The simulation of New Street Station

The current allocation of trains to platforms at Birmingham’s New Street Station is based on the assumption that trains arrive on time. In practice, arrivals are not always punctual and this can cause queues to form at the signals outside the station delaying subsequent trains. This article describes a simulation model of New Street Station incorporating stochastic train arrival times which allowed several modified platform allocations to be tested and the most robust alternatives identified. The average queueing times of trains at signals during the morning rush hour could be significantly reduced by reallocating just three trains.