Feasibility of the "Cyclic, symmetric and integrated timetable (Taktfahrplan)" in Japan on the basis of the result of timetable research in European countries.

Abstract

In some European countries including Switzerland and Austria, studies on the improvement of railway timetable have been continued for many years. As a result, a timetable concept called Taktfahrplan which means a cyclic, symmetric and integrated timetable comes to be realized. On the other hand, in Japan, in spite of the superior timetable in metropolitan area and the Kansai area, timetable improvement has not been advanced in many local railway routes. In this report, we survey the result of timetable improvement in European countries and consider the feasibility of introduction of such timetable concept in Japan.