Midland Main Line South, May 2021 Timetable Performance Modelling

The Midland Main Line is one of the major railway lines in United Kingdom, connecting London via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands.

trenolab worked with Network Rail modelling five future timetables and benchamarking their performance compared with the baseline December 2019 timetable. The project examined how the performances change with the introduction of new services between London and Corby.

Of particular interest is the provision of the following outputs to the client:

1. TSAR Time Signal At Red: this is the time in which a signal remains red as a consequence of trains using the routes protected by the signal;
2. TFR Time Facing Red : this is the amount of time that each train spends in a signalling block where the relevant exit signal shows a red aspect as a result of an inability to set the route ahead.

for 4 types of analysis:

1. Theoretical minimum time at red (TSAR-D);
2. Minimum time at red in the most favourable conditions (TSAR);
3. Minimum time at red under realistic conditions (Det-TSAR);
4. Sensitivity of time at red towards the variation of multiple parameters (Stoch-TSAR);

Analysing the infrastructure evaluation metrics for each simulated timetable provides a good indication of critical sections of the infrastructure and supports a better targeting of investments.