Train Departure Mode and Line Capacity in Inter-city Railway

摘要

Since more and more inter-city railways are being constructed in China, the operational management of inter-city railways is becoming much more important than ever. Based on the infrastructure and operational requirements of inter-city railways, the relationship between train departure mode and line capacity is discussed. Train departure mode is the basis of cyclic timetable development, which must suitable for the operation of inter-city railways. Factors affecting period of train platoon are analyzed and the calculation method of minimum period is constructed. The composition of different types of train platoons is discussed under the contradiction between the usage of line capacity and the level of operational service, which provides a method for the timetable development. Next, the design scheme of a soon-to-build inter-city railway is analyzed by developing cyclic timetables by using the proposed method and the computational results show that in this case study, the designed line capacity is inadequate to operational requirements in the long run. Finally, suggestions are given and improvements of the new design scheme are verified by using this method as well.