An approach for optimising railway traffic flow on high speed lines with differing signalling systems

Signalling systems are critical in ensuring the safe movement of trains within a network. The choice of signalling system employed on a particular line has a direct impact on the journey time and hence the capacity of the line. Computer simulations provide a viable method for evaluating and analysing the performance of signalling systems. This paper describes the development of a multi-train simulator in which five different signalling systems are simulated on a common section of high-speed line operating with two trains. The simulator is used to compare train performance, including differences in journey time and train energy consumption. The result shows that, by using more advanced signalling systems and optimal train control strategies, interactions between trains can be avoided, thereby improving performance. This also has the effect of reducing the energy required to make a particular journey.