Fully-automated services potentially allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. The objective of this study is to determine the capacity requirements of an envisaged automated on-demand rail-bound transit system which offers a direct non-stop service. An optimization model is formulated for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for an on-demand rail transit system so that passenger, infrastructure and operational costs are minimized. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings and the obtained cost components. The model is applied to a series of numerical experiments followed by its application to part of the Dutch railway network. The performance is benchmarked against the existing service, suggesting that in-vehicle times can be reduced by 10% in the case study network while the optimal link and station capacity allocation is comparable to those currently available in the case study network. While network geometry and demand distribution are always the underlying determinants of both service frequencies and in-vehicle times, line configuration is only a determinant in the conventional system, whereas the automated on-demand rail service better caters for the prevailing demand relations, resulting in greater variations in service provision. A series of sensitivity analyses are performed to test the consequences of a range of network structures, technological capabilities, operational settings, cost functions and demand scenarios for future automated on-demand rail-bound systems.@en

Fully automated services allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. In this study we examined the strategic planning implications of a novel service concept – an automated rail demand responsive transit (DRT) system that offers a direct non-stop service. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity requirements of the envisaged service and discuss its prospects and feasibility. A cost minimization approach for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for a rail-DRT system so that passenger, infrastructure, and operational costs are minimized is described. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings, and the obtained cost components. The model was applied to a series of numerical experiments to test its implications for different network structures and demand distributions. The results of the numerical experiments indicate that – unlike conventional rail systems in which stations often are capacity bottlenecks – link capacity properties are more critical for the performance of automated rail-DRT systems than station capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the consequences of various cost and capacity specifications, as well as the characteristics of future automated rail-DRT systems.@en

Fully automated services allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. In this study we examined the strategic planning implications of a novel service concept – an automated rail demand responsive transit (DRT) system that offers a direct non-stop service. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity requirements of the envisaged service and discuss its prospects and feasibility. A cost minimization approach for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for a rail-DRT system so that passenger, infrastructure, and operational costs are minimized is described. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings, and the obtained cost components. The model was applied to a series of numerical experiments to test its implications for different network structures and demand distributions. The results of the numerical experiments indicate that – unlike conventional rail systems in which stations often are capacity bottlenecks – link capacity properties are more critical for the performance of automated rail-DRT systems than station capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the consequences of various cost and capacity specifications, as well as the characteristics of future automated rail-DRT systems.@en

Fully automated services allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. In this study we examined the strategic planning implications of a novel service concept – an automated rail demand responsive transit (DRT) system that offers a direct non-stop service. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity requirements of the envisaged service and discuss its prospects and feasibility. A cost minimization approach for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for a rail-DRT system so that passenger, infrastructure, and operational costs are minimized is described. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings, and the obtained cost components. The model was applied to a series of numerical experiments to test its implications for different network structures and demand distributions. The results of the numerical experiments indicate that – unlike conventional rail systems in which stations often are capacity bottlenecks – link capacity properties are more critical for the performance of automated rail-DRT systems than station capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the consequences of various cost and capacity specifications, as well as the characteristics of future automated rail-DRT systems.@en

Fully automated services allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. In this study we examined the strategic planning implications of a novel service concept – an automated rail demand responsive transit (DRT) system that offers a direct non-stop service. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity requirements of the envisaged service and discuss its prospects and feasibility. A cost minimization approach for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for a rail-DRT system so that passenger, infrastructure, and operational costs are minimized is described. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings, and the obtained cost components. The model was applied to a series of numerical experiments to test its implications for different network structures and demand distributions. The results of the numerical experiments indicate that – unlike conventional rail systems in which stations often are capacity bottlenecks – link capacity properties are more critical for the performance of automated rail-DRT systems than station capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the consequences of various cost and capacity specifications, as well as the characteristics of future automated rail-DRT systems.@en

Fully automated services allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. In this study we examined the strategic planning implications of a novel service concept – an automated rail demand responsive transit (DRT) system that offers a direct non-stop service. The objective of this study was to determine the capacity requirements of the envisaged service and discuss its prospects and feasibility. A cost minimization approach for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for a rail-DRT system so that passenger, infrastructure, and operational costs are minimized is described. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings, and the obtained cost components. The model was applied to a series of numerical experiments to test its implications for different network structures and demand distributions. The results of the numerical experiments indicate that – unlike conventional rail systems in which stations often are capacity bottlenecks – link capacity properties are more critical for the performance of automated rail-DRT systems than station capacity. A series of sensitivity analyses was performed to test the consequences of various cost and capacity specifications, as well as the characteristics of future automated rail-DRT systems.@en