Train performance and simulation

Simulation provides a valuable tool in both the design of new infrastructure coupled with assisting in the process of translating a railway´s business aspiration into a technical specification. The simulation system can be used in many forms: (1) as a single train run to assess traction performance over a given infrastructure or assumptions of the physical characteristics of a new line, (2) to assess a range of signalling systems in order to identify the optimum solution to meet a service aspiration, or (3) to evaluate proposed timetables and the interaction between the trains at a complex junction or in major terminals. This paper seeks to demonstrate the varying levels of simulation and their key role in the support of railway projects and the benefits from integrating simulation tools