A Timetable Optimization Model for Urban Rail Transit with Express/Local Mode

Nowadays, an express/local mode has be studied and applied in the operation of urban rail transit, and it has been proved to be beneficial for the long-distance travel. The optimization of train patterns and timetables is vital in the application of the express/local mode. The former one has been widely discussed in the various existing works, while the study on the timetable optimization is limited. In this study, a timetable optimization model is proposed by minimizing the total passenger waiting time at platforms. Further, a genetic algorithm is used to solve the minimization problems in the model. This study uses the data collected from Guangzhou Metro Line 14 and finds that the total passenger waiting time at platforms is reduced by 9.3%. The results indicate that the proposed model can reduce the passenger waiting time and improve passenger service compared with the traditional timetable.