Automated real-time railway traffic control: an experimental analysis of reliability, resilience and robustness

Corman, Francesco; Quaglietta, E.; Goverde, R.M.P.

doi:10.1080/03081060.2018.1453916

Automated real-time railway traffic control

Title

Automated real-time railway traffic control: an experimental analysis of reliability, resilience and robustness

Author

Corman, Francesco (ETH Zürich)
Quaglietta, E. (TRENOLab srls)
Goverde, R.M.P. (TU Delft Transport and Planning)

Date

2018-05-19

Abstract

Railway transportation provides sustainable, fast and safe transport. Its attractiveness is linked to a broad concept of service reliability: the capability to adhere to a timetable in the presence of delays perturbing traffic. To counter these phenomena, real-time rescheduling can be used, changing train orders and times, according to rules of thumb, or mathematical optimization models, minimizing delays or maximizing punctuality. In the literature, different indices of robustness, reliability and resilience are defined for railway traffic. We review and evaluate these indices applied to railway traffic control, comparing optimal rescheduling approaches such as Open Loop and Closed Loop control, to a typical First-Come-First-Served dispatching rule, and following the timetable (no-action). This experimental analysis clarifies the benefits of automated traffic control for infrastructure managers, railway operators and passengers. The timetable order, normally used in assessing a-priori reliability, systematically overestimates unreliability of operations that can be reduced by real-time control.

Subject

Closed Loop control
railway traffic
Reliability
robustness
scheduling

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:165194dd-97b9-4f60-88c3-d22e52b8b52a

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/03081060.2018.1453916

Embargo date

2019-12-30

ISSN

0308-1060

Source

Transportation Planning and Technology, 41 (4), 421-447