The task of organizing suburban and urban traffic on sections with branches

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of organizing train traffic on sections with branches, analyzes possible separate routes on the “trunk” and “branch” sections, as well as routes with «fork» traffic. The authors emphasize the need to comply with a number of conditions that take into account the interests of passengers and suburban companies for the organization of passenger traffic on railway transport. The goal function is set to minimize the difference between the mileage of empty seats (as a condition that reflects the interests of the suburban company) and the overpopulation of the train (as a criterion that ensures a comfortable ride for the passenger). To solve this problem, the authors suggest using a genetic algorithm as a tool that allows you to perform a directed search of competitive options. The article describes the method of applying the genetic algorithm, the formation of “parent” variants and “offspring” variants, compliance with a number of restrictions and ranking of «offspring» variants for the selection of the best “species”.