Constraint Programming For Real-time TrainCirculation Management Problems In RailwayNodes
Joaquín Rodríguez, Lyes Kermad · WIT transactions on the built environment · 1998
This paper describes a constraint-based model of the train circulation management problem. The basic concepts of the model are activities, resources, time and allocation constraints. The problem is formulated as a joint scheduling and allocation problem, i.e. there exist degrees of freedom for deciding both which activities to perform and when, and which resources to allocate to these activities. The real life application for the experiments is a railway -node near Paris-Nord train station, this node has been chosen because it is a complex junction and the traffic due to North TVG, Eurostar, Thalys and freight trains will notably increase in the years to come. 1. The train circulation management problem The overall requirement is to allocate routes to the trains arriving at a node. Case of complex node, such as Pierrefitte-Gonesse node, each train will need a sequence of routes to pass through the node. The sequence of routes is planned and if there is no modification of the plan, all trains will pass through the node without delay. Unfortunately, the plan will be modified, and the problem is to minimise the delays caused to the trains. Two kinds of modifications of the plan are applied : the sequence of the routes of a train is changed, the scheduling of some routes is Transactions on the Built Environment vol 34, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509