Abstract
The main aim of the paper was to develop an innovative approach to the preliminary estimation possibility of train energy cooperation based on data from timetables, without traction calculations. The article points out the need to strive for sustainable and environmentally friendly transport. It was pointed out that rail transport using electric traction is one of the more ecological branches of transport. It also offers a number of possibilities for improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, one of which is the recovery and reuse of energy lost in the electrodynamic braking process. The main ways in which such energy can be used are listed, but the focus is mainly on the aspect of the so-called “energy cooperation” of trains. Then, the current state of the research and knowledge on the narrowed scope of rail traffic management and recuperative braking in rail transportation is presented; an innovative approach to the indirect optimization of the amount of recuperated electrical energy immediately usable by another vehicle by maximizing the duration of energy co-optimization is proposed; and the authors’ function is proposed to enable optimization, taking into account various parameters. The optimization was performed with the use of a proprietary, multi-criteria objective function and the Solver optimization module. Finally, the results obtained using the proposed approach are presented and illustrated with the example of train timetables used by some of the largest railway stations in Poland.