Event-Based Model for Optimizing Shunting Yard Operations

Shunting is an important component of single-wagon-load railway operations. It consists of splitting incoming freight trains and forming new outgoing trains by reassembling the wagons from different incoming trains. The efficiency of shunting operations has a major impact on the performance of rail freight services. An event-based model is proposed for sorting trains for shunting at a hump shunting yard, which is capable of handling real-time changes in the system. In this model, various events are designed for managing changes in the system over time. At each time step, the optimal sequence of trains for shunting is determined to maximize the throughput of the shunting yard. The model was tested in a benchmark study and was shown to be an improvement over the previous solutions as well as solutions based on the first-in, first-out strategy.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2475-11
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/173354.aspx
• Authors:
  • Saeednia, Mahnam
  • Bruckmann, Dirk
  • Weidmann, Ulrich
• Publication Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 90–94
• Monograph Title: Railroads: Freight and Passenger Systems, Volume 1
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2475
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight trains; Hump yards; Optimization; Yard operations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Event-based models; Shunting
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01556964
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309369169
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-3237
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 14 2015 3:59PM