INTRODUCTION
Most of my posts on this professional website are focused on Mapping and Location Analytics. After all, the scope of Mapping is extensive, there are numerous real-world Applications and Remote Sensing is one mega-interesting field by itself. Therefore, I felt the need to write more on the 'Ops' side of Mapmyops i.e. on Operations. I believe and espouse that to unlock significant value on a day-to-day basis, organizations need to become operationally savvier. This holds particularly true for Indian-origin businesses who strive to become globally competitive.
My last post for the year 2021 will focus on 21 operational aspects that our beloved Indian Railways incorporates. Not only is Indian Railways a giant in terms of scale of operations (4th largest Rail Network in the world and the largest employer and property owner in the country) but it is also emblematic, in multiple ways, of our nation's difficult past and promising future.
While Public Transit has always been dear to me and I've written on this topic previously, none of the modes strike my imagination as much as Railways does. Particularly in a country like ours where, within a couple of hours of travelling in a comfortable 'chhuk-chhuk gaadi' (sound of the bygone train), one is sure to encounter multiple cultures, languages, weather, sights and savouries.
Having recently finished watching the fascinating YouTube playlist on Indian Railways by Khan GS Research Centre, I feel that while it is routinely maligned for delays and poor service levels, Indian Railways is also a massive & complex exercise in Operations Management where multiple parts need to come together and synchronize perfectly in order to deliver a successful outcome. To raise awareness about this, and about the significant projects that have been undertaken recently to usher in a new era of efficient Rail Operations is the motive behind writing this post.
While I have tried to lend a loose structure to the narrative (below), I would suggest that you read the 21 sections on Indian Railways sequentially.
SECTION HYPERLINKS
1. Understanding the Naming System of Locomotives
What do the alphanumeric characters on the locomotive in Figure 1 mean?
The 'WDG 4' stands for Wide (Broad) Gauge, Diesel operated Goods Train. The 4 stands for '4th generation' locomotive in its class. It can also be interpreted as having a 4000 HP Power Output of the engine. Also, if it was written as 4D, then it would be a 4400 HP engine - 4000 (4*1000) + 400 as D is 4th letter of alphabet (4* 100). 4F would mean 4600 HP, and so on.
That being said, the power output classification methodology is not applicable for all types of locomotives - for example, the newest class of locomotive being manufactured by Indian Railways (as of 2021) is the WAG-12B - its power output is 12000 HP only and not 12200 HP - the 'B' in this case is an upgrade to the imported WAG-12A.
WAG-12B is being built in collaboration with French multinational - Alstom - at Electric Locomotive Factory (ELF) in Madhepura, Bihar.
The second set comprising 5 digits in Figure 1 - '12706' is the serial number of the locomotive. Earlier, there used to be a standard method to arrive this number, now it confounds interpretation. That being said, the serial number is a marker to the depot where the locomotive was built - it has to go back there when it needs maintenance.
There are 8 types of locomotives operational on Broad Gauge in Indian Railways -
While you would be familiar with the 'Passenger' & 'Freight' type of locomotives, Shunting type refers to those locomotives that are used to move around Passenger and Freight rakes for purposes involving attachment, detachment, sequencing & separation. Typically, the shunting activity is done within the railway station or at a railway yard.
2. Understanding the Naming System of Rakes
A Rake / Railcar of a Passenger train is called a 'Coach' and it is typically numbered with 5 digits as depicted in Figure 3.
The first two numbers - the 'prefix' - represent the year in which the coach was built - 04 stands for 2004. In some cases, it can also be interpreted as the year in which the coach was rebuilt or the year when it was transferred to that Zonal Railway (WCR indicates that the rake belongs to West Central Railway zone).
The next three numbers - the 'suffix' - refer to the type of the Coach. 052 in Figure 3 falls in the 1-200 range of classification - this category is for Air-Conditioned (AC) Coaches - the highest class of Passenger Coach in Indian Railways.
296 in Figure 4 falls in the 201-400 classification range - it belongs to the next class of coaches - the Sleeper Coach.
437 in Figure 5 denotes the next class of Passenger Coaches - those that fall in the 401 - 600 classification range - the General Class Coach. You'd also infer from the image that this Coach was built in 2008.
The other classifications are as follows- 601-700 is for Chair Car Coach, 701-800 is for Seating cum Luggage Coach and 800+ can be a Pantry Car or a Mail Service or a Generator Van type of Coach. Interesting, isn't it?
Next, I'll move on to the Naming System of Wagons - these are the rakes of Freight locomotives.
This (Figure 6) is a BCN Wagon which stands for Box Cover with Pneumatic Brakes. Since these rakes are covered on top, they are useful to carry materials which need protection from rainfall, sunlight, air exposure etc. - such as Food Grains and Cement.
This (Figure 7) is a BOXN Wagon which stands for Box Open with Pneumatic Brakes. These are used to typically transfer commodities of low value which are unlikely to be affected by exposure to rainfall, sunlight or air - such as Sand, Stone and Coal.
This (Figure 8) is a BTPN Wagon which stands for Box Tanker for Petrol with Pneumatic Brakes. These are used to transport Fuels, Chemicals and Perishable liquids.
Other common types of Wagons are-
BOB: Bogie Open Bottom Wagons - used to deposit ballast on side of tracks
BLC: Bogie Low Platform Container Wagons - used to transport shipping containers
BRN: Bogie Open Flat Wagons - used to transport military equipment,
Ro-Ro: Roll on - Roll off Wagons - used to transport vehicles, and
NMG - New Modified Wagons - old Passenger Coaches repurposed into covered Wagons (BCN type).
3. Understanding some of the Light-based Indicators & Equipment for Train Safety
Alarm Chain Pulling (ACP) Light on the exterior of the coach is meant to alert the Government Railway Police (GRP) - they can quickly identify the Coach where the chain was pulled from and take responsive action.
2. Sandbox - Attached at the bottom of the locomotive, the Sandbox stores Sand. The loco-pilot sprays it on wet tracks when necessary to generate friction which helps to prevent Wheel slips & Wheel slides. Slips and Slides are influenced by Adhesive Weight (the weight on the wheels) which in turn is influenced by the haulage load and the weight and power output of the engine.
3. 27-Pin Control Cable: Complex mechanical equipment such as drones, airplanes and locomotives cannot be operated at will. Prior & post running a Diesel Locomotive, the loco-pilot is duty-bound to perform inspection as per a checklist to ascertain that all the 27 Control functions are operating properly. This task takes up to 20 minutes. This inspection procedure is one of the reasons why pilots do not turn off Diesel locomotives when stationary at Railways Stations or at Railways Signals.
The 27-Pin High Voltage Control Cable can be connected to the trailing locomotive (as depicted in Figure 11). This allows the pilot of the lead locomotive to take control of the trailing locomotive, thereby eliminating the need of a secondary pilot. This type of Multiple Loco arrangements are typically used on routes with high gradient (Slope) and / or when additional power is needed to haul the heavy load.
4. Undercarriage Examiner with HD Cameras: You may have witnessed Railway staff flash their torchlights underneath the Coaches after a train halts at the station. This is done to inspect any damage in Suspension and Brakes subsequent to which the loco-pilot is informed. Indian Railways is transitioning to automated HD Cameras for a more accurate undercarriage inspection & for sharing a real-time feed to the concerned authorities in the endeavor to make train journeys safer.
5. Flasher Light (yellow one in Figure 13) This light blinks at the rate of 35 to 45 times a minute and can be seen by loco-pilots on the adjacent track from as far as 2 kms away. This light is switched on when the loco-pilot wants to caution the pilot of the approaching train about an emergency situation or during adverse weather conditions such as dense Fog.
Marker Lights (white ones in Figure 13) are used so that approaching loco pilot gets to know the direction in which the train is moving - white means forward and red means reverse. These Marker lights are present on the rear-end of the train as well.
4. Understanding Pole Numbering
Despite all the technology available at our disposal, I feel the reliance on human intelligence will never cease. Consider the number plate on the Electric Pole in Figure 14 (even present on iron poles on non-electrified routes) which you have likely observed several times without realizing its purpose.
The number 388 signifies the number of kilometers that have elapsed from the nearest major city on that route (or the distance from the nearest main line if the train is on a branch line).
The number 6 signifies the Pole number in that particular kilometer. Typically, poles are spaced at intervals of 50 metres i.e. 20 poles in a kilometer. So the 6 signifies that the pole is 300 meters into the kilometer-stretch. The neon-yellow color helps in seeing the signage even at night or during foggy conditions. This numbering is useful for a couple of purposes-
a) It enables the loco-pilot or travelers to convey the whereabouts of an accident / fallen items / irregularities and damage in the tracks to the concerned authorities (Station Master, Control Center, GRP).
b) Before or during the journey, loco-pilots / assistants are supplied with Caution List containing Pole numbers informing them in advance about those sections on the route where Maintenance work is currently going on (low speed locations).
So, in the unfortunate eventuality that something precious of yours falls out of the train, do not forget to note down the Pole number immediately so that authorized personnel can be dispatched to retrieve the fallen item!
5. Do you Know that Freight Trains are not longer than Passenger Trains?!
After years of travelling on the window seat of a train and marveling at the sight of the seemingly unending freight trains ambling past, I was astounded to know that the length - of both the freight trains and the passenger trains - is capped at 650 metres. The rationale is simple - the length of the train cannot exceed the length of platform which is also capped at 650 metres (the loop line which runs adjacent to the platform is capped at 750 metres). While some railway platforms are exceptions to this British-era capping (such as those in Kharagpur and Gorakhpur - among the longest in the world - erected so due to space constraints for horizontal expansion, it is imperative that unless all stations on the route increase their platform lengths, running longer trains on that route is not feasible.
This is exactly the reason why the only feasible option available for Indian Railways during holiday season is to increase the number and / or frequency of passenger trains - the option to increase the number of Coaches is usually not available as the trains are already 650 metres long. A positive development is, in order ease out the congestion on specific routes, the Indian Railways has decided to increase the length of the loop line on all the stations to accommodate longer trains.
So what causes this visual fallacy (freight trains being perceived to be much longer)? One of the reasons is mathematical - the size of the Wagon in a freight train (10 metres for BOXN wagons and 15 metres for BCN wagons) is much smaller than the size of a LHB Coach in a passenger train (24 metres). Hence, while long distance Passenger trains typically have 23-25 Coaches, freight trains have anywhere between 42 to 64 Wagons which is what misleads us into believing that passenger trains are much shorter in terms of total length. The other reason is psychological - freight trains typically don't run at fast speeds (average speed is ~24 km / hour). Therefore, coupled with the fact that the freight train has more Wagons, it takes longer for it to pass by us than it takes for a similar-length passenger train (average speed is ~50 km / hour) reinforcing the illusion about freight trains being much longer. Incredible, isn't it?
6. Did you know that Operational priorities are assigned to trains based on their Category?
You may have thought of this at some point - 'Why do some trains always get late?' or 'Why do several trains pass by before mine is given the green signal?'
Till the time Railway Network becomes less congested, delays will remain a major operational bottleneck. There are several reasons behind delays - such as asset failures, line & terminal capacity bottlenecks, adverse weather conditions, miscreant activity and accidents involving cattle or humans.
The Train Network is managed by Railway Control Centres - their operations are confidential (you can catch a glimpse here) - public knowledge on Train planning and scheduling methods is limited. Situation-based quick response is one of its key functions too. As with other State-owned enterprises, the Indian Railways is also affected by internal power politics. Each train is assigned to a Zonal headquarter (printed on Coaches) and Divisional headquarter - so if your Train belongs to the South Eastern Railway (SER Zonal Headquarter) and you are passing by Tatanagar (falls in the South Eastern Zone i.e. territory governed by SER), your train will be favored over other trains which belong to other Zonal headquarters that are plying on the same route at the same time. So in the event of a conflict, your train will be given the schedule preference.
This bias usually happens when there is a conflict between two trains that fall in the same category - eg. between two Superfast trains. When it comes to conflict between two trains from different categories, certain protocols come into effect which mandates preferential status to a particular category over the other. The priority system is as follows - from highest preference to lowest.
1) Onward ARME & ART - Trains carrying Relief / Medical material towards Accident sites
2) President & VVIP Specials - Trains transporting senior Government dignitaries and State Guests
3) Local / Suburban Trains during rush hours - to benefit urban-dwellers & office-goers
4) Superfast Trains - a premium category of passenger trains. Even within this category, preferential system exists for each sub-class (Rajdhani → Shatabdi → Duronto → Tejas → Garib Rath → Double Decker → Jan-Shatabdi Express) 5) Mail / Express Trains - This category of medium-long distance passenger trains come next in the priority system 6) Military Personnel Special Trains - Trains carrying onward / returning military personnel
7) Fast Passenger Trains - Short to medium distance intra-state or inter-state passenger trains
8) Festival Special Trains - These passenger trains run during holiday season
9) Passenger Trains - Local / suburban trains and other intra-state, inter-city trains
10) Mixed Trains - Trains with both passenger coaches and freight wagons
11) Military Stores Special - Trains carrying rations for military personnel
12) Express or Special Goods Trains - A premium category of freight train
13) Freight Trains - All other types of freight trains
14) Returning ARME & ART - see point 1)
15) Shunting and Van Goods Trains - These trains help in attaching and dislodging of passenger / freight rakes at railways stations and railway yards
16) Departmental Trains - Trains carrying Railway maintenance workers, their equipment, workshops
So the next time you book your journey and see a variety of train options available, think about this preferential list. Would you like to shuffle it in any way?
7. Do you Know? Why do Passenger trains typically halt for 20 minutes at large stations?
If your response is - 'because it is a major urban centre' or 'because there are more passengers boarding and deboarding' or 'because of catering requirements', you are not incorrect. However, the precise reason is because of an operational constraint: the Watering system.
As soon as a train halts at such stations, the railway staff quickly insert a small water pipe jutting out of the 4-inch large metal pipe running parallel to the loop line into the area labelled as 'Side-filling' of the coach. Each small pipe refills a single coach and it requires up to 20 minutes to fill up a near empty tank with 1300 - 1800 liters of water, depending on the coach-type.
There may be potential delays too due to reasons such as railway staff not being available, another train being filled at the same time, etc. Naturally, this results in unavailability of water in a coach and causes significant passenger discomfort. To make matters worse, the stoppage time at major stations is being reduced to 10 minutes in an effort to reduce the total journey time. Therefore, there is a certain mismatch between water demand and water supply in train coaches.
The solution for this is a 'Quick Watering System' launched in 2019 which reduces the time taken to refill the coach from 20 minutes to 5 minutes. The way this is accomplished is -
a) by increasing the diameter of the metal pipe to 6 inches, and
b) by increasing the pressure of water supply using higher powered 40 HP motors.
The flow and controls of this watering system are managed using SCADA in order to control the mechanical part movements automate the water flow. Additionally, it will now be mandatory for long distance trains to refill the water tanks every 300-400 kms. A welcome relief for passengers provided the implementation is successful!
8. Electricity & Trains - A friend indeed!
Sharing some interesting insights pertaining to the use of electricity in Indian Railways:
a) All locomotives run on electricity in reality. Electric locomotives use the electric current from Over Head Equipment (OHE) to power the engine's traction motor whereas Diesel locomotives have generators which convert the fuel into electricity which is then supplied to the engine's traction motor.
b) Around 46,000 kms or 71% of India's Broad Gauge Network is electrified as on 31st March 2021. The reliance on Diesel locomotives may never be completely eliminated though. Such locomotives are useful in International Border areas where sabotage of Electrical lines will be detrimental to both man and equipment movement. Also, Shunting locomotives, which are used to move passenger and freight rakes, keep on changing tracks and so, in order to avoid electrical complications in OHE, Diesel locomotives are preferred for this purpose.
c) The previous type of Indian Railway coaches - ICF - had a Dynamo attached to each rake. As a result, each rake was able to generate its own electricity. The Indian Railway coach prevalent today - LHB - sources its electricity from the Generator Van located at either / both ends of the train (these are the coaches which emit loud noise ceaselessly 😡). This transition took place primarily because the dynamo increased the weight of each rake making it costly to manufacture and more expensive to haul. The latest initiative by Indian Railways is to remove the reliance on Generator Vans altogether. Instead, each rake will be linked to the OHE using Head On Generation (HOG) technology which will source the energy directly from it in order to operate the electrical equipment within - such as fans, lights, air-conditioning and charging points. It is estimated that Rs. 30 worth of savings / electricity unit consumed will be realized by Indian Railways dues to this initiative (Rs. 36 / unit for Generator Van vs Rs. 6 / unit for HOG) - a whopping Rs. 1400 crores annually! Instead of two noisy Generator Vans, only one will be attached to each train - to be deployed in emergency situations.
d) Theft of electrical equipment such as fans, bulbs, lights, sockets etc. used to be a big problem affecting the Indian Railways. They have attempted to address it in a nifty manner - the electrical equipment will now operate only on 110 Volts DC. The electricity supplied to homes is typically in 220 Volts AC form rendering these equipment worthless to those looking to steal it.
e) Due to Temperature fluctuations, OHE equipment - catenary and messenger wires - can expand and contract in size which may cause it to snap.
Hence, the 3-pulley Auto Tensioning Device (ATD) is installed alongside the tracks to maintain a continuous 2000 kg tension on the two wires (1000 kg each). Depending on the temperature fluctuations, the ATD re-balances the force exerted, keeping the wires straight and springy. The weight of the auto tension is kept at 667 kgs (2000 kg force / 3 pulleys).
The Pantograph - equipment which transfers electricity to the train from the OHE - has its fair share of innovations and utility too. Learn more about it from this video.
9. Did you know that Brake Pads are, by default, pushing up against the wheels of the train? In a bicycle, when pressure is applied by the rider on the brake lever, the brake pads push against the wheels generating friction and making the cycle slow down and stop eventually. In trains however, the brake pads are pushing up against the wheels, by default. When the locomotive pilot wants to set the train in motion, he has to divert the air pressure, which the rake's air tank is applying on the brake pads, to a separate line called the brake line which allows the Brake Pads to separate from the wheels allowing the train to move. A 'fail-safe mechanism', this design feature (refer Video 1 below) automatically stops a moving train should there be any major leakages or malfunctioning in the air-pressure delivery mechanism. Smart, isn't it? The last thing you want is a train's brakes to fail and for it to hurtle towards a catastrophe. This mechanism is not without limitations, though.
Video 1: Braking mechanism in Rail Locomotives
10. Understanding the Amenities Allocation System at Railway Stations
Just as the quality of a restaurant is not determined by food alone but by additional factors such as ambience, cleanliness, service, seating and waiting comfort etc., the quality of rail travel is not just determined by train features alone. Amenities at railway stations, such as - availability of clean water and toilets, waiting and seating area, electrical fixtures and fittings, shade, security, facilities for senior citizens and those with handicaps play a vital role in customer comfort and satisfaction.
Over the last year (2021), you may have witnessed the high-profile inaugurations of the redeveloped Bhopal’s Rani Kamlapati (Habibganj) railway station and Gandhinagar railway station and been wondering when your archaic local railway station would be redeveloped into a swanky, airport-like facility with premium amenities such as hotels, lounges, large seating area, modern signages etc.
Well, if your local station is Amritsar, Bengaluru (Baiyapanhalli), Chandigarh, Delhi (Anand Vihar & Bijwasan), Gwalior, Jaipur (Gandhi Nagar), Kanpur, Mumbai (Thakurli), Nagpur, Sabarmati, Shivaji Nagar or Surat, then you have reason to rejoice because these stations are next-in-line for redevelopment under the Indian Railways' Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
That being said, did you know that Indian Railways maintains a provisional checklist of Minimum Essential amenities (MEA), Recommended amenities and Desirable amenities as per the category of the station? Refer to the detailed document here.
The category assigned to a Railway Station is determined by a) the number of passengers handled, b) earnings from passengers, c) special significance (holy site, tourist spot) and d) the availability of funds with zonal / divisional headquarters.
Based on the computed category which the station qualifies for, it is entitled to receive certain Minimum Essential amenities. For example, close to 2/3rds (~ 6000) of the total Railway Stations in India fall under Non-Suburban category and the Minimum Essential amenities for this category are depicted below-
The Recommended amenities include facilities like - extra drinking water taps, larger waiting halls, mobile charging points, nursing cubicles etc. whereas the Desired amenities include facilities like -retiring rooms, ATMs, bookstalls, taxi service, wireless internet etc.
The decision to install these upgraded amenities at a Railway Station lies at the discretion of the Zonal Railway which the station falls under. It is not entirely a subjective decision though - mathematical calculations such as maximum passenger load per half hour and maximum number of trains dealt with per half hour are used during the decision-making process.
I am not particularly aware about the Grievance redressal mechanism (or the effectiveness of it) for the passengers if the Minimum Essential amenities are not available at a railway station, however, it is mandatory that the Minimum Essential Amenities list, Actual Available Amenities list, and Other Amenities Available list are put on public display in the Station Master / Station Manager’s office.
11. In-Train Innovations Example 1 - Twin BOBO Bogies
Freight locomotives plying on the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) will carry double stacked containers - the average load hauled will increase from the typical 3,900 tons prevalent as of today to in excess of 10,000 tons in the DFCs. Moreover, the freight trains plying on these routes would run faster - from the standard 24 kms/hour average speed prevalent as of today to above 80 kms/hour in the DFC.
How can this enormous transition be accomplished without compromising on safety? Let's explore-
This is a Wheel Set - 2 wheels connected by an Axle.
A bogie with an arrangement of two Axles, i.e. 4 Wheels, is called a 'Bo' bogie.
Therefore, 'Bo-Bo' arrangement means that a locomotive is fitted with two Bo bogies - one at the front of the locomotive and one towards the back. Thus, there are 8 wheels in Bo-Bo locomotives (as can be be inferred from Figure 29 below) -
'Co-Co' locomotives, on the other hand, use an arrangement of six Axles - three in one 'Co' bogie across two bogies i.e. 12 wheels in total in a locomotive as can be inferred from Figure 30 below-
Bo-Bo locomotives are typically deployed in Passenger Trains as it allows the train to move at faster speeds. Co-Co locomotives, on the other hand, are typically deployed in Freight Trains as it allows the train to haul heavy loads.
In the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project however, the emphasis is on both - increased haulage capacity as well as increased speed. Therefore, the powerful and longer WAG-12 locomotives which will ply on these routes have been built using the 'Twin Bo-Bo' design - 8 Bogies (4 in one Bo) and 16 wheels in total. This arrangement is a mechanical breakthrough that would allow the locomotive to haul heavier loads at faster speeds, thereby transforming the nature of rail freight movement in India (More on this in the DFC section. Know more about the WAG-12 locomotives from this video).
12. In-Train Innovations Example 2 - Bio-Toilets
What has Psychrophilic bacteria, found in the freezing environs of Antarctica, got to do with Indian Railways?
A lot. This type of bacteria can grow as well as biodegrade organic matter in extreme environments. This unique property captured the attention of scientists at DRDE laboratory Gwalior (the bio-chemical R&D wing of DRDO - Defence Research & Development Organisation) who visited Antarctica to study and source various sub-types of these bacteria and subsequently cultured them at home in India in lab-conditions. Thereafter, the cultured bacteria was inserted in the Bio-Digester - an ingenious human waste decomposition equipment - made to be initially deployed and tested at a few Indian Army bases in extreme weather zones such as Siachen and Ladakh.
To the glee of all involved, the bacteria in these bio-toilets were able to completely decompose the waste matter into just three constituents - water, methane and carbon dioxide (the latter two being gases which was released by the Bio-Digester into the surroundings)- a feat which not only brought laurels to the scientists but also raised hopes for solving an even bigger problem - that of hygienic sanitation in the Indian Railways. The Open Discharge and subsequently, Controlled Discharge mechanism of human waste disposal from train toilets deployed by Indian Railways was never a practical solution. Besides being unhygienic and disgusting, it caused a plethora of water-borne diseases, polluted the environment, corroded the railway tracks and increased scavenging & track-maintenance expenditure for the Railways. With increasing urbanization and resulting increase in passenger traffic, the rail officials were hard-pressed to come up with novel and sustainable techniques to combat this nuisance.
Video 2: How the Bio-Digester came to be
In 2010, it was pledged to make Indian Railways Open Discharge-free and this unique Made-in-India innovation (Bio-Digester) pipped other internationally-deployed innovations (such as chemical toilets and electrical incineration toilets) and was chosen to be deployed in Indian Railways due to favorable Technology as well as Cost parameters (just INR 100,000 or 1,200 USD per toilet).
As with any new innovation, iterations were needed and improvements were incorporated in the Bio-Toilet mechanism over a period of time to make it more effective as well as aligned with the sanitary habits of an average Indian traveller. For example, suction machines were installed at Railway Yards to suck out non-Biodegradable waste from the Biodigester such as plastic bottles and cigarette butts dumped by ignorant travelers in the toilet. Also, to prevent excessive water usage, the newest version of these Bio-toilets come equipped with Vacuum Flush mechanism, as are present in airline toilets.
As of March 2021, all the Passenger Coaches in Indian Railways have been equipped with the Bio-Toilet (approximately 2.5 lakh toilets were installed across 74,000 coaches). This innovation prevents nearly 2.75 lakh liters of excreta to be openly discharged every day which helps the Indian Railways save nearly INR 400 crore / USD 50 million annually on track maintenance expenditure alone!
13. Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) - Transforming Freight Logistics in India
The creation of the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) is inarguably the biggest project undertaken by Indian Railways in its history, till date. Once the first phase of the project - construction of Eastern DFC (EDFC from Punjab to West Bengal) and Western DFC (WDFC from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra) - is completed in March 2022, it will usher in considerable operational improvements in how goods are transported in the the top half of the country. The decongestion on existing routes will benefit passenger train movement too.
Freight Operations forms the backbone of Indian Railways - it earns 65% of its revenue from operating Freight trains (Passenger trains account for 29% of the revenue share whereas Parcel and Catering/Miscellaneous revenue contributes roughly 3 percent each).
In terms of cost of operations too, Freight trains offer highly favorable returns - they require minimal expenditure on Wagon maintenance, Electricity, Ticket Checkers, Water Supply, Railway staff, Catering etc - all of these being large cost components in Passenger train operations. Therefore, the Indian Railways' highest and the sole significant source of profit arises from operating Freight Trains. These profits are in-turn used to subsidize Passenger Ticket fares - nearly half of it!
However, when it comes to scheduling priority, Freight trains are assigned the worst treatment of the lot - On-time passengers are more important than on-time goods, naturally. Thus, dejected freight customers across the country routinely prefer to move their material via the more timely Road Transportation, even if it is significantly more expensive than Rail Freight.
Compared to other developing and developed countries, India's contribution of Rail Transport to the overall Transportation pie is very low (just 30%) and this has several unfavorable repercussions such as a) Expensive Logistics Costs b) Increase in Road Traffic and c) Increase in Air Pollution.
Therefore, it was only prudent for Indian Railways to alter this asymmetry - using the DFC project. The central objective of the DFC is to transport material within 24 hours across the country.
Listing some of the highlights of the Dedicated Freight Corridor project below-
a) The project cost of the first phase of the project - Eastern and Western DFC combined is INR 1,30,000 crores (Rs. 1.3 trillion) for 3000 kms of rail network making it the largest project undertaking by Indian Railways in its history.
b) Only Freight trains will be allowed to ply within DFCs whose course typically lies adjacent to existing rail lines.
c) Through DFCs, The emphasis is to create efficient and world-class Multi-modal Logistics Infrastructure. Goods arriving at Sea-ports, for example JNPT in Navi Mumbai, will be able to be quickly loaded onto the freight train and transported via the Western DFC to the manufacturing hubs of Northern India. Industrial Corridors are being set up besides DFCs so that Road Transportation to the destination post-unloading the goods from the freight train is minimized.
d) 70% of existing Freight trains will be diverted to DFCs which will decongest the traffic on existing Rail Network, allowing the national railways much-needed bandwidth to add more Passenger trains.
e) The world's second largest Operations Control Centre (OCS) for Trains has been setup in Prayagraj (Allahabad) to plan, direct and monitor the Eastern DFC operations.
f) Double-Stacked Containers will ply on these corridors (refer Figure 35 below) - and they will be hauled by the most powerful locomotive of the Indian Railways thus far - the WAG-12 locomotive (12000 HP). Also, the average speed of freight trains will increase from a paltry 24 kms/hour on existing routes to a significantly improved 70 kms/hour on the Dedicated Freight Corridor. Additionally, the Freight trains plying on DFCs will be more than double in length (1500 metres) than the existing Freight trains (650 metres). All these aspects would enable more and faster goods movement at a much lower unit cost of transportation. Besides, the Freight Corridor will be fully-electrified enabling the Indian Railways to save up on significant fuel costs and associated pollution emissions.
g) In terms of passerby safety, Level crossings - the spots where Roads intersect Rail-tracks - have been completely eliminated from DFCs. Indian Railways has circumvented this by constructing overbridges and underpasses. This will drastically reduce the possibility of Human / Animal accidents as well as facilitate uninterrupted Goods movement.
In case you'd like to know more about the DFC project, you may watch the video below (in Hindi) -
Video 3: DFC Corridor Project explained in Hindi
14. The switch to modern LHB coaches from conventional ICF coaches in Passenger trains
While there have been several variants and upgrades in the types of Passenger coaches of India Railways over time, essentially these can be clubbed under two broad categories - the ICF rakes (Integrated Coach Factory) and the LHB rakes (Linke-Hoffman Busch). The former was built using technology transfer from Switzerland and is operational since 1955 while the latter was built using technology transfer from Germany and is operational since 2000. Indian Railways stopped manufacturing ICF coaches in 2018 as it intends to completely switch to LHB rakes (and even better ones) because it is safer and more comfortable for passengers.
The merits of LHB coaches over ICF ones can be gleaned from the table below-
15: Track and Infrastructure Maintenance Projects
Lest I concentrate only on the safety of the moving objects i.e. the Trains, static objects such as Rail-tracks, Over Head Equipment, Bridges etc. are also equally important and do necessitate frequent maintenance activities to ensure operational safety.
While Indian Railways incurred a heavy dip in revenues due to the stoppage of services during the nation-wide Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020, it presented a favorable opportunity to perform the long overdue maintenance tasks -be it Ultrasonic Flaw detection of rail-tracks, Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) based Inspection, Remodeling and Repair of yards and bridges or De-stressing of Long Welded Rail (LWR).
Moreover, with Indian Railways' ambitious plan to 'completely mechanize the inspection, monitoring, relaying & maintenance of rail tracks by 2024 on the entire network', large investments have been made to procure superior maintenance equipment - be it the Dynamic Tamping Express for track repair and renewal, Ballast Cleaning Machine to inspect and stabilize sleeper and ballast, Points and Crossing Machine for geometry correction of turnouts, or modern Camp Coaches for accommodation and training of workers involved in maintenance activities who are posted in remote locations.
16. Easing the main Bottleneck: the Railway Signalling System
For significant Operations Improvement to happen (in any industry), the overall Flow in the system has to improve rather than attempting to make individual parts / nodes more efficient.
To share an analogy using the Indian Railways context, consider the new WAG-12 locomotive - by itself it is certainly capable to haul freight wagons at speeds in excess of 180 kms/hour - thereby presenting an exciting opportunity to deploy them across the nation in order to boost the efficiency of Freight logistics. However, the impediment is not the manufacturing capacity or financial resources - it is the Locomotive pilot who may be hesitant to travel at such high speeds on existing Rail Infrastructure - he may worry about overlooking a halt signal, missing track line changes, or even ongoing track maintenance notifications. Being risk-averse in order to eliminate the possibility of a Rail accident certainly seems to be a more practical option than pressing on the accelerator for 'improved logistical efficiency'.
When I observe the Indian Railways as a System, the main bottleneck isn't the average train speed or the number of trains in my opinion. Rather, it is the Railways Infrastructure - precisely the Information Transmission methods - that impede Flow the most.
For much of Indian Railways' history, it has been reliant on manual or at best, semi-automatic Signalling, Track Interlocking and other Information Transmission mechanisms. As a result, there are several Buffers built into the system which disrupt Productivity and results in Delays and other inefficiencies.
'What is a Buffer?' - Consider that a contractor has been awarded a project to paint a building. The contractor knows that if everything proceeds smoothly, the task will be completed well within 5 days. However, contingencies are a real possibility - some painters may opt for a sick leave, the paint dealer is unable to deliver the paint cans on time, and so on - these would result in delays which would extend the duration of the project. And so, the contractor feels more comfortable to commit a 7-day project completion timeline to the customer even if seamless operations would ensure the project is completed in 5 days. Thus, not only will the customer incur additional 2 days of cost for the painting team deployed on-site but also the contractor will also not be able to divert his resources to other assignments until after the 7-day period is over. Hence, while the buffer of 2 days is a practical safeguard, it is also a net-loss from the operations / system perspective. Make no mistake, I am not implying that Buffers have to be done away with completely. Having Buffers is both, necessary and prudent when planning for a complex Project. However, excessive Buffers, particularly on important flow sequences of a complex project (called 'Critical Path' in Operations terminology), results in the creation of large quantities of Waste - time-wise as well as cost-wise.
The key to unlocking Value in the Indian Railways, in my opinion, is to first create more breathing space (decongestion of network) by deploying smarter / automated Information Signalling mechanisms which will reduce the reliance on excessive Buffers. Once this bottleneck is eased and the overall Flow improves, Indian Railways can opt to introduce more trains, faster locomotives, modern railway stations, and so on.
Consider pausing for a minute here. Now that you know the context, what steps would you suggest Indian Railways to undertake in order to improve the Information Transmission / Signalling system?
Quite possibly, you may recommend-
- relaying information on a real-time basis to the locomotive pilot
- limiting the reliance on manual information transmission i.e. integrate the decision-aiding features with the locomotive's control system as much as possible
- ensuring that the deployed technology enables the locomotive pilot to be more assured about the train's safety thereby allowing him to focus on 'efficiency' procedures - for example, running the train at higher speeds in order to be punctual.
You may be surprised to know that this is exactly what the Indian Railways has set out to do - it has planned an investment of INR 50,000 crores+ (USD 6 billion+) over the next five years to modernize (related videos enclosed below) the existing Railway Signalling and Telecom systems.
a) Electronic Interlocking System: This will reduce Time delays such as when the train has to halt for an eternity even when it is just a few kilometers away from its destination as the Arrival Platform has not been allotted to it.
Video 4: How does Interlocking System of Railway work?
b) Automatic Train Protection (Kavach) through Anti-Collision Device - This technology will reduce the possibility of a train crash, be it from the front, behind, or from the sides - Real-time train, signal and track information would be integrated directly with the Locomotive's control system. To explain using an example, even if the loco-pilot misses to spot a halt signal on the route and reduce the train's speed, the train's control system will automatically reduce the train's speed as well as alert the pilot. This is possible due to the transmission information on a real-time basis from the Railway Control Centre straight to the Locomotive's Control System.
Video 5: What is Automatic Train Protection (ATP)?
Video 6: How does Anti-Collision Device function?
c) Block Signalling: This is a smart upgrade to the existing method of conveying Main Line status to the Locomotive Pilot (refer Video 7 below).
Video 7: Explaining the Block Signalling mechanism (in Hindi)
d) Optical Fibre System - Because higher and more stable data transfer speeds is necessary to facilitate real-time Information Transmission.
Video 8: Optical Fibre Cables in Indian Railways
e) Digital Axle Counters - These devices are installed near railway tracks and collect information regarding the total number of Wheel Axles in a train as it passes by and relay the data to the Railway Control Center where it is reconciled with the data obtained at source i.e. before the journey commences and/or at the last station halt. This is done to ascertain that all the rakes are intact i.e. they have not been detached or are missing.
Video 9: What does an Axle Counter Device do? (in Hindi)
With the successful implementation of these initiatives along with faster locomotives and Dedicated Freight Corridors, Indian Railways will be able to improve the 'flow' in the system besides making Train travel safer, thereby unlocking value-generation opportunities such as adding more passenger trains on busy routes.
17. The Manpower-intensive Operations of Indian Railways
Indian Railways is the largest employer in India with manpower count of 12.5 lakhs as on 31st March 2020. It regularly features in the 'Top 10 largest employers in the world' list as well!
Below, you'll find tables with group-wise and department-wise breakup of manpower and wage statistics (Source)-
As you'd interpret from Figure 41 above - low-skilled supervisory and clerical posts (Group C) constitute the bulk of the manpower employed by Indian Railways at 98.5%. The total number of employees has decreased by ~10% in the last decade - 1.4 million+ personnel were employed with Indian Railways in 2010 compared to 1.25 million+ as of 2020 (Figure 42 below).
Group D category of employees was the most impacted of the lot - directly attributable to the fact that Group D i.e. Clerical posts was merged with Group C i.e. Supervisory posts and the total Manpower allocation for the merged group was reduced. Group D comprises of very low-skilled / unskilled roles such as that of helper, gangman, trackman, welder, fitter and porter. Increasing mechanization & automation has contributed towards a lesser requirement of Group D category of Manpower. In a country like ours where youngsters from rural areas and villages are largely dependent on the Government and Railways for employment, this reduced requirement has created a strong sense of angst and discomfort.
In terms of Department-wise breakup, Mechanical Engineering + other Engineering roles dominate (~22% each) followed by Transportation and Electrical roles (~13% each) respectively.
Despite the overall reduction in Manpower between 2010 and 2020, it struck me when I gathered that the average annual Wage per employee has more than doubled in the last decade to INR 1.2 million per person now (Refer Figure 43 - the amount is excluding pension and gratuity. Metro Rail is not a part of Indian Railways).
In my opinion, the average Wage Bill amount appears abnormally high to me given that ~99% (Figure 41) of the workforce is supervisory and clerical in nature. Maybe, there is more to it than what meets the eye😏. Nonetheless, it must be a gargantuan task to recruit and manage the manpower for an organization of such magnitude.
18. Remaining a Government Monopoly or Increasing Privatization? A Conundrum for Indian Railways
Given all the information and insights that you’ve gathered thus far from this post, would you opt to privatize the Indian Railways? If yes, then to what extent?
Some important aspects which you may consider –
a) With Dedicated Freight Corridor, the existing rail network will get decongested considerably. The successful implementation of other projects, as highlighted previously in this post, will make Indian Railways more productive, safer and convenient for passengers and freight customers alike.
b) Lest you think that Indian Railways can operate in a bubble by virtue of being a massive State-owned monopoly, in reality, it is affected by competition considerably - from Road Transporters for its Freight business and increasingly from Budget Air Carriers for its AC Passengers revenue stream.
c) In terms of unit economics, Indian Railways uses the income from its Freight business to subsidize and cut losses (40-45%) from operating Passenger trains. Couple this with the fact that whenever Indian Railways tries to increase the fare of Passenger tickets, it creates a furore among the masses.
d) Crores of youth from rural, village and remote areas appear for Railway examinations every year as they are heavily dependent on Indian Railways for their employment - the growing private sector is still not in a position to recruit such large numbers.
e) To share some global examples across the spectrum for better perspective - Railways in Japan is completely privatized, while USA, South Korean and German Railways are largely State-owned with increasing Private Investment. Railways in China is completely State-owned.
f) Do ponder the question from an 'Operational' perspective as well - how can Private players and the Government co-exist on a single Rail Network, how will scheduling priorities be determined, how will various customer segments be affected, and so on…
What conclusion did you reach?
See how your answer compares with the Government of India’s stance as of today (2021) as outlined below-
- Strict No to Privatization, Yes to Liberalization (Public-Private Partnership - PPP model for trains on certain routes, Station Modernization projects, Land Development etc.). Liberalization would help to segment customers. For example, Private train operators can woo the frustrated AC passengers who are migrating towards Air travel by offering them better services and timely overnight journeys at a higher price than what Indian Railways charges currently. Indian Railways, on the other hand, can focus on the needs of the common man i.e. those who make the journey in Sleeper and General Class coaches. What impact would this have? With selective privatization, the burden on Indian Railways to subsidize ticket fares for all customers would lessen - it can continue keeping the fares low for the general masses who crave inexpensive but more convenient rail travel.
- For a future-ready Railway System by 2031 as Indian Railways envisages, it needs to spend considerably on Railway Station modernization as well. Leasing out the development of adjoining land parcels to the Private sector would allow Indian Railways to recoup its investment on modernization without having to pass on the added cost to the customers in a form equivalent to User Development Fee (as applicable for Air passengers).
Do you agree with the Government's stance?
19. Indian Railways' Engineering Marvels - A source of National Pride
A recent article in The Economist prompted me to include this section in the post. Tom Easton, the author, highlighted that just as India has come a long way since 1853,when 10,000 inexperienced workers had gritted through heat, floods and marshlands full of poisonous snakes to complete the construction of India's first railway line between Bombay and Thane, India has gritted through state politics, land acquisition problems, diverse topographical characteristics and philosophical opposition over the last century to develop a modern Railway Network spanning all states of India with the exception of Meghalaya (opposition from Student Union) and Sikkim (mountainous terrain).
a) He appreciated the engineering marvel that is the Chenab Rail Bridge - the world's highest railway bridge at 359 metres above the river-bed and which is capable to withstand winds of up to 266 kms/hr - which will enable connectivity between the pristine Kashmir valley with the rest of India.
The article prompted me to think about the multiple engineering feats performed by Indian Railways over the years generating tremendous utility for passengers and freight customers as well as being a source of pride for the developing nation. Highlighting some of the feats below-
b) Some 200 Railway Tunnels are being bored in India currently, none more spectacular than that in Sohna, Haryana which is the world's first fully-electrified rail tunnel to be able to accommodate double-stacked containers. 1.1 kilometers in length and located in the Western DFC cutting through the Aravalli mountain range, this electrified tunnel will allow freight trains to travel through it at speeds in excess of 100 kms/hour.
c) The old and the new Pamban railway bridge
Connecting the holy site of Rameswaram to the Indian mainland, the 2 kilometers long (old) Pamban railway bridge was India's first and longest sea-bridge (Bandra-Worli Sea Link has surpassed it now). Constructed in 1914, it has a bascule midway which allows ships to pass underneath (Figure 47 below). On the bridge, the train is exposed to high-speed winds from the sea prompting travelers to label the experience as thrilling and dangerous😮.
The new Pamban railway bridge, expected to be completed in March 2022, is another engineering marvel. It is the first Vertical Lift Railway Sea Bridge of India. Electro-mechanically controlled and interlocked with the train's control systems, this bridge will allow for safer and quicker movement of trains than the old Pamban bridge. Moreover, two ships instead of one will be able to pass underneath at the same time due to the Vertical Lift mechanism.
d) Konkan Railway
Labelled as the most challenging railway project undertaken in India and completed in a record time of 8 years, the 750 kilometers-long Konkan Railway connects the coastal cities of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Highlights of the engineering marvel are captured in Figure 50 below-
Complete electrification of Konkan Railways, initially scheduled to be completed by December 2021, has now been pushed to June 2022. Nonetheless, it would enable train movement at higher speeds once done.
e) Mountain Railways of India
Meandering through hilly terrain in a steam locomotive operating on narrow gauge would be among the best touristy memories for millions of Indians. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla railway are collectively designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the name 'Mountain Railways of India' due to the 'bold and ingenious engineering solutions used to create an effective rail link through rugged, mountainous terrain'.
The fact that these Mountain railways were constructed way back in late 1800s and early 1900s makes it even more fascinating. Matheran Hill, Kangra Valley Railway and the relatively new and advanced Jammu-Baramulla line among several others planned for the future form a part of the Mountain Railways, although these are not listed as UNESCO Heritage sites as of today (2021).
20. IRCTC: The Customer Facing Subsidiary of Indian Railways
The Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), launched in 1999, functions as a subsidiary of Indian Railways and is listed on the National Stock Exchange. Most of us who have booked a railway ticket online or consumed food from pantry cars know that IRCTC have the monopoly rights of these revenue streams. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the stock has been doing exceptionally well since its IPO.
Below are the various customer facing services offered by IRCTC - most of it being railways-related
- Online Rail Ticketing: More than 4 lakh online rail tickets are booked daily on an average through IRCTCs web and mobile platform.
- In-Train Catering Services: Exclusive rights to food services in trains with pantry cars. Often maligned for corrupt practises though.
- Online Flights, Hotels, Holiday Packages: Just like Yatra, Cleartrip, Makemytrip and the likes
- In-Station Hospitality & e-Catering: IRCTC food courts, Jan Aahar, Rail Neer mineral water bottle, waiting & retiring rooms as well as food-delivery & ready-to-eat meal services from popular restaurants on trains.
- Public-Private Partnership: For select Tejas and Humsafar category of passenger trains, IRCTC collaborates with private players for ticketing, refunds, parcels, catering and housekeeping.
- Rail Drishti Railway Dashboard: Intends to become a single source of information for all things Indian Railways – be it passenger or freight train status or station amenities.
21. After-Journey Passenger Coach Cleaning: Hidden from view but of supreme importance
Congratulations if you've made it to the end of this article and to the end of 2021. For this 21st and last operational insight, I'll leave you with a couple of videos pertaining to After-Journey Passenger Coach cleaning
a) Automatic Coach Washing Plant which could become a norm at all major railway stations in the future, and
b) Operational procedures pertaining to internal cleaning of the Coach in the C&W Yard (Carriage & Wagon) after the train reaches its final destination. The latter is an old video - the cleaning methods may have evolved since then - but the video still gives a very detailed insight on the cleaning SOP which is hidden from public view.
Video 10: Automatic Coach Washing Plant at Kacheguda Railway Station in Hyderabad
Faster, Efficient, Limited Manual Intervention and Limited Usage & Wastage of Water.
Video 11: Internal Cleaning SOP of Passenger Coaches
Cleanliness and Hygiene is especially relevant in the times we live in!
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