Express Freight Train Diagram Coordinating Methodology

Abstract

Express freight transportation plays an important role in railway transportation, and express freight train diagram is the integrated plan for railway freight transportation. This paper discusses the coordinating methodology during express freight train scheduling process. Base on analyzing the procedure of railway transportation plan and relation to other railway operation plan or technical work, the coordination between express freight train scheduling and railway station operation, passenger train plan, maintenance time window plan and locomotive scheduling were considered, some proposed methods were put forward to optimized the express freight train diagram, which would benefit the quality and robustness for express freight train. With the development of national economy, adjustment of industry structure and productivity layout, improvement of consumption level, express freight transportation demands increased rapidly. Moreover, customers need higher requirements for rapidity, punctuality, convenience, safety of freight transportation to railway companies. Therefore, express freight transportation has become an important part of freight transportation market. Express freight train diagram is the integrated plan for railway freight transportation, based on train plan, express freight train diagram defines many parts such as train class, departure and arrive station, goods category, running cycle routing and etc. And then, train lines are drawn according to running speed, outgoing time or terminate time, service and technical operations. Reliability and accuracy are the important and direct indicators to measure the level and quality of service for train diagram. Express freight trains consist of regular freight train and direct freight trains. During the process of express freight train scheduling, not only rail passing capacity and train plan, but conditions of other equipment and constraints for technical operations were took into account. This paper discusses the coordination between express freight train scheduling and railway station operation, passenger train plan, maintenance time window plan and locomotive scheduling.