Keywords: virtually coupled train sets, railway network capacity, energy efficiency, simulation tool, coupling maneuvers, stochastic variables, sliding mode control, adaptive time headway, adaptive time headway, control optimization.

This paper focuses on virtually coupled train sets, a novel approach to enhancing railway network capacity and efficiency by allowing trains to drive coordinately closer than the absolute brake distance from each other. A simulation tool is developed to analyze the driving behavior of coupled trains, including the coupling and decoupling maneuvers, enabling a detailed study of coupling dynamics. Our investigation extends to the energy consumption relationship between leading and following trains under the influence of stochastic variables such as wind and rolling resistance, alongside an evaluation of the gap control parameters' sensitivity. The findings indicate that while wind gusts moderately increase energy consumption, rolling resistance variability has a negligible effect. Employing sliding mode control with adaptive time headway seems a suitable control choice, highlighting a trade-off between control precision and energy efficiency.

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