Finding the Missing Trains: An Analysis and Optimization of Europe's Passenger Rail Network

Thesis title: Finding the Missing Trains: An Analysis and Optimization of Europe's Passenger Rail Network

To see updates from my thesis, check out my blogposts

Europe's train network is a complex, multifaceted system, built on hundreds of companies operating within different regions and countries. From a passenger transport perspective, services are organized at two main levels:

1. Long-distance trains are generally planned on a national level.
2. Regional trains are planned within individual regions, sometimes requiring collaboration between neighbouring regions or countries for inter-regional or international routes.

Due to the national focus on planning, optimization, and funding, trans-regional and transnational connectivity has lagged behind national connectivity across Europe. There’s no single European body responsible for the coordinated planning of international train lines. However, efforts to enhance this connectivity do exist. For instance, the European Commission’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) initiative outlines the potential for unifying national train systems and investing in key railway corridors. In response to inquiries about integrating TEN-T into this analysis, the European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport shared that, “TEN-T provides a strategic framework for enhancing connectivity across Europe. Initiatives like the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) have made significant investments in projects that improve rail accessibility and interoperability."

In this research, I aim to evaluate the quality of the European passenger train network from a trans-European viewpoint. This assessment will use indicators such as average travel time, service frequency, and capacity of major connections, as well as gaps in connections between economically or culturally important areas. Building on this foundation, I plan to analyse possible network improvements, such as optimizing existing lines or proposing new ones.

Additionally, my thesis will include an open-source visualization tool (or contributions to an existing tool), enabling the exploration of various facets of the European rail network in an interactive way. This tool will be inspired by projects like Chronotrains (chronotrains.com), Signal.eu.org, and visualizations by the Spiekermann and Wegener research center [4].

Data Challenges

One of the most significant aspects of this research is the collection and cleaning of high-quality data to represent the current network accurately. Several existing sources offer insight into the European rail network, each with unique advantages and limitations:

• OpenStreetMap (OSM) provides open data on train tracks, including track gauge, speed limits, and information on abandoned or unused tracks. However, this data is community-sourced and often inconsistent across countries, with gaps in information such as connectivity between tracks or whether they stop at a nearby station.
• General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds from transport companies offer timetable and route information, though gathering and maintaining these feeds across hundreds of European companies can be complex. Some open platforms, like Mobility Database and Transit.land, offer feed URLs that can be queried for company-specific transit information.
• Regional Data on Socioeconomic Factors such as population density and tourism data, available through Eurostat and Wikidata, can further contextualize the network’s performance and identify regions of economic or cultural significance that may be underserved by rail.

Problem Statement

How can the current European passenger railway network be evaluated and improved from a trans-European perspective?

Research Questions

1. What performance indicators can effectively evaluate the current state and performance of rail infrastructure across Europe, considering factors like connectivity, travel time, and service frequency?
2. How can rail data and the extracted performance indicators be visualized in a way that facilitates comprehensive and interactive analysis of the European rail network?
3. Using a graph-based model of all train lines in Europe, what straightforward optimization strategies can be identified to enhance the overall network performance, such as rehabilitating abandoned or creating new tracks and proposing new lines?

References

1. Regional and suburban railway market analysis: ERRAC Report
2. European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy et al.: "Passenger rail performance in Europe – Regional and territorial accessibility indicators for passenger rail", Publications Office of the European Union, 2021.
3. European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport: "Rail connectivity index – Final report", Publications Office of the European Union, 2023, doi:10.2832/745889
4. Spiekermann and Wegener (Urban and Regional Research): Time and Mobility Visualizations