A three-level framework for performance-based railway timetabling

Abstract

The performance of railway operations depends highly on the quality of the railway timetable. In particular for dense railway networks it can be a challenge to obtain a stable robust conflict-free and energy-efficient timetable with acceptable infrastructure occupation and short travel times. This paper presents a performance-based railway timetabling framework using an integrated approach on three levels: microscopic, macroscopic and a corridor fine-tuning level, to compute a timetable explicitly driven by the above mentioned performance indicators. A case study on the Dutch railway network illustrates the feasibility of this approach to achieve the highest timetabling design level.