An integrated metro operation optimization to minimize energy consumption

Energy efficient techniques are receiving increasing attention because of rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Railways, along with other transport modes, are facing increasing pressure to provide more intelligent and efficient power management strategies.

This paper presents an integrated optimization method for metro operation to minimize whole day substation energy consumption by calculating the most appropriate train trajectory (driving speed profile) and timetable configuration. A train trajectory optimization algorithm and timetable optimization algorithm are developed specifically for the study. The train operation performance is affected by a number of different systems that are closely interlinked. Therefore, an integrated optimization process is introduced to obtain the optimal results accurately and efficiently.

The results show that, by using the optimal train trajectory and timetable, the substation energy consumption and load can be significantly reduced, thereby improving the system performance and stability. This also has the effect of reducing substation investment costs for new metros.