SCHEDULING TECHNIQUE OF ROUTE VEHICLES ON DUPLICATING STRETCHES

Abstract

Schedule optimization is a proven strategy to improve service quality for public transport networks. However, current research mostly optimizes schedule design using prior knowledge of users’ routings, ignoring the optimization of public transport schedules on duplicating stretches of route vehicles. This article presents a new alignment technique of time intervals between consecutive vehicles of different routes on duplicating stretches, considering existing public transport networks in attaining optimization of public transport schedule. Scheduling technique of route vehicles on duplicating stretches includes some steps: analysis of public transport network and determining a lot of duplicating stretches, calculation of the optimal time intervals among arrivals of route vehicles and alignment of these intervals among consecutive route vehicles on duplicating stretches, realization simulation model of urban passenger transport within the simulation modeling system of GPSS World. Furthermore, testing the optimization technique of route vehicle scheduling, analysis of the quality of adjusted schedule with route vehicles of different kinds included, and determining the optimization efficiency for duplicating stretches. The adjusting technique of urban passenger transport schedule allows to increase movement steadiness of consecutive vehicles of different routes on duplicating stretches, adjust traffic intervals for each route, shorten the traffic load on stations, reducing idle time and queue lengths of route vehicles in front of transport stops and also minimize waiting time for route vehicle by those passengers who can be transported along several routes. Improving the bus schedule on duplicating stretches in Gomel is illustrated demonstrating the technique developed. This scheduling technique can be used by carriers and transport operators to improve the quality of services provided.