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Transportation Schedule

Transportation Schedule problems involve finding the optimal route from origin to destination using multiple transport options with departure and arrival times. You must ensure minimum connection times between transfers and find the earliest arrival.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
AdvancedDifficulty
3-4 hoursHours to Master

What You'll Learn

Introduction & Overview Why This Matters How to Solve Pro Tips & Tricks
Shortcut Methods Common Mistakes Practice Worksheets Exam Importance

Introduction to Transportation Schedule

Transportation Schedule problems involve finding the optimal route from origin to destination using multiple transport options with departure and arrival times. You must ensure minimum connection times between transfers and find the earliest arrival.

Prerequisites

Time arithmetic Connection time calculation Route enumeration Optimization
Why This Matters: Transportation Schedule problems appear in 1-2 questions in Railways RRB and Banking PO exams. They test route planning and time optimization.

How to Solve Transportation Schedule Problems

1

Step 1: List all available transport options with departure and arrival times

2

Step 2: Identify all possible routes from start to destination

3

Step 3: For each route, calculate connection times between consecutive legs

4

Step 4: Ensure each connection meets minimum layover requirement

5

Step 5: Calculate total journey time (depart first to arrive last)

6

Step 6: Select route with earliest arrival time

7

Step 7: Answer with earliest arrival time

Pro Strategy: Convert all times to minutes past midnight for easy calculation. Enumerate all possible path combinations. Calculate connection time = next departure - current arrival. Must be ≥ minimum layover.

Example Problem

Example: City A to City C via City B. Trains: A→B: dep 9:00 arr 10:30; B→C: dep 11:00 arr 12:30. Minimum layover 30 min. Earliest arrival at C? Solution: Step 1: Arrive B at 10:30 Step 2: Next train departs B at 11:00 Step 3: Layover = 11:00 - 10:30 = 30 min (meets minimum) Step 4: Arrive C at 12:30 Step 5: Total journey = 12:30 - 9:00 = 3.5 hours Answer: 12:30 PM

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Convert times to minutes (e.g., 9:00 AM = 540 minutes)
  • Connection time = departure_next - arrival_current
  • If connection < min layover, route is invalid
  • If multiple routes, compare arrival times (earlier is better)
  • Consider that next day arrivals may require adding 1440 minutes
  • Draw a time-space diagram for complex routes

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

Earliest arrival = min over valid routes of (last arrival time)
Connection time must be ≥ minimum layover
Use modulo 1440 for next-day arrivals
Sort routes by departure time for systematic checking

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to check layover time for each connection
Not considering multiple connecting cities
Miscalculating times when crossing midnight
Assuming the first departure is always optimal

Exam Importance

Transportation Schedule is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
1-2 questions
BANKING PO
1-2 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
2-3 questions
INSURANCE
1-2 questions

Ready to Master Transportation Schedule?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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