping, railway vehicles circulation in passenger transport). The transport plan includes fixing the routes of intercity trains, the number of trains for each route (frequency of service), and the stations at which each train stops. The effective planning for passenger services requires a complex view of passenger satisfaction and the possibilities of railway operators. It is important to increase the effectiveness of decision making by taking into account different important criteria affecting the transport process when choosing a transport plan
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.