TeNeT Group1IRSTE Seminar Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Indian Railways Ashok Jhunjhunwala, TeNeT group, IIT Madras June 2003

TeNeT Group2IRSTE Seminar What can ICT do?  ICT is known to have made  immense impact in booking of railway tickets  can make an impact in  service management  tracking movement of goods  control of wagons  passenger amenities  can improve decision making and management  Not as well understood that ICT can  significantly enhance throughput on existing Railway Network enhancing Carrying Capacity  provide voice and data services for passengers

TeNeT Group3IRSTE Seminar Carrying Capacity and Throughput  Total Carrying Capacity (people and goods) of Railways is inadequate considering large Indian population  capacity increase has not kept pace with economic growth  rail transport more energy efficient as compared to road transport  Train throughput can be enhanced  by adding tracks  expensive (Rs 2 Crores per Km), time consuming  by enhanced signaling (using ICT)  throughput enhancement by a factor of 5 possible on existing tracks  while retaining / enhancing safety

TeNeT Group4IRSTE Seminar dual track block section junction run- through section Indian Railways: some facts  inter-station distance = kms  major stations are junctions or are located about kms apart  run through section  100 to 150 kms or 15 to 20 stations  super fast / express trains stop only at major stations; goods train stop at very few stations; local passenger trains stop at all stations

TeNeT Group5IRSTE Seminar Throughput bottlenecks  Throughput is limited in run-through sections due to  only one train can occupy one block section at a time  slow down while approaching stations  signal operation time  efficiency in planning train movements and conveying commands  Train throughput is also severely affected by  slow down due to failure of track in one direction  bottlenecks at junctions and yards

TeNeT Group6IRSTE Seminar st IBS 2 nd IBS 3 rd IBS 4 th IBS 5 th IBS 6 th IBS 7 th IBS 8 th IBS % increase in throughput  throughput enhanced by a factor of 1.5 Overcoming Block Section Bottleneck  Split block section and put signaling between station  two trains between two stations  intermediate block signaling (IBS)

TeNeT Group7IRSTE Seminar Bottleneck at approach of a station  driver acts (stops or slows down) based on signal observed  not knowing whether one needs to  stop at main line  run through  stop before entering the station  stop on loop line  slows down as soon as he / she approaches a station  approach speed depends upon –quantum and quality of information presented –location and time at which information presented  can signaling information be downloaded in drivers cabin?  may increase throughput by a factor of 2

TeNeT Group8IRSTE Seminar Operations Bottleneck  Station master needs proving of last vehicles before operating signals  increase in operating time significantly reduces the throughput  especially as run time in a block decreases  use of axle counter for proving last vehicle can improve line capacity by factor of 1.4

TeNeT Group9IRSTE Seminar Improving planning of train movements  Command and control of a train is centralised  Section Controller controls movement of all trains in section (150 Kms)  operations of all signals is decentralised at stations  uses voice communication on an omni-bus telephone line between Controller and Station Master used to convey control –12 telephone calls for moving a train from one station to another –results into reduced efficiency  Visual or intra-net link between Controller and Station Master can improve efficiencies  and enhance throughput by at least a factor of 1.5

TeNeT Group10IRSTE Seminar Bi-directional Signaling  For dual track  each track has signaling designed for train movement in one direction  Quite often trains in one direction exceed those in other  possible to move two trains in same direction if tracks had bi-directional signaling  fast trains could overtake slow trains on other tracks –in motion precedence  On failure of one track  trains move in both directions on the other track with hand and paper signaling –very slow  Introduction of bi-directional Signaling  is estimated to enhance throughput by a factor of 1.3

TeNeT Group11IRSTE Seminar Bottlenecks at Yards and Junctions  large amount of train movements between yard and platforms  slow down approaching trains  severe congestion  better design of signals and junctions and better coordinated (centralised) train control in a station  can go a long way to over come the bottleneck

TeNeT Group12IRSTE Seminar Technologies to Enhance Throughput Known  Intermediate Block Signaling  technology known  Axle Counter  technology known  bi-directional Signaling  linked to signaling download  Centralised operation of Signaling at a station  requires re-layout of signaling on a station New  Downloading Signaling information to driver’s cabin  wireless  reliability and error-free  Signaling Command and Control  fibre network connecting stations in a section  GPS and wireless upload  display and intelligent decision making

TeNeT Group13IRSTE Seminar Indian Railways spans all over the country  Railways have stations (Infrastructure) every 7 to 10 kms throughout the length and breadth of the country

TeNeT Group14IRSTE Seminar Fibre Backbone  Deployment of Fibre backbone on railway tracks  can provide the largest alternative backbone for the country  enormous bandwidth between metros  drops at almost all stations  wherever there is no drop, DSL on quad cable, buried between stations can be used for data communications Already being done by RAILTEL

TeNeT Group15IRSTE Seminar Fibre Network can enhance Signaling  Fibre backbone can be used to provide a Signaling Command and Control Network for each Section  displays at Section Controllers’ desk and Station Master’s desk linked so as to significantly reduce voice communication  will be significantly enhanced if train position information  tracked by a GPS in each engine  uploaded on wireless to Section Controller and Station Master

TeNeT Group16IRSTE Seminar Wireless Connection to moving trains  GSM is the most cost-effective solution  GSM Base station at towers at every fourth station would provide universal coverage  repeaters at hot spots  Data communication possible on GSM/GPRS  no need for GSM-R  can adopt GSM with an application layer software –many companies in India can provide the solution as a overlay on GSM  Railways can use some reserved frequencies for signaling and share infrastructure and frequency with cellular operators for passenger services

TeNeT Group17IRSTE Seminar Railway Line fibre/quad cable Station 7-10 kms GSM and corDECT corDECT corDECT kiosk in villages corDECT Train communication on GSM , GPS and kiosk on train GSM and corDECT Station station kiosk Integrated Communication System for Railways

TeNeT Group18IRSTE Seminar Passenger Services  Voice communications  GSM is the best solution  Railways can work out a deal with Cell operators, or RAILTEL can float a Cellular Operator company  Data Communication  GPRS or corDECT can provide data communication to moving train  provide a Internet kiosk on a train  provide wireless connection in the train for passengers using laptops  wireless connection also at stations for passengers to download and upload when train stops (at low cost)  fibre provides backbone

TeNeT Group19IRSTE Seminar But Railways can do more  7000 stations covering length and breadth of country  a station every 7-10 kms  Rapid deployment of Internet kiosk at each station  communication on station  providing Internet Service to passengers on platforms and parked trains  But the network can also be used to provide communication to villages around station  corDECT can be used to provide Internet and telephony to villages in 10/25 Kms around stations

TeNeT Group20IRSTE Seminar Railway Line fibre/quad cable Station 7-10 kms GSM and corDECT corDECT corDECT kiosk in villages corDECT Train communication on GSM , GPS and kiosk on train GSM and corDECT Station station kiosk Integrated Communication System for Railways

TeNeT Group21IRSTE Seminar Conclusion  ICT can significantly enhance throughput and train capacity  Use of Intermediate Block Signaling, Better information to drivers, Axle counter introduction, Bi-directional signaling, Centralised control at Junction / yards, Intranet link between Controllers and station master  can enhance capacity by almost a factor of 5  Voice and Internet Services to passengers can earn revenue for Railways/ Railtel  Railways can contribute to providing Internet Services to Rural India