Efficient design of freight train operation with double-hump yards

Abstract

This work provides a new methodology to solve the rail freight train service design problem, with the following distinctive characteristics: (1) service costs, traveling distances and capacities of different service paths in each double-hump yard are explicitly considered; and (2) the direction of train service movement through double-hump yards are determined. The problem is formulated as integer programming, aiming at minimizing the total cost of cumulative train service cost, service cost and distance-driven cost. Three examples of different scales are solved using tabu search algorithm. The results and process of the algorithm, compared with exact solutions determined by the ILOG Cplex software, demonstrate high computational efficiency and solution quality. A small- and a large-scale case study in China are used to examine the model. The results show that the methodology used could save between 8.3 and 40% of the number of shifted service cars compared with the best-known published model.

Keywords:

• train service design
• double-hump yard
• service cost
• shifted service cars

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the State Key Laboratory of Rail Traffic Control and Safety, Beijing Jiaotong University, under Contract No. RCS2014ZTY6 and the Science and Technology Department of the China Railway Corporation under Grant No. 2014X010-B. We would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Boliang Lin for his instructive advice and useful suggestions, to Dr. Xingchen Zhang for his valuable contribution upon the completion of this work, and warmly to Tao Liu for his work in enhancing the quality of the study.