Quantifying the factors which affect rail’s operational energy consumption

Pritchard, James, Preston, John and Waterson, Ben (2015) Quantifying the factors which affect rail’s operational energy consumption. 6th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis (RailTokyo2015), Narashino, Japan. 23 - 26 Mar 2015.

Abstract

Published data for the operational energy consumption, and related emissions, of a given type of train can be extremely variable. This is thought in part to be due to a reliance on limited empirical data and simulations which require a number of assumptions, but some variation in practice is still to be expected. Factors which affect the operational energy consumption of a train include driving style, features of the route and service and temporal factors such as the time of day and the time of year. In Great Britain, a number of Train Operating Companies (TOCs) have fitted meters to the electric trains they operate, in order to better monitor electricity consumption. Two such operators have provided sets of recorded energy data, along with related data about the operations and schedules of the trains. It has been possible to generate a set of energy consumption data on a per seat-km basis, linked with a number of known routes and services. In some cases, sufficient data were also available to make inferences about the influence of the driver. This comprehensive dataset, comprising over 45,000 sample journeys, has enabled the relative importance of the possible factors which can lead to variation in operational energy consumption to be investigated. It is found that aspects of the route and service are important, especially the stopping density of suburban services. This might help enhance modal comparisons, and rail planners may be able to optimise the service patterns to reduce energy consumption accordingly.

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Contributors

Author: John Preston

Author: Ben Waterson

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