Regulation of train service by coasting control in metro railway system

To maximize the capacity of the rail line and provide a reliable service for passengers throughout the day, regulation of train service to maintain steady service headway is essential. In most current metro systems, train usually starts coasting at a fixed distance from the departed station to achieve service regulation. However, this approach is only effective with respect to a nominal operational condition of train schedule but not necessarily the current service demand. Moreover, it is not simply to identify the necessary starting point for coasting under the run time constraints of current service conditions since train movement is attributed by a large number of factors, most of which are non-linear and inter-dependent. This paper presents an application of classical measures to search for the appropriate coasting point to meet a specified inter-station run time and they can be integrated in the on-board Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system and have the potential for on-line implementation in making a set of coasting command decisions.