A fast-solved model for energy-efficient train control based on convex optimization

Abstract: In modern rail transportation, energy-efficient train control (EETC) is concerned with the optimal train speed trajectory or control strategies to achieve the minimum energy cost under various operation and traction constraints. This paper proposes an EETC model based on convex optimization so that the model can be rapidly solved by convex optimization algorithms. The high computational efficiency and robustness of the convex model can be verified by comparing the results achieved by the method proposed by this paper and other mainstream mathematical programming methods including mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) and Radau pseudospectral method (RPM). Based on the characteristics of convex optimization, the proposed method boasts more significant advantages over its counterparts in terms of computational efficiency in the promising online applications for automatic train control systems of various types of rail transportation.