Automatic train supervision for a CBTC suburban railway line using multiobjective optimization

Communication-based train control (CBTC) systems have been deployed on subway lines to increase capacities on existing infrastructures. For the same purpose, CBTC systems are to be deployed on suburban railway lines where operating principles and constraints are significantly different. In this paper, we present the research methodology we apply to develop regulation strategies adapted to CBTC railway lines. A regulation method for CBTC trains on a suburban line is introduced. This method is designed to combine CBTC functionalities with suburban operating principles. It includes a traffic management method in station, and a rescheduling method in case of disturbances. The proposed regulation method is integrated into the railway system simulation tool SIMONE developed by SNCF. This simulation tool includes models of the whole CBTC system, as well as the classic signaling system, train dynamics and railway infrastructures. Models of these different agents are briefly described. The integration of the proposed regulation method into the tool SIMONE allows evaluating performances while taking into account the functional complexity of a CBTC railway system. The approach is illustrated with a realistic case: simulations of a CBTC traffic on the urban part of a railway line in the Paris region network are described. The proposed regulation method shows interesting results in disturbed situations according to the railway operating principles.