Real-time high-speed train rescheduling based on a Human-Computer Interaction framework

During railway operations, trains normally run as scheduled, but the occurrence of unexpected events will disrupt traffic flow and cause train deviation from the original timetable. In order to assist dispatchers in rescheduling trains, this paper introduces an innovative Human-Computer Interaction framework. This framework enables train dispatchers to propose different timetable adjustment instructions to the original or adjusted timetable. These instructions will be processed, stored, analyzed, and digested by computer program, which finally lead to the modification and calculation of the embedded mathematical model, then a new adjusted timetable will be produced and provided to dispatchers for checking and modifying. This framework can iterate for unlimited times based on dispatchers’ intentions, until the final results satisfy them. A demonstration system named RTARS (Real-time Timetable Automatic Rescheduling System) is developed based on this framework and it has been applied in Beijing Railway Administration, which shows its effectiveness in reality.