Traffic modeling and state feedback control for metro lines

A complete traffic analysis for sequential metro lines with or without reference to a nominal time schedule is developed. The intrinsic instability of metro lines is pointed out. It is shown how well-chosen state-space formulations allow design of state-feedback control algorithms ensuring the stability of the system. The proposed traffic control algorithms have simple forms and are easy to implement in real-life systems. Simulations show the robustness of the proposed traffic control algorithms against disturbances occurring randomly on a loop line and their efficiency when compared to a classical time margin strategy.>