The two-train separation problem on non-level track—driving strategies that minimize total required tractive energy subject to prescribed section clearance times

Amie Albrecht, Phil Howlett, Peter Pudney, Xuan Vu and Peng Zhou

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 2018, vol. 111, issue C, 135-167

Abstract: When two trains travel along the same track in the same direction it is a common safety requirement with three-aspect signalling that the trains must be separated by at least two signals if they wish to continue following the planned schedule. Under these separation conditions there will always be at least one clear section of track between the two trains. When these conditions are violated the following train must adopt a revised strategy that will enable it to stop at the next signal if required. In this paper we find necessary conditions on non-level track to minimize the total tractive energy required for both trains to complete their respective journeys within the allowed time subject to safety-compatible separation constraints in the form of a prescribed set of latest allowed section exit times for the leading train and a corresponding prescribed set of earliest allowed section entry times for the following train. We use classical methods of constrained optimzation to show that the optimal driving strategy for each train is defined by a unique optimal driving speed on each section and that the sequence of optimal driving speeds is a decreasing sequence for the leading train and an increasing sequence for the following train. We illustrate our results by finding optimal strategies and associated speed profiles for both the leading train and the following train in some elementary but realistic examples.

Keywords: Optimal train control; Train separation; Intermediate time constraints; Tractive energy minimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019126151730807X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:transb:v:111:y:2018:i:c:p:135-167

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2018.03.012

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation Research Part B: Methodological is currently edited by Fred Mannering

More articles in Transportation Research Part B: Methodological from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().