Development of enhanced method for planning train locomotives ready to operate the next day

Abstract

A series of methods for planning the use of train locomotives has been developed. However, existing scientific research does not clearly specify how the arrival and departure times of freight trains are determined in train schedules, and locomotives are assigned to trains based on the condition of “Locomotive waits for train”. This article proposes a methodology for determining the average time of stay for train locomotives and trains at the boundaries of train sidings for all scenarios ranging from the condition of “Train waits for locomotive” to “Locomotive waits for train”. The EGM program has been developed and created for calculating the fleet of freight locomotives based on the graphical movement time of trains, and an enhanced method for planning the effective use of train locomotives has been developed based on minimizing the downtime of rolling stock within the boundaries of towing sidings.