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Rail platooning: Scheduling trains along a rail corridor with rapid-shunting facilities

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  • Schwerdfeger, Stefan
  • Otto, Alena
  • Boysen, Nils

Abstract

Several technological developments are on the way to substantially impact future railway operations. Distributed traction power enables operating longer and heavier trains. The use of automatic couplings allows to quickly join formerly separately operated trains to longer units. Such a platooning on rails promises a much better utilization of congested rail corridors, but requires some upgrades of classical rail infrastructure as well. Rapid shunting tracks are necessary to form platoons and the railway lines have to be prepared to accommodate longer trains. This paper evaluates the rail platooning concept for German railway operator Deutsche Bahn and one of its most-frequented rail corridors. To do so, we formulate the rail platooning problem, which schedules the traversal of freight trains and their assignment to rail platoons along a rail corridor equipped with rapid-shunting facilities. To solve the resulting optimization problem, we apply a three-layered time-space network approach. Our solution procedure optimizing platoon building is benchmarked with conventional (non-platooned) solutions and our results show that considerably more trains can be channeled through a congested rail corridor.

Suggested Citation

  • Schwerdfeger, Stefan & Otto, Alena & Boysen, Nils, 2021. "Rail platooning: Scheduling trains along a rail corridor with rapid-shunting facilities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 294(2), pages 760-778.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:294:y:2021:i:2:p:760-778
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2021.02.019
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    3. Chai, Simin & Yin, Jiateng & D’Ariano, Andrea & Liu, Ronghui & Yang, Lixing & Tang, Tao, 2024. "A branch-and-cut algorithm for scheduling train platoons in urban rail networks," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).

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