A methodology for generation of optimal schedules for an underground railway system

This paper presents a methodology developed for the automatic generation of optimal schedules for the north-south line of the Metro Company of São Paulo. An analytical model was created to represent the system behavior: train and passenger movements. Based on the model characteristics, the goal-coordination method, due to Lasdon and Tamura, was utilized to produce the Optimal reference schedule by considering comfort levels for passengers, the number of trains in the line, and the performance of trains. The optimal schedule for the morning peak period was generated and a great improvement over the current strategy was obtained.