Crew Rescheduling in the Tram Network of Rotterdam

In this thesis, we consider the crew rescheduling problem for the tram network of Rotterdam. In recent years, interlining has been introduced into the crew schedule. Interlining means that drivers operate multiple vehicles and lines during their duty. Consequently, crew rescheduling has become more complicated. Therefore, we investigate whether an algorithm could assist in this task. In the last two decades, crew rescheduling methods have been developed and applied in the rail industry. The contribution of this thesis is that we apply such a method to a regional tram network. The problem is formulated as a set covering problem. In this problem, a column corresponds to a driver duty which covers pieces of work. The problem is solved with column generation and therefore split in a restricted master problem and a subproblem. The subproblem is modelled as a resource constrained shortest path problem. The results show that the algorithm is able to repair a disrupted crew schedule within minutes. An experiment with a realistic case shows that the crew rescheduling method allows for new vehicle rescheduling actions. Those actions disturb the crew schedule but are preferable from the passenger perspective. The vehicle rescheduling problem for a tram network is left for further research.