Volume 9, Issue 44 – May 2018
ISSN No. 0976-254X www.railbizindia.com
INDIA'S BEST RAIL EVENTS The International Rail Coach Exhibition 2018 is an exciting event for all those who believe that the Indian industry is just a leap away from matching international skills and product offerings. The Train 18 project is a milestone in this journey; I do believe that the first Indian train set development now nearing completion in ICF will demonstrate this new vision that can put Indian industry on a high international podium. Train 18 is important as this will also bring in new operational strategy for intercity travel in India, away from the locomotiveled path. IRÂ’s traditional norms for service levels, stock utilisation and maintenance approach may well be different in a few years from now as the Train 18 and Train 20 initiatives take root. The Train18 project demonstrates how IR production units can collaborate with the industry for design and product development. Fresh development skills are being developed in a co-vision that can boost Make in India by a few notches. IRCE 18 is also our humble effort for industrial growth in our region. I hope exhibitors and visitors to IRCE 18 have a fulfilling experience, that leads to a stronger future for the emerging Indian rail industry. S Mani
General Manager, ICF
` 100
FIRST WORDS A critic is a reviewer... IR passenger business is showing growth in numbers, but its long-term health is threatened on many fronts. While average travel speeds have stagnated, punctuality is a word in IR statistical data but not stressed too much in its operations and not much is visible on this front despite a Mobility Directorate set up. A lack of a business approach in this segment is not recognised as a worry. A few pointers come to mind. For me, the passenger demographics are all too visible while travelling by Delhi Metro where the young (<35 years?) easily dominate. Most of them are busy on their smartphones during travel. A fair number also appear in low-cost domestic air travel, with a casual dress code belief. This age group does not stand out in IR passenger profiles. Recognising casual observations do not make for scientific sampling, I asked a few connected managers if IR can provide a demographic profile of their passengers, something that could lead to what its larger passenger segment will be in coming years. The response was discouraging: Â&#x2018;what?...demographic segmentation!Â&#x2019; That leads me also to think back at the management priorities mentioned during interactions at various levels: quality of service to passengers does not appear in the TOP 10, may not be even in 20. In fact, IR still does not have a measure of passenger satisfaction, though spot surveys during travel have been carried out sometimes. No comparison on time basis with a steady KPI basket is available. In fact, the last known surveys did not factor for accommodation availability, say two weeks in advance of the journey, or on-time running of even a segment of trains. Any passenger KPI should cover the full range of what affects a rail passenger, from perceptions of low service levels to an ability to travel when needed, to time spent and predictability of the journey, information provision, on-board service and comfort etc. While relative weightage to each may be subjective, a periodic assessment with other than anecdotal evidence should be the basis of IR priorities for this segment. While Facebook, Twitter and the like are fine, knowing the demographic profile of customers is not a luxury in these days of data mining and analytics. These tools are fast becoming the basis of the success of modern businesses. Not recognizing these are signs of a management rooted in the past. As of now, IR train service level is not perceived at any reasonable comfort index. Continued neglect may lead train travel increasingly to even lower margins and loss of patronage that should add to lack of profitability (or even cost recovery). A Passenger Service Index should migrate to the Top 10 for IR managers. That is not an option but should be a mandate.
(Vijay Raina)
...who expects miracles.
Editor
...Anonymous Graffiti
Volume 9, Issue 44 Â&#x2013; May 2018
CONTENTS www.railbizindia.com
Editor V. K. Raina For Advertisements and Circulation Dr. Rajni Raina Business Manager Phone : +91 92306 39001
Special interviews 1 4 8 12
Disclaimer : Views expressed by various authors are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of their corporates.
Prioritising safety V Chaube, General Manager, Northern Railway Multiplying turnover SC Agnihotri, CMD, RVNL Towards total rail solutions S Fuller, CEO, TEXMACO Rail 5 years of Frauscher India M Thiele and A Sinha
European Correspondent: Ms Geetha Munikoti, Berlin
Technology and development
32
14
36
GE Bengaluru Design and development for the world
IT Support Dilip & Rajat
35 37 28
A new fervour in IR construction 20 24 Cover - Self portrait by S Mani. Also supported by - Sanjoy Ghosh, CPRO/SER - Bhanu Prakash Dy. Chief Engineer, RVNL
36
30
New link to Karanprayag Connecting the two Srinagars Largest RRI in Kharagpur Modern train signalling IR policy Reviewing electrification goals
Auto carrier wagons A continuing development process
38
Book review DMRC Phase III Passenger amenities Addressing special needs Vignettes from ICF Decades ago Mazaa on rails Arushi Weekend rail travels PK Chatterjee
High speed link Adopting the Shinkansen envelope
Opinions 6
Recast IR priorities Raghu Dayal
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Rail Business Next Issue September 2018
The NCR bias Satyendra Kumar
Potpourri 3 34
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On electrification Prof Agarwal, IIT Kanpur
A206, Rail Vihar, Sector 15-II, Gurugram, India, Pin 122001 Phone : +91 94323 64001, +91 80170 62121, +91 92306 39001, 0124 4271 979 e-mail : railbizindia@gmail.com Five issues published in a calendar year
E X CLU S I V E I N T E RV I E W V C H A UB E
A Northward surge for the Northern Top priorities: safety, safety, and safety Elegance and order. That is the first thought on entering Baroda House, a British era building close to New Delhi s iconic India Gate. This has been the Northern Railway(NR) HQ since long. Steam loco models on display and a vertical garden add the rail touch , complete with a splendid ambience of the imposing office rooms, before settling down to a conversation with Vishwesh Chaube, General Manager, NR. Safety first, in real terms
Chaube s first emphasis is on the positives on track maintenance and related safety issues that have appeared since early 2017, when a couple of rail disasters pinpointed the gaps in track maintenance and the growing arrears of replacements. Chaube adds that while safety has always been high on IR themes, performance on the ground was not always commensurate and that led to the mounting arrears of maintenance. A key bottleneck was that 24hour train running priorities left few windows for dedicated track maintenance, (traffic blocks in IR parlance) and maintenance machines and gangs would often wait hours for such track possession, often leaving the day without much physical work. Now that safety has been put ahead of all throughput and train running concerns, all numbers have improved, indicating that track health is being restored every day. Consider these maintenance parameters (all data YOY, till end March 2018): track renewals have improved by 97% reaching 553 km in last FY, ballast supply/coverage, key indicators of work done, have improved by 59% /107%. Track maintenance now is dependent on specialised track machines and their utilisation has improved by 20 - 23%. Many rail accidents are attributed to defective rails and welds (detected by visual and ultrasonic inspections) and replacement of these suspect locations has accelerated by up to 137%. Chaube also highlighted that his zone had 25% backlog of various track attention aspects and that is now down to about 17%, still a concern. These arrears were mounting despite the IR safety fund works (ended 2008). Operations and maintenance managers are acting in cooperation, ensuring that machine and workforce resources are used better; that also reflects in a 90% day to day compliance on a grant of the traffic blocks . Till a year back, this level was not even dreamt of and that reflects the absolute change in priorities in favour of train safety. These actions also ensure that slipshod maintenance does not lead to frequent repeat attention. Base quality for workshops
IR workshops should lay a high datum for high reliability and safety for IR operations. It cannot be otherwise . Chaube stressed that he has prioritized support for the various rolling stock overhaul workshops, ensuring that
their purchase needs are met with and their output is approved by the users. Spare parts stockouts are now nearer 1 %, from an uncomfortable 8 % earlier. The faster purchasing processes have resulted in the main from the delegation of financial powers, that the IR Board and zones have implemented for last few years. IR safety record
Consequential train accidents are reducing every year on the IR network: from a 135 peak in 2014 in recent years to 73 in last FY. Derailments form the bulk of these, 54 of the 73 in 2017-18. Considering the disastrous outcomes that derailments can cause, the NR safety efforts in last year will help improve IR record on safety. Continuing concern
The concern is not yet over as our information shows a significant comparative increase in rail/weld fractures too. Using past IR data has always been subject to serious errors of judgment due to data doctoring and misreporting in various safety-related works, with such bad practices inflicting all IR departments. This concern has now been addressed in a March direction from the IR Board, granting a data comparison immunity and needing field offices to fearlessly report actuals as a comparison with the past will not be judgmental. In effect 2018 is a zero year, a new datum for all such monitoring. It will be some years before data sanity is restored. Chaube s emphasis is on a better action on the ground and fact-based reporting. Better fidelity is also now being built into IR systems, with greater use of data digitization, like that from IR information systems like the Freight Operations FOIS and signalling linked data loggers installed at various stations. Visual records and networking are other areas that will contribute to correct reporting. Smoother operations
NR has been able to record its best freight loading of 5.12 mt during March 2018, the best monthly reach ever in any other year, surpassing the earlier best 4.95 mt (+ 3.4% YOY), despite a 44 % increase in maintenance blocks. This has been possible due to various well-known actions like using the traffic block shadows for attention to track, power supply, and signalling maintainance. This coordination has now extended beyond divisional boundaries and successful efforts for inter-zone coordination have been recorded. IR however still depends on human control of all train scheduling and has not been able to incorporate any digital intelligence into its train control systems, practices which have been usefully deployed in most developed networks. IR often struggles to restore par running after any disruptions (accidents, public agitations, foggy weather, floods, and breaches etc.). In regions where backlogs were higher, Chaube has Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
1
E XCL USIVE INTERVIEW V C HAUB E
An IRSE officer of 1980 batch and an M Tech (Structures) from IIT Delhi, Chaube has also been Chairperson of various technical IR standing committees like for Track Standard, Bridges and Works which cover full gamut of policies and procedures related to design, construction maintenance and up gradation of railways and allied areas. An interesting episode emerged as we mentioned that when he was a Divisional Engineer, V Anand, his Divisional Manager in Bhavnagar (later General Manager, Southern Railway) recorded in his memoirs that: Sometime in 2010. Restricted within an IR rest house in Srinagar (Kashmir) due to public agitations outside. Objective: secure safety of rail property and restart operations as possible. The stay in the confined office lasted four days, all without sleep and abundant stress. At the end of the four days, he had to prepare official documents, finishing at midnight when he could hardly keep his eyes open. A check many days later showed him that the documents had typos but conveyed the facts and information accurately. Vishwesh Chaube has never forgiven himself for the typos, even as he treats the four days preceding work as normal and expected of him. That is the typical IR manager, measuring himself against the highest standards in the most trying circumstance. A bridge of dreams
The neglect of infrastructure was also because no officer of the IR Service of Engineers had been posted as DRM since 1969-a record of sorts. Neither the Principal Chief Engineer nor I could have done anything about it, but the PCE posted Vishwesh Chaube, a dynamic IRSE officer to the division. The effect was dramatic. He got several urgently needed track renewal works approved. He ruthlessly ended several contracts where the progress of work was unsatisfactory Chaube s efforts flooded the division with ballast. Chaube got the zonal contracts for maintenance of railway quarters awarded well in time to fully utilize the funds allotted for the purpose and which used to lapse in earlier years simply because the contracts were not awarded. Extract from V Anand, Close Encounters on Parallel Lines. Chaube humbly recalls those days, revealing that this was an interesting posting, where he was able to deliver on specific aims in a brief time, perhaps leading Anand to recall the days.
Chaube attributes his early sense of discipline and punctuality to his academician father who presented him a wristwatch (a huge gift those days) when he was still in the 7th grade, imposing him with a stern code of self-conduct.
Learning on projects
This sincerity may have come in part from the fact that his Banaras (they still do not call it Varanasi!) roots and later professional education in the BHU had installed a silent wish: to design and build a large bridge like the one on the Ganges in Varanasi, the Malviya Bridge. Chaube recalls that when he was posted in Gorakhpur, he was pleased when his first IR charge was in bridges. A later stint in RDSO Lucknow was also on bridges that became a core competence. Chaube also recalls that in this period RDSO engineers had to inspect and certify new track openings before these could be commissioned and he had to spend quite some time handling such assignments. But that was interesting too .
Chaube has led major gauge construction projects, recalling his experiences on the 370 km Surendra Nagar Bhavnagar line. The section was divided into 20 km long sections and the short lengths attracted agencies with limited resources and caused delays. The lessons were learnt in his next major project of converting the Delhi Ahmedabad MG main line when he opted for 40 km long contracts, that ensured superior quality agencies and scheduled completion. An interesting assignment for a startup RVNL as Chief Project Manager, Ahmedabad that lasted three years, provided another unique opportunity; new work procedures had to be initiated and these have since become models for other projects.
authorized an increase in timetabled recovery times , essentially a deliberate slackening of train running times; 10 minutes have been added for the Lucknow Kanpur section that was causing concern. 2 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
Trains in Delhi area
Pressures on operations in Delhi area continue to impact on services and punctuality. Passenger traffic to the NCR continues to grow and additional passenger terminals in Anand Vihar
etc. have been growing. NR has tried to decongest the New Delhi stations by rescheduling 14 trains out of New Delhi to Nizamuddin and Anand Vihar. The over congestion in New Delhi had taken away all maintenance
E X CLU S I V E I N T E RV I E W V C H A UB E windows, resulting in three train derailments last year. Slow running of trains approaching New Delhi has also been addressed by better utilisation of the four tracks available form Ghaziabad, the effort is to use all tracks more equally. Trains that crisscross tracks between Ghaziabad and New Delhi have also been found and running plans changed for faster movement. A spot study showed 75 single-engine movements in a day across the area and these have been clubbed to reduce track occupation.
The freight charters
Better service to customers has gained attention as a recent Freight Charter lists some basic commitments for wagon indent registration (20 minutes), issue of railway receipt post loading (1 hour), electronic fund transfer (1 hour) etc. IR also offers freight rake on run tracking through the FOIS link. However, the key factor of indicating the time window for rake allotment for loading and time-based rake movement are not yet factored in. Looking after the teams
IR trains suffer long transit times at stations if these have to traverse the loops (other than the full speed mainline) where movement is restricted. The max speed on the loop depends on the type of points installed and related signalling, but a 30 kph restriction is the norm, even on recently installed concrete sleepers. Chaube indicated that recent instructions have now installed plans for an increase to 40 kph on 1 in 8 ½, turnouts and 50 kph on 1 in 12 turnouts. This change should help in faster movement across most yards, that abound in Delhi area.
Chaube recounts that during his tenure as Divisional Railway Manager in Ferozepur, he had noticed that field staff often spent hours and days visiting the Divisional offices, to follow up on their requests and grievances. Hardly any systems existed for tracing these and wastage of employee time was in-built. His response was to provide a single window registration of all employee issues, with an assured feedback in defined time. Such actions are now possible through the internet also, in effect employees can use their work time for work and not in chasing the office .
Other improvements concern operations in foggy weather when a 75 kph movement is now allowed and speed alerts that can be sourced from signalling data loggers installed at stations.
The complaint tracking system now permits classifications and alert generation in case of delayed response. The system can track bunching sections and these inputs are also used for allotting additional
resource to the affected sections. Such practices have now been installed across all locations and better staff productivity, particularly of the maintenance staff, is ensured. Introduction of biometric attendance system across the offices has been another factor. NR employee number is large and control through normal attrition has been ongoing, resulting in on-roll reduction of 5491 persons last year (3.8%). Competitive contracting
Chaube hopes that NR may well execute the first reverse auction contract on the IR. NR has already led the many initiatives for e-purchasing/ tendering and these have since become standard processes for all IR units. In fact, a review meeting had preceded our interactions. IR Board has allowed (mid-March) its units to use the reverse auction process for buying contracts above ` 10 Cr and construction contracts above ` 50 Cr. The 2-packet system process will be net based, from bid invitations, to bids to pre-contract actions. The first packet is the technical evaluation and needed supplementary and after the financial bids are opened, the three lowest and technically qualified bidders can compete on offer rates in a 1-hour window on the net. In the reverse auction process, sellers offer the bids, unlike in an auction where the buyers offer such bids.
Book review Delhi Metro has released a new book by Anuj Dayal, its Executive Director that addresses issues and processes in DMRC s third phase. Mangu Singh, MD rightly adds that it has been one of its most challenging construction assignments as it is undoubtedly one of the largest ever infrastructure projects taken up anywhere in India in an urban environment . Details of working in areas with heritage structures and sometimes unknown building foundations makes interesting reading. The Janpath station, situated adjacent to the popular Tibetan Market, was one of the first such challenges on this corridor as the Archaeological Survey of India had issued a stop work notice for alleged violations in this area. The National Monuments Authority was asked to check and granted clearance in Jan 2013 for construction around these sites. The standoff was resolved by understanding the issues involved and working round to feasible solutions.
Tunnelling began 178 meters ahead of the operational Central Secretariat station in January 2012, marking the beginning of Phase III. At another site, the Sophisticated Seismic and the Parallel Seismic methods were used for determination of the unknown depth of the piles below the ground level of the American Center Building. The Old Daryaganj area houses a number of dilapidated buildings and DMRC had to put up vertical supports in all structures during the tunneling. Around 2000 residents had to be evacuated twice during tunnelling, around 650 people in a single go. DMRC also restored their houses before shifting them back. The book should be a good reading for rail fans.
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
3
C O N STRUCTION R V N L
Rapid strides in construction by RVNL While highlighting the multiple growth in recent years, Agnihotri indicated that a bonus is payable with a maximum limit of 5% of the contract price for completion of project before scheduled completion. Recently, RVNL achieved this in a Tata Projects contract for augmentation of capacity in DLW, Varanasi. New initiatives
RVNL recently organized a ContractorsÂ&#x2019; meet attended by over 600 contractors. This provided an opportunity to discuss the problems being faced in project execution and measures to be taken to enhance transparency and improve contract management.
Satish C Agnihotri, CMD, RVNL has led his IR construction company to a multi-fold growth in recent years.
As SC Agnihotri, CMD, RVNL (an IR PSU) lays down office in few months, he can look back on his tenure with satisfaction. RVNL turnover has gone up from ` 5,920 Cr in 2016-17 to ` 8,150 Cr in 2017-18, an increase of 38%. This is a 14.5% CAGR since 2005 when RVNL became operational. This is also reflected in the 2017-18 commissioning of a record 400 km doubling, 17 km new lines and 605 rkm standalone electrification.
Initial public offer (IPO): Agnihotri indicated that a Draft Red Herring Prospectus has been filed with SEBI in March 2018. This should facilitate RVNL to plan for future strategic growth. The steep growth in last four years will improve valuation of the company. RVNL has initiated the process of forming a subsidiary which would procure equipment such as mechanised wiring trains, track laying machines, mobile flash butt welding plants, tamping machines etc. and lease it out to prospective contractors. Mission 25K Turnover: RVNL has presented its vision of achieving 25K Turnover to the Railway Board.
RVNL has contributed 40% of the track doubling commissioned on IR and 761 rkm electrification in 201718. In addition, 6 workshop projects (including one at Barauni) and one cable stayed bridge at Bardhaman have also been completed. A positive factor has been the assured availability of funds in the last four years. Year Turnover (` Cr)
2010-11 -12 1445
-13
-14
1598 2117 2492
-15
-16
-17
-18
Year
2014-15
-16
-17
-18
Doubling
136
242
310
400
New Line
-
17
-
17
RE
81
266
498
605
RE as part of doubling
85
195
236
156
Total
302
720
1044
1178
3142 4541 5920 8150
IR appointments Sanjive Roy (IR Service of EngineersÂ&#x2019; 1981 batch) has taken over as General Manager, NF Railway, Guwahati. Earlier Principal Chief Engineer on the North Central Railway, Allahabad, Roy is an MTech in Structural Engineering from IIT. He has worked in various capacities including as Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad and RDSO. During his tenure as Chief Engineer/Construction on the NFR, the New Jalpaiguri - New Bongaigaon gauge conversion work was completed with the opening of a 182 km section in one go.
4 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
AK Garg has taken over as Director Operations, Delhi Metro
CONFERENCE AGENDA Day 1 : 17th May 2018 SESSION 1: INAUGURAL Round Table
Theme: Train Sets
Discussion
Relevance and Road map
SESSION 2: ROLLING STOCK DESIGN (TRAIN SETS FOR 160 KPH) Company
Topic
ICF
Trainsets (Train 18, Train 20)
Siemens
Trainsets
BEML
Design and development of metro bogie
BMRCL
Interface between Propulsion and Brake system
RITES
Rolling Stock Exports - Leveraging IR's Potential Day 2 : 18th May 2018
SESSION 3: ROLLING STOCK DESIGN (INTERIORS, PASSENGER AMENITIES AND COMFORT) BFG
Composites for railway rolling stock
Saertex India
Light weight advanced composite solutions for rolling stock
3M
Graphic and decorative films in coach interior & high performance lightweight ThermoAcoustic Insulation
Saint Gobain
Glass roof of vista dome and window glass application
FOGTEC
Fire protection in rolling stock
SESSION 4: ROLLING STOCK DEVELOPMENT (EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN MANUFACTURE OF TRAINS - SS, ALUMINIUM CAR BODY AND OTHERS) Knorr Bremse
Modern sub-systems for passenger coaches
Hitachi
Introduction of Aluminium train, IGBT propulsion system and train Control & monitoring system
Faiveley
EMU brake system
Prose
Comparison between Aluminium and steel carbody structures
TMT
Suspension technology and prospects in rail vehicle Day 3 : 19th May 2018
SESSION 5: HIGH SPEED TRAINS - OPTIONS FOR IR NHSRCL
High Speed trains
Bombardier
Transport solution for urban mobility
Talgo
Modern design coaches - solutions for IR
Pars Komponenty
Door systems & PRM platforms
CRRC
High Speed trains
Closing session (valedictory)
Dear Editor
I R B UDGET OPIN ION
Avoid collapse, embrace change, not fight it IR CAGR performance in a nutshell %(indicative)
1999-04
2004-9
2009-14
2014-18
Passengers
2.2
5.2
3.0
0.2
Passenger km
4.7
7.8
4.8
0.2
Passenger earnings
6.8
9.2
9.3
4.3
Freight tonnage
4.0
6.0
3.5
2.0
NTKM
4.5
6.0
2.1
0.0
Freight earnings
4.7
11.2
10.0
3.4
Gross revenue
5.8
10.7
9.9
4.5
Expenses
5.4
10.6
9.4
5.5
IR s commercial and financial health looks worrisome. A quick scan signifies an amber signal, not yet red. IR s businesses over 2014 to 2018 (budgeted) indicates just flat growth: passenger journeys recorded a 0.22%, CAGR, passenger-km by 0.16%, and freight output at just 0.02%. Gross revenue receipts show a CAGR of 4.5%, but these are overrun by expenses at a CAGR of 5.5%. Spiralling wage bills
IR s wage bill keeps ballooning: in ten years that doubled in relation to its revenue from 35% in 2007-08 to 70% in 2016. While its wage bill jumped at 16.1% CAGR, its revenue increased at 8.5%. IR has been splashing its biggest recruitment exercise to hire additional 1,10,000 employees, mostly in the unskilled base. Declining business levels
A steady decline in the annualised growth of freight business over 2002-2017 shrank over 5-year terms, steadily from 8.1% to 5.9 %, and to 2.7%; comparable NTKM data was 7.6%, 6.8%, and (-) 1.4%. The freight sector faces formidable competition. Crushing load of rising debt
Raghu Dayal Senior fellow Asian Institute of Transport Development New Delhi
Amidst a flurry of large ticket schemes, there is a palpable unease among experienced executives that some core issues are not high on the radar. IR s steadily diminishing share of freight and passenger businesses will make it increasingly difficult for it to regain its place with its perilous finances compounded by sharply rising debt. There is a need to reorient freight strategy. Coal haulage will keep on diminishing; POL traffic will further dwindle as pipelines connect refineries. With its vision key-holed on bulk commodities, IR has less than 2% share in FMCG segment, 1% in auto and textiles. It is imperative for IR to improve its products, look at the supply chain end-to-end, including first-mile collection and last mile delivery, calibrate its services in partnership with other logistics players to offer integrated services. It needs to create a critical mass of piecemeal wagons/ containers, for time-tabled multimodal end-to-end logistics services. An annual loss touching ` 1,100 Cr on parcel and luggage
6 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
segment should compel it to forge partnerships with established road network operators/integrators for doorto-door multimodal services. Competition for passenger traffic
IR s passenger business too is under siege with a looming shadow from budget airlines, high-capacity buses, and cars covering inter-city distances. The last Economic Survey bared that this business declined at 0.26% per year in the five years ending 2016-17, whereas domestic air increased 10% annually. IR needs to aim at speed inter-city trains for a perceptible difference, as also improve pre-board facilities hasslefree booking and reservation on demand, orderly platforms, packaged food, on-time runs, information on tap etc. With low-cost air carriers looming large, it must refrain from raising AC train fares. IR s freight terminals in metropolitan areas have been squeezed out by passenger expansion; those that remain face stringent restrictions on the movement of road vehicles. Of the 1,300 IR terminals, only 500 handle more than 10 freight trains per month. In addition, 15 integrated logistics centers for freight and 12 large stations need to come up quickly for passenger services. Autonomous corporate entity
IR must first shed mistakenly perceived role of a departmental undertaking with public service obligation and instead perform as a corporate entity with inalienable responsibility. Regional services contribute the maximum loss in passenger business and consume a substantial portion of movement capacity. An autonomous corporate entity, say like CONCOR, could deal this business vertical. It would be prudent to streamline the traditional 4-tiered organisation into a 3-tiered system, as Chinese Railways did in 2005 by abolishing its 44 sub-regional entities an equivalent of IR s 68 Divisions. IR needs to deftly, and firmly, handle the secateurs first in the Kafkaesque Rail Bhawan, then right across the sprawling system - some 45 overhaul workshops, 100 loco sheds, 260 repair depots and sick lines , stations and yards, colonies and offices, its 65,000-strong protection force. IR needs to ruthlessly prune staff in the Board. Basics at the center-stage
Capacity-increase is the main task for IR. As plans and projects for HSR and hyperloop, new age ETCS2 signalling, network-wide 'total electrification', etc. are pursued, immediate focus must be on capacity creation on arterial corridors and for terminals. The two most important ongoing capacity-enhancing freight corridors have somehow not been fast-tracked; expenditure on the Eastern and Western freight corridors in 2016-17 was ` 6,253 Cr; the budgeted allocation of ` 10,490 Cr (2017-18 has been scaled down to ` 3,000 Cr). The 2018-19 outlay is just ` 6,277 Cr.
I N D U STRY SPECI AL TEXM AC 0
Texmaco Rail: strengthening business Reinforcing sustainability A face to face interview with Sandeep Fuller, Chief Executive Officer, Heavy Engineering Division, Texmaco Rail & Engineering: The SK Poddar led Adventz group includes Texmaco Rail, well known across IR as a prime wagon manufacturer. Adventz, with ` 3000 Cr turnover, is a diversified conglomerate with four major industry verticals- agriculture, engineering & infra, lifestyle & real estate and services. Texmaco includes various business sectors under its ambit. Major manufacturing facilities for wagons and other rolling stock (include a high-quality steel foundry) are spread over three neighbouring locations in Kolkata area. Different growth curves
Over the last five years Texmaco Rail & Engineering has re-invented itself. From being largely dependent on new wagon manufacture, a sole product marketed to one dominant customer (IR), Texmaco Rail has evolved into a complete rail solutions entity manufacturing wagons and some coaches to rail infrastructure projects like new track construction, signalling, telecom and overhead electrification. This broad-based approach has helped the company steer through one of its most challenging periods to lead from business vulnerability to sustainable solutions. The EPC Arms are centered around two acquisitions, Kalindee Rail Nirman in 2013 and the more recent Bright Power Projects: Kalindee has been a major Indian resource for track work and signalling etc. and Bright in railway electrification. Kalindee was merged in April 2014 into what is now known as Texmaco Rail EPC Division, retaining the brand name Kalindee Rail Nirman . Active Rail EPC (engineer-
ing, procurement, construction) contracts include projects of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. The Division has also focused on metro projects in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chennai, Lucknow, and Mumbai. It is exploring opportunities in neighbouring countries and in the Middle East and Africa. Projects in Kuwait Metro are of significance. The EPC arm, a turnover of about ` 460 Cr, has helped Adventz in garnering credentials in the railway and Metro space. Kalindee is now seeking to aggressively venture into the offshore railway business, focusing on projects funded under bilateral credit in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and open competition in the Middle East and Africa. The project portfolio is reflected in completed fabrication and erection of a 9 x 102.4 meters span, 7800 t major bridge at Bhairab in Bangladesh. This project also reflects the complete project solutions available from India, as another Indian consulting company handled the structural design, under an Indian line of credit executed through IRCON. This is the longest rail bridge constructed in Bangladesh. Another project commissioned is an order for the Bridge girders for Titas Bridge in Bangladesh and an under-process one for Sri Lanka. Kalindi has major contracts from RVNL. The Kalindee brand
Kalindee is an Indian success story, wherein an Indian entrepreneur set up and created a major Indian resource for signalling and construction projects under IR. Two IR seniors who continue to contribute to this effort are OP Jain, ex Director General, RDSO and SM Khichi. Both, now 80 +years, still contribute to various Kalindee projects, with Khichi being active in physically overseeing the Lucknow Metro project. The total solutions verticals
Gross turnover (` in Cr)
2016-17
1284
1265
2015-16
Mainline projects under execution
868
2014-15
Bright Power, a pioneer in overhead railway electrification, with a turnover of about ` 180 Cr has been acquired and a process of a legal merger into TEXMACO Rail is in process. Bright Power has now expanded with electrification projects in 14 States, having received its maiden order for substations and electrification for Nagpur Metro. With a major push on electrification projects and new Metro systems, requirement of electrification works should at least double. l l
2013-14
515
l l
2012-13
1036
l
Freight corridor projects l l
8 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
Kalaura-Shahbazpur Project Bangladesh Sitapur-Mailani- RVNL Jhansi-Bhimsen- RVNL Mohal-Bhigwan-RVNL Kota-Piplod- RVNL Signalling & Telecom: Western corridor-915 km Track Work Eastern corridor-146 Track km
I N DU S TRY S PE CI AL T EX M A C 0
never let any soil slip under his feet, was aware of most issues and his leadership involved fullest support to his team. Amongst the many similar events, Fuller recounts that while determining the schedule of dimensions for DMRC (the overall envelope within which stock must operate), his engineering colleagues, too well grounded in very old practices, were insisting on IR like tolerances that would have put the clock back for Metro development and pushed construction costs needlessly. Sreedharan called the team, including Mangu Singh (later his successor as MD), took out his aged foot-rule and some paper and worked around the numbers. He was hands on and resolved the complex issue in that single sitting. Sleeping on the job: who me? Sandeep Fuller, CEO, Texmaco Rail and Engineering, Kolkata
Rail stories, of people and projects
A graduate from IIT Kanpur, Fuller joined the IR Service of Electrical Engineers in March 1989 following up with successful tenures in the Mumbai suburban stock and electric loco operations. After a 21-year tenure in IR (including a 5-year deputation to Delhi Metro), he took on a career option. Fuller adds that his interactive experiences with expat experts from various countries in Delhi Metro and L &T led him to one goal and one passion: that Indian engineers and project managers had the basic strengths for delivering such projects under a national umbrella and potential existed for Indian companies to handle major rail projects with Indian know how and personnel. Fuller is right on track with this dream as he has been a key part of the Adventz Group s transformation from a manufacturing company to a rail solutions provider, process that started when he joined Texmaco in July 2013. The Delhi Metro years
Fuller remembers the DMRC years with fondness and gratitude, when the team was based in rented accommodation, without regular power supply and running the premises on a generating set. His first charge was to ensure a power connection, stalled as a money advance was being questioned by an over-cautious and unconcerned finance officer. Despite the near comic-ness of the event, Fuller shows no rancour, recounting that the issue was resolved in a quick intervention by the MD E Sreedharan. Fuller's admiration of the Metro Man Sreedharan mirrors what one has heard so often from other DMRC officers of the period: he was decisive,
Metro projects under execution l
Lucknow, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata (East-West) Metros track work
The Division is served by a high-tech ERP programme run on SAP backbone linked with all work sites online. Fuller has built up a team of experienced professionals with the added technical and financial strength of the combined entity.
A down under foray
Rancour is also missing as we check on Fuller's other DMRC experiences. Team loyalties are built around some simple actions, often taken on the spur of a moment Sandeep Fuller. As the Metro had started operations with just four rakes, it had limited workforce in the train depot. Each rake had to be certified fit for service, each morning at around 4 am before the start of service, a difficult task with the absence of suitable supervisory personnel. Problems do not deter those who wish to succeed: Fuller would often sleep in his car at the Depot and go home in early morning after checking the rakes and certifying the service worthiness certificate, a routine that lasted a long time, from Dec 25 to Jan 26. The effort left an impression on his team as they presented him one of these service certificates as memorabilia when he was leaving DMRC in 2003. Fuller has a Metro legacy he can be proud of. In those years DMRC had no template that could be followed, and actions were often ab initio. The process of developing DMRC codes and instruction sets was one such effort and these have become the models for all DMRC lines and other Metros too. Some earlier IR experiences have left lasting memories. All IR field officers had traumatic experiences of handling major accidents with dead bodies and human parts strewn over. (Such incidents are increasingly rare now). In one accident involving a collision between two trains, the loco chassis was all torn apart, leaving a carcass like a flat wagon. The trauma was in handling body parts of the unfortunate crew. Many months later, Fuller s team had to rebuild the loco in a loco shed, as new manufacture in those years was not as well established as now.
Texmaco had entered into a JV business (Texmaco UGL) where the JV partner UGL, Australia has since exited the business. A UGL plant was envisioned specially to meet the export demand from Australia, which dried up due to lesser rail investments there. The core arrangement was for UGL Australia to source engineering and contracts and the Texmaco plant
to undertake on- demand manufacturing. Now Texmaco Hi-tech has been successful in developing newer markets and products for domestic and export and the effort is well on a revival path, in a different avatar. A key success has been that global companies with new loco manufacturing plants in India have placed contracts that will ensure long term key vendor status. Capacity Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
9
I N D U STRY SPECI AL TEXM AC 0 available in the unit will be gainfully utilised for components, such as bogies, cab structures, booms, etc., for locomotives and coaches. Substantial demand potential exists from this FY when execution of bulk orders, after completion of product development cycle will start. Even as the Australian UGL effort has hit a dead end, the manufacturing factory resources in its three Kolkata location are being put to good use. Texmaco is now an established vendor to CLW electric loco supply chain with its loco shell supply that comes complete with fully tested pneumatic pipe fitting. The first shell for Alstom Madhepura built loco is now ready and series supply is expected to start in next few months. A steady supply link for bogies for BEML Metro coaches is also set up. Texmaco resources and experience with heavy precision fabrication has also enabled it to supply other bogie frames, like its successful supply for a major builder for Kazakhstan. Exports of Metro bogies to Sydney, for Alstom built coaches, is also established. Texmaco should also be building the high-power bogie frames required for another loco project in India. Bogie frames manufactured l
Kazakhstan and Queensland Railways and other loco majors
l
Flexicurve design for Mozambique NG locos
l
IR: LHB coaches MEMU Coaches 13 t BMBC Coaches
l
Kolkata Metro (for BEML trains) Metros for exports
Texmaco manufactures full range of cast steel freight bogies and has set up as a regular supplier of wagon cast bogies mainly to north America, totaling 5250 t rail and 1080 t exports, at
` 77 Cr in last FY. Not yet there
We chip in with but the vision of a complete rail resource on manufacturing is still built around the IR wagon model where the buyer provides all drawings, interacts on the process, often supplies key sub-assemblies under its free supply option and the vendor is on contract for manufacturing. There is hardly much system integration by the vendors . Fuller asserts that this model is changing for IR also, even if slowly. Texmaco has an underdevelopment version of a car carrier. Supply for tank wagons in Cameroon (under repeat orders) involves Texmaco detailing the design from basic user parameters. Texmaco is also collaborating design detailing for a high capacity parcel van for IR, that will use a fish bone body design and the IR standard CASNUB bogie used on wagons, even for carriage by passenger trains. The extended design and engineering involvement has created a notable success: India built center buffer couplers and draft gears are now standards fitment on new IR wagons, a big change from the earlier IR requirement of imported assemblies, that were used for many years on IR s new wagons. The development of a better performance CBC has been a collaborative effort that involved the Texmaco foundry research team. The engineering envelope is expanding and Texmaco should evolve as a system integrator for rolling stock and infrastructure. The process is on and wil require perseverance by IR and Indian rail industry . Resourcing manpower
Challenges in skill development is a major challenge facing the Indian economy. Success in these spheres is dependent on human resources, but availability is tight. Many IR prequalification norms stipulate long
years of experience in IR projects for key personnel, and such experts are hard to come by, with a limited national pool drawn from IR. Awareness and attention to skill availability is required if project pace in an expanding scenario is to succeed. Texmaco has well realised the future impact on its project deliveries and Kalindi is actively training its staff for required skills. Workers have to be suitably trained and skilled to minimize a workforce-skill mismatch Adventz is also stepped in the skill / CSR space with a specialised institution for training in carpentry (in association with a well-known German company). Fuller added in a way personnel attrition is a key to brand building and a goal is for continuous efforts at adding to the expert and field level pool . He can lay the right stress on a balance between personnel attrition and project compliance having been a part of the fledgling Delhi Metro and L& T Metro Business Unit (and the Mumbai Mono-rail project). The IR experiences have been invaluable experiences, as he pushes his team to a faster pace on IR projects. Each road block is met with vigour and skill. IR projects are often delayed, and the reasons are varied: some projects are off schedule due to IR diverting supplies of key inputs to its own construction organisations. Getting adequate skilled labour for each project is another road block that must be met often. Wagon manufacture
This has been a core activity for Texmaco, India s largest manufacturer. Fuller asserts that wagon will continue to be on prime product portfolio and the company has integrated its steel foundry for wagon supplies. The foundry, India s best, has been successful in gaining AAR certification for the Ride Control bogie frames
TEXMACO manufactures the total range of wagons used on IR networks. From left: Bulk hopper wagons for cement major ACC, bogie tank wagons for IFFCO and the standard IR covered wagon BCNHL
10 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
I N DU S TRY S PE CI AL T EX M A C 0 that has led to exports to North America, with WABTEC USA as the marketer. CBC yokes are also exported. In recent years, the wagon business has been exciting and sometimes troublesome. While the entry of private wagon owners and new wagon designs has added to the potential and the excitement, IR s inability to put new wagon procurement on a steady stream has been a dampener. The now-on now-off actions on IR annual wagon procurement cycles disregards the fact that the industry had invested heavily in adding better processes and capacity. Manufacturers have often gone without any orders and that impacts how well the industry can respond to a need for product and process improvements. The uncertain situation has also led to a price war where contracted prices are below the purchase price of inputs. Fuller averts that these are long term dampeners for the industry and its ability to develop export markets significantly, like China, are impacted due to the absence of an internal supply schedule. The resolution must be in the form of IR ensuring annual orders for a minimum number every year. A process of a three-year projection for wagon procurement, with a minimal annual number that can be increased to match actual funding and traffic needs, can also be worked out. WAGON export list
Recent developments include IR s stainless steel BOXNS wagon where a prototype is expected soon, with series supply later this year. Car carriers in BCACBN class have also been supplied to a wagon leasing company and more are under contract. The design is being continuously tweaked to match operation experiences. Texmaco is also in the process of developing an improved design. Fuller asserts that the car carrier, 22m long when a wagon is more like 10.5 m, is more of a coach carrying cars and ensuring suitable camber and dimensional controls that befit a coach will ensure field reliability. Texmaco is also responding to the need for better step control for the upper deck to permit a better combination of various types of cars that can be carried in one formation.
Wagons exported since 1965
Region
Type
Numbers Exported
EAST AFRICA Covered wagons with sliding doors type 'CLB' Tank wagons type 'PTB' HUNGARY Low sided flat wagons type 'LSB' YUGOSLAVIA Covered wagons with sliding doors type 'GAS' to UIC design and others UGANDA Covered wagons with sliding doors type 'CLB' VIETNAM Covered wagons with sliding doors type 'MOBC' Open high sided discharge hopper wagons type 'MOB' ZAMBIA Covered wagons with sliding doors type 'CLB' SENEGAL Phosphoric acid tank (stainless steel) wagon GHANA Mineral wagon MALI Container flat wagon BANGLADESH BG & MG bogie tank wagons, brake vans, covered wagons with swing-cum-flap doors, open side discharge hopper wagons type 'MBOB', covered side discharge hopper wagons type 'MBHF' and 45 feet bogie container flat wagon CAMEROON MG tank wagon A better container wagon is also a possibility as Texmaco has a workable design sourced for UGL Australia. These wagons also need an upgrade for a 25-t axle load capacity, that will be permitted on the freight corridors under construction. A wagon type often talked about is the bulk transporter for fly ash from thermal power plants. These are expected to generate good business for all: IR, wagon manufacturers and power houses that are saddled with fly ash they do not know what to do about. A viable business model has not emerged yet, and the growth expected is proving to be chimera. Rail braking
Wabtec Texmaco Rail, the JV with Wabtec, USA was set up in 2015; sales in FY 2016 mainly comprised of wagon draft gears and friction products, yielding a turnover nearing ` 47 Cr. This JV won orders for draft gears from all major wagon manufacturers, reaching a 65% market share of 9,500 units. Export successes included for composition brake blocks to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Railways. The JV s new facility, under construction in Belgharia, should be operational this summer. A clarification was in order; Fuller clarified that the businesses handled
450 50 1500 1076 350 250 100 50 60 70 97 1056
25
by Texmaco WABTEC and Faiveley India (already acquired by Wabtec USA) will be complimentary with Faiveley concentrating on the passenger/loco applications and the Texmaco JV handling freight segments. IR approvals for various wagon fittings are in progress. Another key effort is the underdevelopment process for its prototype bogie mounted brake system due for field trials later this year. Wagon leasing
Texmaco has also entered the wagon leasing vertical in association with the French lasing company TOUAX. Wagon leasing has grown in India, but at a slow pace. A business model that has long term viability and reasonable risk assessment is needed for faster growth.
Lessee
Wagon type, number
GRFL, Container train operator CTO BLCM, 2 India Infrastructure Leasing CTO
BLCM,2
Hindalco, IR scheme LWIS for Alumina
BTAP, 2
APL Vascor, IR Auto carrier scheme AFTO
BCACBM, 2
Vicat, Kalburgi, LWIS for bulk cement BCCW,2 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
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S P E CIAL INTERV IEW F R AUSC HER
Our Indian experience has been amazing!
As Frauscher marks a milestone of its fifth anniversary of India operations, we reached out to Michael Thiel, CEO Frauscher Sensor Technology, Austria and Alok Sinha, MD, Frauscher India to check on its success story.
In a short period of five years Frauscher has chalked up the largest scope of delivery ever provided in a single project. Frauscher India has been able to make a name in the metro sector as virtually all projects in this segment are now reliant on their axle counters, with around 1,300 detection points in use. Thiel sums up the years of trying and succeeding: Our experience, in one word, has been amazing! Our business and technological successes have confirmed that the decision to open a dedicated location here was the right one. When we set up our footholds in India, we had already gained experience and were aware of the potential, and also the risks in this market. I can say that the Indian market is in fact just as impressive and unique as we keep hearing about repeatedly. Perhaps we initially underestimated the possibilities here. The market volume itself is huge and the Indian government has also drawn up impressive infrastructure plans, which will have a big impact on the railway and Metro networks. This turns out to be a successful strategy that uses know-how and openness to meet specific customer needs. Our customers have shown a soaring interest for innovative developments . A recent project is in Hyderabad where design, provision, installation, testing and commissioning of the axle count12 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
ing system were realised within less than two months. Alok Sinha attributes this execution speed to the high flexibility and short throughput times, in tune with customer deadlines. The first steps in Mumbai
The largest project has been with Mumbai Railway Vikas Co. where 1,600 detection points were used for 1,200 track sections across 19 stations. Sinha adds that the Dedicated Freight Corridor projects will include more than 9,000 detection points. The potential discovered is in fact even greater than what Thiel and Sinha had initially thought of. This meant that his team was faced with unexpected challenges, and the results show how well we have mastered these tasks . Within a few years, the Indian foothold has grown from two to more than 100 employees across three locations and we have increased our order headload to Euro 40 m. Frauscher has now established a production facility for axle counting systems and a dedicated R&D team which is working on the market specific adaptations. India-made and developed products have already been certified by IR s RDSO and other railway operators in SE Asia. Addressing specific concerns
Sinha points out a few examples, like from MRVC. The focus of this project was to maintain operations on
S PE CI AL I N T E RV I E W FRA USC H E R Mumbai's urban railway lines even in floods during the monsoon season. Around 200 of the 1,600 detection points installed are in sections with very extreme conditions.; the vibrations and shocks when trains passed exceeded 2,000 g, a tough extreme for sensitive equipment. The material which had been used to install the trackside components was in part unable to withstand these jerks and developing a suitable solution base was also made tougher by the traffic volume of more than 1,200 trains a day . Frauscher axle counting products differ from other systems due to a series of unique selling points like the options to mount sensors to the track without drilling work, without having to install any active electronics near the track or being able to establish an automatic failover, i.e. a hot-standby structure via redundancies. Another feature is the innovative diagnostic tools that are provided with axle counters. These characteristics and features have also been recommended by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety. It took quite some time to develop a satisfactory solution: though the initial approaches looked promising, problems started again after a few months leading us to continue working on alternatives and on the stability of individual components. The structure of the successful rail claw system was optimised to increase its stability. But the perfection is always a notch away and we are working on the further development of the wheel sensor RSR180. Improved materials and adapting the inner structure should also further increase its durability. For sensors in severely impacted locations, we have enhanced our portfolio with a specially developed mounting assembly . The trolley problem
Consider Frauscher solution to a local issue that has impacted signal reliability on IR stations. Push and motor rail trolleys are light weight and mobile but available solutions often did not detect their occupation of tracks. This is a serious safety hazard. Frauscher refined the Counting Head Control (CHC)principle which allows a freely definable number of dampings from a wheel sensor to be suppressed. This function, used on
The pygmy protectors: Frauscher products that ensure train operations safety lie unobtrusively on the track. Their shock resistance and compact size makes these now into must have features on any track (product shown highlighted).
rail networks around the globe, has been optimised to meet IR requirements. Another scenario that had not been covered was also identified; this occurs when a trolley is used in a track section already occupied by another vehicle. Working together with RDSO, the Frauscher team came up with a relevant adaptation of the CHC function and the damping of sensors from trolleys can now also be suppressed even if the track section is already occupied. The resulting solution was tested on site in close collaboration and can now be used here. This is an example of Frauscher s reliable and strong solutions for a market-specific problem. Getting g-local
It is often remarked that India differs substantially from other markets. Thiele adds that, in principle, each market is unique. From a strategic point of view, the Indian market is extremely important. The country presents requirements which we haven't yet come across anywhere. These include cultural differences which affect the way in which one conducts business. We have to keep reminding yourself of these differences and challenges but that ultimately gives us the opportunity to enhance the product portfolio . IR plans to extensively modernise the existing signalling system that will lead to a massive demand for axle counting products. Frauscher is scaling up suitably to address and to cope with such demands. The capacity of the three-year-old Indian production plant, which backs the Make in India initiative, currently allows a production increase of 10,000 detection
points a year, corresponding to IR s projected needs. Sinha adds that in 2018 he plans to further extend the production facility. Also, the technical skills of employees are being promoted, allowing optimum support. New tech on the way
Thiel has classed India as one of the core markets for Frauscher Tracking Solutions (FTS) system based on Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). This can offer solutions for IR s fundamental requirements that include the monitoring of train and infrastructure components and the detection of unauthorised movements in certain areas. We check the relevant characteristics of the FTS in pilot projects which are implemented in close collaboration with IR. Together we want to develop a system which facilitates the ongoing real-time monitoring of different components and the transfer of relevant information for preventive maintenance, or the execution of acute maintenance works . India is now the largest foreign collaborator for Frauscher Austria. Thiel adds: this is how we wish to continue to expand our position of leadership in the coming years in the fields of axle counting and wheel detection with the ongoing implementation of a comprehensive digitisation strategy, we want to not only continue to refine our products, but at the same time our whole working environment too . For Sinha, In a global company such as Frauscher, it is extremely important to use different communication technologies to be able to work together across borders and time zones, transfer know-how and use the skills of individuals accordingly. Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
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L O CO MOTIVES G E IN INIDA
Bengaluru certified, it works long and strong contributions to GE diesel engine progress. The Fuel System enables GET teams to test and validate the entire fuel systems components at a fraction of the cost as compared to on-engine or field testing. This rig enables the teams to test, optimize & validate functionality of fuel system components, recreate potential failure modes/field failures and assist in development of ECU Controls recipe.
Senior GE test engineers, Srikant and SGV Prasad, point out the distinctive features of their test cells in Bengaluru. Left: fuel system simulation, with hydraulic cylinders replacing diesel burning power equipment & on right: The Shaker Table that subjects parts to repetitive multi-directional endurance test loads.
As one steps past the routine security checks at the John F Welch Technology Center in Bengaluru, a few more steps lead to the Engineering Design and Development Center (EDDC) work spaces. All except a few columns in these halls carry power-hungry looking portraits of key GE diesel locomotives that stretch across contentions. The facility covers all transportation modes but the portraits on the columns stress that the prime area is railway locomotives. The few spaces still open could well be for the new GE loco on the block: the 4500 hp, all smart, diesel, now under IR trials, that will be increasingly seen on IR freight trains in coming years. The star of the exhibits could also well be the 6000 hp prototype loco that will arrive in India within this year. This is the work region for GE Transportation (GET) team staffing the Center of Excellence that is now the largest after the mother plant in Erie, USA. An international loco execution team
The EDDC, set up 19 years ago, is the largest one outside North America. EDCC has continuously grown in capacity, competency, and capability over the years. The team has been executing international loco projects over the last five years, having completed six such projects, in addition to those in process. The EDDC systems team plays a critical role in these projects as these define the requirements, flow down the same to sub-systems, conduct system validation and obtain customer acceptance. The teams also deliver on programme management and system integration to ensure smooth functioning. It is of interest that this group is now designing GE locos for some of the world markets. Special test facilities
EDCC is also equipped with special test cells that permit component and sub-assembly prove out and certification for GE users around the world. These test cells are a unique facility for engine development, as these aid with special projects for the parent USA team. We visited and interacted with test specialists SGV Prasad and Srikant as they detailed their set ups and the Indian 14 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
There is one catch that makes that possible : the power cylinders do not burn fuel but are simulated by hydraulic cylinders that equal the liner bore, all key parameters and the firing pressures. This rig is a hydraulic equivalent of the engine with all the pumps, high pressure lines, injectors, filters, etc. included; pressure pulses and interactions are accurately simulated, a huge improvement over other test stands which isolate components. The rig offers scalability from single cylinder to 6, 8, 12 & 16 configuration, flexibility to run on diesel & equivalent fluid. Closed loop-controlled drive for the high-pressure pump, engine control unit driven injections and rail pressure are supported with high-speed 16 channel data acquisition . GE should be shipping the first ever 6000 hp loco prototype to India in QIII this year. This will use a 16cylinder engine. The loco design adopts feasible components from the WDG4G design like the bogie, with enhanced traction motors. GEÂ&#x2019;s contract with IR includes 300 such locos, and series supply may start in QII-2019. Shake them hard and true
An adjoining test cell ,also a recent addition , is designed for testing large sized engine components for given vibration profiles. The 50k pound (lb.) force (=20 000 kgf) Shaker subjects components to cycling loads that simulate those from various sources such as tracks, engine, and related interactions. Such vibratory loads cause the components to fail or lose their integrity over a period and pre-tests like here certify their long-term reliability and low maintenance replacements. A shaker table or vibration testing machine provides an output that validates product during design, qualifying product meeting set standards, regulatory requirements, fatigue testing, screening products and evaluating performance. This facility, a uni Axial, water-cooled electrodynamic shaker can generate up to 1500kg (3000 lb.), a sinusoidal force up to 50000 lbf and random force up to 363000 lbf. The shaker, a 60 inches slip table that permits longitudinal, lateral and vertical shaking through a 60 in. square head expander, has a peak to peak displacement of 2.5 in. and 3 in. in shock mode, operating up to 2000 Hz frequency range and can generate 100g acceleration on a bare table. Exhaust mufflers, air-to-air inter coolers, batteries, capacitors, transformers : the list displays the wide range of components tested here. If this is certified from EDCC, it works long and strong.
LO CO MO T I V E S GE I N I N I D A
Prescription (Rx) cases that spell success
The sprawling John F Welch Technology Center in Bengaluru is a key development location for GE transportation and leads in GE diesel loco design, development and remote monitoring.
It seems logical that the state of health messages from various sensors embeded in a loco can be analysed for corrective action, much before the abnormality can lead to a service or part failure or cause costly rework. The real ability is in the learning algorithms and models that crunch these messages, generating the little red flags for attention. The proof is in the pudding. It pays to be skeptical when introducing new technology concepts and avoid hype that does not convert to practice . Our observation led Gopalakrishnan Madhabushi's (Global Engineering Site & Regional Product Leader for South Asia & SSA Regions) GE experts to sample out representative instances that are replicated many times each day. It is such actions that have led to the GE fleets across continents to deliver high availability . Case 1: A loco, say 4912, working somewhere in Provence (Texas) in very hot weather reports a water leak on the engine system. The available data is analysed to conclude a 2-day pre-attention period with a remote monitoring and diagnostics (RM&D) Rx for topping up water at the next filling station. The loco can complete its trip to Los Angeles before shopping for fixing the leak. Scenario in the absence of RM& D: a service failure, the worst case being while on run. A proven record
Case II: A key RM&D success is the total absence of any engine seizures from 2016. That is a record many loco engineers on IR will refuse to accept! Any engine seizure is a huge cost overlay and, in addition, a severe service disruption. Common problems in conventional diesel loco maintenance concern wear on the main crankshaft and other thin shell bearings, engine sub -system temperatures and power assembly wear. Maintenance procedures have for long included engine crank case oil spectroscopy and parameter checks but RM&D analytics brings in a new layer of real time intelligence as it compares specific trends on measured values, often drawn at fueling points (a loco
may visit a maintenece facility in 90 days, too long for useful predictive checks). Traditional sampling and analyses is subjective and too spread out for real gains. GE Technology Center experts explain that the RM&D system builds a digital twin of the physical system, in what they call a machine learning based ensemble model where intermediate system values can be simulated to see where these will lead to. This AI brings a new level to the Rx process. Intelligence and data crunching
Case III: Some correlations between performance and parameters have long been suspected but it is only with well-developed analytics that many cause-effect duos can be surveyed and established. A typical question may be like whether traction motor current data can be used to establish a wheel skid. That may appear farfetched in existing systems but could be a reality with RM&D analytics. The system can crunch adapt and find trends at amazing speeds and fidelity to prove yet unknown metrics that can help service reliability and costs. Highest ever availability
GE s Roza loco facility will start up with such monitoring in place. It is factors like these that GE experts in Bengaluru expect to outperform the 95 % availability stipulated in the IR contract. Similar much-above-the-contract results are expected on service failures (defined as any disruption in loco service or loss of power below 80% lasting more than 30 minutes). Data logging will ensure that these are fully reported, and reasons established. For such condition based monitirng system, a key factor that inhibits larger deployment is the tendency for false positives, a problem reported when physically absent. IR experience on a rail impact detector shows this as the system has been reported to generate unexpected false positives. It is reported that overall a 91% accuracy is already achieved; that can only become better each day as the machine learning process works real time and actively 24x7. Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
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L O CO MOTIVES G E IN INIDA
24x7 data centers on rails Movie directors over-dramatise the scene of a lead actor lying supine after an accident/ bash up on various life supports with all varieties of beeping monitors and fluid tubes connected to the actor, and for some reason, in pristine white bandages. In real life, the monitoring in modern medicine, real and effective as it is, is getting more predictive each development day. Modern machines and plants are now getting wired up even when not sick on a scale that would put even the most melodramatic movie scenes into obscurity. A modern GE loco may have up to 50 embedded sensors transmitting beeps, some every second, to monitoring center hundreds of kilometers away, even at the other end of the world. The key difference is that the loco sensors are attached to a healthy machine , on run at its fullest capability and not to a limping outdoor machine. The loco data is seen and acted upon by the software medicos and GE experts and Rx prescribed faster than the emotive appeal to ruling Gods by the lead actor s mother in a Bollywood typical. A GE loco gets the best possible CRM service that technology can offer today . GE has a team of 40 professionals monitoring a worldwide fleet of 18000 locos. A class apart
Basic efforts like IR s REMLOTT are, to quote an industry expert, level 0 and post-mortem that have low success rates in equipment performance prediction, and practically the offering may result in 85% max loco service availability. GE systems are wired for life high success rates, with up to 95 % availability rates. All this is now being made possible for most trains and locos as these are designed for live sensor monitoring. Monitoring on the GE loco fleet is increasingly being developed by GE.T s Bengaluru based teams. A priori rules filter the inputs, drawing recommendatory conclusions. The analytics depend on rule-based fitting, and the IR fleet will deploy about 1000 of these from about 3000 available for the GE fleet worldwide. Consider offshoots possible: active fuel monitoring, hard braking applied etc. are actions that operational managers need to know but conventional technology does not provide any tools. For IR fleet, the technical details will
Energy policy
Referring to 'All is not well with the energy policy for rail' by AK Banerji, I have serious doubts about his statements on modern diesel locos being more energy efficient than straight electric locos and that the pollution load is much higher with electric traction than with self-generating diesels. I wish these had been supported by well accepted and researched data.
18 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
be actively developed in association with RDSO. GE.T systems are being continually developed by its dedicated team in the Global Performance Optimisation Center located in a Bengaluru business park that is also charged with advanced prognostics responsibilities. The methods are applied across various equipment types: like GE.T is successfully applying these to Komatsu Highway vehicles (for mining industry) that use GE propulsion systems. GE also has a well-developed Predix programme for industrial applications, but the loco remote monitoring is based on an independent platform. Driving aids
Networks are now working at fuel savings and runtime optimisation by deploying aids to the driver. Many systems are commercially available, and these provide useful clues to the loco driver on power throttling and braking, coordinated with the track terrain and signal aspects. The driver still remains in charge. High speed train sets deploy auto-driving and cab signalling, with a supervisory role for the driver. GE offers auto-drive systems only, that are fully integrated with the train control systems. GE has installed its proprietary systems for watching the Roza based IR fleet. Alstom locos are possibly similarly equipped. IR also has basic monitoring systems in place for its current fleet of recent locos. The case for IR developing an integrated loco condition monitoring system is opening. IR development has options: adopt the current GE system, as a second party contract, with its machine learning(AI) capabilities and integrate it for other loco types. The business model of an external agency being used for such support is also possible; some examples of European networks adopting this model have been quoted. A third-party model that uses any other developer s package for all loco classes is also possible. Another long-term possibility is integrating the loco monitoring with the train communication-based network deployed on modern passenger train sets. This will require IR acquiring its own monitoring platform. Some crystal gazing can point out a long-term framework for conditionbased monitoring applications covering rolling stock and infrastructure.
Dear Editor Even the statement that US railroads rather than the European or Japanese networks should be our models for traction does not meet facts on the ground. IR is increasingly getting passenger dominated and there is hardly any similarity with US railroads. ...AK Jain, ex Additional Member, IR Board
C O N STRUCTION NEW HIMAL AYAN P R O JE CT
The Himalayan challenge for linking two Srinagars Chinyalisour
Boodha Kedar
Forest Range
Kalimath
Malla Jogath
Rudra Nath
Ukhimath Makhdet
Chamiyala 34
Dhanolti
Chamoli Gopeshwar
Ghansali
KANATAL
Khand
Agastmuni
Mayali
Thela
New Tehri
Chopta Dwara
Pokhari
Nandaprayag
34
GAUCHAR
RUDRAPRAYAG Bhali Thano
KARNAPRAYAG
7
SRINAGAR
Chhatoli 109
7
Ghurdauri
Narendra Nagar
Doiwala
DEVAPRAYAG
Trikot
Khirsu
309
Pauri Nishnee
7
RISHIKESH
309
Southi
Sounth
Bharsar
Salyana
The serpentine alignment for the Karanprayag link is determined by Himalayan contours that have led to multiple long tunnels on this tough and demonstrative project being executed by RVNL.
SC Agnihotri CMD RVNL, New Delhi
The better-known Srinagar (in Kashmir) already has a rail link, though it will be some years (unpredictable at present) till the valley line is joined to the IR network through the Jammu-Banihal link. It may well be a race in time with the just started rail link that will link the other Srinagar (In Uttarakhand Himalayas) to Rishikesh as construction has just started on the broad-gauge line between Rishikesh and Karanprayag, that will connect Devprayag, Srinagar-the other one, Rudarprayag, Gauchar and Karanprayag. Any rail project that includes 82% tunnelling in the Himalayas cannot but be an exciting one, for the engineer, planner, local resident, a dreamer or a rail fan. A core contributor to the project success is the choice of alignment that bridges various geological factors, constructability, operational feasibility, environment concerns and costs. The hiccups from the Banihal Jammu project are still delaying the project, even as the link alignment was re-assessed some years back due to doubts on the geological stability of the route chosen. 19th century India was in the forefront of constructing narrow gauge railways to hill stations and the Darjeeling DHR, Ooty rack railways and the Shimla line are cherishable legacies. But the new lines connecting the two Srinagars are a different cup, that depend on exciting technologies and super smooth project management.
20 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
Lessons acted upon
It was time for us to connect with Satish Agnihotri, CMD, Rail Vikas Nigam RVNL to get some insights for the alignment choices made for the 125 km project and how the lessons from the Kashmir link project have been learnt. IR entrusted RVNL with the implementation of this project in Sep. 2011. Based on preliminary alignment study by Northern Railway (NR), the project was sanctioned in 2011 at a preliminary ` 4295 Cr abstract project cost. The alignment in the NR reconnaissance survey was a skirting alignment with 81 small tunnels, limited to 58.64 kms. However, adverse geology has made the final alignment to be pushed into the hills, needing 17 long tunnels over 105.4 km. As physical details and more studies on the tough Himalayan terrain came up during RVNL assessment, project costs escalated, and a detailed estimate of ` 16216 Cr was sanctioned in Nov 2016. The package size of the project and various engineering risks merited that best available expertise digs into the project details. That was our best lesson from the Kashmir project and we have taken multi-tier validation process to ensure that no hiccups hit the project in construction stages SC Agnihotri Final Location Survey
Considering topographical constraints and challenges,
CO N S T RU CT I O N N E W H I MAL AYAN P R O J EC T
Satellite imagery in high resolution for all possible alignments, 2.5 km either side of the alignment, has been used to arrive at a route that is cost effective and constructible.
RVNL has, at the pre-planning stage, made use of latest technology and used international consultants, reputed technical institute and experts in tunnelling, bridges, geological studies etc. The Final Location Survey (FLS) consultancy contract was awarded to Geodata New Delhi, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Italian parent company. A three-tier validation process included proof consultancy by IIT-Roorkee, with its Director heading the team. Geodata carried out the alignment survey work in three stages: Stage-I (completed): Creation of digital elevation model of the terrain of project area, design & study of alignment options; Stage-II (completed): Geological survey (1:25000 medium scale) along the stage-I approved alignment and consequent refinement Stage-III (nearing completion): Detailed geological survey (1:5000 large scale), geo-physical survey along alignment, as refined in Stage-II, further refinement and field staking of the final alignment Pictures from high above
Surveying technology based on satellite imagery has been used to overcome constraints imposed by field topography and to reduce the time frame for the FLS. Agnihotri explained that highest resolution stereo satellite imagery available for civilian use was deployed with 50cm resolution captured by US World View-2 (WV-2). Satellite images purchased through National Remote Sensing
Centre, Hyderabad were corrected and processed after necessary adjustments using precise 80 ground control points determined using DGPS and total station survey. A high accuracy (Â&#x2DC;2m) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), much superior to Google Earth, was created in a corridor of 2.5 km either side of preliminary (by NR) alignment in RECT Survey. WV-2 multi spectral and panchromatic digital satellite images, duly orthorectified and pan-sharpened to 0.50m resolution, were draped over the DEM for better visualisation. Technical parameters considered for the alignment design (keeping in view operational requirement) were: a ruling compensated gradient of 1 in 80, 2.5ocurvatures (exception: up to 4o), bridge height generally less than 35m, stations locations in open to sky in flat terrain and tunnel constructability issues like accessibility, space for working, portal geology etc. All options on the table
In Stage-I, 51 alignment sub-options (approx. 600 km length) between various probable stations were developed and studied utilizing the high accuracy DEM and satellite imagery. Field visits by consultants and RVNL engineers examined the locations of bridges and tunnel portals. Based on these desktop and field studies, the alignment sub-options were further combined for further comparative studies into three viable complete alignment options based on construction feasibility, accessibility, station locations, block sections length etc. The three final alignment options
were further studied through multicriteria analysis, giving due weightage to constructability, functionality, operation, safety, maintainability, environmental and social impacts, geological considerations and cost. The construction of a railway in rugged Himalayan topography with complex geology poses risks/uncertainties and technical challenges which will demand necessary safeguards at the initial design stage itself to minimize these issues later during construction and operation stages. With these considerations, RVNL appointed a committee of experts (EC of M Ravindra, Ex- Chairman, IR Board, Dr J Golsar of Geoconsult Austria, an international tunnel expert and Dr V K Raina, international bridge expert) This group had also re-evaluated the Banihal project alignment when doubts over its geological stability arose midway during project construction. The EC recommendations have been incorporated in the final design. Parameters
Final alignment
Total length (km)
125.20
Stations
12
Tunnels, number, length in km
17, 105.5 84.2 % of route
Escape tunnels, km
98.54
Max length of tunnel (km)
15.10
Important bridges, length m
16, 2835
Max height, length of bridge(m)
50, 460, 2,26 % of route length
Open cutting/ embankment, length kms
16.89, 13.49%
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
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C O N STRUCTION NEW HIMAL AYAN P R O JE CT Electrification
Non-electrified with provisions for future
Maximum speeds: goods and passenger trains, kph
65, 100
Limiting gradient in station yards
1 in 400
Bridge loading
25 t standard, IR 2008
Seismic Zone
Zone-IV.
The tunnel dominated project lists 16 major bridges, longer spans listed here Location
Span arrangement, length in m
Chandrabhaga
10 x 30.5
Kaudiyala
1 x 18.3 + 1 x 76.2 +1 x 18.3
Devprayag
1 x 24.4 + 1 x 76.2 + 1 x 24.4
Alaknanda Lachmoli
1 x 30.5 + 46.97+ 2 x 72+ 46.97+ 1 x 24.4
Alaknanda Srinagar
15 x 30.5
Dhari
1 x 30.5 + 49.67+2 x 72 + 1 x 46.97
Gholtir
46.97+72+46.97
Gauchar
46.97 + 5 x 72 + 46.97
The issue of final approval to the alignment was delegated by the IR Board to RVNL and CMD has approved the alignment as recommended by the Consultant, Proof Consultant (IIT-Roorkee) and the EC. Detailed geotechnical investigations on the approved alignment are now in hand. Tunnelling
Clearly the success of the project will be determined by the skills, logistics and technology employed in the 17 tunnels, that vary from 220 m to a tough 15.1 km. 11 of these 17 tunnels are longer than 5 km, signifying the challenges. With the success of the New Austrian Tunnel Boring technology in the Qazi Gund Banihal tunnel that links the first Srinagar, NATM is the preferred choice for tunnelling, though options for standard tunnel boring machines have been retained for 6 of the longer tunnels (only 2 below 1 km!). Starting up
Work has been divided in three packages and work on three bridges in Package-1 has started. The bridge 22 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
over Chandrabhaga, one ROB & one RUB at Rishikesh, awarded in Feb 2017, should be completed by Feb 2019. Bids are under invitation for 454 m long important bridge at Srinagar on Alaknanda, planned for construction separately. Another Bridge at Janasu on the Alaknanda is also independent of yards and tunnels portals and is also being taken up separately. Bids for detailed design are under invitation. Road bridge on Alaknanda on approach road to Karanprayag station has been designed and bids for construction are also under invitation. Bids for first block section, Virbhadra and New Rishikesh, likely commissioning in next FY, have been opened. Tunnelling has been divided in 9 packages. Tenders for package 1 are now under consideration. For Package-2 & 5 bids have been invited while bids for balance packages will be invited in coming months in phases, depending upon progress of the geotechnical surveys. Bids for design consultants for tunnelling work are under process/evaluation while bids for construction of Adit of tunnels T1, T2 and T3 are under invitation. Land
790-hectare revenue and forest land acquisitions are required. Type
Hectares, proportion
Forest Land
564
71 %
Government Land 59
7.5 %
Private Land
169
21 %
Total
790
100%
The forest land falls in 6 divisions; diversion for non-forestry purpose has been approved in phases 1 &2. Phase-I proposal involving about 63.4-hectare reserve forest land in Dehradun Division has been submitted by the State Government to Environment officials in Dehradun. Stage-1 & Stage-2 clearance (*these terms refer to defined milestones in relevant Acts and rules) for Phase-1 and Stage-2 clearance for the Phase2 has been granted. Phase-2 proposal involving about 500 hectares forest land is now in process; Stage-1 clearance for the Phase-2 has been granted in August-2017 and for Stage-2 clearance for the Phase-2 in Feb 2018.
Revenue land acquisition proposals, involving 45 villages with 169 hectares of private land have been submitted after completing the Joint verification work up to district level. Acquisition of private land required Social Impact Assessment (SIA) study by the State prior to issue of Section 11 notification*. Section-11 has also been published for all districts while the Relief and Rehab (R&R) policy has been finalized for all districts. Section 19 Notifications for all districts has been published. District Collectors of all 4 districts have issued notices under section 21. Complete acquisition of private land is expected by June 2018. Process of acquiring 59.3 hectare government revenue non-forest land has been completed by the Uttarakhand government, issuing orders for transfer of land identified. State government has given permission for Geo Technical Investigations that are now in progress. Of the seven packages involving about 16000 m drilling, 3 have been completed while the balance should be completed by Jun 2018. Shifting of utilities
Money deposits as required were made to State agencies for shifting of infringing utilities. Work in most utilities has been completed in close coordination except at one location involving an overhead power line. Few open issues that remain: road Bridge and shifting of a hospital at Srinagar, land for the new hospital must be allotted by State Govt. and diversion of NH-58 at 3 locations required for RVNL works to start. Dreaming ahead
FLS for new rail connectivity to Char Dham (327km), sanctioned by Railway Board in the current FY, is being executed by RVNL. This has been assigned to Yuksel Proje Uluslararasi, Ankara, Turkey. This challenging rail construction project will need support and skills in full measure if it is to open even before the Banihal link. RVNL care in the planning stage should serve the cause well. It is hoped that the two Srinagar projects will be the new age twins of railways in the daunting hill ranges of the North.
CO N S TRUCTION R R I K HAR AG P UR
Controlling a complex rail yard, the modern way have developed the yards since the first lines were laid in rural Kharagpur (named after a local deity) may be back in 1889. From a line to a smudge
The smudge growth traces back to the first line construction in 1882 when a 149-mile meter gauge line was laid from Nagpur to Rajnandgaon. The newly set up Bengal Nagpur Railway converted this to 1676mm broad gauge, with an extension to Asansol for the coal traffic. The extension on the East Coast for Cuttack that joined an existing link to Vishakhapatnam (in 1901), completed the core mesh. The railway town grew organically, becoming bigger with the 1898 start of the adjoining workshops that handled all types of rolling stock. SK Biswas, Principal Chief Signalling and Telecom Engineer, S E Railway: looking back at a project handled with skill and schedule.
The rail map of Kharagpur stares at me as if daring or mocking me. I can make out what appear to be large smudges of ink on a fair-sized paper sheet, even as some lines stick out of the blots, almost dis-arraying the smudges. Perhaps a table sized print would differentiate the lines, but that is not to be. The fact that some platforms are laid end to end (these are some of the longest rail platforms anywhere) does make the task tougher. The intricate rail yard layout is not an error as the whole area is indeed infested with multiple crossings and connections in various directions. Some lines can carry traffic in one direction only, others in both, a few are restricted to goods trains and many preferred for express trains as these afford faster less turn out routes. The smudge has adequate reasons. This is a start of trying to decipher Asia s largest electronic signalling project, now up and running in Kharagpur. Some sense comes to the layout as, SK Biswas, Principal Chief Signal and Telecom Engineer (PCSTE), South Eastern Railways draws out paper and simplifies the smudges into simple traffic blocks and a series of arrows. Some respect for rail evolves from the earlier incomprehension for the many railway planners and engineers who
Kharagpur (IR code KGP), on a key A route, is the gateway to South Eastern Railway, the busiest junction in in SER Zone (Howrah works under Eastern Railway control). It connects Howrah to Mumbai, Chennai, Adra/Purulia and New Delhi via Tatanagar and Bhubaneshwar. The train traffic from all directions bundles 275 trains every day. That also was good reason for the government to decide upon setting up the first IIT in 1960s in this railway town . The earliest rail engineering was simple: each part of the yard was controlled by a cabin man who set the route by pulling a set of levers, some of which worked the banner (semaphore) signals also. The controls were enforced by the cabin men exchanging private numbers in authentication and responsibility and the very occasional mistakes or overconfidence meant trains on conflicting tracks and even an occasional disaster. Some procedures were automated over the years by granting slots when a pull on a lever would lock the rail route in a defined fashion. Kharagpur yard in fact had number of cabins and goomties at one point, all connected by slot-interlocks and time consuming operational procedures. Yard operation for allowing trains was slow, generally safe, but that limited the number of trains that could be transacted in a day. The time spaces between trains were expanded by the need for series actions by the staggered cabins. And that used a large workforce also.
Now and then: 2017, RRI control panels in Kharagpur, during the last-minute pre-commissioning prove out in Nov 2017. Right: turning fast to museum pieces, a typical mechanical lever-controlled cabin-based route settings; limited numbers of such installations now survive on IR mainlines.
24 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
CO N S T RU CT I O N RRI KH A R A G P UR Trace back to 1975
The first RRI was commissioned at Churchgate (Mumbai) in 1956 at Howrah in 1968. Mechanical signals gradually adopted electric interlocks and relays before RRI made its advent in KGP in 1975. This was expected to last 25 years, but technological obsolescence had overtaken it much before that age. The initial RRI locations depended on special signalling relays and humongous lengths of connecting cables that made construction and layout modifications tough and timeconsuming replacement plan was sanctioned in IR pink book in 2008 at an estimate of ` 12.39 Cr (an abstract estimate in IR terminology). This was a gross understatement as the first detailed estimate in 2007 widened the scope of work and the cost by a considerable margin. Biswas explained that the project grew from a straight replacement programme to accommodate incorporation of the chicken neck created by construction of a third track towards Howrah(East end of the yard) and doubling of the single line track to Gokulpur that leads on to Adra and Asansol. The project assumed still larger shape due to the introduction of in and out signalling movements from 3 new platforms (Pf-3A, 7 & 8) and amalgamation of of predominant goods cabin called DN Despatch cabin. The first revised estimate was sanctioned in 2011 to include electronic interlocking with a mammoth 550 signal routes. The gaps in the operational needs were still not met and a 2014 review increased this further to 645 routes. The apex had still not been reached as the signal routes increased to 750 during approval to the preconstruction signaling plans. The complex arrangements also required that goomties (= small room/shed) needed to grow to 8 from an initial 4. The final estimate based on distributed type electronic interlocking with 800 signal routes was finally sanctioned in Nov2015. The 3rd revised estimate was finally set at a much higher expenditure. The successive interactions for signalling routes and costs did not help in quick action on the first bid call in Oct 2012 as the technical bids opened in Dec 2012 and financial bids three
When dawns and dusks do not matter: a hectic work schedule in pre-commissioning days in Kharagpur yard.
months later. A contract based on the estimate of ` 27.05 Cr was released in Feb 2014. Pre-planning in brown fields
The contract in 2014 involved the construction of a new two storey RRI building and 8 goomties. It is quite evident in such a mammoth yard; every single activity will require a lot of planning before actual execution. Laying approximately 400 km of signalling cable through urban settlements and already overloaded Cable mines is itself a big challenge and The route maze
that too without mistakenly affecting the running one, which might have resulted in severe traffic disruption in existing setup. This work involved replacement of motor operated points in 135 locations and electrical wirings were arranged in such a tricky manner which will require least time to commission in the new installation without practically touching them! Lot of points and crossovers were dismantled and even more were reinserted to add flexibility to the East side of the yard.
In 2104
Now
Gokulpur, towards Asansol
Token less block instrument, on single track
Double tracks with Bi-directional traffic controlled by two tokenless instruments
Towards Nimpura goods yard
Inter-cabin slotting arrangements
Retained
Towards Hijli (East coast Madras line)
Token less block instrument, on single track
Retained
Towards Howrah (Jatpur)
Automatic blocks with One additional Bione UP and one DN line directional Automatic line with Automatic Permissive Block
Signals (2, 3 and 4 aspect signals)
26/8/7
52/13/12
Dispatch shunt signals
22
55
Point machines
139
189
Number of routes
422
800 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
25
CO N S TRUCTION R R I K HAR AG P UR The largest electronic yard in Asia now has l
800 signal routes
l
189 points
l
93 main signals
l
46 calling-on signals
l
230 DC track circuits
l
23 track sections of multi entry axle counters (MSDACs)
l
05 block instruments at one end
l
Automatic signalling on other links towards Howrah
By way of comparison, a road side station on a double line route will involve just 25-30 signal routes. The work multiplies manifold with increase in signal routes. These works were executed during pre non-interlocking period, which means that there must be a makeshift interfacing arrangement which will allow the yard to continue with an old Heart and accommodate new peripheral Limbs . Testing of the new
installation was another complex part. Field gears had to be tested earlier without disrupting the normal traffic. Various safety checks, confirmation of interlocking, flexibility adjustments and of course special requirements remained an integral part of this bustling and vibrant yard.
Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA), Square sheet Test ( Availability Testing), Technical System Application Approval (TSAA), Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) Sanction.
The electronic interlocking is achieved through complex interchange of bits and bytes through Optical Fiber Connectivity between 11 types of cards that are spread over 9 locations: 8 goomties and the central (mother) location. Electric track territories have their own complications, as the overhead 25 kV lines also needs re-positioning, and portals laid out to avoid any conflicts. These works go on as physically possible and a close coordination with executing agencies is inbuilt. 3 x50 kVA transformer were also installed to aid to the signalling / operations demand.
Dismantling of 18 points and insertion of 19 fresh ones; these take the most time in the pre-NI periods. IR now uses PSC based points layout in all its locations.
Flow of certification process:
The menu: Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Site Acceptance Test (SAT), Failure
FAT: two months, 2 shift bases SAT: 23 days (July /August 2017)
The project pre-NI and NI work is staff intensive, with each person certified to be fully conversant with local rules for train running. Various activities were handled by defined 58 staff groups, with clear-cut assignments for each work day. Resources were pulled out from various SER divisions: an estimate puts the requirements at 58 technical supervisors, 70 technicians and an equal number of helpers. CSTE (Chief Signal & Telecommunication Engineer) oversaw the project and was assisted by a group of officers and staffs from other divisions as well.
Soumitra Majumdar, Chief Passenger Transportation Manager, SER views the impact of this work.
speed restriction of 15 kph over a prolonged period and public reactions. The bold call of a 12-hour closure immediately set the adrenaline pumping.
At 18.12 On 19 Nov 2017, a combination of modern gadgets, immaculate planning, a resilient and robust system and a dedicated workforce gelled perfectly for the year s most important project on the SER .
The EI not only gave the option of a conventional panel for the station staff but also has a VDU to set train routes at the click of a mouse. Operations at 3 old lever operated cabins were amalgamated into the new EI panel, giving the operator a broader overall picture of the yard. Direct connectivity to the third line between Panskura and Kharagpur, till now only up to Jakpur, one station short of KGP, with auto signalling facility available. The twin single line between Kharagpur and Gokulpur eases out congestion on the Midnapur- Adra section. Passenger handling capacity has been enhanced by linking two new platforms (8 & 9) to the EI.
Kharagpur mega-junction handles 116 pairs of trains per day. The complex maze of yard lines, underpasses, flyovers, joint lines etc at the adjacent Nimpura freight yard lays out a recipe for operational delays. RRI replacement was the only option, the only questions were when and how. Any work of this nature and magnitude would normally require several days of NI working and related operational dis-functions. Never say perfect!
After initial discussions, 13 days pre-NI followed by 3 days of NI had been proposed. Animated discussions led by Akhil Agarwal, DG (S&T), IR Board and SN Agarwal, General Manager, SER established a single day NI proposal. We realised the repercussions and had to brace with an uncommon idea of a complete closure of KGP yard for 12 hours. Initially the doubts remained but the other scenario was equally intimidating - more than two weeks of NI, traffic blocks each day,
26 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
Benefits to operations
Only 19 suburban train were cancelled in the 13-day period. The real D day was the 16th where there was no wheel movement for 12 hours across Kharagpur yard. The NI could be completed in 10 hours instead of the planned 12 a certificate to the elaborate plans. Trains avoiding KGP
Five Express trains require reversal at KGP platform. Stoppage of these trains at Hijli bypassing KGP was planned; road shuttle services between KGP and Hijli were arranged. SER has now gone ahead with permanent bypassing of Kharagpur via Hijli which will also lead to 30 minutes time saving on these trains.
TRA N SPORTATION AUTO - C AR R IER S
Auto-carrier designs are still evolving sition of the rake is 25 wagons, with a per wagon capacity of 4 to 5 cars, leading to a maximum capacity of 125 cars. BCCN
In the earliest effort to increase the per rake throughput, RDSO had in 1997 designed BCCN wagons, with two decks and capability to load smaller cars on each of the decks. These were covered BCN class wagons, 20m length across couplers and made in consist of 5 wagons (2 A & 3 B). The complete rake could load about 240 cars in a set of 5 consists. However, these were not popular because of height constraints leading to inadequate coverage of the product portfolio as high roof cars could not be loaded. Two rakes were manufactured in Jagadhari Worksop of Northern Railway. BCCNR
IR trains have been transporting cars since 1990s, initially in converted coaches that carried cars in a single deck. Multiple variants are still being tried out, though the entry of private wagon owners under IR s Auto Freight Train Operators (AFTO) is a good augury for the future. Overall the market for automobile logistics looks exciting and with the freight corridors around the corner, larger envelope and longer train formations will bring in even better designs like Tri-levels and more advanced features to the Indian market. Here we present a summary of various designs. NMG (New Modified Goods)
The earliest and rather rudimentary design for transporting automobiles carried automobiles in single deck. These were passenger coaches considered unfit for passenger, often older than 20 years, that were converted in IR workshops by welding shut all the window and door openings and instead creating end flap doors to allow vehicles to be driven inside the wagon . NMGs continue to be popular as these allow a smaller train load, albeit at a higher per unit cost of transportation. Standard compo-
28 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
After it became clear the BCCN cannot become the preference of the auto logistic industry, RDSO in 2000 introduced a modified version BCCNR. These wagons were not having a middle deck and as such could be used for not only high roof automobiles but also for other products like tractors and small construction equipment. Both the BCCN & BCCNR experiments had shown to IR that the industry is going to prefer higher volumes together with wider coverage across different product categories. These two experiments deserve their place in the development chronology as key turn around points where IR was able to appreciate concerns of the customers in terms of flexibility and diversity. BCACM
IR also uses bi-level auto-car carrier, modified BCACM type rakes, developed by converting container carrying BLC wagons into double decker carriers. Two such BLC rakes were modified, each with 45 wagons per rake and with a capacity of 268 small cars (Suzuki's A-Stars) per rake. BCACBM (Variant A)
Developed in 2013 by RDSO for transportation of automobiles, these specially designed wagons can carry a maximum of 12 automobiles per wagon with a maximum carrying capacity of 318 small cars in a double decker format. The wagon design is unique as it uses the
T RAN S PO RTAT I O N AU T O - CA R R I E R S maximum envelope (that of the EMU coach) thereby enabling even bigger automobiles to be accommodated. It is by far the longest wagon with a 22.62 m length between headstocks. The wagon has a movable middle deck which means that various combinations of automobiles (small cars, sedans, MUVs and SUVs) can be carried. Maruti Suzuki is registered under IRÂ&#x2019;s AFTO policy, investing in the first three rakes of this design. As with any new design, a few initial problems noticed with the wagon in door, floor and deck mechanism received modifications. APL Vascor, the second entrant in the AFTO schemes, procured three rakes initially, a minimum in the AFTO policy. Along the way, RDSO kept a close eye on the wagons, making incremental changes to take care of operational issues. Nine rakes are operating in various sectors.
Media association
BCACBM (Variant B)
However, the industry had many more changes that they wanted in these wagons. Some of these related to operations and some to design. RDSO reached out to various stakeholders and incorporated many of the ideas in the variant B of the design that had similar leading dimensions, tare weight and carrying capacity. These wagons for the first time incorporated a corrugated roof and middle deck to bring more strength to the design. The first rake prototype is under series production. Concurrently while the existing players have added 9 more rakes, new providers like IVC and JKTI have registered themselves as AFTOs, planning to invest in at least nine more rakes in the current year. COR
Major wagon manufacturers like Titagarh Wagons Limited (TWL) and
4305 mm from rail level
Coupler Height 861mm Width over sole bar: 2900mm
Texmaco have started developing their own designs as well looking at the potential of the automobile logistics by rail. The TWL design (COR) is presently undergoing trials. (Compiled from inputs provided by industry experts)
EVENTS
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
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HI G H SPEED RAIL MOV ING DIM EN SION S
Wide body Shinkansen high speed coach for 6 in row setting option, limits services to new links only as it eliminates interoperability options for service expansion on adjoining spokes on the IR mainlines.
4400 3000
Other issues in adoption of the 1676mm gauge 1500
3200 3200
2690
1435
Loading Gauge
3650
Structure Gauge Construction Gauge Source: Study Team
Loading Gauge and Structure Gauge for HSR
The maximum train width of 3380 mm in Shinkansen standards is above the 2904 mm in France, and 3020 mm in Germany. China has also adopted 3380mm.The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed link(MAHSR) will adopt this higher coach width. Shinkansen width permits 5/6 seats in a row as well as easier adoption of a double decker coach. A comparison of the Shinkansen and European (technical interoperability) standards shows differences in coach width (3380 mm, Shinkansen first) /2940mm, max train height (4000/3420 mm) and floor level (1300/1020 mm). The operational OHE height is around 5 m. MAHSR will not use the 1676 mm Indian broad gauge (BG), as internationally HSRs have adopted the 1435 mm standard gauge(SG). Rescaling available Shinkansen technology to a 1676 mm BG would have entailed fresh developmental and prove-out expenditure and expertise. Commercial success of HSR network depends foremost on how well services offered compact the total travel time for inter-city travellers. The 1435 mm adoption, the easiest HSR SOD comparisons Network Maximum train width mm Track centers m Double line formation width m Min curve radius km Tunnel cross section m2 Max gradient %
Shinkansen 3380 4 to 4.3 10.9 to 11.7 2.5 to 4 62.8 to 63.5 35
30 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
TGV France 2904 4.2 to 4.8 13.6 to 14.2 4 to6.25 71 to 100 35
Compatibility of OHE height and tolerance to fluctuation
l
Ability of the coaches designed for smoother vertical and transverse profile to negotiate sharp points and crossings, as prevailing on the present IR system. While the Indian main line has 1 in 12 points, developed networks use easier 1 in 16 and 1 in 18 points.
l
Sharp curves would need a greater rotational flexibility of the coach bogies vis a vis the high-speed routes.
l
Rail cant may be a major issue: Shinkansen uses 1 in 40 cant compared to 1 in 20 in India, and that changes the dynamics of rail wheel interaction. While it may be possible to run 1 in 40 canted wheels on 1 in 20 canted rails, but this may cause unusual damage to the wheel profile.
6450
5450
4000
4000 4600
3400 4500
5450
1900
l
China 3380 5.0 13.4 to 13.8 4 to 9 90 to 100 35
Moving dimensions
SG adoption has obvious offshoots like deciding the travel envelope that HSR coaches can have (the Maximum Moving Dimensions MMD on IR), the largest train cross section permitted, the Schedule of Dimensions SOD, also determines maximum clearances that permanent structures like platforms, bridges, line-side structures, overhead supply lines etc. provide. IR s SOD is the construction gauge in most other systems. The train to structure clearance must ensure zero interference in the worst case but widening the envelope has cost issues. MAHSR will in effect adopt Japanese practice, except that track to track clearance has been increased to 4.5 m (4.3 m in Shinkansen). When the Shinkansen project was decided upon in 1950s, a key item, the Construction Standard , was formulated by April 1958, considering not only conventional technology at that time but also prospect of development. Current maximum operation speed is above the maximum design speed at the date of construction: the Tokaido line, constructed initially for 210 kph max, has small radius curves but the current maximum has reached 285 kph through adopting digital ATC signalling, tilting system and high-performance traction/braking equipment into rolling stock . Formation of rolling stock and structural gauge has not been changed. Design reviews
IR s SOD is detailed and conservative. Present BG SOD of IR is based on MMD corresponding to the static profile. Considering the large-scale construction being undertaken of fixed structure, it is time that
H I GH S PE E D RAI L MO V I N G DI MEN S I O N S Standards adopted for Mumbai -Ahmedabad high speed rail
Track centers min m
Formation width m
4.5
11.5
Min Max cant Min vertical Max mainline Max curve deficiency horizontal curve cant mm curve radius @ radius gradient mm m 350 kph m 180
90
6000
25 000
the SOD is based on kinematic envelope. IR may be taking up a revision. Modern designs should not need waivers for exceeding the limits or minimize such infringements on the MMD stipulations at the design stage itselfÂ&#x2019;Â&#x2026;. From an IR meeting.
To that the effect of all the movements that the coach body may undergo beyond the outer periphery due to movements like bouncing, hunting, lurching, rolling etc., track and the rolling stock maintenance parameters is added.
A key consideration is that the Shinkansen gauge is not a kinematic, but a static gauge and the clearances allowed should be in the mode in which the train is moving.
This envelope which determines the theoretical outer bounds of the coach running on straight level track is known as the Kinematic Envelope. A safety margin is added determining the structure gauge. This lays down minimum clearances that permanent structures must provide.
Various issues in SOD adoption have been addressed by the Japanese Study team working on MAHSR while setting standards for the Indian project. The team broke down various elements of the IR schedule into items necessary for fixing basic alignment, those for design of infrastructure and rolling stock and those redundant for the HSR link. Technically the SOD is derived from the envelope of the cross section of the stationary rolling stock planned.
Platforms and track centres
The study team has recommended platform clearance of 85 mm for a stopping station and 125 mm for a run-through location. These limits have evolved from experience; a physical laser-based measurement at a station in Japan showed a max change of 15mm for a run-through train and 18 mm for a stopping train.
1 in 40
Turnout for mainline 1 in 18, movable nose
The adoption of the wider track centres for MAHSR wil permit 0.2 m higher clearance between two passing trains: this is 0.9 m now on Shinkansen, even though the first line was started at 0.8 m. Train nose lengths have interestingly increased from a snug 3.9 in the first series to a majestic Dolphin like 15m now on considerations of wind resistance and noise. In addition, the 320 kph series E5 Shinkansen stock has a reduced train cross section of 10.8 m2. Operating a trainset with a 15 meter or longer dolphin-like nose would seriously infringe the adjacent track due to end throw: on a 100 m radius curve such a nose would result in an end throw of the order of 2 m away from the straight level track kinematic envelope. This would infringe with not only the adjacent track but also with most electric and signalling posts and platforms on curves. (adopted from a Japanese Study Team report)
21 and 22, mates and competitors for the title Steam powered trains and the steam loco, endangered species in this age of super computers, have always been marvels, pinnacles in their prime of pure mechanical engineering. Southern railwayÂ&#x2019;s EIR-21 is now the oldest working steam locomotive in the world, that could surpass the Guinness record of Fairy Queen EIR-22. Manufactured in 1855 in England, the locomotive was taken for rehabilitation in May 2010.The leading and trailing wheels were re-axled as they had flaws detected by ultrasonic testing. White metal lined journal bearings were manufactured anew and provided. The adjacent Carriage Works attended broken axle boxes and springs. New eccentric rods had to be forged and machined too. In a defining moment in the history of the heritage icon, the Perambur Railway Loco Works put back the loco to steam when on 29th July 2010 a steam loco Express led by EIR 21
went chugging, long after its withdrawal from service in 1909. This loco was at display in the sun and rain on stands for 101 years when many of its parts corroded, some went missing, some broken and some unfit for use. Perambur took this challenge even though it was a wild fantasy to resurrect this loco. The experience in overhauling of the Fairy Queen, a junior by one position came in handy. Fit for stately runs
After its revival, this loco has turned out six times for heritage run organized by Southern Railway within Chennai area, with the first run with two coaches on 15th August 2010 from Chennai Central to Avadi. The 7th Heritage Run followed on 26th Jan 2018 from Chennai Egmore to Kodambakkam, 5.36 km away. During this run, a GPS-based speedometer and a wireless video monitoring system was also provided. Remotecontrolled rotational cameras, installed in the loco to capture the view from the cabin, transmitted across a mobile phone platform using 3G technology. With this, the EIR21 will become the oldest working steam loco in the world, surpassing its sibling, the EIR 22.
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
31
Dear Editor
I R E L E CTRIFICATION OP INION
Short-sighted and dangerous IR has announced 100% electrification, but it is not clear under what conditions this decision of such a far-reaching consequences, involving huge financial outlay, has been taken by planners and political decision makers. It is being claimed that with electrification India will be able to reduce petroleum import and prevent environmental degradation. A close analysis reveals that these claims are without any scientific foundation and are an adverse outcome of enormously miscalculated steps with impact on immediate financial requirements, with no return on investments and have serious impact on national security. Financial dimension
5,500 diesel locos are operated by IR. In terms of IR rules (codes), these sturdy machines have over 40 years of life span and can serve for at least 20-25 years more on an average. These locos cost ` 55,000 Cr, assuming an average cost of `10 Crore. Replacement by electrics will cost ` 65,000 Cr. Electrification projects, justified with high RoR, have demonstrated negative returns due to faulty calculations, deliberately used to justify them. This is also partly due to conflict of interests and ambitious traffic projections. These projects with negative RoRs have projected IR in a poor light. There is an urgent need for neutral agencies to examine and approve such proposals. An intriguing part of this puzzle is that IR has decided to convert existing diesels to electrics, which may cost as much as 100% cost of a new electric loco. The conversion process and the momentum gathered seems to be a suboptimized solution with no financial pragmatism. Apart from that investment in locos, 34,000 km tracks need to be electrified, requiring large budgetary support. Overall, this dream will require an investment of the order of ` 2,50,000Cr, with no tangible benefits to the economy and the environment. Strategic dimension
Solar electricity is available only for few hours a day, 200 days a year and IR, the lifeline of India, cannot be dependent on this unreliable supply chain. As coal is burnt when
solar electricity is not there, the emissions problem will be far worse because of T&D losses in electrical networks and poor thermal efficiency of Indian power plants. If traction is based on solar electricity instead of petroleum, we will be running our network on sub-standard Chinese solar panels, which are being dumped in India, thus jeopardizing national security. There should be some serious thinking before such a mis-calculated step is enforced. Potential course
A low cost solution for ensuring dependable traction is to modify diesel locos to run on cleaner alternate fuels like methanol, produced from indigenous high ash coal, low value biomass, and municipal solid waste. This makes economic and environmental sense. The government has already announced methanol economy for India and this solution also gels well with this mission. IR runs 43 diesel maintenance sheds, 20 maintenance workshops and two loco production units with a humongous investment. Modification of these units will render waste 80% of the investment in M&P and sheds. Perennial issues marring IR
IR urgently needs about ` 10,00,000 Cr for up gradation of tracks, bridges, rolling stock and other assets. This has been reiterated in successive announcements but with marginal follow-up. Poor condition of tracks and signalling has not allowed the average speeds of trains to increase significantly over the last five decades. Traffic and revenue generation has reached a plateau and IR is facing insurmountable financial crunch and is dependant heavily on the external borrowings. 100% electrification will certainly not lead to higher revenue generation and/ or enhance line capacity. Under these circumstances, such a heavy investment in electrification is contrary to financial propriety and a straight drain on the national exchequer. Surplus electricity: a myth
Installed electricity production capacity in India at present is about ~330 GW with a peak demand of 145 GW in January 2017. Transmission and distribution losses of ~25% and aggregate technical and commercial losses of
Prof. AK Agarwal, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur, is the Captain of Engine Research Laboratory. He works in the area of combustion, fuels, fuel spray, lubricating oil tribology, optical diagnostics and emission control, and large bore engines. He has developed laser fired hydrogen and CNG engines and the first electronic fuel injection system for IR loco engine. He was a visiting professor to University of Loughborough at UK, Photonics Institute, TU at Vienna, Hanyang University at South Korea and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology at South Korea. Prof. Agarwal received the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (2016) in engineering science and several other prestigious awards.
32 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
I R E LE CT RI FI CAT I O N O P I N I O N
Energy security and renewables
IR diesel locos account for about 3.5% of the total diesel consumption and 1.5% petroleum imports of India. A reduction of ~1.5% of imports is not significant in reducing petroleum import bill. The road transport sector/ diesel gensets, industrial and domestic/ agricultural diesel pumps etc. consume ~80% diesel. Diesel locos are efficient machines to use diesel hence it is a retrograde move to push more genset and agricultural pump consumers due to lack of electricity, which will be diverted to IR for operating electric locos. These smaller diesel engines operate at significantly lower efficiencies visa-vis diesel locos. The energy mix of India will have a high share of renewable, which will sustain the present self-dependence scenario. India had imported 31% of its primary energy in 2012, with 77% and 22% of oil and gas imports, respectively. . In 2040, with renewables comprising 7%-10% of India s energy mix, the overall import of primary energy is expected to rise substantially. Oil and gas imports will be responsible for the rise in imports and are estimated to rise to 81-88% and 35-51%, respec-
tively. Therefore, while registering a 2.7-3.2 times growth in energy supply, the country s dependence on overseas supply is expected to increase. Draft energy policy of NITI Ayog.
China and Russia have not increased electrification beyond 60%. In Europe, average electrification is ~60%. They ensure multiple traction modes for reliability, national security, disaster response, troop movements etc. For India, on-going works will add another 40% of electrification in next 5 years. Diesel locos have an export market for India, which is growing at 3.5% YoY. The ` 16,000 Cr expense on diesel includes almost 100% taxes on petroleum products. Corresponding annual fuel consumption of electric locos comes ~5.8 billion litres. Equivalent electricity bill is ` 10,500 Cr annually. In addition, annual maintenance cost of fixed structures is ` 1,000 Cr and yearly interest on the fixed infrastructure is ` 5,000 Cr (total `16,500 Cr). The fixed infrastructure cost includes setting up structures and catenary; proportional cost of the power plants and proportional cost of distribution system to obtain electrical power from the power plants, which has not been included. Cost of electrification comes to about ` 8.18 Cr per km of OHE installed. These calculations show that 100% electrification is not pragmatic and does not make a financial sense. Diesel loco tank-to-wheel emissions are: 684.8 kilotons(kt) of NOx, 31.7 kt of PM, 50 kt of hydrocarbons. Corresponding share of emissions from electric locos at the power plants comes to ~644.2 kt of NOx, 107.3 kt of PM, ~644.2 kt of SOx and 32 t Hg. For electric locos, transmission and distribution losses of 23% and electrical energy production efficiency of 60% (supercritical) has been assumed although actual efficiency of the thermal power plants hovers at ~30-33%,
83% 71%
64%
60% 61% 51%
34%
35%
33%
ia
na hi
In d
C
SA
pa n
U
Ja
K
si a
U
us R
Sp ai n Sw ed en
y an
Ita ly
m
G
er
lic ub ep
ce
1%
Fr an
R ch
60%
53%
ze
It can be concluded that Indian electricity mix will continue to be predominantly coal based for next four decades and the role of renewables will not cross 15% at its peak. The claim that electrification will lead to prevention of environmental degradation seems far-fetched and fantastic as of now.
% of Electrified Track length 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
C
another ~25% need to be added, which take the generation requirement to 205 GW at peak. On the back of continued cash losses and high Capex, the aggregate State Electricity Boards debt increased from ` 5,07,100 Cr in FY13 to ` 5,98,700 Cr in FY14. This indicates that the SEBs are not able to purchase power due to their poor financial health. Per capita electricity consumption of India is ~800 kWh per annum, compared to 4000 for China, 7000 for France and Germany, 8000 for Japan and 13000 kWh for USA. Lower per capita electricity consumption has a direct correlation with industrial growth and economic development. Had SEBs been in sound financial condition and India s economic strength equal to China, Indian power requirement would have been ~five times its present generation, i.e. 1000 GW as against an installed capacity of 330 GW. It is therefore a case of lower purchasing power of electricity rather than availability of surplus power.
Electrification of railways in different countries
which means that the emission load will be significantly higher than the conservative estimate taken above. In addition, electricity generation mix of 60% coal, 10% oil and gas and 30% hydro, nuclear and renewables has been taken based on reports published by the Central Electricity Authority and Ministry of Power. Actual generation of power from renewables is about ~6.9%. Way Forward
IR should concentrate on modal shift from roadways to railways by strengthening existing structures or creating a horizontal department to remove bottlenecks. GoI funds should be better utilized for ensuring zero speed restrictions on the tracks, increasing sectional speed across IR to 160 kph, improving reliability of railway assets, and strong marketing to reach new markets. IR should put in place a structured Asset Management System, following ISO 55000. The cost of retro-fitment of diesel locos with the methanol conversion kit will be an order of magnitude lower than converting them in to electric locos, which is almost re-manufacture of the complete electric loco. IR should be marching towards longterm R&D to develop technologies such as cab signalling, high speed tracks, eco-fuels like methanol, fuel cell technologies, heavy haul locos, moving block train control etc.; in general, guided transport rather than electrification. Long-term R&D will help ease the operations burden, increase safety and avoid taking erroneous decisions like massive resourceoriented electrification. Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
33
Dear Editor
PA S SENGER AC C ESSIBIL ITY
Serious accessibility issues need IR attention People with disabilities (PWD), maybe 5 to 8% of the Indian population, continue to face barriers in their participation as full members of society. They remain largely unseen due to an inaccessible transport system. GOI has made policy commitments through a landmark legislation (Disabilities Act 1995) but these remain largely unfulfilled. Making Indian trains accessible is crucial but IR has made only modest progress. Arising out of a well-publicised case in July 2017 of Vaibhav Shukla, a Division bench of the Delhi High Court had taken Suo moto cognizance of this incident, had issued notices to IR and formed a committee (SA Singh, Ex-General Manager, IR as Chairman and 4 members) to recommend a corrective action plan. The World Bank report People with Disabilities in India: From Commitments to Outcomes (2009) concluded that existing institutional capacity was inadequate. The Delhi committee also came to a very similar view as its questionnaire brought home that the responsibility for transforming IR into a disabled friendly network was dispersed between at least three directorates of the IR Board. A lack of a focal point for defining the policy and creating a transition strategy meant no plans to aid PWDs and no information system for ticketing or the kind of assistance needed. Evolving laws and rules
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 adopts the contours of the United Nations Rights Convention, elaborating the manner of implementation. Sections 40, 41 (1) and 46 are particularly relevant: 40. formulate rules laying down the standards of accessibility 41 measures to provide facilities at bus stops, railway stations, and airports, & relating to parking spaces, toilets, ticketing counters and machines 46. rules on accessibility formulated by the Central Government. IR is mandated to issue such rules within two years while
Railway Board has a statutory duty as a service provider. The way forward
Issues that should be incorporated in the rules: l
Distinguish between legacy infrastructure and future construction.
l
Harmonising requirements of different disability groups is a designer s challenge and the most difficult conditions are those which permit mobility only with appliances.
The success of a design is difficult, sometimes impossible, and hence assistance is necessary. The disabilities of blindness and deafness are different from the physical impairments restricting movement. The architect has to provide alternative systems of information. Wheelchair users need spaces larger than the average whereas a blind person may be comfortable in smaller spaces. Ultimately the architect must design for highest level of comfort under the limitations of having to provide varying spaces for different disabilities. Very often the design is bad for able-bodied too, but they are able to adapt. IR will have to enable such persons to travel by the network while delineating a transformation strategy, best done through a combination of rules and a code of practice. IR would need involvement of PWDs in formulating accessibility standards. The National Policy requires IR to setup necessary implementation mechanism and a five-year perspective plan. Coach designs
Making passenger coaches wheelchair accessible presents a challenge. It is difficult to modify existing coaches to accept wheelchairs; a user needs to transfer into a narrow wheelchair and be lifted into the compartment, making aid imperative. IR has made a symbolic effort by accommodating PWDs in newly re-designed luggage and guard vans SLRD/SRD. These are unreserved second-class compartments, often occupied by able-bodied persons. This solution does not meet the disabilities act. One major issue is that several departments are involved, and no single agency considers itself responsible. For these reasons, internationally the disability adviser is attached to the head of the organisation with convening power to influence decision-making.
IR will have to aid at stations, coach entry by using narrow wheelchairs (aisle chair) and mechanical ramps for lifting from the platform to the coach door. A robust information system is a basic imperative. Associated infrastructure for transformation plan will have to be developed. Renovations of existing station should be completely transparent to the needs of PWD.
34 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
The recommendations include: teams have the benefit of an external oversight mechanism and disability advisor, aid persons with disabilities at stations in a phased manner, a beginning with A1 and A class stations, an information system that indicates the kind of assistance that will be provided and facility for indicating their requirements at the time of ticket booking, a dedicated helpline, a nodal officer not below the rank of an executive director with associated organisational structure and a grievance redressal mechanism.
N O S TALG I A I C F
Integral Coach Factory: from one era to trainsets
From the Nov. 2015 issue
has now left ICF way behind the Chinese, who are now looking forward to exporting high speed train sets. In recent years, the adoption of passenger friendly features and 3 phase transmission for Mumbai Suburban EMUs (through MRVC) has shown the potential for change and adaptation. And now the trainset will setup new standards.
When Chou En Lai, the Chinese Premier, visited ICF in 1956, he recorded that it is worthwhile for the Chinese to come and learn . After inauguration in Oct 1955, ICF was on the regular circuit for visiting dignitaries, attracting Russian Khrushchev, the Dalai Lama and others. While progress in numbers has been impressive, growing from a modest 350 coaches per year installed capacity initially to nearly 2500 per year now, technology stagnation on IR coaches
The production milestones include: first coach in 1955, 100th in 1962 and the 50,000 released in 2015 back. The design variants cover the first class coach in 1960s, the first air braked Rajdhani coach in 1980, EMUs in 1970s, diesel sets in 1993, 750 V third rail Metro train sets for Kolkata Metro in 1992, with the AC version in 2013. A complete shift to manufacture of LHB designs has since been achieved. The construction years have their own stories worth recounting. A Finance Officer R Sadagopan was appointed the first Chief Administrative Officer generating some protests from the technical officers. Tara Murali, his granddaughter, who spent quite a few holidays at the out-of-town residence in Perambur, recounts that a few years later the very same persons expressed their regret at having doubted his ability to head the organization.
Han® 34 HPR: greater power density in the high-current range such a way that, for the first time ever, they can now accommodate four 650 A contacts alongside one another in a single interface. This more than doubles current-carrying capacity compared to the next HPR connector size down, saving the customer space. However, the housing dimensions have not increased to the same degree: the housing width only grew by a third compared to the smaller alternative.
HARTING has introduced Han® 34 HPR EasyCon the new solution for increased environmental demands in the highcurrent range. This connector has a high-power density, making it particularly suitable for use in rail vehicles e.g. car transition (angled version) and connections to traction unit engines (straight version).
12 Han-Modular® individual modules can also be inserted as an alternative to the 650 A high-current contacts. Until now, two housings equipped with 6 Han-Modular® individual modules each had to be used to obtain a comparable power supply. The series offers over a hundred different inserts for the transmission of Power, Signal and Data, enabling countless combination options. Intelligent modules in the smart Han® range complete the offering: the ID module gives rail components an identity that can be called up on networks. In addition, networks can be extended by integrating the new 4-port Ethernet switch US4, using only little space.
Han® 34 HPR housings and retaining frames are designed in
www.HARTING.in
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
35
I R I N V ESTMENTS OP IN ION S
The electrification debate: straws in the wind From the media
The Finance Minister s 2018 budget speech called for optimal, and not total electrification. We presume that the choice of words was deliberate, and a good change to make. In another sign of a rethink, Bibek Debroy, Member, Neeti Aayog and chairperson of the Prime Minister s Economic Advisory Council is reported by the media to have suggested that IR electrification plans call for a strategic rethink , and that there is limited clarity on returns on an estimated capital investment of ` 1 lakh Cr . Debroy has been chairing a committee for reforms in IR structure and has been vocal in the past on his views.
The media report added that Debroy has strongly suggested that the government take a step back at this stage and get this issue examined by expert group in a comprehensive manner Future course of action, in terms of speed of execution and levels of electrification envisaged, should be guided by findings of this study. A time of five to six months should be given for this study . IR s accelerated electrification drive and push for phasing out diesels completely is attributed to the energy sourcing vision of the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The issue is not whether IR should electrify its main line services but how much funding priority should be lent to this work, even as other infrastructure needs like speed increases and deferred maintenance call for urgent attention. China, Russia, and Europe have 33 to 43% diesel traction. Globally, the railway systems (India included) have a mix of traction wherein 45% locomotives are run on electric while the majority are on diesel.
IR bias towards NCR investments
Plan Outlay for Bengaluru over past 7 years (` Cr)
Plan outlay for Delhi over past 7 years (` Cr) Item
Dear Editor
Sanctioned Utilised
Item
Sanctioned Utilised
New Delhi- Tilak Bridge 5th & 6th line (2.65 kms)*
131
114
Bangalore city-Whitefield Quadrupling (23 km)
86
4
Tilak Bridge- Anand Vihar 3rd & 4th line(9.7 kms)*
296
146
Bangalore Cantonment Whitefield Automatic Signal (19 km)
12
Nil
Panipat- Sabzimandi Automatic signal ( 86 kms)
42
34
Yesvantpur- Yelahanka- doubling (12 km)
48
41
Anand Vihar Terminal ( Phase I)
152
145
Anand Vihar Terminal (Phase II)
202
53
Chana Sandra- Yelahankadoubling (13.3 km)
65
55
Bijwasan Terminal
225
217
Baiyappannahalli 3rd Terminal
116
13
Shakurbasti Terminal
110
65
Total
327
113
Bijwasan Terminal 7th Terminal
92
31
1252
752
Total
*cost of land acquisition included, all data from IR publications. In recent months , various IR zones have published booklets showing regional plan outlays .My data mining shows a clear unstated bias in rail investments for the National Capital region . While such a comparison cannot be very objective, NCR projects clearly outweigh all other Metro areas. Even then, the NCR region continues to be congested , with express trains often moving at low speeds . Piecemeal investments do not seem to be working and IR needs to take a macro-view.
36 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
Net Plan outlay Year wise for IR Zones (` Cr) Financial Year
Northern Railway
Combined outlay for Central, Southern, South Western, South Central & Western Railways
2013-14
12 829
8,732
(68%)
2014
14 808
8,761
(59%)
2015
19 164
11,849
(61%)
2016
18 785
11,060
(58%)
2017
21 751
16,395
(75%)
...on e-mail from Satyendra Kumar, Bengaluru
RAI L- O GU E S WE E K EN D ER S
pleasure out of who gets onto the upper berth faster and spreads the bedsheets to playing cards or Ludo, it used to be one of the most exciting times for me and my brother. When we had to travel by a chair car, our parents would usually sit together while my brother and I would focus on making fun of our co-passengers, provided we had not indulged in our second most favorite pass time: tiffs on some ridiculous and inconsequential matters. The poetry time-off
A happy weekender family in Nainital, with the author on the left.
Memories gushed in the moment I reached the railway platform and plugged in my earphones. Is not it strange how music, a powerful memory cue, induces nostalgia so easily and quickly. As I boarded the train, I saw myself falling backwards in time, a virtual listening to the usual parental instruction sets: Â&#x201C;Jaldi chadho, 2 mins ka stop hai! Slip nai hona chadte samay, dhyaan se. Samaan mereko dedo" We as a family have a special bonding with the train: while for others weekends probably meant two days of lazing around or heading out for a picnic, for us it meant hopping onto a train for getting yet another city off our exploration list. This is one of the few benefits I enjoyed as a railway officer's kid. My bond with railways and the fondness for trains and stations comes from my father who has served Indian Railways for 35 years. I continue seeing him contribute with undiminished enthusiasm and zeal. On those journeys, we did not have to worry about the commute or accommodation as we would get IR passes on a yearly basis and guest houses to stay in. Our family of four would have a train coupe to ourselves, our cozycompact space until the holiday spot arrived. From deriving
The parental type casting came to the fore on relatively longer journeys: my mother would encourage me to write poems while the Engineer Dad would compete with her to engage me in some math problems hopefully to strengthen my logical reasoning to be the next engineer in the family. Finally, the poem would make its way through, with Mumma being a major contributor to most of the verses. I would gladly (shamelessly?) brag it to all passengers around me to have them impressed and bag the credit. This way I would end up socialising with a bunch of co-passengers and the seemingly endless journey would eventually end with another adventure set to begin. It has been a good 12 years since I last experienced such times. Today, I am seated in a special coach ' Anubhuti' of a Shatabdi train from Mysore to Chennai with a mini entertainment screen in front and a plethora of munchies to snack on. Remarkable effort has gone into this coach and I feel happy that my father had a key role to play in the execution of this project as a part of his posting in Chennai. I travel today to celebrate his birthday with him and write as the train moves past the scenic views and revive memories of my mother trying to bring the creative best out of me. Arushi
Rail art
Courtesy Texmaco Rail
Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
37
RA I L- OGUES NO R TH BEN G AL
Cuisine, music and sights on a Bengal train A train journey from Kolkata to Murshidabad in North Bengal is fascinating, with lush green fields soothing the eye. As the train passes congested and industry dotted areas of North 24 Parganas district, rural Bengal unfolds with verdant paddy fields and a landscape dotted with variety of orchards. Horse drawn carts and riverine traffic dominated as Calcutta took form and shape centuries back, Railways reached north Bengal 200 years later : the Eastern Bengal Railway main line from Sealdah to Ranaghat opened in 1862 and was extended the same year to Kushthia, now in Bangladesh. The Calcutta terminus was opened in a tin-roofed shed at Sealdah, with the Ranaghat-Gede Line part of the Calcutta-Siliguri link. After the partition of India in 1947, the main line was truncated and what remained formed the Gede branch line. The RanaghatLalgola branch (now a main line) opened only in 1905. Early electrification
Over last 10 years with doubling and electrification a few comfortable and fast passenger trains have been introduced. The Hazarduari Express, named after the famous Murshidabad Palace, that connects Kolkata , is a day time train covering 223 km at a leisurely 43 kph average speed.The Ranaghat-Krishnanagar City/ Shantipur section was electrified in 1964 followed by the 32.5 km Ranaghat-Gede in 1978 and the 128 km Krishnanagar-Lalgola stretch in 2004. Pristine Ganga
P K Chatterjee Consultant Metro Systems Ex. Chief Mechanical Engineer, IR
The Ganges bifurcates near Farakka with one stream flowing East into Bangladesh (the Padma) and the Indian branch (the Bhagirathi or, more commonly, Hooghly) turns South on to Bay of Bengal. Centuries ago, many rich kingdoms were set up around the river. Murshidabad was the capital of Bengal as in 1704, Murshid Kuli Khan the Dewan (later Nawab, a regional king) under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb transferred the capital from Dhaka to Murshidabad. The well chronicled Jagat Seth family maintained their position as Murshidabad state bankers. Even after the conquest of Bengal by the British, Murshidabad for some time remained the seat of administration, retaining considerable influence. In 1790, under Lord Cornwallis, the revenue and judicial staff moved to Calcutta. Between the train journeys
The Hazarduari Palace, completed in 1837, is a magnificent building, hardly used as a residence, was constructed more as a show of pomp and grandeur of Nawab. The city still bears memories of Nabobs with many small palaces not all in good condition, mosques, tombs, and gardens, and retains such industries as carving in ivory, gold and silver embroidery and silk-weaving. The present Tiamat Imam Bara , built by Nawab Siraj ud Daulah 1847 AD , came up after the fires of 1842 and 1846 which burnt the wooden structure. This Imambara is one of the largest one in India and Bengal but opens its door only for 10 days in a year. 38 Rail Business [Focus-India] May 2018
The 1723 built Katra Masjid, once a majestic structure with five domes and four minarets houses, is in the North Eastern side of the city. The most striking feature is the two large corner towers having loopholes for musketry. Many cannons of the era are preserved here ,the renowned being Bacchawali Tope (cannon) in the Nizamat Fort Campus on the garden space between the Nizamat Imambara and the Hazarduari Palace and to the East of the old Madina Mosque. The cannon, made between the 12th and 14th centuries, probably by the Muslim rulers of Gaur, consists two pieces of different diameters. It originally lied on the sand banks of Ichaganj, but it is unknown that how it came in to Ichaganj. After the 1846 fire of the Nizamat Imambara the cannon was shifted to its present site. The Motijheel garden is pleasant place to spend an evening away from noise and pollution. A new railway bridge , connecting Azimganj with Nasipur near Murshidabad across the Bhagirathi river, is planned to connect Azimganj on Bandel-Katwa-Barharwah loop line with Murshidabad and to provide an alternate route to North Bengal. The bridge and embankment on Eastern side of the river seem ready, but not commissioned. A distinction
This is India s only operational international train station. Kolkata station (earlier Chitpur) was set up to decongest Sealdah (twin to Howrah on Eastern railway) 12 years back and has now developed as a major passenger terminal with several long-distance trains to Northern & Western India destinations. The India Bangladesh Maître express (Kolkata and Dhaka) and Bandhan Express (Kolkata to Khulna) originate from here and now all necessary facilities have been provided. Cuisine on board
The 4-hour Journey time to Berhampur/Murshidabad is well spent on train with variety of food and items of goods on sale and on board occasional music by Baul singers of rural Bengal. One never felt bored of such a journey. The trains do not have any pantry car service but there is food aplenty for passengers: buttered toast, choice of eggs, poultry, desi murgi and ducks, teas with various options, besides puffed rice and other titbits. IR certainly cannot match the varied menu, hot on the tongue and easy on the wallet. On board cleaning persons attended the coach twice during our four-hour journey, even as they ensure that all trash is collected, and passengers are not inconvenienced. The train is a moving market where wares of various types mostly household/personal necessity items are available at reasonable prices. Everyday kitchen and other needs particularly spices of sorts are sold in small lots to suit one s pocket. One cannot be very sure about quality though. But one thing is clear many families along the line depend on the train service for their livelihood.
IRCE 2018 Stand No. 43
IRCE 2018 Stand No. 32