A delay propagation algorithm for trains on a single railway line

Abstract

Due to the large passenger flow and the high traffic density of the Chinese high-speed railway network, the number of train delay incidents is increasing in recent years. In a railway network, an initial train delay may bring a cascade effect of secondary delays over the following trains. In this paper, we analyse the delay propagation among trains on a single railway line and aim to establish a train delay propagation algorithm using the max-plus algebra method. Then we illustrate the proposed algorithm by an example. The study presented here could be potentially useful in large-scale railway networks, and may serve as a useful component in decision support systems to assist train dispatchers.