Optimised Real-time Yard and Network Management

Project Information

OPTIYARD

Grant agreement ID: 777594

DOI

10.3030/777594

Project closed

EC signature date 17 September 2017

Start date 1 October 2017

End date 30 September 2019

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 1 499 900,00

EU contribution

€ 1 499 900,00

Coordinated by

UNION INTERNATIONALE DES CHEMINS DE FER
France

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OPTIYARD (Optimised Real-time Yard and Network Management)

Reporting period: 2018-10-01 to 2019-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Commission’s 2011 White Paper states that by 2050, rail should substantially expand its modal share over medium and long distances. This is consistent with the Policy goals of expanding rail capacity, both cited in the Horizon 2020 and Shift2Rail (S2R) calls. Considering the ambitious Horizon 2020 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) calling for a surge in the utilisation of capacity within a range 70-90%, yards, hubs and terminals play a key role in facilitating this step-change by contributing to a competitive, reliable and safe freight transport.
To meet the needs of S2R and Horizon 2020, OptiYard designs decision support tool for yard managers that helps them to optimise processes and manage their yards more efficiently. It does this in real-time, with interaction with relevant network. The processes must be performed in real-time, to guarantee on-time delivery and operational efficiency, in particular, for single wagon transport.
OptiYard addresses critical operational points of the transport chain (both rail marshalling yards or as transfer points to other modes) to improve capacity and reliability. OptiYard facilitates real-time interaction between yard and relevant network IT systems that allow for software based planning and ultimately optimisation of single wagonload and blocktrain operational processes.
The main results of the project consist in modelling (including Netwvork Model, simulation Software and validation of non-optimised models and simulator), process optimisation and business case studies, feasibility and simulation tests.
Building on the current state of the art and practice, the ambition of OptiYard is to provide a fully functional software module where real-time yard management, interaction with the network and ad-hoc timetable planning will be simulated in real-time. The optimization module and algorithms have been proven for large and complex freight transport networks, and integrate well with IP5 activities towards automation, e.g. intelligent assets and automated shunting and mainline operations.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

OptiYard activities during the first reporting period regarded three areas: an analysis of the two case studies (the Czech marshalling yard of Česká Třebová, and the Italian yard of Trieste Campo Marzio), to simulate intelligent real-time yard operations; an analysis of real-time interaction between the yards and the surrounding railway network; an analysis of actual information and communication processes, to define improvement actions, through the definition of strategies for two-way interactions between yard and network in real-time, so that the information about the current state-of-play in the yard feeds forward to the decisions on how to manage the network
The main results consisted in a full mapping of functional requirements and technical characteristics for real-time data management; the identification of yard processes, and the definition of strategies for improving real-time yard operation in relation to the relevant real-time information obtained from the network; a validated simulation environment with all the key elements of the OptiYard eco system, their roles and actions in the eco system.
OptiYard objectives for the second reporting period M13-M24 regarded the areas the automation of yard management optimisation.
The main results were obtained for two activities. The first activity is the modelling which includes the network model, the simulation software and the validation of non-optimised models and simulator. The second activity is the process optimisation which includes and improved information and communication process and an improved decision support system at the yard level.
The work performed in OptiYard showed that the closed loop between the simulation and the optimisation module works in an effective manner. The project outputs highlighted the KPIs that should be focused on an optimisation process. The end user can use the module to optimise the resource schedules (shunting locomotive and yard personnel) and the shunting movements of the locomotives which are the main gains that can be reached in the yard operations.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The communication system interface of OptiYard is aimed at developing improved automatic decision support. Interactive work between yard management and train management on the network will point out the relevant field and methods for a more complete integration when full automation in ETA elaboration will be available on the Network
OptiYard integrated yard simulation environment with a link to the network allows real-time ETA and ETD to be incorporated in yard operations and in network management.
OptiYard designs and develops the automated optimization of yard management, and it allows to effectively organize the use of the available resources in real-time, for an improvement of punctuality and reliability and a precise prediction of the estimated time of each train and wagon operation.
The decision-support tool for network management and ad-hoc timetabling of OptiYard allows flexibility both to dispatch ETD to available timetable slot and to inform the yard to prepare the train (both single wagon and block trains). Moreover it will manage network traffic up- and down-stream of the yard in identifying suitable time slot for ETD by an interactive work and data exchange between yard management and network traffic management.
OptiYard, monitoring in advance data from train to arrive in the yard, will be able to optimize the use of adequate resources to take care of the specific procedures applicable to wagons carrying dangerous goods and to optimize such processes.
By developing the monitoring and introducing automated data collection on the train composition OptiYard will enhance the reliability of the operations in the final destination terminals.
The project OptiYard will define and follow the evolution of KPI’s, characterizing competitiveness, reliability, resilience and quality of the operations as well as real-time information for the customer.

OptiYard Structure

OptiYard Architecture