A novel peak power demand reduction strategy under a moving block signalling system

Abstract

This paper on the Moving Block Signalling (MBS) system is from the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer System Design and Operation in Railways and Other Transit Systems, held in Beijing, China, in 2010. The MBS system is used to reduce headway among successive trains in a track line. In MBS, the tracking target point of the following train is moving forward with the leading train. However, a dense queue of trains starting (or re-starting) in very close succession would cause an overload of the substations. In this paper, the authors introduce a new approach, called Service Headway Braking (SHB), to incorporate some knowable extra station dwell time. The SHB can be used to efficiently avoid the peak electrical demand problem without increasing the time delay. The authors report simulation results that show, with flexible adjustment of the start (or restart) time and velocity, the passenger waiting time can be shortened while also reducing energy consumption.