When to Consider using Tracks

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Tracks Modelling can be useful when you want to simulate activity in a system that incorporates  the following characteristics:

  • Mobile transport assets carry resources (items, goods, people etc) between locations (Nodes), making use of a fixed component (Links - like a railway track).
  • The fixed components join many Locations to form a network (i.e. Nodes + Links).
  • Between nodes in the network, the capacity of the links (fixed components) is limited.
  • The movement of the transport assets between locations is constrained by these en-route capacity limits.
  • Rules are required to maintain suitable traffic flows in all directions over the network.


Consider developing a Tracks Model when your system matches the above characteristics and you want to use a simulation model to support the following kinds of investigations:

  • Capacity Limits of the Transport Network.
  • Options for Network Capacity Expansion.
  • Projections of Network Performance under varying Traffic conditions, demand patterns or loads.
  • Testing network performance under various operational conditions or scenarios, either across the Network or in particular locations
    e.g. stoppages, slowdowns, partial unavailability, startups, gaps in availability or varyiations in network or location holding capacity.
  • Testing network performance under various scheduling and/or traffic management strategies either across the Network or in particular locations.
    e.g. prioritization rules, dynamic reshceduling or timetabled operations etc