A Calculation Method for Line Carrying Capacity of Suburban Rail Transit Considering Station Layout Combination

Abstract:

With express and local trains in mixed operation mode， appropriate overtaking maneuvers can enhance the line carrying capacity of suburban rail transit systems； however， not all stations are equipped with overtaking facilities. To quantitatively analyze the relationship between line carrying capacity and multiple factors including station layout combinations， a line carrying capacity calculation method is proposed. Based on predefined parameters—station layouts， train stopping plans， train running times in sections， trains interval times， and express/local train scheduling priorities—and with the conditions for overtaking clearly defined， the method sequentially introduces express/local trains， calculates arrival/departure or passing times of each train at each station， dynamically adjusts timetables of overtaken trains， and iterates until line carrying capacity saturation is achieved. Case studies with a fixed number of intermediate stations equipped with receiving-departure tracks demonstrate that station layout combinations universally affect line carrying capacity under varying express/local train ratios， but their impacts differ in magnitude. The results emphasize the necessity of incorporating station layout constraints into line carrying capacity calculations.