Rail Related Research at IIT Madras Dr T

Rail Related Research at IIT Madras Dr. T. T. Narendran Professor, Operations Management, Department of Management Studies Indian Institute of Technology Madras Chennai 600 036 Phone: 044 22578436 Fax : 044 22578699 E-mail: ttn@iitm. ac. in Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras

Presentation Outline Previous Research Work • Marshalling operation in a yard • Optimal scheduling of trains • Locomotive assignment for passenger trains • Train planning problem On-Going Research • Freight train scheduling • Locomotive assignment for freight trains • Strategic locomotive capacity planning • Strategic fleet sizing for freight train operation Future Research Plans • Locomotive and crew assignment for freight trains • Rail infrastructure planning for freight trains Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, T. Godwin, Vinay Kumar Rai, N. Vadhirajan, and Ravi Shankar Mundoli 2

Marshalling Operation in a Yard A wagon spends two-thirds of its time in a marshalling yard Wagon detention time represents blocked capital Prof. T. T. Narendran and Ravi Shankar Mundoli 3

Marshalling Operation in a Yard (Contd. ) Sorting Methods • Sort-By-Train • Triangular Sorting Research Contribution • We compared two sorting methods for Tondiarpet Marshalling Yard (TNPM) using simulation. • We found that triangular sorting method outperformed the current system (sort-by -train). Prof. T. T. Narendran and Ravi Shankar Mundoli 4

Optimal Scheduling of Trains Scope • Freight and Passenger Trains • Determine Maximum Line Capacity of a Section • Policies for Introduction of Freight Trains into a Section • Study of the Effect of the above on the Punctuality of Passenger Trains Prof. T. T. Narendran and Anand Raja Gopal 5

Optimal Scheduling of Trains (Contd. ) Methodology • Estimation of Maximum Line Capacity • Analogy with JIT – ‘Pull System’ • Computer Simulation Findings • Maximum Capacity much above average number of Trains Operated • Possible to Introduce more Freight Trains Prof. T. T. Narendran and Anand Raja Gopal 6

Locomotive Assignment for Passenger Trains 6610 6: 30 14: 00 6073 19: 00 16: 30 6582 20: 00 6603 12: 00 20: 30 6622 6650 23: 00 2: 00 5: 00 7: 00 14: 30 A Locomotive should not travel for more than 3500 kms or more than a week without maintenance Prof. T. T. Narendran and N. Vadhirajan 7

Locomotive Assignment for Passenger Trains (Contd. ) Objective Minimize the number of locomotives used for passenger trains Research Contribution • We have developed a heuristic for locomotive assignment (creating locomotive links) for passenger trains • We found that the solution given by the heuristic gave a reduction in the number of locomotives currently being by the Railways for the passenger Prof. T. T. Narendran and N. Vadhirajan trains 8

Train Planning Problem TRT POI VGA PUT Passenger Trains Freight Trains Prof. T. T. Narendran and Vinay Kumar Rai 9

Train Planning Problem (Contd. ) Motivation Train planning in Railways is generally done manually which is very cumbersome and takes lot of time Contribution We have developed a software for train planning for controlling train movements and creating running time chart Prof. T. T. Narendran and Vinay Kumar Rai 10

Freight Train Scheduling Passenger Trains with Fixed Schedule Unscheduled Freight Trains Freight trains should be scheduled in such a manner that it does not interfere with the movements of passenger trains Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 11

Freight Train Scheduling (Contd. ) Blocking Systems • Absolute Blocking System • Following Train System Speed Restrictions • Maximum Speed of Freight Trains • Sectional Speed Limits Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 12

Freight Train Scheduling (Contd. ) No-Wait Constraint A freight train whose length is more than the length of the siding (loop-line) at a station has a no-wait constraint at that station Routing Criteria Shortest Time Route Shortest Distance Route Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 13

Freight Train Scheduling (Contd. ) Research Contribution We have developed a heuristic that finds the route, schedule, and the velocity profile for freight trains, so that the movements can be completed in the shortest possible time Features of Heuristic • Absolute Blocking System • No-Wait Constraint • Following Train System • Speed Restrictions at Block Sections • Shortest Time Route • Shortest Distance Route • Outputs Arrival/Departure Times at Stations • Outputs Velocity Profile Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 14

Locomotive Assignment for Freight Trains Locomotive Deadheading Coupling Delay Locomotive Deadheading Research Coupling Delay Objective Assign locomotives to freight rakes that minimizes locomotive deadheading and coupling delay, and find minimum time path for freight trains and deadheading locomotives in a passenger rail network. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 15

Locomotive Assignment for Freight Trains (Contd. ) Type 1 Type 5 Freight Train Originating from a Freight Train passing through the division yard needs locomotive till the uncouples the locomotive at the end of the Type 6 end of the division Type 2 Freight Train passing through the division Freight Train Originating. J 1 from a takes the coupled. J 2 locomotive to the next yard needs locomotive till the division Type 7 end of the division and through Freight Train passing through the division Yard the next division needs a locomotive to hand it over to the Type 3 next division and the locomotive gets Freight Train coming from another uncoupled at the end of the division terminates at the. J 4 yard J 3 Type 8 Type 4 Freight Train coming from Freight Train passing through the division another division needs a locomotive and the locomotive to bring it to the yard goes with the freight train to the next division Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 16

Locomotive Assignment for Freight Trains (Contd. ) Research Contribution We have developed a two phase heuristic for assigning locomotives to freight trains and then scheduling them in a passenger rail network Locomotive Assignment Phase • Locomotive link for each locomotive is found • Gives non-dominant locomotive assignment solutions. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 17

Locomotive Assignment for Freight Trains (Contd. ) Selecting a Locomotive Assignment Solution • The non-dominant locomotive assignment solutions are ranked based on decision maker’s preferences • The decision maker chooses a locomotive assignment based on the ranking and other priorities Train Scheduling Phase • Deadheading locomotives are also treated as freight trains • Shortest time route, arrival/departure times at stations, and velocity profile is found for every freight train/deadheading locomotive Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 18

Strategic Locomotive Capacity Planning for Freight Trains Research Objective For a freight traffic flow, determine the locomotive fleet size and their operating policy to satisfy customers at a desired service level while minimizing system cost. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 19

Strategic Locomotive Capacity Planning for Freight Trains (Contd. ) Modeling Locomotive Capacity Planning Locomotive Deadheading Locomotive Maintenance Congestion caused by Passenger and Freight Trains Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 20

Strategic Locomotive Capacity Planning for Freight Trains (Contd. ) Research Contribution • We have developed a simulation model for locomotive capacity planning based on the traffic flow data for Southern Railway network. • We investigated various strategic alternatives and the non-dominated strategic alternatives were ranked based on decision maker’s preference. • We identified the best locomotive fleet size and operating policy for customer focused performance measures and system focused performance measures. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 21

Strategic Fleet Sizing for Freight Train Operation Locomotive Deadheading Rake Deadheading Research Objective Rake Deadheading Freight Train Determine freight rake fleet size, locomotive fleet size, empty rake deadheading policy, and locomotive deadheading policy to minimize system cost while providing a desired level of customer service Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 22

Strategic Fleet Sizing for Freight Train Operation Model Development Rake Availability for Freight Loading Rake Deadheading Locomotive Assignment Locomotive Deadheading Locomotive Maintenance Congestion caused by Passenger and Freight Trains Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 23

Strategic Fleet Sizing for Freight Train Operation (Contd. ) Research Contribution • We are developing a simulation model for strategic fleet sizing based on traffic flow data of Southern Railway network • We are going to study the effect of freight traffic increase and passenger traffic congestion level variation on freight train operation Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 24

Locomotive and Crew Assignment for Freight Trains Crew Deadheading Locomotive Deadheading Permitted Crew Working Time Coupling Delay Research Objective Assign locomotives and crews to freight train that minimizes locomotive deadheading, crew deadheading, and coupling delay. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 25

Rail Infrastructure Planning for Freight Trains Passenger and Freight Trains Sharing the Same Track Dedicated Tracks for Passenger and Freight Trains Research Objective Develop a simulation model for designing a rail network for freight trains to accommodate more freight and passenger trains in the existing rail network. Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 26

Thank You Prof. T. T. Narendran, Dr. Ram Gopalan, and T. Godwin Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras 27