Research on Airport Express Train Schedule Optimization Based on Demand-Driven Air-Rail Intermodal Transportation

Abstract The optimization of airport express train schedules is crucial for air-rail intermodal transport, which directly affects the efficiency of passenger transfer and service level. It thus enhances the competitiveness of the transport system. In the context of air-rail intermodal transportation, this study explores the “Airport Express and Flight Succession” issue. Given the take-off and landing time of airport flights, we analyze the demand of different passenger flows and the key factors influencing the connection between airport express lines and flights, and construct a demand-driven optimization model of airport express train schedules based on air-rail intermodal transport conditions with the goal of minimizing the total travel time and the number of unserved passengers, and use a simulated annealing algorithm to solve the model and verify the model and algorithm by taking the case of the Lanzhou-Zhong Chuan Airport Express Line. The model and algorithm are validated by taking Lanzhou Zhong Chuan Airport Express as an example. The results show that the optimized timetable reduces the total travel time cost of passengers by 0.93% and 3.82%, the number of unserved passengers by 14.7%, and the proportion of flights and trains that do not satisfy the constraints of passenger occupancy by 17%, under the premise of considering the time sensitivity of different types of passengers and the principle of fairness, respectively. Therefore, the timetable optimization strategy of this study significantly reduces the total travel time of intermodal and commuter traffic while increasing the number of served passengers, which provides a solid scientific basis for the operation and management of the Airport Express to develop a more efficient and reasonable train timetable under the conditions of air-rail intermodal transportation.