Train timetables and track maintenance

Rail networks need regular scheduled maintenance inorder to operate efficiently. Howevermaintenance needs to be carefully coordinated withtrain operations as the cost of restrictingthe train schedule potentially results in significantlost revenues for railways. Traditionalmethods of constructing train timetables withallowance for track maintenance take several weeksallowing little opportunity to explore potentialimprovements. This book presents new mathematicaltechniques for producing integrated train timetablesand track maintenance schedules so that whenevaluated according to certain key performanceindicators the overall schedule is the bestpossible. The research is directed at sparse longhaul rail systems. The techniques in this bookinclude a new probabilistic method that can quicklygenerate a range of different feasibleintegrated schedules. The speed of the method allowsit to be used in a operational setting bothto create schedules and to test different scenarios.Rail operators mathematicians and engineersmay gain useful insight from this book to aid theirdevelopment of operationally efficient methodsfor railway management.