Resumen
Objectives. In the domain of railway dispatching the handling of connection conflicts is a complex and most of the times intrans-parent task for the dispatcher. A decision support system is needed to provide relevant objective information regarding a connection conflict. Connection conflicts need to be evaluated from the transportation company's point of view. Hereby not only traveller discomfort is taken into account, but also economic considerations. In this paper, we present possible applications for connection evaluation. One of them is the conflict resolution for which a method for connection conflict evaluation is provided which can be used in decision support systems. Data and Methodology. To derive and possible contexts for connection evaluation, first, the context of connections in the dispatching process in the railway system is examined. Possible contexts are analysed and described. For each context, the value of a connection is calculated based on multiple influences which can affect each other. In contrast to other literature, the focus is not only on the traveller or train delay but also on other influences. Influence factors relevant to transportation companies are determined. Then a technique is presented to respect all relevant influences and combine them. Thus, the evaluation consists of a function with several evaluation components. For every influence we follow a strict scheme to define the background, the deduction of a function or influence, the placement in the overall evaluation, combinations with other influences and an estimation of feasibility for that influence. Expected results. This paper shows, how to apply evaluations of connection conflicts in different contexts and for one of them an evaluation function is be defined. The result is a function to measure the (monetary) value of a connection conflict. The function contains all determined influences and combines them. The function can be used for different conflict resolution methods, e.g. for optimization or as an integration in decision support systems. Alternatively, it can be displayed to the dispatcher directly who then can take the so-derived value of a connection into consideration for his dispatching decision.