KEEPING TRAINS ON SCHEDULE: ON-LINE PLANNING SYSTEMS FOR THE ADVANCED RAILROAD ELECTRONICS SYSTEM (ARES)

The Advanced Railroad Electronics System (ARES) incorporates a range of control systems, from real-time control of train movements by on-board computers, through frequently-revised meet/pass planning strategies, up to a "strategic" control level at which schedule targets and train priorities are established. In this paper, the second level control system (tactical planner) is described and the requirements for the third or strategic level of control are defined.