Developing a New Train Scheduling Model Considering the Special Constraints of the Single-track Corridors for Iran Railways

Iranian rail network has special preferences and constraints that have persuaded transportation planners to consider these constraints in their schedules. The aim of this study is to develop a new mathematical model for train scheduling problem in the single-track railways. The model consists of both passenger and freight trains. The main innovation of the model is to develop the new constraints for assessing the capacity of the siding tracks in the stations for all trains and other new constraints specialized for the passenger trains to be stopped in one station in order to let the passengers do their prayers. The objective of the suggested model is to minimize the total delays of passenger and freight trains for both directions. In order to assess the application of the model, three test problems are solved by Lingo software. Using this model, it is possible to complement the time-tabling for single-track railways automatically.