Planning and scheduling: How algorithms help railway companies become more efficient

With critical skills shortages and massive time constraints, highly efficient planning and scheduling is critical for railroads to ensure sustainable profitability in the future. With the right software and intelligent algorithms, they can automatically evaluate scenarios to optimally deploy staff and trains.

The result is impressive productivity gains.

How railway companies can best deploy their trains and train drivers

In the future, railroad companies will have to increasingly avoid empty runs, and given the dramatic shortage of skilled workers, make increasingly efficient use of their valuable train drivers.

The key to this is thorough digital planning, and scheduling that leverages analytics and algorithms.

Tools automate the planning processes and calculate a multitude of possible variants to find the most efficient one – always pulling from complete and up-to-date master data that every railway company will want to accurately capture in the future.

Sensors installed in the trains and the train drivers themselves will feed the system with up-to-date data for timely scheduling. This way, railway companies can make the most of operational flexibility and low production costs.

In just a few years from now, this scenario will be the standard.

Variable scheduling simulation for efficient personnel planning

An annual timetable starts out as a static model.

But things get dynamic once it is put into operation. Weeks or just days before the scheduled departure, transports are cancelled or added, employees call in sick or go on strike.

With tight capacities, railway companies must keep rescheduling to accommodate last minute changes.

Shift planning for train drivers in rail freight transport is a perfect example for the efficiency gains achieved through optimization algorithms that help railway companies unlock their economic potential.

The static annual timetable with realistic locomotive rotations has been prepared. Now it is time to plan shifts which accommodate the many different requirements, including work hour regulations.

Personnel deployment is to be as cost effective as possible, but still companies want to retain the flexibility to respond to short-term changes. They need to be able to determine quickly what route experience is needed and to what extent, which personnel is available at which deployment location, i.e. who is not currently on vacation, sick, or undergoing training etc.

Throughout all this, shift planning must ensure efficient use of time and resources, meaning that train drivers should spend as much time as possible driving their trains.

There are many details to consider such as commuting distances, servicing of trains, and much more. Given the multitude of factors at play, only a software-based solution will be able to stay on top of the many possible variants concerning the deployment of personnel, to find the best one. This is one of the reasons why software will become the standard in scheduling.

Deploying a planning software will also increase cost-efficiency by reducing the hours that train drivers travel as guests. On top of that, optimized planning will also positively impact employee satisfaction.

After all, a software solution never loses track; train drivers will not be operating the same routes repeatedly, allowing them to maintain their knowledge of various routes and destinations.

This is how digital shift planning works

The software will suggest shifts and work schedules, considering dependencies on route knowledge and train handling skills along with vacation schedules, training, and work hour regulations.

It will flexibly integrate any new transport requests and simulate shifts that ensure utmost efficiency. This will contribute to keeping personnel needs as low as possible and help incorporate social considerations like shift preferences.

How algorithms make planning and scheduling smart

Algorithms can try out variants in the bidding phase and simulate resource requirements in different situations, contributing to realistic costing.

Railway companies also get a clearer picture of whether to add new dispatch locations, to have operating crews spend the night at a hotel, or to bring in external help because it is more cost effective.

The foundation: Railway companies need clean and accurate master data

The solutions for resource planning and scheduling use what is known as optimization algorithms that are capable of presenting variants in a concise manner. These algorithms use data that is already available in the solutions. Sound and reliable planning and scheduling, however, needs accurate and complete data pulled from a single source of truth.

This in turn means that some railway companies may have to launch data projects alongside their software implementation projects because the availability of clean master data is non-negotiable. To maintain this data, railway companies will have to create dedicated roles that perform a cross-departmental function with the objective of defining and implementing the necessary data structures.

The various entities will have to collect data in a consistent manner so that it can be used in resource planning and scheduling.

The importance of accurate and integrated master data is illustrated by looking at the example of train drivers. Information on their various skills, such as route knowledge and train handling skills, must always be kept up to date – be it by the train drivers themselves using a mobile app, by administrative staff, or other staff throughout the organization. This in turn means that the master data must correlate with the route data in the system so that the software can match train characteristics to suitable personnel.

In a nutshell: software-based planning and scheduling requires professional master data management. Railway companies that want to create processes that stand the test of time should consider bringing in external expertise.

Planning the deployment of locomotives and trains digitally

Trains are rotated based on computer calculations that consider dependencies on route, vehicle type (load, electricity/diesel), turning times, servicing (time/kilometre), cleaning, and refueling. This helps railway companies ensure efficient rotations with optimized vehicle requirements, while keeping their vehicle holding costs and operating costs at a minimum.