Optimal railway station locations for high-speed trains based on partial coverage and passenger cost savings

Abstract

Advances in high-speed railway technology directly affect industrial competitiveness and regional economies. In this study, the location and allocation problem of high-speed train stations is investigated using a two-stage optimization model. In the first stage, we select candidate station locations by considering partial coverage to maximize the demand under the limitation of the number of stations. In the second stage, we determine the optimal number of station locations to maximize the passenger transportation cost savings. The optimal solutions in the first stage are used as candidate stations in the second stage. Computational experiments are performed to test the proposed two-stage optimization model using a case study of the northern railway line in Thailand. The results provide decision-makers with useful information on the design and construction of high-speed railways.