Optimizing to increase the utilization ratio of regenerative braking energy reduces energy consumption, and can be done without increasing the deviation of train running time in one circle. The latter entails that the train timetable is upheld, which guarantees that the demand for passenger transport services is met and the quality of services in the urban rail transit system is maintained. This study proposes a multi-objective optimization model for urban railways with timetable optimization to minimize the total energy consumption of trains while maximizing the quality of service. To this end, we apply the principles and ideas of calculus to reduce the power of the velocity in the train energy consumption model. This greatly simplifies the complexity of the optimization model. Then, considering the conflicting requirements of decision-makers, weight factors are added to the objective functions to reflect decision-makers’ preferences for energy-saving and the quality of service. We adopt the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) to solve the proposed model. A practical case study of the Yizhuang urban railway line in Beijing is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and evaluate the advantages of the optimal energy saving timetable (OEST) in comparison to the optimal quality of service timetable (OQOST). The results showed that the OEST reduced total energy consumption by 8.72% but increased the deviation of trains running time in one circle by 728 s. The total energy consumption was reduced by 6.09%, but there was no increase in the deviation of train running time in one circle with the OQOST.

Train platforming is critical for ensuring the safety and efficiency of train operations within the stations, especially when unexpected train delays occur. This paper studies the problem of reoptimization of train platforming in case of train delays, where the train station is modeled using the discretization of the platform track time-space resources. To solve the reoptimization problem, we propose a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model, which minimizes the weighted sum of total train delays and the platform track assignment costs, subject to constraints defined by operational requirements. Moreover, we design an efficient heuristic algorithm to solve the MILP model such that it can speed up the reoptimization process with good solution precision. Furthermore, a real-world case is taken as an example to show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm. The computational results show that the MILP model established in this paper can describe the reoptimization of train platforming accurately, and it can be solved quickly by the proposed heuristic algorithm. In addition, the model and algorithm developed in this paper can provide an effective computer-aided decision-making tool for the train dispatchers in case of train delays.