Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 518493, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/518493
Research Article

Analysis of the Effect of the Length of Stop-Spacing on the Transport Efficiency of a Typically Formed Conventional Locomotive Hauled Passenger Train in China

Xuesong Feng,1,2 Keqi Wu,1 Haidong Liu,2 Qipeng Sun,3 and Hanxiao Zhang1

1Integrated Transport Research Center of China, Beijing Jiaotong University, No. 3 Shangyuancun, Haidian District, Beijing 100044, China
2MOE Key Laboratory for Urban Transportation Complex Systems Theory and Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, No. 3 Shangyuancun, Haidian District, Beijing 100044, China
3School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Nan Er Huan Zhong Duan, Xi’an 710064, China

Received 7 May 2012; Accepted 26 September 2012

Academic Editor: Huimin Niu

Copyright © 2012 Xuesong Feng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

By utilizing a computer-aided simulation approach, this research analyzes the detailed effect of the length of stop-spacing on the transport time per passenger-kilometer of a typically formed Chinese intercity passenger train hauled by, respectively, representative types of the locomotives utilized in China for different target speeds. It is empirically confirmed that a stop-spacing longer than approximately 20.00 km has little influence upon the transport efficiency of the train. In contrast, shortening the stop-spacing below about 20.00 km increases the transport time per passenger-kilometer of the train evidently, in particular for a target speed much higher than some 40.00 km/h. Therefore, the target speed of such a train providing transport service on a railway line whose transport capacity has not been much consumed ought to be changeable according to the length of each stop-spacing rather than consistent for the whole trip.