Simultaneous schedule of trains and track maintenance according to stochastic blockage time

Abstract

ABSTRACT Regarding the railway infrastructures, planning for track maintenance is a challenging task given the coordination required between train traffic and maintenance operations. In this paper, using stochastic mathematical programming, we have investigated the simultaneous scheduling of trains and operations for a single-track line to minimise both the travel time of trains and maintenance duration. The uncertainty in the blockage duration of the track is considered in the model to reduce the impact of unexpected delays in maintenance operations. The proposed model also considers the practical aspects, which have been less addressed in previous studies regarding track maintenance. We reformulated the stochastic problem as its deterministic equivalent to facilitate solutions for realistic sizes. The computational result obtained for a real-world track shows that the model can efficiently find simultaneous scheduling of trains and operations and suggest optimal blockage duration at different confidence levels. The impact of timetable comparison on the blockage duration for a heavily utilised line has also been evaluated.