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Future Traffic Regulation Optimisation
(FuTRO)
T952
Introduction
The vision for how the future railway will conceptually
operate is embedded across the Rail Technical Strategy
(RTS) 2012
1
. The many aspects of the RTS vision will have
implications for the optimisation of traffic regulation in this
future world. Hence they have implications for the
programme named Future Traffic Regulation Optimisation
(FuTRO).
Fundamental to the vision of the RTS are the 4C’s, which
have been used to position technical thinking at a step
change, not an incremental level. The 4C’s objectives are:
Reduce carbon by 50%
Increase capacity by 50%
Decrease cost
Improve customer satisfaction
The ability to regulate trains so that they are in the right
place, at the right time is central to addressing all of these
challenges. FuTRO is therefore seen as a key feature in
delivering the wider RTS vision. The estimated business
benefit associated with implementation of FuTRO is between
£200m-£400m per annum, representing a significant saving
to the industry as a whole.
Time and position are core elements for efficient railway
operations, and safety demands that no two trains occupy
the same point on the network at the same time. Managing
train movement in real-time, or near real-time, is essential
for optimising network use. Important features include the
ability to respond to business requirements, be they energy-
saving, optimising capacity or an urgent freight delivery. The
ability to keep operators and customers much better
informed is an important related benefit. To optimise traffic
regulation, the Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG)
1
The RTS2012 can be found at the following link:
http://www.futurerailway.org/RTS/About/Pages/Download-the-RTS.aspx
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is sponsoring the FuTRO, which is a collaborative industry
programme facilitated by RSSB and with active participation
from Network Rail and other rail stakeholders.
Aims
FuTRO seeks to provide the framework for innovative ways
to address vital aspects of train operation, leading to the
optimisation of traffic regulation. FuTRO will develop and
deploy a range of tools within this framework to reconcile the
railway's obligations relating to punctuality, demand,
flexibility, cost, energy/power and customer satisfaction.
FuTRO will call upon real-time information on train location
and speed and offer real-time instructions to the train. The
outcome will be a railway that is regulated dynamically
according to policies that are in place at particular times,
policies which include the need to maximise capacity,
minimise energy use, recover from perturbations etc.
FuTRO will not be a safety critical system
2
in the near to
medium term, but could be so in the longer term future.
FuTRO will be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs
of the industry and responsive to technology opportunities
that arise.
Scope
The project recognises the challenges of developing tools
that together deliver such a regulation system, one that is
agile, demand driven and real-time, together with the human
factors implications of introducing such a system.
The FuTRO project has identified principle requirements to
accommodate the full range of transport and customer
needs for the future:
To provide outputs that enable optimal decisions on
regulation in the context of the ‘big picture’ view of the
situation, including optimising across control boundaries.
To be immune to changes to organisational and industry
structures.
To support real-time or near real-time capabilities to
establish a flexible timetable when recovering from
periods of disruption.
2
That is, it is not currently part of the control layer, it is in the management layer
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To have the capacity to use a range of policies and
related criteria to optimise network performance
To offer personal journey management
To provide information that is useful, user-friendly,
reliable, accurate, timely, and tailored to personal or
business needs
To provide decision support based on policies in force
To provide an understanding of potential constraints from
rules, regulations and policies
To offer the ability to assimilate and take account of an
array of inputs including condition information,
environmental requirements, congestion, resource and
asset demand.
To this end, FuTRO will involve not only the development of
the algorithms but also research into optimisation
formulations and algorithms. The tools in FuTRO will be
such that they are adaptable to take account of emerging
technology both in better computing facilities as well as
emerging algorithms in the field.
FuTRO will exhibit a range of characteristics, some of which
will be realised sooner than others. Future-proofing,
adaptability and scalability will be key drivers in defining the
optimised regulation solution. High availability and resilience,
plus flexibility are considered essential attributes of FuTRO
in order to provide the guarantees to deliver against agreed
service levels for the next 30 years. The system will be
flexible enough to use dynamic requirements for regulation
that optimise against defined criteria. This will involve not
only the development of algorithms but research into
optimisation formulations.
Context
FuTRO has a number of dependencies with respect to work
already in progress to develop the railway infrastructure. It
assumes that the Network Rail Traffic Management
programme will be delivered successfully over the next five
years, together with the exploitation of technologies to
deliver improved train positioning, driver advisory and control
systems. FuTRO will need to be procured and delivered in
such a way as to retain supplier options so that the best
interests of the wider railway are secured. FuTRO should
be flexible and adaptable and unconstrained by any
particular item of equipment or system.
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FuTRO also accepts these key assumptions:
Trains will still be formed of carriages
Vehicles will run on tracks
In-cab, lineside, or a combination form of signalling will
still exist
Trains will be staffed
Methodology
In order to deliver FuTRO, it has been agreed that a number
of consortia, working together under the principles of Open
Innovation, may be the best approach. The consortia would
ideally include representatives from the fields of innovation
and academia would work closely, sharing the intellectual
property rights of any new developments. The process
draws upon the experience of the Technical Strategy Board
(TSB) and a series of calls addressing the identified
challenges are envisaged.
RSSB will contract with consortia, which will have an agreed
specification against which to work. This will encourage
innovation and encourage new knowledge to influence
downstream development, ultimately leading to testing, trials
and implementation.
Next Steps
An introduction to FuTRO for suppliers and academia will be
held on 1
st
May 2013. This event will elaborate on the
content of this briefing note, and provide further context in
terms of current European projects. There will be more
information about open innovation and possible funding
mechanisms. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to
network, and to seek out potential future partners.
Following the event a series of calls will be made based on
the challenges faced by FuTRO. Work packages will be
developed for the individual projects to deliver the required
technologies. Inputs from academia, rail and non-rail
industry suppliers will be invited and integrated with
innovation and technology from both within the UK and
abroad.
Contact
