Capacity Assessment in Freight-Passengers Complex Railway Nodes. Trieste Case Study

An integrated approach to node and station operation analysis is possible by means of analytical methods, customized to this scope. Alternatively, the simulation models allow more in-depth analyses aiming at the optimization of the use of capacity. The general goals of the research are the comparison of methods for the assessment of railway lines and nodes’ capacity, suitability for specific tasks, and stability of the results under variable scenarios. The comparison is finalised to quantify the relative level of confidence of the concerned literature methods. The work is part of a larger research project with the final goal of identifying the most appropriate approach for the optimization of the network capacity and the setup of specific guidelines. In this framework and perspective, the paper introduces synthetically the methods and applies them systematically to a real complex mixed-traffic network in Trieste, situated in Northeast Italy, including the main passengers and freight stations and a set of lines used for both services.