When tracks are closed for prolonged periods of time, the operation of multiple trains is cancelled and the vehicle rotation schedule is changed accordingly. In determining the sections where train operation is to be suspended or trains are to be cancelled, railway companies are required to implement a management policy and consider the situation at different stations to avoid confusion in operational procedures. The RTRI created a train rescheduling system using the essence of the train rescheduling plan as the train rescheduling patterns (referred to below simply as the patterns) that will most quickly normalize disturbed train services (Fig. 1). As a component technology for the system, the RTRI developed a description language to teach computers the train rescheduling patterns that can be understood by staff in charge, as well as a program to interpret and implement the patterns described by the language.
   Train rescheduling plans are created by staff as the situation demands. However, a practical rescheduling plan cannot be established using the patterns alone. The RTRI therefore composed the development as a two-stage system, positively utilizing the patterns to create the framework of the train rescheduling plan, and then, using an algorithm to perform optimized scheduling, complement the parts of the disruped train operation plan that do not match the pattern. This enables the creation of practical train rescheduling plans. A test using actual train schedule data demonstrated that it was possible to establish an appropriate train rescheduling plan.