Abstract
The Integraler Taktfahrplan (ITF) strategy for coordinating intercity rail and other modes at multiple timed-transfer hubs is described. The ongoing Swiss experience in establishing a countrywide ITF system is presented, and the ITF strategy is applied to North America, using a region within the United States. The Swiss Rail + Bus 2000 Plan will bring all intercity public transportation modes into a comprehensive fixed-interval, timed-transfer, multihub system, including high-speed intercity trains, regular intercity and regional trains, buses, ferries, and funiculars. Timed connections with urban transit systems will be provided. The repeating schedule, associated with the ITF strategy, allows for two powerful analysis and communication tools: (a) a schedule map and (b) symmetrical train graphs. The schedule map helps planning, marketing, scheduling, engineering, and operations work together as they iteratively design the system. The map, which graphically combines routes and schedules, is easy to understand and sell to policy makers and the public. Symmetrical train graphs help with the detailed engineering and cost-benefit analyses. The ITF strategy first develops the schedule on the basis of the potential market and then selects the most appropriate mode and infrastructure improvements to make any required travel-time savings needed for the timed transfers. Because a view of the system as a whole is provided, the benefits of a large capital investment or an ongoing operating subsidy can be properly weighed. For intercity passenger rail, this strategy provides a way to capitalize on the existing rail resources in a cost-effective manner: to build and fund only what is needed, but also to build and fund what is truly needed.
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