Real-time Optimization of Transport Chains for Single Wagon Load Railway Transport

TL;DR

This paper discusses the real-time optimization of transport chains for single wagon load railway transport, focusing on system design, algorithms, and operational performance improvements.

Contribution

It introduces new data structures, search algorithms, and optimization techniques tailored for real-time railway transport chain planning.

Findings

Improved throughput in real-time operations

Effective algorithms demonstrated in live systems

Enhanced system design for operational efficiency

Abstract

The freight branch of the Swiss national railways, SBB Cargo, offers customers to ship single or few wagons within its wagon load transportation system (WLV). In this system, wagons travel along a transport chain which is a sequence of consecutive trains. Recently, SBB Cargo redesigned its IT systems and renewed the computation of these transport chains. This paper describes the main design decisions and technical details: data structures, search algorithms, mathematical optimization of throughput in the real-time setting, and some selected details for making the algorithms work in the operational software. We also comment on the employed technology stack and finally demonstrate some performance metrics from running operations.