Study on the Energy-Efficient Driving Strategy for Trains Running in the Steep Downhill Section

Abstract

Energy-efficient train driving is one of the effective methods to reduce the traction energy consumption of trains, which is consequently being paid more attention at present. In the steep downhill section, the speed will continue to rise when the trains do not apply traction due to the ramp force. In order to make better use of the steep downhill section and reduce the energy consumption of the train, this paper presents an approach for studying the energy-efficient driving strategy of trains running in the steep downhill section. For a given line condition, the steep downhill section in the line is identified firstly, and a method of calculating the driving strategy of this section is proposed without changing the running time of this section. Furthermore, the gradient descent method is integrated to solve the optimal cruising speed corresponding to the minimum traction energy consumption of the train. Finally, the effectiveness of the algorithm is verified by comparing the energy-saving effect with the classical energy-efficient driving strategy of “Maximum traction-Cruising-Coasting-Maximum braking”.