Locomotive Assignment Optimization Including Train Delays
Abstract
Intention– Cyclic locomotive assignment planning is a specific type of organization of locomotive usage, and in fact, it means putting the complete workload to a closed chain, which is repeated periodically. The concept of cyclic locomotive assignment planning type organization in the area of train traction has proven in practice as the best one, but as it is made for in-advance defined timetable and without considering the stochastic nature of the timetable realization process, it leads to incompatibility in using locomotives. Methodology – Methodology defined in this paper contains: research of train delays on the Serbian Railways and Montenegrin Railways networks, analysis of the real system organization of locomotive usage in conditions of train delays, theoretical thesis of solving the problem of optimal cyclic locomotive assignment planning in conditions of train delays, designing of a model with algorithms, preparing the software package, testing the model and program with results, as well as the conclusions drawn from the complete research project. Results– The optimization model of cyclic locomotive assignment planning during the process of making timetable including train delays has been defined. Conclusion –The obtained results have shown as expected, that the larger delays of trains required a larger number of locomotives. However, by using this model it is possible to optimize the required number of locomotives, taking into account the real time delays of trains.References
Cordeau, J.F., Soumis, F. & Desrosiers, J. (1998). A Benders decomposition approach for the locomotive and car assignment problem. Technical Report, GERAD G-98-35, Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commericales, Montreal, Canada.
Wright, M.B. (1989). Applying stochastic algorithms to a locomotive scheduling problem. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 40, 187-192.
Forbes, M.A., Holt, J.N. & Watts, A.M. (1991). Exact solution of locomotive scheduling problems. Journal of Operational Research Society, 42, 825-831.
Booler, J.M.P. (1980). The solution of a railway locomotive scheduling problem. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 31, 943-948.
Fischetti, M. & Toth, P. (1997). A package for locomotive scheduling. Technical Report, DEIS-OR-97-16, University of Bologna, Italy.
Florian, M., Bushell, G., Ferland, J., Guerin, G. & Nastansky, L. (1976). The engine scheduling problem in a railway network. INFOR, 14, 121-138.
Ramani, K.V. (1981). An information system for allocating coach stock on Indian Railways. Interfaces, 11, 44-51.
Smith, S. & Sheffi, Y. (1988). Locomotive scheduling under uncertain demand. Transportation Research Records, 1251, 45-53.
Cordeau, J.F., Toth, P. & Vigo, D. (1998). A survey of optimization models for train routing and scheduling. Transportation Science,32, 380-404.
Ziarati, K., Soumis, F., Desrosiers, J. & Solomon, M.M. (1999). Locomotive assignment using train delays. Computer-Aide Transit Scheduling, N.H.M. Wilson (ed.), Lecture Notes in Economics and Mathematical Systems 471, Springer, Berlin, 285-297.
Ziarati, K., Chizari H. & Mohammadi Nezhads A. (2005). Locomotive optimization using artificial intelligence approach. Iranian Journal of Science & Technology, 29, 93-105.
Ahuja, R.K., Liu, J., Orlin, J.B., Sharma, D. & Shughart, L.A. (2005). Solving real-life locomotives scheduling problems. Transportation Science, 39, 503-517.
Vaidyanathan, B., Ahuja, R.K., Liu, J. & Shughart, L.A. (2007). Real-life locomotive planning: new formulations and computational results. Transportation Research Part B, 42, 147-168.
Serbian Rail Administration. Statistics from EV-40 for timetable 2009/10. Serbian Railways; in Serbian, 2010.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).