Application of optimization techniques to the railroad empty car distribution process: A survey

Recently, in the area of freight transport, the railroads of almost all countries have faced strong competition and a prominent trend of market reduction. It has become imperative for rail systems to develop better planned instruments for more rational and efficient utilization of freight cars that represent 40% of total investments, according to the data of many Railway Boards. This active resource today spends more than half of its available time empty. Better utilization of this resource reduces operational expenses and enlarges carriage capacities. The considerations in this work are examining the nature of the problem and the interrelationship between problem solving algorithm techniques and the development of practical application systems. This paper gives an epitomised presentation of successfully applied optimal techniques for railroad empty car distribution and describes the main research directions and perspectives.