D8.4 Simulations of the Iron Ore line

Abstract

The purpose of this document is to describe simulations performed for the Iron Ore Line (IOL), in order to test and evaluate the systems for operational re-planning in case of per-turbations. The simulator Hermes has been used for the simulations, with input data describing the IOL. When the simulator has been found valid for the IOL, a number of per-turbations scenarios have been used for evaluation of the ON-TIME modules for perturba-tion handling. The Perturbation Management Modules (PMM) have been connected to the simulator system. The PMM detects perturbations and the need for re-planning and calcu-lates a new real time traffic plan (RTTP), which is automatically executed to the (simulat-ed) traffic control system. Two different scenarios have been used for evaluation studies. One with a delayed loaded iron ore train and one with speed restrictions between two stations. The evaluation studies have resulted in the following conclusions: •The Hermes simulator can simulate the traffic on the IOL, for undisturbed traffic as well as for traffic with certain perturbations. However, with a number of limita-tion, as discussed above. •The developed systems for automatic re-planning, the PMM modules, are able to handle the perturbations specified in some scenario for the IOL. •That evaluations show that a number of requirements must be fulfilled, it the sys-tems are going to be used in real traffic control on the IOL. •That the results give us a good basis for future research and development. •It will be necessary to perform more advanced evaluations, in order to specify these requirements in detail. Final remarks are that the results so far are very interesting for future development in Sweden. Important will be to integrate the PMM modules with a fully interactive envi-ronment. The present system in Boden, with STEG and CATO, can profit from efficient systems for optimal re-planning and decision support. The human controllers’ tasks must be coordinated with the more automated functions and their user interfaces must visualize important aspects of the PMM actions.On-Tim