Vehicle control system and method

A vehicle control system comprising:

• a controller comprising one or more processors that is configured to determine that a vehicle has or will have insufficient momentum to move the vehicle from a first location within a powered segment of a route to a designated second location outside of an unpowered segment of the route along which the vehicle is configured to move based on the vehicle operating under a first set of operational settings,
• wherein, responsive to the controller determining that the vehicle has or will have insufficient energy to move the vehicle from the first location to the designated second location, the controller configured to change one or more of a throttle setting or a brake setting of the vehicle to operate the vehicle under a second set of operational settings while the vehicle moves within a powered segment of the route,
• wherein the unpowered segment of the route represents a first section of the route without at least one of an electrified rail or a catenary line, the route comprising the unpowered segment of the route ending at the designated second location and including at least one of the electrified rail or the catenary line, wherein the vehicle is configured to receive electric energy from the at least one of the electrified rail or the catenary line while the vehicle moves within the powered segment of the route, and the vehicle does not receive electric energy from the at least one of the electrified rail or the catenary line while the vehicle moves within the unpowered segment of the route.