Real-Time Rail Energy Consumption Minimization: Optimal Speed Profile Planning

In rail traffic, the timetable must be re-planned in real-time when traffic is perturbed. Methods that optimally reroute and reschedule the trains to resolve this traffic management problem already exist. These optimization models usually focus on minimizing delays. However, energy consumption is a key to economical and sustainable transportation. In this paper, we propose a method that calculates optimal speed profiles to minimize the energy consumption of the trains after solving the rerouting and rescheduling problems with a conventional model. Using a simulation environment, the proposed method is evaluated in two different rail networks. According to the experimental results, the proposed model can decrease the overall energy consumption by more than 10% on average.