Modelling Electric Trains Energy Consumption Using Neural Networks

[EN] Nowadays there is an evident concern regarding the efficiency and sustainability of the transport sector due to both the threat of climate change and the current financial crisis. This concern explains the growth of railways over the last years as they present an inherent efficiency compared to...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Martínez Fernández, Pablo|||0000-0002-8246-2510, Insa Franco, Ricardo|||0000-0002-6655-4458, García-Román, Carla
Format: article
Publication Date:2016
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repository:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/103303
Online Access:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/103303
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Railways
Neural Networks
Energy efficiency
Modelling
Metro.
INGENIERIA E INFRAESTRUCTURA DE LOS TRANSPORTES
Description
Summary:[EN] Nowadays there is an evident concern regarding the efficiency and sustainability of the transport sector due to both the threat of climate change and the current financial crisis. This concern explains the growth of railways over the last years as they present an inherent efficiency compared to other transport means. However, in order to further expand their role, it is necessary to optimise their energy consumption so as to increase their competitiveness. Improving railways energy efficiency requires both reliable data and modelling tools that will allow the study of different variables and alternatives. With this need in mind, this paper presents the development of consumption models based on neural networks that calculate the energy consumption of electric trains. These networks have been trained based on an extensive set of consumption data measured in line 1 of the Valencia Metro Network. Once trained, the neural networks provide a reliable estimation of the vehicles consumption along a specific route when fed with input data such as train speed, acceleration or track longitudinal slope. These networks represent a useful modelling tool that may allow a deeper study of railway lines in terms of energy expenditure with the objective of reducing the costs and environmental impact associated to railways.