Transfer Coordination for Metro Networks during the Start- or End-of-Service Period

When travelling via metro networks during the start- or end-of-service period, transferring passengers may suffer a transfer failure. Accordingly, the synchronization timetabling problem necessitates consideration of transfer waiting time and transfer availability with respect to the first or last train. Hence, transfer train index (TTI) is formulated to identify the transfer train and calculate the transfer waiting time. Furthermore, two types of connection indexes, the last connection train index (LCTI) and the first connection train index (FCTI), are devised to distinguish transfer failure from transfer success, and the penalty constraints are implemented together to reflect the adverse effects of transfer failure. Then, a mixed integer programming model is developed to concurrently reduce transfer waiting time and improve transfer availability, which can be solved by CPLEX. Finally, a case study on Beijing metro network is made to verify the method. Experimental results show that our proposed model can yield synchronization solutions with significant reductions in both the average transfer waiting time and the proportion of transfer failure passengers.