Automatic service regulation for London Underground's Central Line

Abstract

This paper reports on the ongoing Service Regulation (also known as Automatic Train Regulation) subsystem development for the Central Line It discusses the feasibility of designing a Service Regulation subsystem that reflects the passenger flow dynamics of the line, as well as the signalling system characteristics. The paper identifies the requirements for a Service Regulation subsystem which are represented by a set of cost functions. These cost functions penalise both the delays to the nominal passenger journey times and the deviations from the timetable. The service regulation problem is then described as a constrained optimisation problem where the same set of cost functions can be used both in corrective strategy development and subsystem appraisal processes. The available control mechanisms of the Central Line signalling system and a possible approach to strategy development are also discussed.