SINTEF is developing in collaboration with Bane NOR ground-breaking technology to find optimal train timetables that maximize the utilization of the railway infrastructure while guaranteeing robustness and customer satisfaction. Timetabling is a very time-consuming process, which today is carried out mostly manually and with limited decision support. Using sophisticated mathematical programming techniques, ORP aims to build accurate mathematical models and develop state-of-the-art optimization algorithms to help route-planners finding the optimal timetable according to the given criteria. The prototype will provide an intuitive and interactive graphical user interface that route-planners can use to create and refine a timetable for a single line in Norway, the Dovre line. With its 548 kilometres and over 300 daily trains, the Dovre line is one of the busiest railway lines in Norway. Changing the departure time for a single train can cause a domino effect that requires a large number of other trains to be re-scheduled before the new timetable can be considered feasible. The ORP prototype aims to perform such calculations in minutes or even seconds, completely revolutionizing the usual timetabling process.
ORP Prototype
Optimal Route Planning (ORP) aims to develop optimization-based algorithms and tools to support a smoother, future-oriented train timetabling process. The ORP Prototype is the first phase of this ambitious project, where a prototype is developed and tested in collaboration with Bane NOR.
