Calculation and Optimization of Minimum Headway in Moving Block System

To improve the service level of urban rail transit, the mechanism of multi-train tracking in the moving block signaling system is researched and the calculation method of minimum headway between successive trains is proposed. Due to the extra running time supplements, the minimum headway can be further compressed by multi-step braking operation of trains during the phase of entering station. To find the theoretical minimum headway with the constraint of punctual arriving, an optimization model which take driving strategy as decision variable is constructed. A dynamic programming based searching approach is proposed to solve the optimization model. A case study of Yizhuang urban line in Beijing is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the optimization model and the algorithm.