On-line timetable re-scheduling in regional train services

In the daily activity of regional railway traffic, when the circulation fre quencies are high, any anomaly that alters the scheduled circulation of tra ins may distort any of all of the established timetables and involve re,sch eduling many of services, due to the numerous possible alternatives for res olving the situation. An on-line model is presented in this article which h elps in choosing the most appropriate solution based on an intelligent expl oration of the solutions space. The tool has been implemented in the Spanis h national railways company. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.