Stickers can improve train punctuality

Ruben Kuipers has successfully defended his thesis at Lund University, identifying concrete measures to improve punctuality for commuter trains. The research focuses on avoiding dwell time delays when passengers board and alight the train.

"Dwell time delays are often a matter of seconds, but they can quickly accumulate and lead to significant delays over longer journeys. These small delays can trigger a domino effect on other trains that are forced to wait outside the station or lead to passengers missing connecting trains or buses,” Ruben Kuipers explains.

“For combined trips involving multiple modes of transport, small dwell time delays can have a big impact on total travel time,” Ruben adds.

Ruben has studied the boarding and alighting process on commuter trains in Stockholm and Skåne. The results indicate that while the volume of passengers affects dwell time, passenger behavior is crucial in avoiding delays.

"A large flow of passengers during boarding and alighting accelerates the negative effects of other issues, such as when all boarding passengers queue in front of one door or form lines in front of the doors which slows down the flow of alighting passengers,” Ruben explains.

Fortunately, passenger behavior can be influenced by simple platform management measures, according to the thesis.

"By using stickers on the ground, platform gates, or instructions from staff, we can reduce the risk of dwell time delays, even at higher passenger volumes," says Ruben.

"These measures are particularly important at stations with high passenger volumes, where they can lead to significant improvements," Ruben continues.

More dynamic planning

The thesis also addresses the need for a more dynamic approach to scheduling dwell times to better manage variations in traffic load.

“In contrast to what is common practice in Sweden, different dwell times should be used during peak and off-peak hours and between different stations to reduce the risk of delays," suggests Ruben Kuipers.

The thesis also highlights how different train stations are part of an interconnected network and influence each other. If a train service is often delayed at a specific station, the problem may originate from a station upstream. Simply increasing dwell time at the affected station will not be sufficient to solve the problem.

“It’s important to understand the way stations are connected to uncover the underlying causes of dwell time delays,” says Ruben.

"Although planning realistic dwell times is important to reduce the risk of delays, it will not have the desired effect unless we also address passenger behavior," emphasizes Ruben.

Read more in the thesis Dwell time delays for commuter trains – An analysis of the influence of passengers on dwell time delays.