The Problem of Resolving Train Movement Conflicts in a Traffic Management System

This article addresses selected aspects of designing a Traffic Management System (TMS) for the railway component of Poland’s Central Communication Port (CPK) project. The primary objective was to determine train headway times while considering automated traffic conflict resolution and speed profile optimization in relation to traction energy consumption. The study utilized simulations in the MATLAB/Simulink (Version number: R2024a Update 3) environment, modeling the movement of an ETR610 (ED250) train on a line equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS). The simulation results provided insights into the impact of the adopted assumptions on TMS operational efficiency under failure conditions and its capability to optimize train movements. The conclusions underscore the critical importance of time reserves in effective conflict resolution, the interplay between buffer allocation and speed restrictions, and the impact of minimizing train stops on energy consumption. They also highlight the necessity of adapting operational strategies to infrastructure characteristics and the influence of simulation time on the effectiveness of conflict resolution methods. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the need to broaden operational scenarios to include failures of traction vehicles and train control systems, along with appropriate planning for time reserves.