The multi-criteria task of locating repair sites for special self-propelled rolling stock: multiperiodic formulation and equivalence to the minimum cost flow problem

The paper considers the problem of placement, specialization, and development of a network of repair sites for special self-propelled rolling stock as a spatially distributed complex of railway transport infrastructure. The relevance of the task is substantiated. A formal formulation of the placement problem in a multi-period form is proposed, which differs from the previous one by simultaneously considering a binary tolerance filter, the profitability threshold for the production site, and an explicit axis of planning periods, which allows for the description of seasonal unevenness in the repair campaign. The equivalence of the problem (when the binary activation variables are removed) to the minimum cost flow problem on a time-extended network is proven, and the inclusion of activation variables and the breakeven point transforms it into a problem of minimizing the cost of a flow with a fixed cost of an object. The operational and tactical level (integer linear programming) is complemented by the strategic level of multi-criteria selection of a network development scenario using hierarchical analysis and ordering based on proximity to the ideal solution with robust assessment of the range of the track maintenance program. The approach has been tested under the conditions of the Eastern Polygon of JSC Russian Railways. The sustainable result is the targeted priority for the development of the eastern part of the network.

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