Hybrid cyclicity: Combining the benefits of cyclic and non-cyclic timetables

We propose a new type of timetable that would combine both the regularity of the cyclic timetables and the flexibility of the non-cyclic ones. In order to do so, several combinations of the two timetables are considered. The regularity is incorporated in their design and the flexibility is evaluated using the passenger satisfaction (in monetary units). Each of the tested timetables is constructed using the Passenger Centric Train Timetabling Problem (PCTTP), that is solved using a simulated annealing heuristic. Note that the PCTTP, unlike the traditional Train Timetabling Problem (TTP), does not take into account the conflicts among trains. The aim of the PCTTP is to design such timetables that the passengers’ satisfaction is maximized and it remains the aim of the TTP to remove any potential conflicts. The performance of each of the considered timetables is assessed on the real network of Israeli Railways. The results of the case study show that our proposed hybrid cyclic timetable can provide the benefits of the cyclic and the non-cyclic timetable simultaneously. This timetable consists of 75% of cyclic trains (securing the regularity of the service) and of 25% of non-cyclic trains (deployed as supplementary trains during the peak hours and capturing the demand fluctuation). The level of the passenger satisfaction of the hybrid cyclic timetable is similar to the level of the non-cyclic one, which has about 18.5% of improvement as compared to the purely cyclic one.