A target function has been developed for solving the problem of increasing the carrying capacity of loaded lines by organizing the motion of connected (double) trains on an ongoing basis, providing for the minimization of investment and operating costs. Conditions of constant circulation of connected trains on the Skovorodino—Smolyaninovo line section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, where the prospective freight flows exceed the available carrying capacity, are considered. All solutions are designed especially for this section. It is taken into account that the main investments for the implementation of the new method are related to the development of stations for working with connected trains, as well as to strengthening the power supply system for driving connected trains of double mass. Additional operating costs are determined by the need to perform various technological operations with connected trains. Estimated number of connected trains N^расч has been established to ensure the required long-term carrying capacity. In order to save costs, the value of N ^расч is minimized on the basis of comparing the values of the maximum possible number of connected as well as single trains with the required carrying capacity on different sections of the line. The article considers methodology for the placement of stations for connecting/disconnecting trains, maximally combined with stations for changing locomotive crews, which provides savings in investment and operating costs. The optimal one was chosen from three possible options of such stations placement. Two schematic diagrams of stations for connecting/disconnecting trains are considered — with sequential and parallel execution of operations. It is shown that the minimization of costs is ensured by the sequential (flow) execution of these operations. In order to save investments, the development of a technical design for the implementation of a new method should provide the possibility of using auxiliary stations for connecting/disconnecting trains and changing locomotive crews of auxiliary stations with more favorable topographic conditions and the location of the station buildings for its development. Specific proposals on this issue are given for the considered line section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Taking into account the current provisions, a method has been developed for calculating the operating fleet of locomotives handling connected trains, the size of which is minimized. Organization of the driving of connected trains on an ongoing basis ensures the effective development of the prospective freight traffic. 

The article discusses the modern methodology for performing the synthesis of a suboptimal train controller for the purpose of energy saving. The existing methods of optimal traction control have a number of disadvantages, the main one of which is the lack of direct use in the control program of the data obtained during train operation. Mathematical models used to solve the op- timal problem can be used correctly only in the case of sufficient adequacy. Adequacy check is not part of the known methods of optimal control theory. To eliminate this drawback, it is proposed to use the method of optimal (suboptimal) traction calculations based on artificial neural networks. It improves the accuracy of traction calculations, which is especially important in the aspect of considering energy savings, while reducing the need for computing power. When using this method, it is possible not only to achieve results close to the classical Bellman method, but also to train or verify the network using the recorded data. The article discusses the process of creating and training an artificial neural network based on model data to solve the problem of suboptimal control. The train motion modes obtained by Bellman's method were used as reference data for training the neural network. The presented comparative results of the two methods show the applicability of artificial neural networks for solving applied problems of train traction with the possibility of continuous learning, including the use of trip data, which can be directly included in the training or testing set.

Diesel engines supply mechanical power to almost half of the locomotives of the Russian railways. To ensure the passport characteristics of a diesel locomotive during the entire period of operation, periodic adjustment of the fuel supply equipment is required. When adjusting it, it is necessary to ensure the balance of power between the diesel cylinders while not exceeding the protective parameters for the maximum combustion pressure and the temperature of the exhaust gases. This is achieved due to the identity of the cyclic fuel supply through the diesel cylinders and the close correspondence of the fuel supply advance angles between different cylinders. Existing methods of tuning the fuel supply equipment don’t allow performing the adjustment with the required accuracy or are too complicated and laborious to implement. This article proposes theoretically substantiated and experimentally tested method for adjusting the cyclic supply and the fuel supply advance angle based on the results of measuring the pressure in the cylinder through a standard indicator channel under operating conditions. The indicator diagram is used to calculate the characteristics of active heat release, which are used to determine the relative parameters featuring the state of the fuel supply equipment. The performed computational study showed that the proposed parameters are equivalent to the relative cyclic fuel supply and the relative advance angle of the fuel supply. An experimental check, carried out on a single-cylinder compartment of OCH18/22 engine with hydromechanical fuel equipment, showed the possibility of adjusting the fuel supply equipment by the proposed method with satisfactory accuracy.

Maintaining optimal parameters of the microclimate in the car along the route is the most important requirement for the passenger’s travel. In the 1st class passenger cars, maintaining optimal microclimate parameters is achieved through the operation of the air conditioning system, which provides individual regulation of the air temperature in each compartment. Individual air temperature control systems used in air conditioning systems are divided into two groups: active and passive.
The article proposes for consideration a combined active-passive system with a separate air supply with a lower and higher temperature compared to the temperature maintained in the compartment and the installation of individual induction terminals, which makes it possible to increase the efficiency of individual regulation of air parameters in the compartment.
To assess the uniformity of temperature distribution and air flow rate over the car volume with the proposed control scheme, a three-dimensional modeling of the distribution of these parameters in the compartment was carried out on the basis of Autodesk CFD software.
The given simulation results indicate the uniformity of temperature and air flow rate distribution over the compartment volume, which makes it possible to characterize the proposed system as sufficiently energy efficient, easy to operate and reliable in operation.

The article considers existing regulated installations of transverse capacitive compensation for increasing the capacity of sections of the traction network of 25 and 2×25 kV of Russian railways. Characteristics of a static reactive power generator based on bipolar IGBT transistors (manufactured by LLC NPP “RU-Engineering”, Naberezhnye Chelny), a switchable filtercompensating unit (manufactured by the Gorkovskaya Railway and the Nizhny Novgorod branch of SamGUPS), a three-stage switchable filter-compensating unit. To increase the capacity, all installations are switched on at the traction network sectioning posts. Long-term operation of the static reactive power generator and switchable filter-compensating unit have proven their operational efficiency. At the same time, the following upgrades are proposed: in a static reactive power generator it is proposed to reduce the installed power, replacing it with unregulated compensation, and in a switchable filter-compensating installation, it is proposed to switch in 400–500 V steps to normalize the traction mode of the electric rolling stock.
It is shown that in terms of technical characteristics, a switchable filter-compensating installation with a thyristor switch is not inferior to a static generator of reactive power in terms of increasing the capacity, and in some respects it surpasses it. On the whole, in terms of payback period, a switchable filter-compensating installation surpasses a static generator of reactive power due to the high cost of the latter. The following options for using the considered installations are proposed. With the required power of transverse capacitive compensation units up to 5–6 MVAr, to increase the capacity, switchable filter-compensating units should be installed. Taking into account real loads, such a solution will be implemented at most sectioning posts. For installations with a capacity of more than 5–6 MVAr, the option of using a static reactive power generator of reduced power should be considered: at high loads, its efficiency will increase.

Due to the fact that the autocorrelation of time series of passenger demand under normal conditions is, as a rule, practically undeveloped, traditional forecasting methods based on taking into account autocorrelation dependences are not effective enough. The article proposes a direct accounting of the main factor affecting the accuracy of forecasting, namely the factor of seasonal heterogeneity of demand. This accounting is made on the basis of polynomial regression for the time dependence of demand. A specific design example demonstrates the comparative advantages of this approach to assessing the forecast of demand for rail transport.
The regression approach is applied to the weekly averaged demand metrics for the time domain, where these metrics are considered known from the sales history. If there is a weekly demand heterogeneity in the forecast zone, an algorithm is proposed to restore such heterogeneity from the initial data.
The forecast accuracy based on the proposed method is compared with the results achieved on the basis of the ARIMA model, which reveals, according to preliminary estimates, fairly high accuracy parameters. It is shown on the calculated examples that for the series of demand, which can be considered typical for the sphere of passenger traffic, the regression approach gives the forecast accuracy higher than the ARIMA model. The reasons are considered, due to which, for typical series of passenger demand, the regression approach can be considered as more promising than methods that include taking into account autocorrelation.

Introduction of measures aimed at increasing labor productivity should ensure an increase in the efficiency of production processes in terms of costs associated primarily with labor resources. Optimization of its number is reflected in the characteristics of the production process, and above all on its sustainability. Sustainability means the ability of a process to return to its original state despite the action of external and internal factors. Sustainability is characterized by indicators of reliability, safety and stability of the production process and is determined by a complex index indicator that includes the listed characteristics. Unreasonable recommendation and implementation of measures to increase labor productivity with the release of employees without taking into account the achieved level of sustainability can lead to a decrease in the efficiency of production, an increase in operating costs and disruption of basic production processes. In this regard, the problem arises of determining the permissible reserve for the release of employees when planning organizational and managerial measures, taking into account the sustainability of production processes associated with transportation activities.