SYSTRA's expertise in determining practical and theoretical rail network capacity under existing, projected and hypothetical conditions is well known. Through an in-depth analysis and quantification of throughput by location, SYSTRA professionals can identify the combination of operational and capital improvements best suited to each client's situation.
We have analyzed some of the world’s most complex rail networks, where multiple classes of trains, multiple stopping patterns, signal system constraints and dispatching strategies all impose unique operating conditions. We identify the precise locations of train conflicts, then identify and test potential conflict solutions…all using our RAILSIM® software.
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Operations Simulation and Capacity Analysis Study
Chesterton, IN
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) selected SYSTRA to perform a significant Operations Simulation and Capacity Analysis study, focusing on the feasibility of operating additional NICTD service on the Metra Electric District (MED). The study focused on operations over the MED trackage from Millennium Station, at Randolph Street in downtown Chicago, southward to Kensington Station, near 115th Street, a distance of about 14.5 miles. In this area the MED is used by both NICTD and Metra, although the two operators maintain separate terminals at Randolph Street. NICTD's South Shore Line diverges from the MED immediately south of Kensington Station, and have an eastern terminus at South Bend, Indiana.
NICTD operates 37 scheduled daily movements over the full length of this trackage, while Metra operates 170 scheduled daily movements over all or part of it. The ability of this busy trackage to accommodate additional traffic was of great interest to both operators, with NICTD evaluating the implementation of a new West Lake County service on the former Monon Corridor trackage that it owns. Metra also evaluated future service expansions.
The MED in this area is for most of its length a four-track railroad, with three tracks at the northerly end immediately south of the terminal interlocking. Additional “pinch points” exist at NICTD single track leads both to the NICTD terminal at Randolph Street and to the South Shore Line at Kensington. Installation of bi-directional signaling, enabling peak-period “3-and-1” operation, was eventually completed.
SYSTRA used its industry-leading RAILSIM® Simulation Software Suite to create a detailed computer simulation model of the study territory and its present operations. Multiple successive versions emulated infrastructure upgrades that were already underway and a series of conceptual infrastructure upgrades to establish the effects of these upgrades on system capacity. The simulation results enabled the
quantification of present and potential future MED capacity and greatly aided planning efforts by both agencies.
SYSTRA SERVICES:
Operations Analysis
Operations Simulation
Operations Analysis
Operations Simulation