SINA - Efficient shift schedule creation

As part of the SINA project, which GWT implemented in cooperation with DB Regio AG, TU Dresden and the project partner LinoPro, the influence of train attendant quotas on shift planning in local rail transport was investigated in detail

Prof. Dr. Buscher (TUD, Chair of Business Administration, esp. Industrial Management) and his project team developed a new algorithm for planning support. Mathematical model formulations and powerful operations research methods are used to solve the complex planning problem.

Shift scheduling for train conductors is a highly complex challenge for planners in local rail transportation. The primary goal of the SINA project is to achieve effective personnel planning with subsequent efficient personnel deployment for train conductors in mass transit.

To enable a practical application, the developed algorithm was implemented in a software solution SINA. SINA is designed as a client-server architecture, so that the necessary input data is prepared locally by the individual planner, while a powerful computation server performs the actual shift schedule generation. The successful use of SINA at DB Regio AG since 2016 has demonstrated the applicability and performance of the solution algorithm for real planning problems. In addition to the targeted cost reduction, SINA enables a considerable simplification of the complex planning process.