The issue of optimizing the operation modes of compressor stations operating under conditions of uneven daily gas consumption is considered. An assessment of the effectiveness of the use of control factors is given, depending on the nature of the non-stationary process in the linear part of the gas pipeline, caused by the uneven daily gas consumption. On the basis of analytical studies, recommendations were made on the influence of various parameters on the efficiency of operation of the compressor station. It is shown that as a control optimality criterion it is advisable to choose the minimum duration of the non-stationary process caused by gas flow disturbances. Dependencies are obtained that express a universal control law that can be applied in each specific case to determine the system’s response to a change in the control factor for the purpose of effective control. The control law, in conjunction with the control goal, determines the control strategy, which must be permissible, that is, its implementation must not lead the system to an impermissible mode of operation. Modeling of non-stationary objects of gas transport systems should be carried out using an adaptive system with an identifier, which implements the principle of dual control, i.e. it allows to specify the parameters of the technological object and control its operation at the same time. As the analysis showed, the given technological constraints on pressure are presented in terms of changes in productivity and can be combined with constraints on the productivity of the compressor station. The obtained limits of technological admissibility for the average daily gas consumption are not constants, but some functions of time, the behavior of which is determined by the nature of gas consumption. The use of the specifics of the interrelationship of restrictions caused by the technology of gas transport, in order to build simpler algorithms for its solution, made it possible to create a methodology for forecasting the system’s operating modes in conditions of non-stationary gas consumption