An advanced real-time train dispatching system for minimizing the propagation of delays in a dispatching area under severe disturbances

In highly utilized rail networks, as in the Netherlands, conflicts and subsequent train delays propagate considerably in time and space during operations. In order to realistically forecast and minimize delay propagation, there is a need to extend short-term traffic planning up to several hours. On the other hand, as the magnitude of the time horizon increases the problem becomes computationally intractable and hard to tackle. In this paper, we decompose a long time horizon into tractable intervals to be solved in cascade with the objective of improving punctuality. We use the ROMA dispatching system to pro-actively detect and globally solve conflicts on each time interval. The future evolution of railway traffic is predicted on the basis of the actual track occupation, the Dutch signaling system and dynamic train characteristics. Extensive computational tests are carried out on the railway dispatching area between Utrecht and Den Bosch.