Optimization of railway vehicles circulation in passenger transport

One of the basic principles of railway passenger transport is regularity, which is represented by passenger trains timetable. Regularity of railway passenger transport ensures that railway vehicles circulation indicates exact number of vehicles, which are necessary to fulfill the timetable of passenger trains. Railway vehicles circulation is a sequence of passenger trains, what determines which train is ensured by which vehicle. In the paper, selected mathematical methods, mostly from operational research, are applied to optimization of railway vehicle circulation in passenger transport. Theoretical basis of railway vehicles circulation, which is supported by mathematical application, are used in contemporary conditions of railway infrastructure and railway vehicles. Results of the railway vehicles optimization are costs reduction for the transport company and transport offer improvement for traveling public. The paper includes also a case study of the railway vehicles circulation optimization.