Rationalized Timetabling Using a Simulation Tool: A Paradigm Shift in Indian Railways

K. P. Anoop (), A. Madhukumar Reddy (), Mandeep Singh Bhatia (), Amit Kumar Jain (), R. Gopalakrishnan (), Merajus Salekin (), Samay Pritam Singh (), R. V. Satwik (), Sudarshan Pulapadi (), Chandrashekhar Bobade (), I. Sidhartha Kumar (), Shivasubramanian Gopalakrishnan (), Kumar Appaiah (), Narayan Rangaraj () and Madhu N. Belur ()
Additional contact information
K. P. Anoop: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
A. Madhukumar Reddy: Railway Board, Rail Bhavan, New Delhi 110001, India
Mandeep Singh Bhatia: Railway Board, Rail Bhavan, New Delhi 110001, India
Amit Kumar Jain: Centre for Railway Information Systems, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021, India
R. Gopalakrishnan: Centre for Railway Information Systems, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021, India
Merajus Salekin: Centre for Railway Information Systems, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021, India
Samay Pritam Singh: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
R. V. Satwik: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Sudarshan Pulapadi: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Chandrashekhar Bobade: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
I. Sidhartha Kumar: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Shivasubramanian Gopalakrishnan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Kumar Appaiah: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Narayan Rangaraj: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
Madhu N. Belur: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India

Interfaces, 2023, vol. 53, issue 4, 295-306

Abstract: During the year 2020, Indian Railways undertook an extensive timetabling exercise for its entire network. The timetable for its six principal routes known as the golden quadrilateral + diagonals (GQD) was generated using a rail traffic simulation tool. The simulation tool and the methodology had to be customized to handle the complex technical requirements of the GQD network, which spans more than 9,000 km. Challenges related to using and integrating data into the simulator also had to be addressed. This was the first time that a simulation software tool of this kind was used for timetabling in Indian Railways, and hence, there were uncertainties regarding the timely delivery, which gave rise to additional challenges to the overall effort. This paper focuses on these challenges and the managerial and human aspects of this massive timetabling exercise. It also explains how this project leverages the benefits of combining top-down and bottom-up approaches in timetabling and how it sets a new paradigm for network-wide timetabling in Indian Railways.

Keywords: railway timetabling; simulation; Indian Railways; rationalized timetabling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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