Long-distance railway Traffic in
Karel
Baudyš, Vít Janoš, Jiří Pospíšil[1]
Abstract
Public transport system must be
planed as a whole. Attractive service must be fast, cheap and comfortable with
high availability in time and place. It all offers supply based on Integrated
Periodic Timetable. IPT concepts are very tight linked with infrastructure and
vehicles. Supply in IPT is mid-term stabile, with high-quality service thanks
new lines schema (direct lines for majority transport flows), fixed period and
optimised changing times in IPT junctions. How shows example from
implementation in Czech Republic, good results from IPT are attainable not only
in Western Europe, but in Central and Eastern Europe too.
Transport
planning and Integrated Periodic Timetable
Increasing of public transport
attraction is not depending on shortening of travelling time only. Potential
traveller makes decisions according to price, comfort level and service
availability (in time and place). These criterions are possible to improve by
application of complex transport planning in whole transport system. It is
necessary formulate traffic requirement in territory and plan new lines schema
with due to number of changes in net. Lines schema is implementing in the net
and the timetable is scheduling. After that is necessary make controlling of
public transport and data from feedback use for planning of transport net in
territory. Transport planning cycle proceeds for short-, middle- and also
long-term periods. Attractive public transport 
supply must be equivalent to
availability of individual transport in time and place. This supply offers Integrated
Pic. 1 –
IPT Principle
Periodic Timetable (IPT) with regularity and
cohesion between timetables in IPT junction. IPT is based on principle „in each hour – the same minute – in each
junction – in each direction“.
Optimal connexions in IPT junctions
need system travelling times between junctions. System travelling time includes
regular travelling time + stop-times in stations between junctions +
proportionate part of changing times in junctions + time allowance. To build a
net-supply must be fulfilled this basic condition:
·
System
travelling time length = half of period multiple
And other conditions must be fulfilled too:
·
Arc
equation tH = n .
½ tT pro n = 1, 2, 3, …
·
Circle
equation å tH = n .tT pro n = 1, 2, 3, …
tH = Arc length (system travelling
time) and tT = Period
To be realized equal connection in both
directions in net all lines must have the same symmetry axis, i.e. time, in
which trains on one line are crossing each other.
Concept of periodic transport consist in
relevant location of IPT-junctions in net, in achieving system travelling times
on arcs and unified symmetry axis on all lines. New transport chains are
attractive supply in net. During IPT planning is necessary to take into account
relations between infrastructure, vehicles and supply. Transport planning
facilitates modify infrastructure parameters according to forward-looking
transport needs. Regular public transport service in territory is planed on
base of future travelling relations. Multi-level planning and service
optimisation in territory facilitate to make railway as backbone of public
transport system.
IPT implementation brings big changes. Usually
it demands total change in connection supply. Optimisation offers besides new
lines plan and new timetable supply enlargement (more trains) in net in term of
contemporary sources. Thanks new changing possibilities in junctions there are side-runs
no more. Planning must make provision for majority homogenous transport flows.
IPT implementation in praxis demands courage.
Concept IPT contains in accordance with commercial timetables some diversity.
There is not the shortest travelling time between IPT junctions, but the system
travelling time. Change possibilities between trains do not originate
accidentally according to shortest travelling times, but are caused to planers
wishes. Direct travelling between all junctions in net is not possible, because
the lines are traced out according to major travelling flows. Arrival and
departure times is not possible to change to some special wishes (e.g. school
beginning), times are assessed due to system requirements. Other problems with
implementation of IPT are low velocity on certain infrastructure, low timetable
stability due to system cohesions, low capacity in rush period, specific time
demand (school) forcing increase of trains during system period, invariable
concept united with infrastructure and net cohesions. Change of transport
concept demands in practice always investment in infrastructure and / or
vehicles.
IPT offers on other hand much more advantage.
For travellers:
·
More
service (trains)
·
Better
service availability in time and place
·
Better
changing possibilities in junctions
·
Constant
period of service
·
The
same connections possibilities in both directions
·
Comprehensive
supply, light memorized
For public administration:
·
System
cohesions of particular ravelling systems
·
Ideal
start for integrated travelling system
·
Attractive
supply in public transport
·
Better
connection supply for free-time activities
·
Effective
utilization of ordered vehicles
·
Unit
price uniform decreasing
·
High-quality
stable transport system
Improving of IPT supply needs targeted
investment into infrastructure. Priority of investment activities can be very
good assessed based on net travelling time shortening or Modal-Split in public
transport in according to profitability.
In mid-term planning enables
integrated Periodic Timetable clear specification for strategic goals for
documents in public transport area and stability of lines schema and service
(timetable). Profitability of infrastructure arrangements is measurable thanks
all-society contribution, it means thanks average work price (GDP) and saved
person-minutes in net. Priority must belong to project with biggest travellers
potential.
Long-distance
railway in
Railway net in
Organization of railway in
· Regional transport: ca.
80 mil. train-km
· Long-distance railway: ca.
25 mil. train-km
· Services with entrepreneurial risk
for transport company: ca. 5 mil. train-km
New structuralized supply in
long-distance railway:
Since Timetable 2003/04 – new
concept
Timetable 2004/05 – 7% service
increase
Timetable 2005/06 – stabilisation
Timetable 2006/07 – 5% service
increase
Timetable 2007/08 – 15% service
increase
Effect from new supply on passengers
and incomes:
Pic. 2 – Trend in incomes after
realization of IPT-concept in long-distance railway
In some relations came to increase
between 40 – 50 % in passenger numbers. After IPT application in long-distance
railway are IPT-concepts very slowly applied in regional transport thanks
purchase order from provinces or due to limited infrastructure capacity too. In
railway net of
Pic. 3 – IPT-junctions Plzeň
(Timetable 2005/06) and Lovosice (Timetable 2007/08)
Results of IPT concept
implementation show in conditions of
Literature
1. BÄR M. – Integraler
Taktfahrplan – Definitionen, Randbedingungen, Einsatzmöglichkeiten und
Einsatzgrenzen im Fern-, Regional- und Nahverkehr. Arbeitsaausschuss
„Öffentlicher Verkehr“ Forschungsgesellschaft für Strassen- und
Verkehrswesen, TU Dresden, 1999
2. BAUDYŠ K., JANOŠ V. – „Integrace
a tvorba jízdních řádů za účelem
podpory mobility občanů a preference hromadné dopravy
osob," studie ke grantu MDS "Projekt plánů rozvoje pro
zavádění služeb inteligentních dopravních
systémů s vazbou na výkon státní správy“,
FD ČVUT 2001
3. NACHTIGALL K. – Verkehrssystemtheorie
II, TU Dresden 2004
Contact address
Ing.
Vít Janoš, Ph.D.
Ústav
řízení dopravních procesů a logistiky
Na Florenci
25, Praha 1
Česká
republika –
Telefon:
+420 224 890 727
E-mail:
janos@fd.cvut.cz