Multi-objective dispatching model and algorithm of railway emergency materials

In order to solve the problem of railway emergency materials dispatching optimization considering the difference of the emergency time limit of the materials, the uniqueness of this problem is analyzed and a multi-objective dispatching model is established with multi-objective programming method. On base of satisfying the requirement of emergency time limit of different materials, the model achieves the objectives of minimum number of selected depots and minimum cost of dispatching. Then the solution procedure and algorithm of the model is designed and an example is set to verify the feasibility of this algorithm. Analytic results indicate that the model can ensure utilizing and dispatching the emergency materials efficiently and methodically.

I. Introduction

Varieties of railway incidents frequently happened in recent years had brought great loss to railway transportation and it had aroused wide concern of all circles in the society. Providing sufficient emergency materials timely after railway incidents occurred is the basis of carrying out emergency rescue and it also offers guarantees to reduce casualties and property damages and to restore traffic rapidly. So it would be very meaningful to conduct scientific and reasonable dispatching with emergency materials in railway emergency management. How to select the material depots (namely the material depots which are selected to provide materials in emergency rescue, hereinafter referred to as selected depots) and the amount of emergency materials reasonably under the condition of satisfying the emergency limit period or making the emergency starting time earliest so as to minimize the emergency dispatching cost is a critical problem in the research of railway emergency materials' dispatching optimization.