diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fdf34498..913fb0e8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 jsprit
 ======
+[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/jsprit/jsprit.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/jsprit/jsprit)
+
 jsprit is a java based, open source toolkit for solving rich <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem" target="_blank">traveling salesman</a> (TSP) and <a href="http://neo.lcc.uma.es/vrp/vehicle-routing-problem/" target="_blank">vehicle routing problems</a> (VRP). 
 It is lightweight, flexible and easy-to-use, and based on a single all-purpose <a href="https://github.com/jsprit/jsprit/wiki/Meta-Heuristic" target="_blank">meta-heuristic</a> currently solving 
 - Capacitated VRP
diff --git a/jsprit-core/src/main/java/jsprit/core/algorithm/io/VehicleRoutingAlgorithms.java b/jsprit-core/src/main/java/jsprit/core/algorithm/io/VehicleRoutingAlgorithms.java
index d234b2ea..1854df27 100644
--- a/jsprit-core/src/main/java/jsprit/core/algorithm/io/VehicleRoutingAlgorithms.java
+++ b/jsprit-core/src/main/java/jsprit/core/algorithm/io/VehicleRoutingAlgorithms.java
@@ -368,6 +368,9 @@ public class VehicleRoutingAlgorithms {
 	public static VehicleRoutingAlgorithm createAlgorithm(final VehicleRoutingProblem vrp, final AlgorithmConfig algorithmConfig){
 		return createAlgo(vrp,algorithmConfig.getXMLConfiguration(),0, null);
 	}
+	public static VehicleRoutingAlgorithm createAlgorithm(final VehicleRoutingProblem vrp, int nThreads, final AlgorithmConfig algorithmConfig){
+		return createAlgo(vrp,algorithmConfig.getXMLConfiguration(),nThreads, null);
+	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Read and creates a {@link VehicleRoutingAlgorithm} from an url.
@@ -382,6 +385,12 @@ public class VehicleRoutingAlgorithms {
 		xmlReader.read(configURL);
 		return createAlgo(vrp,algorithmConfig.getXMLConfiguration(),0, null);
 	}
+	public static VehicleRoutingAlgorithm readAndCreateAlgorithm(final VehicleRoutingProblem vrp, int nThreads, final URL configURL){
+		AlgorithmConfig algorithmConfig = new AlgorithmConfig();
+		AlgorithmConfigXmlReader xmlReader = new AlgorithmConfigXmlReader(algorithmConfig);
+		xmlReader.read(configURL);
+		return createAlgo(vrp,algorithmConfig.getXMLConfiguration(),nThreads, null);
+	}
 	
 	/**
 	 * Read and creates {@link jsprit.core.problem.VehicleRoutingProblem} from config-file.