Routing trains through a railway station based on a Node Packing model

In this paper we describe the problem of routing trains through a railway station. This routing problem is a subproblem of the automatic generation of timetables for the Dutch railway system. The problem of routing trains through a railway station is the problem of assigning each of the involved trains to a route through the railway station, given the detailed layout of the railway network within the station and given the arrival and departure times of the trains. When solving this routing problem, several aspects such as capacity, safety, and customer service have to be taken into account. In this paper we describe this routing problem in terms of a Weighted Node Packing Problem. Furthermore, we describe an algorithm for solving this routing problem to optimality. The algorithm is based on preprocessing, valid inequalities, and a branch-and-cut approach. The preprocessing techniques aim at identifying super uous nodes which can be removed from the problem instance. The characteristics of the preprocessing techniques with respect to propagation are investigated. We also present the results of a computational study in which the model, the preprocessing techniques and the algorithm are tested based on data related to the railway stations Arnhem, Hoorn and Utrecht in the Netherlands.mathematical economics and econometrics ;

System for automated synthesis of track development railway stations

Процес розробки конструкції колійного розвитку залізничних станцій та вузлів супроводжується масовими і трудомісткими розрахунками з’єднань колій і координат основних точок плану. Значне поліпшення даного процесу досягається за рахунок використання структурно-параметричних моделей станцій у сукупності з методами автоматизованого синтезу станцій. В статті розглядаються моделі та алгоритми графічного формування вхідної моделі станції у середовищі AutoCAD, що значно скорочує тривалість процесу проектування її плану.The process of design gridiron railway stations and units accompanied by massive and time -consuming calculations compounds ways and coordinates the main points of the plan. Significant improvement of this process is achieved through the use of structural and parametric models (input, internal and output models) stations in conjunction with the automated synthesis methods stations. In this formalization scheme gridiron station is based on a directed graph. The Aim. Preparing data input model in the form of lists of characteristic points of the incidence scheme takes considerable time. In this context, the task of developing models and algorithms for interactive graphical form input model of the plant. Methods of solution. To solve the problem using the methods of graph theory and analytic geometry. The Results

The new Dutch timetable: The OR revolution

In December 2006, Netherlands Railways introduced a completely new timetable. Its objective was to facilitate the growth of passenger and freight transport on a highly utilized railway network, and improve the robustness of the timetable resulting in less train delays in the operation. Further adjusting the existing timetable constructed in 1970 was not option anymore, because further growth would then require significant investments in the rail infrastructure. Constructing a railway timetable from scratch for about 5,500 daily trains was a complex problem. To support this process, we generated several timetables using sophisticated operations research techniques, and finally selected and implemented one of these timetables. Furthermore, because rolling-stock and crew costs are principal components of the cost of a passenger railway operator, we used innovative operations research tools to devise efficient schedules for these two resources. The new resource schedules and the increased number of passengers resulted in an additional annual profit of 40 million euros ($60 million) of which about 10 million euros were created by additional revenues. We expect this to increase to 70 million euros ($105 million) annually in the coming years. However, the benefits of the new timetable for the Dutch society as a whole are much greater: more trains are transporting more passengers on the same railway infrastructure, and these trains are arriving and departing on schedule more than they ever have in the past. In addition, the rail transport system will be able to handle future transportation demand growth and thus allow cities to remain accessible. Therefore, people can switch from car transport to rail transport, which will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

An Alternative Approach for High Speed Railway Carrying Capacity Calculation Based on Multiagent Simulation

It is a multiobjective mixed integer programming problem that calculates the carrying capacity of high speed railway based on mathematical programming method. The model is complex and difficult to solve, and it is difficult to comprehensively consider the various influencing factors on the train operation. The multiagent theory is employed to calculate high speed railway carrying capacity. In accordance with real operations of high speed railway, a three-layer agent model is developed to simulate the operating process of high speed railway. In the proposed model, railway network agent, line agent, station agent, and train agent are designed, respectively. To validate the proposed model, a case study is performed for Beijing–Shanghai high speed railway by using NetLogo software. The results are consistent with the actual data, which implies that the proposed multiagent method is feasible to calculate the carrying capacity of high speed railway

A Study on the Practical Carrying Capacity of Large High-Speed Railway Stations considering Train Set Utilization

Methods for solving the carrying capacity problem for High-Speed Railways (HSRs) have received increasing attention in the literature in the last few years. As important nodes in the High-Speed Railway (HSR) network, large stations are usually the carrying capacity bottlenecks of the entire network due to the presence of multiple connections in different directions and the complexity of train operations at these stations. This paper focuses on solving the station carrying capacity problem and considers train set utilization constraints, which are important influencing factors that have rarely been studied by previous researchers. An integer linear programming model is built, and the CPLEX v12.2 software is used to solve the model. The proposed approach is tested on a real-world case study of the Beijing South Railway Station (BS), which is one of the busiest and most complex stations in China. Studies of the impacts of different train set utilization constraints on the practical station carrying capacity are carried out, and some suggestions are then presented for enhancing the practical carrying capacity. Contrast tests indicate that both the efficiency of the solving process and the quality of the solution show huge breakthroughs compared with the heuristic approach

Optimizing the Shunting Schedule of Electric Multiple Units Depot Using an Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

The shunting schedule of electric multiple units depot (SSED) is one of the essential plans for high-speed train maintenance activities. This paper presents a 0-1 programming model to address the problem of determining an optimal SSED through automatic computing. The objective of the model is to minimize the number of shunting movements and the constraints include track occupation conflicts, shunting routes conflicts, time durations of maintenance processes, and shunting running time. An enhanced particle swarm optimization (EPSO) algorithm is proposed to solve the optimization problem. Finally, an empirical study from Shanghai South EMU Depot is carried out to illustrate the model and EPSO algorithm. The optimization results indicate that the proposed method is valid for the SSED problem and that the EPSO algorithm outperforms the traditional PSO algorithm on the aspect of optimality

A Study on the Practical Carrying Capacity of Large High-Speed Railway Stations considering Train Set Utilization

Methods for solving the carrying capacity problem for High-Speed Railways (HSRs) have received increasing attention in the literature in the last few years. As important nodes in the High-Speed Railway (HSR) network, large stations are usually the carrying capacity bottlenecks of the entire network due to the presence of multiple connections in different directions and the complexity of train operations at these stations. This paper focuses on solving the station carrying capacity problem and considers train set utilization constraints, which are important influencing factors that have rarely been studied by previous researchers. An integer linear programming model is built, and the CPLEX v12.2 software is used to solve the model. The proposed approach is tested on a real-world case study of the Beijing South Railway Station (BS), which is one of the busiest and most complex stations in China. Studies of the impacts of different train set utilization constraints on the practical station carrying capacity are carried out, and some suggestions are then presented for enhancing the practical carrying capacity. Contrast tests indicate that both the efficiency of the solving process and the quality of the solution show huge breakthroughs compared with the heuristic approach

Real-Time Track Reallocation for Emergency Incidents at Large Railway Stations

After track capacity breakdowns at a railway station, train dispatchers need to generate appropriate track reallocation plans to recover the impacted train schedule and minimize the expected total train delay time under stochastic scenarios. This paper focuses on the real-time track reallocation problem when tracks break down at large railway stations. To represent these cases, virtual trains are introduced and activated to occupy the accident tracks. A mathematical programming model is developed, which aims at minimizing the total occupation time of station bottleneck sections to avoid train delays. In addition, a hybrid algorithm between the genetic algorithm and the simulated annealing algorithm is designed. The case study from the Baoji railway station in China verifies the efficiency of the proposed model and the algorithm. Numerical results indicate that, during a daily and shift transport plan from 8:00 to 8:30, if five tracks break down simultaneously, this will disturb train schedules (result in train arrival and departure delays)

Optimization of platform allocation

Import 18/12/2013Disertační práce se zabývá organizací vlakové dopravy v železniční stanici, konkrétně jde o přidělení staniční koleje u nástupištní hrany přijíždějícímu vlaku. Základní rozhodovací problém spočívá v přidělení koleje vlaku takovým způsobem, aby byly minimalizovány časové odchylky v jízdách vlaků oproti grafikonu vlakové dopravy a také odchylky oproti plánu obsazení kolejí ve stanici. Pro řešení problému jsou použity metody matematického modelování, pro řešení modelu je použita metoda local branching a metoda větví a hranic. Model je verifikován na reálných vstupních datech železniční stanice Praha hlavní nádraží. Z dosažených výsledků je možno usuzovat, že matematický model je plně funkční a poskytuje výsledky, které je možno prohlásit za relevantní.Dissertation thesis deals with the organization of train traffic in the railway station, especially the allocation of station tracks at the platform edges to an incoming train. The basic decision problem consists in the allocation of train to track in such a way to minimize time differences in train journeys in comparison to train traffic diagram and to minimize the deviations from the track occupancy plan in the station. Methods of mathematical modeling are used to solve the problem, the model is solved with the method of local branching and branch and bound method. The model is verified on real input data about railway station Prague Main Station. It can be concluded that the mathematical model is fully functional and is able to provide results.Prezenční342 - Institut dopravyvyhově