THE USE OF PROGRESSIVE GRAVITATIONAL METHODS IN THE LOGISTICS OF RAIL PASSENGER TRANSPORT

The main strategic goal of EU transport policy is to support public passenger transport and railway transport as a key transport mode. It is also very important to develop and improve logistic processes in passenger transport. To meet these goals it is necessary to use professional and scientific methods, for example gravitational methods. These methods can be included among progressive empirical methods and models that are used to generalize specific results and offer a general solution to the problem, from practical knowledge to theoretical formulation. These methods are utilised in the natural sciences but their using in transport processes is very important too. One of the best known empirical methods are Nyvig's and Lill's gravitational methods. They are especially used in transport planning and organizing, determining of the traffic potential, optimization and rationalization of timetables and traffic service. In the contribution the authors deals with using of the current and new progressive gravitational methods in the context of rail passenger transport logistics. The first chapter comprises narrow connection of the logistics and rail passenger transport including the explanation of their function in rail passenger transport. The next chapter contains an analysis the current research of raised issues. The most important scientific part conssists of theoretical concept of the gravitational methods in railway passenger transport and its various modifications. Theoretical principles of the new progressive Lill's gravitational model form including its practical application at the chosen railway passenger transport routes are explained and analyzed in the fourth and the fifth chapter.