Improving Service Quality by Integrating Passenger and Freight Train Transportation

Freight integration into public transport is a promising sustainable last-mile solution. This chapter determines circumstances under which integrating freight and passenger demand benefits operators and passengers. We formulate a joint optimization model that determines the train schedule, the rolling stock schedule, and freight allocation to maximize profits from passengers and freight, assuming passengers only choose the mode rail if the travel time is sufficiently short. Our numerical experiments show that passengers' travel time decreases when integrating freight into the railway system. Since operators can utilize the flexibility of freight and allocate it in periods with lower passenger demand, they profitably schedule additional trains and trips, resulting in lower travel times and higher served demands for passengers.