timetablecentered

Timetablecentered is a planning approach in operations research and transportation planning that prioritizes the design of schedules, or timetables, to meet overall service goals and user needs. It treats the timetable as the primary instrument of service quality, aiming to optimize connectivity, regularity, and accessibility across a network rather than focusing solely on resource utilization or individual events.

Core principles include regular headways, synchronized transfers at interchanges, coverage aligned with demand, resilience to delays, and clarity for passengers. The timetablecentered approach emphasizes predictability, passenger journey simplicity, and the ability to accommodate recurring demand patterns, seasonal variations, and network disruptions by adjusting the timetable rather than ad hoc resourcing.

Applications span public transit systems such as buses and rail, multi-modal networks, and, in some cases, manufacturing or service operations with cyclic workflows. Timetablecentered design is used to enable convenient transfers, reduce wait times, and improve overall network reliability.

Methods involve mathematical modeling and computation, including constraint programming and mixed-integer linear programming, supported by simulations. Data inputs include travel times, dwell times, transfer times, demand estimates, fleet and crew constraints, and policy goals. Evaluation metrics focus on punctuality, average travel time, number of missed transfers, and passenger satisfaction.

Advantages include improved user experience and simpler operational planning, while challenges encompass data quality, model complexity, stochastic variability, and the need for coordination across operators and infrastructure owners. The term is related to timetable optimization, network design, and schedule synthesis in scheduling theory.