Article ID: | iaor2006909 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 39 |
Issue: | 2 |
Start Page Number: | 261 |
End Page Number: | 272 |
Publication Date: | May 2005 |
Journal: | Transportation Science |
Authors: | Kroon Leo G., Freling Richard, Lentink Ramon M., Huisman Dennis |
Keywords: | vehicle routing & scheduling, programming: dynamic |
In this paper we introduce the problem of shunting passenger train units in a railway station. Shunting occurs whenever train units are temporarily not needed to operate a given timetable. We discuss several aspects of this problem and focus on two subproblems. We propose mathematical models for the problem and both subproblems, one of which is solved with a solution method based on column generation. Furthermore, we introduce a new efficient and speedy solution technique for pricing problems in column generation algorithms. Finally, we present computational results based on real-life instances from Netherlands Railways.