Evaluation of ATO Benefits under Real-Time Rail Traffic Control on Mainlines

This work investigates the combination of a traffic management system (TMS) and automatic train operation (ATO) on mixed traffic systems. The main questions are, how the distribution of ATO on different train types influences the traffic system and how sharing knowledge about train performance reductions between the systems improves the conflict solving. This is done by setting up a simulation framework and applying it to a test case from the Dutch Railways. The evaluation shows that applying ATO saves energy, especially on regional trains, and increases the compliance to the given timetable, especially for long-distance trains. Further, it becomes evident that an ATO, which is informed about performance reductions has no influence on the traffic. An informed TMS might improve the traffic state, however this remains to be investigated in further detail.