Study on the Algorithm for Train Operation Adjustment Based on Ordinal Optimization

It is a crucial and difficult problem in railway transportation dispatch mechanism to automatically compile train operation adjustment (TOA) plan with computer to ensure safe, fast, and punctual running of trains. Based on the proposed model of TOA under the conditions of railway network (RN), we take minimum travel time of train as objective function of optimization, and after fast preliminary evaluation calculation on it, we introduce the theory and method of ordinal optimization (OO) to solve it. This paper discusses in detail the implementation steps of OO algorithm. A practical calculation example of Datong-Qinhuangdao (hereinafter referred to as Da-Qin) heavy haul railway is performed with the proposed algorithm to prove that OO can ensure getting good enough solution with high probability. Particularly, for complex optimization problems with large amount of calculation, OO can greatly increase computational efficiency, and it can save at least one order of magnitude of calculation amount than general heuristic algorithm. Thus, the proposed algorithm can well satisfy the requirements in engineering.