An Analysis of a Railroad Classification Yard

Crane, Roger R.; Brown, Frank B.; Blanchard, Robert O.

doi:10.1287/opre.3.3.262

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The first scientific papers related to the structures and capacities of marshaling yards were published by Crane et al. () and Petersen (,b). In these papers, yards were stated as queuing systems and analyzed using queuing relations and the Monte Carlo method.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable Neighborhood Search for Multistage Train Classification at Strategic Planning Level

Belošević

Ivic

2017

Computer aided Civil Eng

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Considerations on influences and interrelations between structural design and functional planning are imperative for raising the cost and operational effectiveness of marshaling yards in the context of managing wagonload services. This article focuses on multistage train classification, which rearranges a set of wagons from inbound trains to create a set of multigroup outbound trains in a proper form. Previous papers on the subject of multistage train classification were limited to considerations on the optimal classification schedule addressing the number of sorting steps as a primary objective. In contrast, this article proposes a model for overall optimization of the classification schedule and sidings layout, simultaneously addressing the number of sorting steps and the total number of wagon movements in the objective function. The model is created on a binary integer programming formulation. A Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) heuristic is developed due to the computational complexity of the problem. Numerical experiments validate the formulated model and demonstrate the efficiency of the VNS meta‐heuristic approach.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable Neighborhood Search for Multistage Train Classification at Strategic Planning Level

Belošević

Ivic

2017

Computer aided Civil Eng

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“…To address the lack of efficiency on the classification yard [Crane 1955] considered waiting time as the major factor contributing to low utilization of freight cars. He saw the total time spent by a car in a classification yard consists of two parts; the time elapsed from the arrival of the car at the yard until classification is completed, and the time from the completion of classification until the car leaves in an outgoing train.…”

Section: -Yard Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Early research into the use of queuing theory applied to the railroad system [Crane et al, 1955] application was conducted in 1955, and it presented the queuing processes identified in inspection and classification operation. Further research in queuing modeling [Mansfield and Wein, 1958] created a simple model to determine a suitable location for a classification yard.…”

Section: • Lean Manufacturing Applied To Rail Yard Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transporation Energy

Mirman¹,

Promod²

2012

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Executive Summary:This Transportation Energy Project is comprised of four unique tasks which work within the railroad industry to provide solutions in various areas of energy conservation. The NIU Engineering and Technology research team examined these areas and provided current solutions which can be used to both provide important reduction in energy usage and system efficiency in the given industry. This project also sought a mode in which rural and long-distance education could be provided. The information developed in each of the following project tasks can be applied to all of the rail companies to assist in developing efficiencies. Energy Reducing Yard Related Decision IssuesDistribution yards are the nerve center of the railroads, where trains comprised of hundreds of railcars arrive each day, get served (e.g., loading, unloading, sorting, inspection, etc.), and depart for their destination. Thus, the efficiency of these yards dictate the general efficiency of the entire railroad company. There are of three types of yards, namely, industrial yards, side yards, and classification yards. Industrial yards are used to distribute railcars to local industries and side yards are primarily used for storage of excess cars. The most important of the three yards is the classification yard, whose primary function is to receive inbound trains and sort (reclassify) the cars into outgoing trains for various destinations. There are two kinds of classification yards: flat and hump yards. In a flat yard, locomotive power is used to switch (or sort) cars onto the outgoing or classification tracks, whereas, in a hump yard, the force of gravity is used to move the cars during the sorting process. The reclassification process is both labor-and capitalintensive and has the potential to delay the movement of shipments if the process is not efficient.

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“…In hump yards, this work is performed by gravity: cars detached from an inbound train are pushed over the top of a hump and roll down to the appropriate track. Early work on yard modeling was realized by CRANE, BROWN, and BLANCHARD (1955) who presented an analysis of a particular hump yard and discussed the queuing processes identified in inspection and classification operations. A simple model for the location of a classification yard was then proposed by MANSFIELD and WEIN (1958).…”

Section: Analytical Yard Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Survey of Optimization Models for Train Routing and Scheduling

Cordeau

Toth

Vigo

1998

Transportation Science

658

282

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The aim of this paper is to present a survey of recent optimization models for the most commonly studied rail transportation problems. For each group of problems, we propose a classification of models and describe their important characteristics by focusing on model structure and algorithmic aspects. The review mainly concentrates on routing and scheduling problems since they represent the most important portion of the planning activities performed by railways. Routing models surveyed concern the operating policies for freight transportation and railcar fleet management, whereas scheduling models address the dispatching of trains and the assignment of locomotives and cars. A brief discussion of analytical yard and line models is also presented. The emphasis is on recent contributions, but several older yet important works are also cited.The rail transportation industry is very rich in terms of problems that can be modeled and solved using mathematical optimization techniques. However, the related literature has experienced a slow growth and, until recently, most contributions were dealing with simplified models or small instances failing to incorporate the characteristics of real-life applications. Previous surveys by ASSAD (1980bASSAD ( , 1981 and HAGHANI (1987) suggest that optimization models for rail transportation were not widely used in practice and that carriers often resorted to simulation. This situation is somewhat surprising given the considerable potential savings and performance improvements that may be realized through better resource utilization. It is also contrasting with the rapid penetration of optimization methods in other fields such as air transportation (YU, 1998).In fact, the development of optimization models for train routing and scheduling was for a long time hindered by the large size and the high difficulty of the problems studied. Important computing capabilities were needed to solve the proposed models, and even the task of collecting and organizing the relevant data required installations that very few railroads could afford. As a result, practical implementations of optimization models often had a limited success, which deterred both researchers and practitioners from pursuing the effort.In the last decade however, a growing body of advances concerning several aspects of rail freight and passenger transportation has appeared in the operations research literature. The strong competition facing rail carriers, the privatization of many national railroads, deregulation, and the ever increasing speed of computers all motivate the use of optimization models at various levels in the organization. In addition, recently proposed models tend to exhibit an increased level of realism and to incorporate a larger variety of constraints and possibilities. In turn, this convergence of theoretical and practical standpoints results in a growing interest for optimization techniques. Hence, although simulationbased approaches are still widely used to evaluate and compare different scenarios, one witn...

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An Analysis of a Railroad Classification Yard

Cited by 18 publications

References 0 publications

Variable Neighborhood Search for Multistage Train Classification at Strategic Planning Level

Variable Neighborhood Search for Multistage Train Classification at Strategic Planning Level

Transporation Energy

A Survey of Optimization Models for Train Routing and Scheduling

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