Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis
This study examines the operational efficiency of Thailand’s Southern Railway Line under mixed-traffic conditions using the UIC 406 methodology and Timetable Planning Quality evaluation. The corridor integrates electric commuter and long-distance trains on shared tracks with different control system...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225001678 |
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| author | Taksaporn Thongboonpian Waressara Weerawat Jörn Pachl Jeerapat Sang-iam |
| author_facet | Taksaporn Thongboonpian Waressara Weerawat Jörn Pachl Jeerapat Sang-iam |
| author_sort | Taksaporn Thongboonpian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examines the operational efficiency of Thailand’s Southern Railway Line under mixed-traffic conditions using the UIC 406 methodology and Timetable Planning Quality evaluation. The corridor integrates electric commuter and long-distance trains on shared tracks with different control systems and block configurations. The analysis shows that infrastructure design, particularly block length and signaling, significantly influences track utilization. A key contribution of this study is the integration of UIC 406 compression with travel time quotient (TTQ) to reveal inefficiencies in timetable structure. Findings indicate that short blocks support higher throughput despite greater train volumes, while long blocks lead to higher occupancy rates with fewer trains. The study proposes targeted improvements such as subdividing blocks and aligning timetables across train types. These measures can enhance efficiency without requiring new track construction. The results provide practical guidance for infrastructure planning and policymaking, offering a replicable approach for enhancing corridor performance under complex mixed-traffic conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4e2dd1aeb0de4c86844e804c591644e1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-1982 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives |
| spelling | doaj-art-4e2dd1aeb0de4c86844e804c591644e12025-08-22T04:57:34ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-07-013210148810.1016/j.trip.2025.101488Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysisTaksaporn Thongboonpian0Waressara Weerawat1Jörn Pachl2Jeerapat Sang-iam3Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Thailand; Cluster of Logistics and Rail Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, ThailandDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Thailand; Cluster of Logistics and Rail Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Thailand; Corresponding author at: Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Thailand.Institute of Railway Systems Engineering and Traffic Safety, Technical University of Braunschweig, GermanyCluster of Logistics and Rail Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, ThailandThis study examines the operational efficiency of Thailand’s Southern Railway Line under mixed-traffic conditions using the UIC 406 methodology and Timetable Planning Quality evaluation. The corridor integrates electric commuter and long-distance trains on shared tracks with different control systems and block configurations. The analysis shows that infrastructure design, particularly block length and signaling, significantly influences track utilization. A key contribution of this study is the integration of UIC 406 compression with travel time quotient (TTQ) to reveal inefficiencies in timetable structure. Findings indicate that short blocks support higher throughput despite greater train volumes, while long blocks lead to higher occupancy rates with fewer trains. The study proposes targeted improvements such as subdividing blocks and aligning timetables across train types. These measures can enhance efficiency without requiring new track construction. The results provide practical guidance for infrastructure planning and policymaking, offering a replicable approach for enhancing corridor performance under complex mixed-traffic conditions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225001678Track utilizationUIC 406Train heterogeneityMixed trafficTimetable planning quality |
| spellingShingle | Taksaporn Thongboonpian Waressara Weerawat Jörn Pachl Jeerapat Sang-iam Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives Track utilization UIC 406 Train heterogeneity Mixed traffic Timetable planning quality |
| title | Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis |
| title_full | Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis |
| title_fullStr | Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis |
| title_short | Mixed railway operations on the southern line of Thai railways: track utilization efficiency analysis |
| title_sort | mixed railway operations on the southern line of thai railways track utilization efficiency analysis |
| topic | Track utilization UIC 406 Train heterogeneity Mixed traffic Timetable planning quality |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225001678 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taksapornthongboonpian mixedrailwayoperationsonthesouthernlineofthairailwaystrackutilizationefficiencyanalysis AT waressaraweerawat mixedrailwayoperationsonthesouthernlineofthairailwaystrackutilizationefficiencyanalysis AT jornpachl mixedrailwayoperationsonthesouthernlineofthairailwaystrackutilizationefficiencyanalysis AT jeerapatsangiam mixedrailwayoperationsonthesouthernlineofthairailwaystrackutilizationefficiencyanalysis |