Towards passenger-oriented simulation-based rescheduling in metro lines

Abstract

Unreliability is a major source of discontent for passengers using public transport. Real-time rescheduling is one of the tools available to deal with it. Although passenger movements have an impact on the development of a disturbance in public transport operations, this effect is rarely accounted for in rescheduling models for metro networks. The aim of this thesis is to develop a rescheduling framework for metro networks that mitigate the impact of disturbances on passengers whilst considering the dynamic variation of demand and its effect on train operations. To achieve this, the Simulation-Based Traffic Management for Metro Network (SBTM-MN) framework is developed. This comprises two models that interact iteratively, the Transport Simulation Model (TSM), and the Train Rescheduling Model (TRM). The TSM integrates a train simulation in the microscopic train simulation tool OpenTrack, with a passenger module constructed to keep track of passenger allocation and compute train dwell times according to the passenger exchange. The TRM modifies arrival and departure times of trains according to a base schedule and the corresponding passenger allocation provided by the TSM. A series of experiments are carried out on the SBTM-MN, and on each of its components, the TSM and the TRM. These experiments provide insights into the effect of passenger allocation on the rescheduling measure, the trade-off between passenger and operators perspective, and the impact of demand on the development of disturbances. The case study consisted of lines D and E of the Rotterdam metro network, with northerly direction.