Study of alternative operation strategies in railroad terminals using simulation

In this work, a simulation tool has been developed for evaluating changes in the performance of railroad terminals. The tool is composed of two elements: an user interface that enables to define the terminal to study, and a simulation model that uses the information set in the user interface to automatically generate the simulation scenario. A wide range of configurations can be simulated by introducing changes on the terminal characteristics (specifications of the elements, layout, etc.), the operating rules (used to unload/load trains, store containers, etc.) and the demand for services (train timetable, truck arrival pattern, etc.). After simulating a scenario, the tool provides information of productivity, service level as well as resource and infrastructure use. To illustrate the use of the simulation tool, different operating rules have been evaluated to improve the service level of a specific railroad terminal.