US 2025/0074487 A1Published application

System and method for scheduling and pacing trains

AssigneeProgress Rail Locomotive Inc.

InventorsRodrigo Almeida Goncalves, Fernando Antonio Campos Gomide, Alexandre Tazoniero

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Abstract

A hierarchy of procedures sets pacing schedules for trains operating in a railroad network. At a train level of the hierarchy, a network coordinator sends time windows to a train indicating when the train should arrive at or depart from a siding along its track. The time windows provide flexibility for the train to adjust its pace as needed, for example, to conserve fuel. At a territory level, if the train indicates that it cannot comply with the time windows, the coordinator evaluates and adjusts pacing schedules at least for other trains sharing the same track in the territory to avoid conflicts, again providing time windows for the trains to adjust their pace as needed. At a network level, the coordinator ensures that pacing schedules adjusted for a territory also meet time windows set for trains crossing a boundary into another territory in the network.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a scheduling module configured to generate an initial movement plan and a modified movement plan for at least a first train and a second train to operate on a track within a railroad network during a time period, the initial movement plan including a first pacing schedule for the first train and a second pacing schedule for the second train, the scheduling module comprising:
a train-level pacing module configured to determine time-window data for the first train comprising an earliest arrival time (EAT) and a latest time of arrival (LTA) to arrive at a siding along the track for the first pacing schedule under the initial movement plan, wherein the train-level pacing module is further configured to cause the time-window data to be delivered to the first train and to receive compliance feedback and an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the first train at the siding under a modified first pacing schedule, and
a territory-level pacing module configured, in response to the compliance feedback indicating the first train will not comply within the time-window data, to identify a conflict between the modified first pacing schedule and the second pacing schedule and to generate a modified second pacing schedule as part of the modified movement plan;
one or more processors configured to execute the scheduling module to generate the initial movement plan and the modified movement plan;
and
a network interface configured to communicate the EAT, the LTA, and the ETA between the scheduling module and the first train.

3 more elements

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating, by one or more processors, an initial movement plan for trains within at least a first territory of a railroad network, the initial movement plan including a first pacing schedule for a first train and a second pacing schedule for a second train, the first train and the second train sharing a track;
identifying, by the one or more processors, a meet-and-pass for the first train and the second train at a siding of the track;
calculating, by the one or more processors, first timing data defining a first time window, the first time window defining a first earliest arrival time (EAT) and a first latest time of arrival (LTA) for the first train at the siding;
causing the first timing data to be sent to the first train;
receiving, by the one or more processors, first compliance feedback from the first train, the first compliance feedback indicating that the first train will not comply with the first timing data;
at least in response to the first compliance feedback, generating, by the one or more processors, a modified movement plan;
and
causing, by the one or more processors, the first train and the second train to proceed according to the modified movement plan.

5 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereupon which are executable by one or more processors and which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

generate an initial movement plan for trains within at least a first territory of a railroad network, the initial movement plan including a first pacing schedule for a first train and a second pacing schedule for a second train, the first train and the second train sharing a track;
calculate timing data defining a time window for movement of the first train at a siding on the track, the time window defining a first earliest arrival time (EAT) and a first latest time of arrival (LTA) for the first train at the siding;
cause the timing data to be sent to the first train;
receive compliance feedback from the first train, the compliance feedback indicating that the first train will not comply with the timing data;
at least in response to the compliance feedback, generate a modified movement plan;
and
cause the first train and the second train to proceed according to the modified movement plan.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.