SIMULATION OF ACTUAL NETWORK PERFORMANCE USING KRONECKER ALGEBRA FOR OPTIMIZATION OF TRAFFIC FLOW

Abstract

Within the project GoSAFE RAIL, one work package is dedicated to the development of an integrated rail network model that will incorporate both infrastructure asset (e.g. crossings, tracks, bridges, tunnels) and traffic (e.g. vehicle, freight and passenger movement) data with the main goal of offering safer, reliable and efficient rail infrastructure. This will be achieved by using the micro-level simulation tool OpenTrack for enabling capacity optimization in order to maximize the availability of the transport network and minimize environmental impacts. Up to now, optimization was typically predefined by the user of the tool and ‘tested’ for its applicability, which led to missed opportunities for finding an optimal solution. This modelling tool will be able to dynamically optimize operations, in particular during times of degraded operations using multi-criteria optimization algorithms in order to address complex requirements, for both passenger and freight transport. By employing Kronecker algebra for optimization and software’s application programming interface (API) in the case study network Zagreb – Rijeka in Croatia, the behavior of actual network performance will be simulated as a proof of suitability of solutions provided by the optimization algorithm. Finally, an expected impact of the advanced traffic model using scheduling algorithm is a 40% reduction of delays in long-distance traffic.