Railway Control and Operations Simulation

Advanced railway traffic management systems make better use of existing rolling stock and infrastructure to manage disruptions.  Our work in this area is helping to define the next generation of railway traffic management and control systems.

train simulator

Our capability includes:

Railway simulator development

Macroscopic and microscopic railway simulator development for railway research. A microscopic simulator analyses and evaluates different scales of railway networks with different signalling systems, rolling stock, operation rules and timetables.  Both have capabilities to integrate with other tools and offer value to research in analysis and development of railway systems .

Simulation and testing lab for railway systems

Railway system design validation and verification; and hardware in-loop testing.

Railway traffic management research

Advanced algorithm development for railway traffic management; research on application of Driver Advisory Systems; simulation, testing and evaluation for railway traffic management systems; and research on standards of next generation digital railway traffic management.

Railway system optimisation

Railway system optimisation for energy saving; and railway wireless data communication system modelling and optimisation.

Current and recent projects

Current and recent projects, funded by Industry, Research Councils and EU, have covered topics including:

  • Integrating railway timetabling, real-time train rescheduling and operations management, with driver advisory systems for advanced traffic management.
  • Increasing capacity for rail networks through enhanced infrastructure and optimised operations.
  • Decision support for system designers, as well as leading to improved methods for real time control of railway operations.
  • Energy optimisation strategies for metro systems.
  • CBTC system simulation and testing platforms