Review on energy-saving train operation for urban rail transit

YANG Lixing; LIAN Deheng; MO Pengli; GAO Ziyou

doi:10.11860/j.issn.1673-0291.20250148

Abstract：For the problem of energy-efficient operation in urban rail transit,existing studies can be grouped into two main strands:Classical methods and technology-driven approaches.The classical strand reviews optimization of train speed profiles,train timetables,and their joint optimization,show-ing that these methods have developed into mature modeling and solution frameworks capable of reduc-ing traction energy consumption and peak power while enhancing the utilization of regenerative braking energy under safety and service constraints.The second strand summarizes technology-driven progress and discusses the enabling effects and challenges of emerging technologies across three domains:Power supply,control,and operations.On the power side,efforts focus on advancing"source-grid-storage-train"integration,coordinating reversible converters,energy storage,and renewable sources to achieve load shifting and peak suppression.On the control side,autonomous operation and virtual coupling shift the problem toward a dynamic perspective under multi-train coordination.On the opera-tions side,cross-line through services,multi-route patterns,and flexible train formations upgrade ca-pacity supply and reduce inefficient traction.The findings suggest that classical methods already pro-vide well-established frameworks for safe and effective energy saving,while new technology-driven approaches move beyond train-level offline optimization and progressively drive research toward system-level coordination that spans power supply,control,and operations.Future research should place greater emphasis on developing unified benchmark and evaluation systems,while also advancing multi-level coordination and integrated optimization across diverse domains.