Crew scheduling with CPLEX

I'm trying to solve a large train crew scheduling problem using a set
partition problem formulation with column generation or branch-and-
price. Basically, I have a timetable with the train schedule and how
many of each crew are needed for each train trip. I also have the
costs for paying crew and regulations on how many hours crew can
work. Then, I have to find the optimal crew schedule that minimizes
the cost. In the set partition formulation, the rows/constraints make
sure each crew position is covered once, and the columns are the
pairings of work. Because there are too many possible pairings, I
need some kind of column generation scheme. The literature seems to
point to branch-and-price as a good option.

My question is: How can I implement branch-and-price for crew
scheduling in CPLEX, and is this possible? I'm pretty new to R (I
have only used LIND/LING before) and am not experienced with CPLEX,
so I am wondering if there are any resources for learning how to
implement it it's possible. And, as a beginner, is it too hard to
learn how to do that? Are there any free codes that have been
developed that I can just modify to fit my problem?

Thanks so much in advance.

Sebastian Nowozin wrote:

>
I am not sure if it does support branch-and-price. I am not an expert
in these methods, but can't branch-and-price be carried out as branch-
and-cut in the dual?
>

I don't think so. Adding columns to an LP is equivalent to adding cuts
in the dual, but as I understand it (and my understanding is a bit
shaky) branch-and-price requires adding columns on the fly to an IP, not
an LP.

/Paul