The Impact of Rolling Stock Heterogeneity on Tram Stop Dwell Time

Igor Majstorović,Saša Ahac,Silvio Bašić,Maja Ahac

doi:10.3390/app12010084

Abstract

The prediction of stop dwell time is a major issue in travel speed modeling, i.e., in the definition of travel time for high-frequency and high-ridership rail public transport. This is due to the numerous influential factors associated with stop dwell time, variable both in space and time, such as passenger flow, vehicle and stop design characteristics, and traffic organization. To investigate the impact of the heterogeneity of tram vehicles on stop dwell time, a survey was conducted regarding the tram network of the City of Zagreb. The dwell time at three consecutive island stops served by three different tram vehicle types was analyzed. The stops are located near the city center, in a separate tram corridor, at the far side of signalized intersections. Dwell time was determined and evaluated through the statistical analysis of observed, measured, and video-recorded data. The results show that at stops with up to 200 passengers per hour, the dwell time is around 15 s. For volumes of 20 passengers or less per tram, the dwell time is mostly affected by the tram door opening mechanism and opening/closing time. As the passenger volumes become higher, the number of doors per vehicle becomes more significant.

Highlights

Effective real-time and future-planned timetable monitoring and control has long been recognized as a critical requirement for the maintenance of high-quality service on high-frequency, high-ridership public transport (PT) rail systems in urban environments
The research presented in this paper aimed to reduce the uncertainty related to the tram stop dwell time in tram networks with rolling stock consisting of different tram vehicle types, i.e., vehicles with different numbers of doors, various door widths, door opening/closing mechanisms, door opening/closing times, and floor heights
The analysis indicates that the flow type in this case, with a relatively small number of passengers at the busiest door, had almost no effect on the TMK301 tram dwell time and a small effect on the dwell time of the remaining two tram types

Summary

Introduction

Effective real-time and future-planned timetable monitoring and control has long been recognized as a critical requirement for the maintenance of high-quality service on high-frequency, high-ridership public transport (PT) rail systems in urban environments. This speed is the result of transport supply and demand effects. It is calculated as the ratio of two measurable variables: the distance traveled and the total vehicle travel time on the track section (considering the time in which the vehicle is not moving, regardless of the reason). When planning a new system, or in the case of changes in the public or individual transport demand and/or supply (because of social, economic, land use, or travel habits changes), timetabling is carried out using mechanical– empirical methods. Using the estimated running speed, an initial timetable is calculated and corrected depending on the traffic characteristics during exploitation. The estimation of the running speed along the track section is based on design speed reduction due to track and vehicle resistance. The speed reduction is a direct consequence of additional resistances occasionally occurring along the track section: stop resistance (expressed as dwell time on the rail, metro, and tram stops) and intersection resistance (expressed as delay time at tram traffic regulation signal)

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Conclusion