An Optimization Strategy for Improving the Economic Performance of Heavy-Haul Railway Networks
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 3
Abstract
Optimization of wagon flow organization in heavy-haul loading areas is meaningful to develop a heavy-haul railway network and to improve transportation capacity. This paper proposes a multiobjective optimization of the wagon flow organization for heavy-haul railway (MWFHR) to improve the transportation efficiency and the economic performance of a railway network. A bi-level algorithm is constructed to solve this model, where the lower level of the algorithm collects wagon flows for organization through the ant colony optimization algorithm, and the upper level screens for the best solution set that can minimize total cost under various constraints using the traversal search algorithm. The model is numerically examined in a real case study. Comprehensive practical testing results show that the newly proposed multiobjective optimization approach is promising in establishing an efficient railway network.
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Acknowledgments
This work is partially supported by research funds from Science and Technology Planning of Shenshuo Railway with the contract number B14L00160.
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 3 • March 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 3, 2015
Accepted: Oct 2, 2015
Published online: Jan 8, 2016
Published in print: Mar 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Jun 8, 2016
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