Intelligent Train Timetable Generation Technology Based on Monte Carlo Tree Search Algorithm

This paper presents an innovative approach to train timetable generation using Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) integrated with a deep reinforcement learning technique. The generation and adjustment of train timetables for high-speed railways represent a complex optimisation problem with numerous rule-based constraints that traditional mathematical methods struggle to solve efficiently. Therefore, the train timetable generation problem is modelled as a discrete spatiotemporal Markov decision process, and a comprehensive MCTS-based algorithm is developed to effectively balance exploration and exploitation through a structured tree search mechanism. The result of the comparative analysis demonstrates that MCTS-based algorithms significantly outperform state-of-the-art reinforcement learning algorithms, including double deep Q-network (DDQN) and proximal policy optimisation (PPO), achieving optimal solutions 6.5 times faster with superior training stability. To validate the scalability and real-world applicability, a large-scale case study involving 120 pairs of trains on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Rail corridor over an 18-hour period successfully resolved all 45,600 initial conflicts. The optimised timetables yield significant operational improvements, including a 16.4% reduction in average delay time, 22.8% improvement in track utilisation efficiency and 9.7% reduction in energy consumption. This research contributes to the advancement of intelligent railway operations optimisation and demonstrates the potential of MCTS-based approaches to transform complex transportation problems.