IF articles

Summary - This study analyses the operation of a major railway node by applying a combinatorial synthesis method derived from Potthoff’s approach. A preliminary phase involved reconstructing the station’s geometric and functional model using only data available from public, bibliographic and otherwise online sources, such as Google Earth and OpenRailwayMap. This process enabled a coherent and geometrically reliable representation of the hub to be obtained, highlighting that data collection is an integral part of the methodological process. Starting from the reconstructed model, routes were identified and classified, and their relationships were formalised using compatibility matrices, occupancy time matrices and traffic load matrices. The integration of these matrices enables the estimation of average occupancy time and delays caused by conflicts between movements. The application of the method was tested on Bologna Centrale station, which showed a level of utilisation close to capacity during peak hours and a less critical situation on a daily basis, confirming an overall sustainable operational situation.

https://www.medra.org/servlet/view?lang=it&doi=10.57597/IF.06.2026.ART.2