Peter Pudney

Fuel or energy savings of 10% or more can be achieved by providing train drivers with information on energy-efficient driving strategies. The Energymiser system uses optimal control theory to calculate a control strategy which minimises the mechanical work done by the traction system to move a train from its current location and speed to the next scheduled stop. The calculation takes into account the required arrival time at the next stop as well as train performance parameters and track gradients, curves and speed limits. The optimal speed and control profile is displayed to the driver in the cab. When a train is delayed, it is more efficient, where possible, to recover the delay gradually over the entire remainder of the journey than to recover quickly. However, the delayed train will often interact with other trains, causing further delays to propagate through the system and thereby impacting on the energy-efficiency of many trains. When the delays are sufficiently small, the int...

Driver advice systems provide information to train drivers to help them keep trains on time and reduce fuel or energy use. These systems typically calculate an energy-efficient trip profile that will get the train to the next stop at a specified time, taking into account the predicted performance of the train and the track gradients, curves and speed limits. However, timetabled arrival times are often not ideal for efficient driving---arrival times rounded to the nearest minute or thirty seconds will mean that some sections require fast pacing and others allow slower pacing. Energy use will be higher than necessary if the pacing is not uniform throughout the trip. Putting timetable slack at the end of a trip instead of distributing it throughout the trip is also inefficient. Furthermore, when a train is delayed, recovering to fixed arrival times as quickly as possible, which is often the approach favoured by network operators, will cause fast pacing until the delay is recovered and ...

In this paper we present results obtained while using an Unscented Kalman Filter to estimate resis-tance force parameters for a train coasting on a flat track. The filter is shown to be appropriate for estimating running resistance coefficients, as good convergence is demonstrated in the experiments undertaken. The errors in the resistance estimates produced by the filter depend on the values of the state covariance matrix used to initialise the filter. By systematically trying many combinations of the key values in the initial covariance matrix we are able to find a filter that converges satisfactorily for a wide range of test problems.

Fuel costs and CO 2 emissions are a major concern for all transport operators, and the rail freight industry must increase its efficiency if it wishes to remain competitive. Freightmiser is an in-cab advice system that helps drivers of long-haul trains save fuel and stay on time. Freightmiser uses optimal control theory to determine speed profiles that minimise fuel consumption subject to completing the journey within the specified time. The recommended speed profile is displayed on a screen in the cabin of the locomotive along with additional advice about track topography and train location that will assist the driver to follow an energy-efficient speed profile and stay on time. The system determines current location and speed from an on-board GPS unit and continually updates the displayed advice during the journey, thereby ensuring that allowance is made for previous departures from the recommended speed profile. Thus the in-cab display always provides an optimal speed profile fro...

Fuel costs and CO2 emissions are a major concern for all transport operators, and the rail freight industry must increase its efficiency if it wishes to remain competitive. Freightmiser is an in-cab advice system that helps drivers of long-haul trains save fuel and stay on time. Freightmiser uses optimal control theory to determine speed profiles that minimise fuel consumption subject to completing the journey within the specified time. The recommended speed profile is displayed on a screen in the cabin of the locomotive along with additional advice about track topography and train location that will assist the driver to follow an energy-efficient speed profile and stay on time.. The system determines current location and speed from an on-board GPS unit and continually updates the displayed advice during the journey, thereby ensuring that allowance is made for previous departures from the recommended speed profile. Thus the in-cab display always provides an optimal speed profile fro...

... The automatic scheduling system can be used to support applications including general train planning, real-time dynamic rescheduling, integrated train, crew and maintenance planning, infrastructure planning and congestion studies. ... 196 Peter Pudney and Alex Wardrop ...

The effectiveness of a microprocessor-based coast advice system for commuter train operations is evaluated via computer simulation. A software and hardware system that was developed is tested on a four-car GO Transit train operating in normal service. Predicted fuel savings range from 10% to 20% depending on the locomotive used. There was good agreement between the simulation analysis and revenue service test results