International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Regional rail transport is a key part of the transport process, and its importance is growing every year. Suburban rail forms the backbone of the regional transport system and is widely regarded as a sustainable form of mobility with societal benefits. On the other hand, the costs associated with operating rail transport are significant and it is essential to design cost-effective and efficient transport solutions. This paper takes a closer look at the prediction of passenger volumes and the associated options for effective management of regional rail transport when travel demand is known. A practical application is developed in the conditions of suburban rail transport in the vicinity of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. It analyses the available data on transport supply and travel demand of which passengers can be assigned to specific directions and time slots in relation to daily and weekly variations of travel demand. Based on the data provided, a model for assigning passengers with respect to public transport supply was proposed. The prediction is harmonised with local specific conditions. The results obtained were used to design a new operational concept for the suburban railway in the assessed area. On the basis of the data obtained, a modelled composition of vehicle units and frequency of services on individual sections was proposed. An appropriately set capacity of the vehicle units enables a significant reduction of operating costs and leads to an economical and efficient transport solution.

In each transport system are for its total costs key the fixed costs, deriving from regular deployed number of vehicles and drivers, related to the overall transport performance. Fixed, periodic and systematic linkages in the operational concept can achieve higher productivity of vehicles and personnel. Article explains the application of these techniques in the optimization of urban bus transport in the Czech town Jindřichův Hradec.

In the regional bus transport in the Czech Republic is currently ending a period, in which contracts with the bus carriers have been concluded directly – without a tender, before the effect of European Regulation 1370/2007. Main contractors of public transport are currently solving questions, how to define the structure of operational files in regional bus transport, so that these files were technologically functional, operationally homogeneous and that the price of transport performance in these files was economically viable. This situation requires new and innovative approach in the field of transportation technology.

The importance of transport planning in public services gradually becomes to be fully appreciated in the context of the Czech Republic. Public transport such as investment and operationally intensive industries require a guaranteed long-term strategy, not only in the field of transport infrastructure, but also in the field of transport services. The first prerequisite for successful transport planning is the most accurate description of passenger flows, including the parameters affecting the choice of transport mode. These inputs are an important basis for additional steps: the creation of a line network, timetable design, creating circulation of vehicles and courses of staff, controlling, and any requests for infrastructure improvements. At the end of this article are referred specific practical examples, where thank to a compliance with the rules of theoretical transport planning it has been achieved the increased operational efficiency of public passenger rail-transport.