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Real-time train rescheduling for high-speed railway (HSR) is a pivotal technique in HSR transportation to efficiently recover train operation under disturbance scenarios. This paper aims to put forward an integrated resolving and rescheduling method considering network delay propagation. A tree-based conflict resolution mechanism is first established, with delicate considerations on the strategy's adaptability under different conflict scenarios. By inputting the scheduled arrival and departure time under different conflict resolution strategies, the timetable optimizing model aims to look for an optimal solution with minimal weighted train delay and average train adjustments under necessary technical and empirical constraints solved by a combined algorithm of Pareto optimality and Nash equilibrium, where the feasible solution space is narrowed in advance by a depth-first pruning algorithm. The performance of this coordinated train rescheduling approach is validated by a typical section disturbance in a regional HSR network administrated by the Shanghai Bureau. The results show that the proposed method can well utilizes timetable buffers and organizes train avoidance. The delay propagation characteristics are also simultaneously estimated based on the indicators of cumulative delay and instantaneous delay, which are established considering the spatio-temporal difference between the scheduled and planned timetables, in order to verify the coordination between resolution strategies and train running delays., Author(s): Jun Zhang (corresponding author) [1]; Shuyao Wu [1]; Shejun Deng [1]; Yuling Ye [2] 1. Introduction Under the network transportation of high-speed railway (HSR), disturbances of abnormal events are [...]

Since unexpected event occurrences are inevitable, an efficient and effective rescheduling approach is critical in freight railway day-to-day operations. Represented by the minimal-delay objectives, the most commonly used efficiency-oriented approach ignores the role of train priority and poses equity problems in rescheduling. For equity, different train priority also reflects the preference in deciding train orders; i.e., the high-priority train is likely to be favorable. However, a conflict may be laid between reducing delays and emphasizing train priority. Hence, it is critical to decide the criteria in train order for freight railway, especially with heterogeneous priority in a competitive resource. To make a tradeoff between equity and efficiency, this paper makes train priority evolutionary and proposed the dynamic train priority considering delay time and static priority. We formulate an optimization model based on the rescheduling strategies such as retime, reorder, and retrack in a complex railway network containing single-track, double-track, and quadruple-track sections. An integrated two-dimension genetic algorithm (ITGA) approach is developed to reobtain an optimized timetable of sufficient quality while meeting the time requirements for real-time rescheduling. In the experiment, the effectiveness of the ITGA approach was employed in a simple case and a real-world case in the Netherlands freight railway. The result shows that there is a synergy between delay time and train priority, where the threshold to upgrade the evolutionary train priority plays an important role. The proposed approach is compared with the benchmark solution first-in-first-out (FIFO) approach in a real-world case to verify the performance and efficiency. Our work extends the rescheduling approach considering both equity and efficiency and provides auxiliary operation support for the dispatcher's operation rescheduling., Author(s): Zhuotong Bai [1]; Hui Wang [2]; Lin Yang [3]; Jiajie Li [4]; Huapu Lu (corresponding author) [1] 1. Introduction Freight railway holds an increasing market share in transportation systems [...]

Railway freight rates are seen as a key driving factor of global trade activities, influenced by numerous factors. Given the limitations of fuzziness and randomness of variable quantification in the previous studies, this paper proposes a cognitive cloud model of factors influencing railway bulk goods freight rates. In the cognitive cloud model, randomness and fuzziness are described by three parameters. Furthermore, a cloud generator including forwarding and backward cloud generators is designed to solve the bidirectional conversion between qualitative indicators and quantitative values. In addition, we propose a floating cloud gathering algorithm to determine the weight of the index system to solve the uncertainty problem in the transformation process of qualitative indicators. Finally, the cognitive cloud model and the adapted algorithm are used to perform an in-depth analysis of the affecting factors of Z Railway Bureau freight transport pricing., Author(s): Jingwei Guo [1,2,3]; Yimin Wang (corresponding author) [2]; Yang Qin [4]; Qinglin Li [1]; Zhongqi Xie [2]; Xin Qin [2] 1. Introduction To engender effective influencing factors evaluation, various [...]

Railway systems should be resilient to play a key role in creating sustainable development. Single-track railway lines are seen as potential bottlenecks due to limited capacity. More advanced railway interlocking systems (such as ETCS or satellite-based control systems) are being developed. On the other hand, the installation of these interlocking systems is a complex and time-consuming and costly task. For this reason, it is necessary to recognize the impact of potentially installed system with capacity, stability of timetable, quality, and other associated effects. The assessment is based on a set of simulation experiments using stochastic microscopic simulation model in the OpenTrack software tool. The focus is on railway operation with automatic block and automatic line blocking systems. If these two systems will have positive capacity effects, it is a basic presumption also for systems such as moving block (e.g., ETCS L3) to be effective. Research has shown that the significance of such measures can be best supported by linking to a matching timetable concept that will make full use of the benefits offered by these interlocking systems. The results reached in this research should be potentially applied, for example, by prioritizing of single-track railway lines for possible installation of such interlocking system. It can be achieved based on the capacity and operational effects examined., Author(s): Michael Bažant (corresponding author) [1]; Josef Bulíček [2] 1. Introduction Railway industry plays a key role within an effort to create a sustainable environment. The issue is that there [...]

The hierarchical connection of Rail Traffic Management System (TMS) and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) for mainline railways has been proposed for a while; however, few have investigated this hierarchical connection with the real field. This paper studies in detail the benefits and limitations of an integrated framework of TMS and ATO in stochastic and dynamic conditions in terms of punctuality, energy efficiency, and conflict-resolving. A simulation is built by interfacing a rescheduling tool and a stand-alone ATO tool with the realistic traffic simulation environment OpenTrack. The investigation refers to different disturbed traffic scenarios obtained by sampling train entrance delays and dwell times within a typical Monte Carlo scheme. Results obtained for the Dutch railway corridor Utrecht-Den Bosch prove the value of the approach. In case of no disruptions, the implementation of ATO systems is beneficial for maintaining timetables and saving energy costs. In case of delay disruptions, the TMS rescheduling has its full effect only if trains are able to follow TMS rescheduled timetables, while the energy-saving by using ATO can only be achieved with conflict-free schedules. A bidirectional communication between ATO and TMS is therefore beneficial for conflict-resolving and energy-saving., Author(s): Pengling Wang (corresponding author) [1,2,3,4]; Annik Jeiziner [5]; Xiaojie Luan [4]; Valerio De Martinis [4,6]; Francesco Corman [4] 1. Introduction In railway systems, intelligent rescheduling (Traffic Management System, TMS) [...]

This article analyses a selection of South African English and Afrikaans humorous and satirical poems and songs about the railways. They include a folksong, 'The Kimberley Train', which dates back to the earliest expansion of the railways to the interior, and poems and songs from the 1960s to the early 90s. While Hugh Masekela raged at the condition of migrant miners, the target of the satire by English- and Afrikaans-speaking writers was the Afrikaner nation, its culture and history. Four of the poems are ballads in the heroic tradition. The characters featured are working-class Afrikaners, and the diction employed is a colloquial South African dialect consisting of modern slang, mixed English and Afrikaans, and Fanakalo. A common method of the humour and satire exploits the connotations of personal and place names. KEY WORDS Railway poems, railway songs, South African satire, South African poetry, South African folksongs, South African English dialect, People of different cultures have celebrated the railways--the trains, those who work on them and those who travel in them--in poetry and song. The French cherish lapoesie ferroviaire, and even [...]

The current preemption method for traffic signals at intersections located near highway-rail grade crossings (IHRGC) is known as the standard preemption (SP). The SP strategy is designed to give priority to the phases which clear vehicles off the railroad tracks as quickly as possible before a train arrives at HRGCs and provides the drivers and pedestrians with a minimum warning time (MWT). However, the SP considers neither pedestrian safety nor system efficiency at IHRGCs. As a result, this may lead to safety and delay problems at IHRGCs. To solve the problems, a state-of-the-art transition preemption strategy (TPS) algorithm, named TPS_DT, is developed in this paper. The new TPS algorithm is designed for corridors with multiple HGRCs that have dual tracks. An urban highway corridor with multiple HRGCs in Lincoln, NE, was selected as the study corridor. A calibrated VISSIM model of the study corridor was used to test the safety and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The algorithm was coded in VAP, which is an add-on module of VISSIM. A roadway-railway corridor with multiple IHRGC and dual rail tracks in Lincoln, NE, was used as the testbed. The Measurements of Effectiveness (MOEs) used for evaluation include the rate of pedestrian phase cutoffs, intersection vehicle delay, and corridor vehicle delay. It was found that TPS_DT can significantly improve pedestrian safety and reduce vehicle delay at IHRGCs. Furthermore, the effects of train arrival prediction errors on safety and efficiency of the IHRGCs are also analyzed in the paper., Author(s): Yifeng Chen (corresponding author) [1]; Laurence R. Rilett [2]; Zifeng Wu [3] 1. Introduction Highway-rail grade crossings are locations where a highway and railway intersect at the same level [...]

Chinese high-speed railway has implemented large-scale network operation with an urgent need for capacity improvement. The concept of virtual coupling seems to be a promising solution that provides a new operational scenario for high-speed railway, where trains are formed into a cooperative convoy and run synchronously with small train headways. The train-following principles under the virtual coupling signalling are quite different from those under conventional train control systems. Therefore, train headway analysis for different operational scenarios should be carried out to ensure railway safety and evaluate capacity benefits brought by virtual coupling. This paper proposes a potential virtual coupling architecture with reference to ETCS/ERTMS specifications. We compare blocking time models under different train control systems, and eight typical train-following scenarios are investigated for virtual coupling, including train arrival and departure cases. A detailed multiscenario-based train headway analysis is provided based on the microscopic infrastructure of the station and technological characteristics of virtual coupling. All computational outcomes are based on the train dynamic motion model. A comparative analysis of train headways under virtual coupling and CTCS-3 is provided in the case study. Results show that train headways can be substantially reduced under virtual coupling and are related to the station infrastructure layout., Author(s): Jinyi Pan [1]; Qiyuan Peng [1,2,3]; Shuguang Zhan (corresponding author) [1,2,3]; Jiaqi Bai [4] 1. Introduction In China's high-speed railways, oversaturated utilization of capacity has become prominent with the [...]

The advantage of multimodal transport is that it can deliver the goods to their destination in a reasonable combination of transport modes while ensuring security and punctuality. Multimodal transportation can effectively reduce logistics costs, improve logistics efficiency, and reduce environmental pollution. In the process of multimodal transportation, due to the interference of natural factors (weather, terrain, etc.) and some special human factors, it may have different degrees of impact on the transportation time and transportation safety of different transportation modes. Therefore, when choosing a transportation method, it is necessary to consider the transportation time and transportation safety under the interference. However, the current research on multimodal transport has not considered the impact of external interference on transportation time and transportation safety. Compared with other modes of transportation, external interference has a relatively small impact on railway transportation. Railways can safely deliver goods to their destinations on time. Under the background of China's huge railway network and advanced heavy-duty technology, this paper establishes a multimodal transport route selection model for considering railway as the core, introduces time penalty cost and damage compensation cost, and takes the lowest comprehensive transportation cost as the model objective under the premise of considering transportation reliability and transportation safety. Finally, taking a multimodal transport network in China as an example, an improved ant colony algorithm is used to solve the model and the results verify the rationality of the model., Author(s): Hui Zhang [1,2,3,4]; Yao Li [1]; Qingpeng Zhang [5]; Dingjun Chen (corresponding author) [1,2,3] 1. Introduction Multimodal transport [1] is a mode of cargo transportation through the connection and [...]