Mathematical optimisation

Project 1
A smoother ride with COLT
Rail & Recherche n°19 - April/May/June 2001

The rail operations software COLT will monitor traffic in real time on the TGV Méditerranée line.
Much is at stake for SNCF, both economically and for its image, when the TGV Mediterranée begins running on 10 June, 2001. Naturally, everything is being done to provide flawless service. A centralised, fully equipped command centre is being set up specifically for it. Operational data will be collected there in real time by COLT (Coordination Opérationnelle de la Ligne TGV), a fully integrated software program modelled on the efficient Ecler software used on the Paris suburban express network. Customers will be the first to benefit from COLT. It will enable the traffic coordinator to monitor operations continuously, spot any problems or delays and anticipate their consequences for the system and customers. COLT will signal any disruption, give the cause and display the location and elements involved. The coordinator can then react rapidly and make adjustments if necessary, thus reducing inconvenience to travellers. He will also inform SNCF personnel in contact with customers on board and in stations so they can be promptly told the easiest way to continue their journey. COLT is object-language based, with flexible, intuitive operator interfaces to simplify use and allow faster reactions. It will also run on many types of computers.

Since June 10, 2001, co-ordinators at the TGV Méditerranée Co-ordination Centre have been using the COLT software to monitor trains on the new line in real time. Implementation went off without a hitch. “We got the hang of it quickly because the graphic interface displays train movements directly on a map”, explains coordinator Laurent Pirman. “COLT is integrated with other train and personnel management applications, so when there is an incident, we can see what to do for passengers and how to allocate internal resources.”