Train unit capacity strengthening optimisation using RS-opt

Start date: 1 February 2023
End date: 30 September 2023
Value: £62382.84
Partners and collaborators: Tracsis plc First TransPennine Express Ltd
Primary investigator: Dr Zhiyuan Lin
External primary investigator: N/A
Co-investigators: Professor Ronghui Liu
External co-investigators: N/A
Postgraduate students: N/A

Train units are the dominant passenger rolling stock type in the UK. Two or more units can be coupled together to cover the same timetabled service. Train unit capacity strengthening is the process of providing additional coupled units to timetabled services after their bare minimum capacity is satisfied.

In collaboration with Tracsis and TransPennine Express, this project investigates optimised capacity strengthening under stochastic passenger demand using RS-opt (a rolling stock scheduling system developed at University of Leeds).

Currently, capacity strengthening is done manually using rule-of-thumb approaches, without guaranteeing optimised schedules. RS-opt solves the problem in a global/mathematical perspective that can obtain globally optimised schedules.