Investigation of the Handling Capacity of a Railway Station Serving Industrial Sidings by Means of Simulation Modeling

As a result of the military aggression of the russian federation, the current operating conditions of Ukraine’s railway transport are characterized by significant fluctuations in freight volumes, changes in cargo flow directions, destruction of infrastructure, and disruptions in train traffic, combined with intense competition from other modes of transport, particularly in the organization of international shipments. Industrial sidings constitute an integral component of the transport system, ensuring continuity of logistics processes and effective interaction between the mainline railway transport and manufacturing enterprises, warehouse complexes, and other cargo owners. Private tracks serve as the principal points for forming and dissipating the majority of freight flows in the Ukrainian railway network, and the efficiency of their servicing significantly affects both the stability of industrial processes and the performance indicators of the transport system. To achieve a high level of competitiveness, Ukrainian railways face the challenge not only of ensuring stable transportation under the conditions of military aggression, but also of introducing a customer-oriented approach in cooperation with cargo owners. One aspect of such transport services is ensuring sufficient handling capacity of railway stations serving private tracks. In this regard, the task of determining rational technical and technological parameters of junction stations for industrial sidings is of particular relevance. Purpose. The aim of the research is to establish the dependence of the handling capacity of a junction station serving industrial sidings on its technical and technological parameters. Research methods. The research employed methods of mathematical statistics and simulation modeling. Results. Analysis of the studies on improving the efficiency of interaction between junction stations and industrial sidings showed that the main efforts of researchers are directed towards improving the technological process. At the same time, much less attention is paid to the ownership structure of rolling stock, which leads to wagon surpluses on the network. This results in a shortage of station tracks for wagon storage, reduced handling capacity of railway stations, and an increase in penalties for violation of contractual obligations regarding freight transportation. To determine the sufficient handling capacity of stations for the calculated wagon flows, a simulation model was developed that enables modeling of the interaction between junction stations and industrial sidings under various operational conditions, taking into account the stochastic arrival of wagons. Based on a series of experiments with the model, the dependence of the handling capacity of a railway station on its technical and technological parameters was established. Scientific novelty. The novelty lies in the further development of methods for assessing the handling capacity of a junction station serving industrial sidings, depending on its technical and technological parameters. Practical significance. The results of the study can be applied to the assessment of the operational reliability of junction stations serving industrial sidings, considering the stochastic nature of wagon arrivals and the specifics of performing local operations.