A Survey on Energy-Efficient Timetable Optimization Model Based on the Utilization of Regenerative Braking

Railway transport plays more important role for public transportation in the near future because of the high capacity, reliability, safety etc. In the future, railway transport may be one of the most energy consumption modes in transportation because of increasing popularity. That's why the reduction of energy consumption is one of the key objectives of railway systems due to the rising energy prices and environmental concerns. Urban rail systems (URS) are designed to provide transportation services in densely populated urban areas, their stations are situated very close together, usually every 1-2 km. Generally speaking, the energy-efficient operation technique includes two levels, which optimize the timetable and the speed profiles among successive stations, respectively. In my study, I mentioned about timetable optimization relates to the accelerating and braking actions of train to not only decrease total energy consumption but also increase the utilization of regenerative braking energy. In this paper, a comprehensive survey on timetable optimization methods is reviewed. Furthermore, according to review works, applicability of timetable optimization for Metro Istanbul is examined and some recommends and suggestions for improving energy-efficient in Metro Istanbul is given.