The boarding time at stations has a strong impact on punctuality. This is
relevant for energy efficiency because delays reduce the potential for energy
efficient driving.
There are several conceivable causes for delayed departure at a station:
- "Internal" railway reasons
- High passenger numbers leaving or entering the train
- Passengers looking for the "right" car (according to their seat
reservation)
An investigation carried out by DSB showed that delayed boarding at stations
is one of the key factors for train delays. Furthermore, DSB found out, that
passengers looking for their car is one of the main causes for boarding delays.
This problem can be effectively reduced by better platform information
indicating the exact position of the individual cars.
The Danish TRIT system
At DSB, this (among other reasons) led to the introduction of the TRIT
system. It involves electronic boards at platforms displaying information on the
exact stopping position of all cars. This information allows passengers to find
their car before the arrival of the train. This is expected to be more effective
and have higher acceptance than the usual permanent information on car positions
displayed on special plans at the station.
The TRIT system is a modern telematics system which allows for flexible and
highly automated train formation processes. Each train has an on-board unit with
updated information on the train configuration and door numbers. This
information is sent to a central computer which then provides all stations with
the relevant information to be displayed on the electronic information boards
(train constellation and position of numbered cars and doors as well as the
corrected arrival time in case of delay).
In contrast to permanent information on the stopping positions of passenger
coaches, an electronic on-line information system can be adapted to varying
train length, train configurations etc. This creates more flexibility in the
formation of trains and facilitates a stronger adaptation of train length to
actual demand. |