Abstract
One method of saving energy on the railroad is energy-saving operation of electric railway vehicles. However, there have been only a few reports on the benefits of energy-saving operation when put into practical use. JR West has been promoting energy-saving operation to further improve railway energy efficiency. In this paper, we report on the effectiveness of practical energy-saving operation methods and the results of applying them to the actual train schedule. First, we studied changing the train operation method while keeping the journey time as-is. Our approach to energy-saving operation studied in this paper is to reduce energy consumption by shortening the powering time and keeping the same journey time as conventional operation methods by increasing deceleration by braking. Next, to estimate the effects of energy-saving operation by shortening the powering time, we analyzed data from commercial trains to understand the relationship of their powering time, powering energy and energy consumption. The results show that shortening the powering time can reduce the powering energy and consequently the energy consumption. Next, we estimated the effects of a reduction of powering energy with energy-saving operation by shortening the powering time in a simulation. The results of the simulation show that shortening the powering time lowers the maximum velocity, resulting in lower powering energy. Next, to estimate the effects of energy-saving operation on actual lines, we carried out a test run. The results show that energy-saving operation can reduce 22.8% powering energy. As it has been demonstrated that this energy-saving operation method can save energy, we have promoted the adoption of energy-saving operation methods among our train drivers. After promoting the adoption of such energy-saving operation methods to our drivers, we collected data on the effects. On one particular line, we achieved an 11.5% reduction in energy consumption compared with conventional operation methods.
