Rail Systems Research Group
Área de Sistemas Ferroviarios (ASF)

Research topics

The Rail Systems research unit - composed of teachers and researchers from the Instituto de Investigación Tecnológica - is an interdisciplinary research group specifically focused on the railway sector.

The principal activity of the ASF is the development of models and ‘made- to-measure’ advanced applications for the optimisation of various aspects of the railway system:
- traffic planning and operations
- energy efficiency
- signal design
- electrification design
- safety analysis and quality control
- remote control of energy

The rapid expansion and modernisation of the rail system requires a capacity to rapidly update areas of research and the techniques employed in that research: simulation, optimisation, assisted design, systems integration, theory of decision-making, automatic regulation, artificial intelligence, safety techniques and software reliability.

The Rail Systems research unit applies these techniques in research projects in collaboration with the national rail network with financial support from both the public and private sectors..

The ASF’s research work is complemented by its teaching activities within the University’s Master’s Degree in Rail Systems in collaboration with the leading companies in the sector.

Contact

Documentation

Leaflets about this area.

Relevant research projects

Energy efficient timetabling and train driving (Ecodriving)

Traffic regulation system for Metro de Madrid. Developed for: Dimetronic Signals. Oct/2007-Jul/2009.

Optimal design of ATO driving parameters. Developed for: Metro de Madrid. Nov/2007-Jun/2008.

Energy efficiency in train timetables planification. Developed for: Indra. Apr/2007-Jul/2008.

Analysis of energy consumption on metropolitan railways, commuter railways and high speed lines. Developed for: Ministerio de Fomento (CEDEX). Dec/2007-Dec/2009.

Energy-saving in railways operation. Efficient regenerative breaking. Developed for: Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. Jan/2007-Dec/2008.

Optimal design of signalling and railways capacity

Timetable analysis of new sceneries in Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya lines. Developed for: Dimetronic Signals. Sep/2008-May/2009.

Railways capacity analysis of Metro de Valencia network in 2010. Developed for: Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana. Feb/2008-Sep/2008.

Railway capacity analisys of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya lines. Developed for: Dimetronic Signals. Feb/2008-Sep/2008 .

Energy efficiency in train timetables planification. Developed for: Indra. Apr/2007-Jul/2008.

Railways power systems

Analysis of energy consumption on metropolitan railways, commuter railways and high speed lines. Developed for: Ministerio de Fomento (CEDEX). Dec/2007-Dec/2009.

Assessment of the Maglev train of AMT. Developed for: Semi. Jun/2008-Sep/2008.

Feasibility study of 2 x 3000 V (dc) system for Adif. Developed for: Sener. Apr/2007-May/2007.

Development of a model for calculating and predicting the transport system’s energy consumptions and emissions, with a view to assessing the effect of infrastructure investment and transport policy decisions on these consumptions. Developed for: CEDEX. Dec/2006-Nov/2008.

Train consumption estimation and assignation for the energy invoicing system of RENFE. Developed for: INDRA. May/2004-May/2007.

Communication and control in railway power systems

Interconnection control center requirements of railway power system. Developed for: ADIF. Dec/2006-Dec/2008.

Design and integration of embedded systems in trains. Developed for: SEPSA (Sistemas Electrónicos de Potencia). Jul/2007-Jun/2010.

Control center requirements of high-speed railway power system. Developed for: ADIF. Dec/2007-Dec/2010.

Neutral zone supervision and control requirements of railway power system. Developed for: ADIF. Dec/2006-Dec/2008 .

Relevant publications

Energy efficient timetabling and train driving (Ecodriving)

M. Domínguez, A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, L. Pérez-Cayuela, "Computer-aided design of ATO speed commands according to energy consumption criteria", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 103, pp. 183-192, September 2008.

A.P. Cucala, A. Fernández-Cardador, M. Domínguez, L. Pérez-Cayuela, "EFIREG: Computer-aided design of energy-efficient ATO speed commands", II Jornadas Estrategias de Ahorro y Eficiencia Energética en el Transporte Ferroviario. Sitges, Barcelona, Spain, 5-6 June 2008

A. Ramos, M. Peña, A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, "Mathematical programming approach to underground timetabling problem for maximizing time synchronization", Revista CEPADE. no. 35, pp. 88-95, June 2008.

A.P. Cucala, A. Fernández-Cardador, F. de Cuadra, E. Pilo, "An optimisation-based traffic regulator for metro lines", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 96, pp. 439-448, September 2007.

I. Martínez, B. Vitoriano, A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, "Statistical dwell time model for metro lines", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. no. 96, pp. 223-232, September 2007.

A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, B. Vitoriano, F. de Cuadra, "Predictive traffic regulation for metro loop lines based on quadratic programming", Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. vol. 220, no. 2, pp. 79-89, July 2006.

A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, J.I. Sanz, "An integrated information model for traffic planning, operation management of railway lines", Advances in Transport Series. vol. 15, pp. 743-752, January 2004.

Optimal design of signalling and railways capacity

Railways power systems

J.R. Jiménez-Octavio, E. Pilo, "Optimal design of power supply systems using genetic algorithms", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 103, pp. 391-400, September 2008.

J.R. Jiménez-Octavio, O. López-García, E. Pilo, A. Carnicero, "Coupled electromechanical optimization of power transmission lines", CMES: Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences. vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 81-97, February 2008.

J. Muñoz, E. Pilo, A. Fernández-Cardador, A.P. Cucala, "A mixed AC/DC model for railways' power systems", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 88, pp. 805-815, July 2006.

E. Pilo, L. Rouco, A. Fernández-Cardador, "Catenary and autotransformer coupled optimization for 2x25kV systems planning", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 88, pp. 747-757, July 2006.

E. Pilo, "La optimización del diseño de la electrificación de ferrocarriles", Tecnirail Ferrocarril & Empresa. no. 47, pp. 20-0, May 2006.

Communication and control in railway power systems

R. Santodomingo, E. Pilo, J.A. Rodríguez-Mondéjar, M.A. García-Vaquero, "Adapting the CIM model to describe electrified railway systems", WIT Transactions on The Built Environment. vol. 103, pp. 381-390, September 2008.