Intermodal vehicles may be loaded with items and an aerial vehicle, and directed to travel to areas where demand for the items is known or anticipated. The intermodal vehicles may be coupled to locomotives, container ships, road tractors or other vehicles, and equipped with systems for loading one or more items onto the aerial vehicle, and for launching or retrieving the aerial vehicle while the intermodal vehicles are in motion. The areas where the demand is known or anticipated may be identified on any basis, including but not limited to past histories of purchases or deliveries to such areas, or events that are scheduled to occur in such areas. Additionally, intermodal vehicles may be loaded with replacement parts and/or inspection equipment, and configured to conduct repairs, servicing operations or inspections on aerial vehicles within the intermodal vehicles, while the intermodal vehicles are in motion.

A railroad system includes a plurality of trains and an operation management device. The operation management device manages operation of a subject train that is at least one of the plurality of trains. The operation management device includes a calculation unit and a communication unit. The calculation unit calculates a target arrival time at which the subject train is to arrive at a next station, upon occurrence of an arrival delay of a preceding train at the next station, the preceding train being a train among the plurality of trains and running ahead of the subject train; and, upon arrival of the preceding train at the next station, calculates a target arrival time at which the subject train is to arrive at the next station. The communication unit transmits, to the subject train, information on the target arrival time calculated by the calculation unit.

A railroad system includes a plurality of trains and an operation management device. The operation management device manages operation of a subject train that is at least one of the plurality of trains. The operation management device includes a calculation unit and a communication unit. The calculation unit calculates a target arrival time at which the subject train is to arrive at a next station, upon occurrence of an arrival delay of a preceding train at the next station, the preceding train being a train among the plurality of trains and running ahead of the subject train; and, upon arrival of the preceding train at the next station, calculates a target arrival time at which the subject train is to arrive at the next station. The communication unit transmits, to the subject train, information on the target arrival time calculated by the calculation unit.

A train dispatching method includes acquiring a battery state of a power battery of a first target train, and determining that the first target train is a train about to return to the garage if the battery state is a power shortage state. The method further includes controlling the first target train to travel back to the parking garage for charging in response to receiving a passenger-drop-off completion instruction, selecting a train in a power sufficient state as a second target train from assignable trains in the parking garage if the battery state is the power shortage state, determining target dispatching plan information of the second target train according to original dispatching plan information of the first target train, and dispatching the second target train according to the target dispatching plan information.

A train dispatching method includes acquiring a battery state of a power battery of a first target train, and determining that the first target train is a train about to return to the garage if the battery state is a power shortage state. The method further includes controlling the first target train to travel back to the parking garage for charging in response to receiving a passenger-drop-off completion instruction, selecting a train in a power sufficient state as a second target train from assignable trains in the parking garage if the battery state is the power shortage state, determining target dispatching plan information of the second target train according to original dispatching plan information of the first target train, and dispatching the second target train according to the target dispatching plan information.

A ground base device includes a schedule timetable storage unit storing a received schedule timetable periodically transmitted from the central control device; a departure-obstructed condition determination unit determining whether a departure-obstructed condition of a train is resolved and outputting departure-obstructed condition cancel signal when the departure-obstructed condition is resolved; a departure time control unit outputting departure-time appropriate signal when current time is departure time based on the schedule timetable upon receiving the departure-obstructed condition cancel signal; a departure interval control unit outputting departure-interval appropriate signal when intervals between the train and preceding and following trains are a threshold value or more upon receiving the departure-time appropriate signal; and a departure instruction signal output unit outputting a departure instruction signal upon receiving the departure-interval appropriate signal, and, when the central control device fails, the departure time control unit uses the schedule timetable received when the central control device is normal.

A ground base device includes a schedule timetable storage unit storing a received schedule timetable periodically transmitted from the central control device; a departure-obstructed condition determination unit determining whether a departure-obstructed condition of a train is resolved and outputting departure-obstructed condition cancel signal when the departure-obstructed condition is resolved; a departure time control unit outputting departure-time appropriate signal when current time is departure time based on the schedule timetable upon receiving the departure-obstructed condition cancel signal; a departure interval control unit outputting departure-interval appropriate signal when intervals between the train and preceding and following trains are a threshold value or more upon receiving the departure-time appropriate signal; and a departure instruction signal output unit outputting a departure instruction signal upon receiving the departure-interval appropriate signal, and, when the central control device fails, the departure time control unit uses the schedule timetable received when the central control device is normal.

A train dispatching method includes acquiring a battery state of a power battery of a first target train, and determining that the first target train is a train about to return to the garage if the battery state is a power shortage state. The method further includes controlling the first target train to travel back to the parking garage for charging in response to receiving a passenger-drop-off completion instruction, selecting a train in a power sufficient state as a second target train from assignable trains in the parking garage if the battery state is the power shortage state, determining target dispatching plan information of the second target train according to original dispatching plan information of the first target train, and dispatching the second target train according to the target dispatching plan information.

A train dispatching method includes acquiring a battery state of a power battery of a first target train, and determining that the first target train is a train about to return to the garage if the battery state is a power shortage state. The method further includes controlling the first target train to travel back to the parking garage for charging in response to receiving a passenger-drop-off completion instruction, selecting a train in a power sufficient state as a second target train from assignable trains in the parking garage if the battery state is the power shortage state, determining target dispatching plan information of the second target train according to original dispatching plan information of the first target train, and dispatching the second target train according to the target dispatching plan information.

A method and system for managing traffic of guided vehicles over a railway network include a first ATS system for regulating traffic of guided vehicles over a first regulation domain of the network and a second ATS system configured for regulating traffic of guided vehicles over a second regulation domain. The regulation domains have a common boundary and at least one track connects a first position within the first regulation domain to a second position within the second regulation domain. The second ATS system detects limited traffic capacity at the second position and automatically computes, as a function of the detected limited traffic capacity, a target headway between two successive guided vehicles crossing the common boundary for entering the second regulation domain. The first ATS system automatically determines, from the received target headway, a reference timetable, complying with the received target headway, for the first regulation domain.