Rail Business July 2019 Final Artwork · TITANS ON THE TRACKS CLW | IR 9000hp Electric Loco GE | IR...

TITANSON THE

TRACKSCLW | IR 9000hp Electric Loco

GE | IR 6000hp Diesel-Electric Loco

Volume10, Issue 49 – July 2019 ISSN No. 0976-254X

F I R S T W O R D S

Driving the train does not set its course…

…�e real job is laying the track.

First, the positive : a political continuity in the Central government should work well for IR, the urban transport and Metros, and the supporting rail industry.�e �rst ritual e�ort made by an incoming Minister in the past was to issue a white paper that practically beli�led the past as it put out uncommi�ed visions , not backed up by a delivery process, only for scoring personal political points.

But let me restress a point that has been made in these pages o�en in the past.

‘Who travels by rail these days ?’ �e casual remark by the lady at a local bridge session hurt but, regretfully, I let that pass. She could be typecast into a ki�y-party type who was expressing her style and sentiment that travelling by rail is below dignity that only the unfortunates must su�er.

I have long held that railways as a brand must address this issue of social acceptance, constantly and determinedly if the long term issues of mobility have to factor in rail as the sustainable and eco-friendly mode.

�e lady may be forgo�en as unrepresentative and ignorant but is the Brand Railways ge�ing enough a�ention of national economic players or is the mentionof a single high-speed project, that may well take more than a decade for commissioning adequate a�ention ? �e recent Economic Survey misses out any a�ention to mobility, even as it devotes big space to a secondary issue of electric cars. While transport is barely mentioned , a speed check showed no mention of railways, something that the lady would not be surprised at. If one were lookingfor a plan like what made the Chinese high-speed rail possible ( reported in this issue), disappointment was the only outcome.

IR o�en gets a bad report card for want of its plan for addressing the public or managing change . Take the example of possible corporatization of a coach manufacturing plant: all that the media reported was based on unnamed IR o�cial, without any o�cial statement that could lay out the arguments in favour for the long-delayed change. �is we-will-wait-and-see-what happens approach renders any big change like stepwise corporatisation unwelcome and , consequently, perceived to be painful and avoidable. �e absence of any dialogue preceding the change quickly converts a long-delayed structural issue into a political issue.

Public faith can only be built by IR being consistent in its projections and reports . One aspect is the constantly sliding project targets that are ‘thrown about’ by o�cials as a look back at the previous commitments is considered unnecessary.

�is lack of change management is not unique to government bodies as a lack of professional sensitivity to communications is inbuilt and not o�en recognised.It is my view that structured change management and public discourse e�ort is long delayed and needs to be built in.

(Vijay Raina)Editor

...Ed Catmull

Rail BusinessA206, Rail Vihar, Sector 15-II, Gurugram, India, Pin 122001Phone : +91 94323 64001, +91 80170 62121, +91 92306 39001, 0124 4271 979e-mail : [email protected] issues published in a calendar year

www.railbizindia.com

EditorV. K. Raina

For Advertisements and CirculationDr. Rajni RainaBusiness ManagerPhone : +91 92306 39001

Disclaimer:Views expressed by various authors are personal and do not necessarily re�ect the views of their corporates.

European Correspondent:Ms Geetha Munikoti, Berlin

IT SupportKre8iveminds TechnologiesKolkata 700012M: +91 9163363931e-mail: [email protected]

Designed & Printed byHeadliners Advertising Services Pvt. Ltd.87, Monohar Pukur RoadKolkata 700 029e-mail: [email protected]

Next Issue September 2019

CONTENTS

Volume 10, Issue 49 – July 2019

1 New IR high-hp Electric and Diesel Locos

4 On trial : the distributed power system on diesel locos

6 For Diesel Train Sets

14 TERI Fly ash wagons

18 Jindal Rail Better wagons for Steel Coils

19 S Gopalakrishnan Improving Rail Strength

21 Rails for 25 t Axle Load

Indian RailwaydevelopmentsTitans on the Tracks

8 K Balakesari Down the Wrong Tracks

Opinion

9 The HSR Success Mandarins

10 Established Construction Structure

12 Established Research

24 Bonatrans : Noise Mitigation

26 A UIC Initiative Future of Rail Communications

28 Thales: Driver Assistance Systems

World Bank on China High-Speed Rail

Technology

31 The Lunatic Express

33 Arvind Khare Across the World on Unfinished Tracks

34 Christian Wolmar On Tracks to Siberia

Pot Pourri

For subscriptions & a complimentary copy, please e-mail at [email protected]

29 Travel time Reliability

Metro

Industry30 BARSYL Rail Projects

result in haulage service failure. �e locomotive carries anupgraded arrangement to ensure be�er equipment cooling. Main transformer, Inverters and traction motors will be to upgrade design while the body shell, frame, and bogie designs from the WAG9 have been retained to speed up the project.

�e prototype is now undergoing standard �eld and oscillation trials and series production can be expected in 2020. IR had been working since 2017 on this project to upgrade existing WAG-9H .

A similar project will upgrade the current standard WAP-7 to 9000 hp. Since WAP-7 and WAG-9 are siblings, most of the changes in hardware should be identical.

Record numbers

With the send-o� of the prototype in March by Ghanshyam Singh, IR Member Traction and Praveen Mishra, General Manager, CLW IR, CLW joined a select club of manufacturers capable of producing 9000 hp locomotives. CLW produced 402 locos in FY 2018-19 , becoming the biggest manufacturer in the world ( earlier 350 locomotives in FY 2017-18 ). �is 15% increase in production has been achieved along with a 7.5% reduction in cost per loco, with a current transfer price for a WAG9 pegged nearing `10 Cr.

CLW has also successfully completed other development projects for hotel load generation (with composite converter) on the high-speed WAP5 loco; a loco with 200 kph speed potential that is designed with aerodynamical pro�ling and a WAP-7 loco 160 kph version . IR has

also completed testing and proliferation of push-pull technology ( unit trains with bi-directional driver cabins) and already one rake with 2 WAP7s and 20 coaches is working on the Mumbai-New Delhi (Central Railway) route. �e increased powering has resulted in a time saving of about 90 minutes on this train . IR expects to proliferate such train combinations on the Rajdhani routes and signi�cant run time savings are expected .

The encouraging GE diesel front

IR has contracted GE for the supply of 1000 locos over 11 years , with 700 of the 4500 hp class WDG4G and 300 of the newly developed 6000 hp WDG 6G version ( GE ES57ACi). Two imported prototypes of the 6000 hp version are now undergoing certifying trials before being inducted into regular operations.

�e G6G is the lightest loco to be designed and built for heavy freight operations and uses a 16 cylinder GE GEVO 4 stroke engine , compliant to UIC 1 emission standard.

�e Indian loco scene has perhaps never been be�er, with new designs rolling o� for proo�ng trials and near 700 locos added to the IR �eet last FY . 110 of the 4500 hp GE diesel locos are now operating from their Roza base ; Alstom has also made progress on the 12000 hp twin locos it is contracted to supply from the new Madhepura factory.

Even as IR’s accelerated electri�cation push has sounded alarms for diesel loco plans and developments, two 6000 hp GE diesel have rolled o� and are undergoing trials on the South Central Railway. �e Chi�aranjan Loco Works (CLW) has turned out a prototype WAG9HH loco, rated at 9000 hp and 360kN continuous tractive e�ort. �is is an upgrade of the IR standard WAG9 and comes with many new features that should be standardised in the coming few years.

A new series with 90001

IR had ordered propulsion equipment for 13 such locos in late 2017 - 2018, including �ve units of the variant 9000 hp WAP-7 class. Siemens was awarded the bulk contract with contracts for Medha and BHEL also. Siemens equipment has been used for the prototype loco.

Siemens equipment used on the prototype supplies high power traction converters, motors, drive systems, and steel tank transformer, which will be part of the propulsion for both the freight and passenger versions. �e advanced technology aims to save traction energy cost. CLW has pre-commissioned this indigenous e�ort and trial runs are scheduled.

‘�is important milestone is a step towards ful�lling IR’s vision of complete electri�cation, enhanced haulage capability and high-technology building systems in line with the Make in India initiative.’ Tilak Raj Seth, Executive Vice President and Head, Mobility, Siemens Ltd.

A trial on new features

In addition to the modi�cations required to upgrade from the WAG9 to a higher power rating, new features have also been introduced for prove-outs . RDSO Technical Speci�cation April 2017 calls for a system data-logger

that will monitor and record all vital parameters of the loco and crew actions. �e data logger output can be used for improvements and to investigate any abnormal events. �e WAG-9HH is also expected to be enabled for continuous GPS tracking and an ‘arrangement to link the device in the future to a central server through a wireless link, thus enabling real-time remote monitoring and troubleshooting.’

Open sourcing

IR now intends to go for an open source control system eliminating dependency on a single vendor for any changes in the macrocode. �is open sourced macrocode will incorporate all the functionalities of the existing loco. �is important feature of the so�ware architecture is to international standards, ensuring that IR will not be dependent on vendors supplying proprietary so�ware. IR can freely modify or upgrade the so�ware at any stage of the service life . In the existing G9 version, MICAS-S2 based Vehicle Control , the control logic is implemented with multiple proprietary (Bombardier) processors.

Redundancy in the locomotive so�ware, hardware, and electrical equipment will be be�er managed to ensure that the failure of a single sub-system shall normally not result in the complete failure of the locomotive.

A new feature not seen so far on IR is a speed preset by the loco driver.

Subsystems

Expectedly the WAG-9HH continues to use state-of- -the-art IGBT technology for power and auxiliary circuits.

Upgraded traction motor design and strengthened bogies will handle the additional power available. All axles will be individually driven, ensuring improved adhesion that translates into higher hauling power, also ensuring that the failure of any individual drive or traction motor will not

Titans on the tracks...new designs on trial

Key specifications

Starting tractive effort TE 500 KN

Continuous TE 360 KN up to 70 kph

Max operational speed kph 100

Max design speed kph 110

Continuous rated power 7000 kW at wheels between 70 and 100 kph.

One inverter set for each traction motor (individual axle control).

90001, the prototype 9000 hp electric loco , was despatched form CLW in March. Picture with Ghanshyam Singh, Ex Member Traction , IR Board, P Mishra, General Manager, CLW and Ramprakash, Principal Chief Engineer, CLW.

[Focus-India] July 2019 1

L O C O M O T I V E SI R

result in haulage service failure. �e locomotive carries anupgraded arrangement to ensure be�er equipment cooling. Main transformer, Inverters and traction motors will be to upgrade design while the body shell, frame, and bogie designs from the WAG9 have been retained to speed up the project.

�e prototype is now undergoing standard �eld and oscillation trials and series production can be expected in 2020. IR had been working since 2017 on this project to upgrade existing WAG-9H .

A similar project will upgrade the current standard WAP-7 to 9000 hp. Since WAP-7 and WAG-9 are siblings, most of the changes in hardware should be identical.

Record numbers

With the send-o� of the prototype in March by Ghanshyam Singh, IR Member Traction and Praveen Mishra, General Manager, CLW IR, CLW joined a select club of manufacturers capable of producing 9000 hp locomotives. CLW produced 402 locos in FY 2018-19 , becoming the biggest manufacturer in the world ( earlier 350 locomotives in FY 2017-18 ). �is 15% increase in production has been achieved along with a 7.5% reduction in cost per loco, with a current transfer price for a WAG9 pegged nearing `10 Cr.

CLW has also successfully completed other development projects for hotel load generation (with composite converter) on the high-speed WAP5 loco; a loco with 200 kph speed potential that is designed with aerodynamical pro�ling and a WAP-7 loco 160 kph version . IR has

also completed testing and proliferation of push-pull technology ( unit trains with bi-directional driver cabins) and already one rake with 2 WAP7s and 20 coaches is working on the Mumbai-New Delhi (Central Railway) route. �e increased powering has resulted in a time saving of about 90 minutes on this train . IR expects to proliferate such train combinations on the Rajdhani routes and signi�cant run time savings are expected .

The encouraging GE diesel front

IR has contracted GE for the supply of 1000 locos over 11 years , with 700 of the 4500 hp class WDG4G and 300 of the newly developed 6000 hp WDG 6G version ( GE ES57ACi). Two imported prototypes of the 6000 hp version are now undergoing certifying trials before being inducted into regular operations.

�e G6G is the lightest loco to be designed and built for heavy freight operations and uses a 16 cylinder GE GEVO 4 stroke engine , compliant to UIC 1 emission standard.

69001, with an onboard diesel engine producing 6000 hp, on arrival at the Mundra Port. �e two prototype locos are now undergoing certi�ca-tion trials on the Vikarabad-Parli section of the SC Railway.

90001 has been equipped with traction equipment from Siemens India . �e Siemens project team in CLW.

[Focus-India] July 20192

The world’s strongest loco ?�at depends on how one de�nes strength : hp, tractive e�ort , tonnage , starting ability or whatever. �ere are many ways in which a locomotive can be the largest: the heaviest, longest, most cylinders, the most power, or most wheels. �e uncomplicated way would be to measure the max hp output of the loco. �e most powerful articulated and single-unit locomotive is the HXD1, the strongest-pulling is the IORE, and the heaviest is the Union Paci�c Coal GTEL. �e articulated HDX at 19 310 hp was developed by a mining group in China and weighed in at near 300t , providing 1140 kN of tractive force . �at is a true titan. Increases in diesel locos are far tougher to achieve due to the onboard diesel generator . �e Chinese DF8DJ tops at 6437 hp but few seem to have been built . GE/IR’s WDG6 at 6000 hp could be a proven leader as already 300 units have been contracted. Alstom/IR 11000 hp twin unit has been manufactured but is not operational yet.

Parameter WDG4G 4500 hp WDG6G 6000 hp

Starting tractive effort kN 544 570

Max speed kph 100 100

Continuous tractive effort kN 405 420

Max braking effort kN 270 286

Max adhesion % 42 42

Fuel capacity liters 6000 8000

Nominal axle load t 22 23

Gear ratio 85/18 85/16

�e Indian loco scene has perhaps never been be�er, with new designs rolling o� for proo�ng trials and near 700 locos added to the IR �eet last FY . 110 of the 4500 hp GE diesel locos are now operating from their Roza base ; Alstom has also made progress on the 12000 hp twin locos it is contracted to supply from the new Madhepura factory.

Even as IR’s accelerated electri�cation push has sounded alarms for diesel loco plans and developments, two 6000 hp GE diesel have rolled o� and are undergoing trials on the South Central Railway. �e Chi�aranjan Loco Works (CLW) has turned out a prototype WAG9HH loco, rated at 9000 hp and 360kN continuous tractive e�ort. �is is an upgrade of the IR standard WAG9 and comes with many new features that should be standardised in the coming few years.

A new series with 90001

IR had ordered propulsion equipment for 13 such locos in late 2017 - 2018, including �ve units of the variant 9000 hp WAP-7 class. Siemens was awarded the bulk contract with contracts for Medha and BHEL also. Siemens equipment has been used for the prototype loco.

Siemens equipment used on the prototype supplies high power traction converters, motors, drive systems, and steel tank transformer, which will be part of the propulsion for both the freight and passenger versions. �e advanced technology aims to save traction energy cost. CLW has pre-commissioned this indigenous e�ort and trial runs are scheduled.

‘�is important milestone is a step towards ful�lling IR’s vision of complete electri�cation, enhanced haulage capability and high-technology building systems in line with the Make in India initiative.’ Tilak Raj Seth, Executive Vice President and Head, Mobility, Siemens Ltd.

A trial on new features

In addition to the modi�cations required to upgrade from the WAG9 to a higher power rating, new features have also been introduced for prove-outs . RDSO Technical Speci�cation April 2017 calls for a system data-logger

that will monitor and record all vital parameters of the loco and crew actions. �e data logger output can be used for improvements and to investigate any abnormal events. �e WAG-9HH is also expected to be enabled for continuous GPS tracking and an ‘arrangement to link the device in the future to a central server through a wireless link, thus enabling real-time remote monitoring and troubleshooting.’

Open sourcing

IR now intends to go for an open source control system eliminating dependency on a single vendor for any changes in the macrocode. �is open sourced macrocode will incorporate all the functionalities of the existing loco. �is important feature of the so�ware architecture is to international standards, ensuring that IR will not be dependent on vendors supplying proprietary so�ware. IR can freely modify or upgrade the so�ware at any stage of the service life . In the existing G9 version, MICAS-S2 based Vehicle Control , the control logic is implemented with multiple proprietary (Bombardier) processors.

Redundancy in the locomotive so�ware, hardware, and electrical equipment will be be�er managed to ensure that the failure of a single sub-system shall normally not result in the complete failure of the locomotive.

A new feature not seen so far on IR is a speed preset by the loco driver.

Subsystems

Expectedly the WAG-9HH continues to use state-of- -the-art IGBT technology for power and auxiliary circuits.

Upgraded traction motor design and strengthened bogies will handle the additional power available. All axles will be individually driven, ensuring improved adhesion that translates into higher hauling power, also ensuring that the failure of any individual drive or traction motor will not


D SatapathySenior Divisional Mechanical EngineerRaipur S E C Railway

I2 R (power) for IR

�ough DPCS equipment is available in many IR zones, no other diesel shed has successfully tested a super long haul train till now. �is successful trial, if proliferated and properly exploited, will result in increasing throughput and be�ering mobility.

�e Airawats , as the WDG4 locomotives are known in the Raipur diesel loco shed, have always been the logisti-cal choice for diesel hauled freight over IR. With the power of 4500 notional horses in each loco, heavy freight is easy for this class . As the desire for the tougher outcomes always increases, Raipur worked on inducting distributed power control system (DPCS) technology on these locos.

‘We had to understand and harness the technology, starting by inducting loaded trains in push-pull mode with the Airawats paired by retro��ed DPCS (successful-ly plying in Korba area of SECR). �e next step was for the running of long hauls trains (pythons) to test for any teething trouble. A�er this success was the time for the seemingly impossible .’

Operation of the IR super long hauls (three standard IR rakes, each with 58 wagons , coupled end to end and the locos on top of the train in conventional set up) had not been successful as adequate brake pressure would not be available in the last wagons.

Lack of �nal successes on previous IR tests had hindered proliferation. Our team in Raipur went through all the issues in the reports of earlier trials in di�erent IR zones and pinpointed all the worst case scenarios . A�er satisfac-tion that all worst case scenarios can be dealt with, we started the inclusion of the third Airawat to the already DPCS paired locomotives. It took weeks of rigorous

testing as none of the safety test procedures can be bypassed . Our best technicians and engineers were on the hook ;some had to cancel their vacation plans . On conclu-sion of all tests, the zone stepped up on 27th May. �ree trains were amalgamated in the Bhilai marshaling yard to form what we called the Anaconda . (�is is a misnomer as a fully grown python is longer than an anaconda, though the anaconda is heavier .)

Even as the continuity tests were completed fully , we held our breaths as we started the train, with a 4th notch power output from the engine, achieving the 65kph maximum speed limit on the 4th notch. �e train drivers were happy for the bu�ery smooth operation; the station masters were in awe as were the onlookers watching the ‘this unending snake.’

The braking tests

Distributed controls that were ‘talking’ to each other ensured that the 10,400t train could easily be stopped at any signal and could be restarted without much e�ort . �is dispelled any issue of brake pipe pressure , proving the technological suitability. �e train was operated by one set of crews .

�e serpentine 1970 m train of 177 wagons and three locomotives operated only with one crew and an extra assistant. �e operational crew over the three locos was limited to one driver, one assistant in the leading loco cab, one more assistant in the middle loco cab and the train guard in the rearmost brake van. �e toil was by the team with section engineers, A K Senapati and V K Tripathi striving hard for success . At least 15 such trains have been worked so far.

70128,70129 and 70047 have made history with 1980 m trains

‘We are now running the longest train on IR ,with 177 wagons and 3 DPCS technology ��ed WDG4 locos.’…Devida�a Satapathy, Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer, Raipur.

�e Raipur technical team, right to le�: VK Tripathi, AK Senapati, T Ramarao, A Mishra and M Lachwani.

Tonnage: Long haul-10400 tMax grade-1/150 upFirst DPCS trial in Jan 2017 with locos 12395 & 12645First super long haul train length-1980 m, run on 27th May 2019, with 70128, 70129 and 70047Equipment retro ��ed at Raipur by MEDHA at shed-27, at DLW -7Equipment ��ed at DLW by SIEMENS -17 locos.



No new rail product has been so hotly discussed and reported upon , notably at the highest political levels. �e successful introduction of the Vande Bharat express, India’s �rst Mainline Intercity trainset Train-18 has caught the a�ention of the entire nation. Even though new rolling stock technologies were earlier introduced on IR, Train-18 has set a new benchmark.

�e pluses of Train-18 compared to a locomotive hauled train are real and profound – higher tractive e�ort, lesser axle loads, more passenger capacity, be�er energy regen-eration e�ciency - all because of the distributed power concept. �ese make Train-18 a lighter and more power-ful (for hp and traction capacity) option resulting in its higher acceleration (0.8 m /sec2 at the start compared to around 0.25 m/sec2 for a loco-hauled train) ; the intelli-gent electro-pneumatic braking provides be�er decelera-tion too. Train 18 can run fast and stop fast resulting in logging be�er average speeds even though the peak speed remains : the Vande Bharat express saves around three hours compared to the regular loco hauled train on its 800 km journey. More time saving is imminent if the trainsets are run at their potential max speed of 160 kph.

Adopt wider horizons

Such trainsets will be built in more numbers given the advantages. However, there is a catch – the current 25kV overhead supply on IR has limitations on how much current can be drawn (every system has limits – right!). Such restrictions are less likely with systems that are all smart and with enough redundancies.

A catch is a catch. A 2x25kV traction power supply will be needed for train operation at 200 kph, and no source for the equipment used for the 2x25 kV system is currently available indigenously ( IR uses single 25kV system ).

Electric trainsets like the Train 18 are the future, and IR needs to introduce such trainsets in larger numbers and provide a be�er traction mix . IR should concurrently look for semi-high speed diesel trainset also. �is is

required due to its inherent advantages. One may argue that given IR’s strategic shi� towards 100% electri�cation , diesel trainsets may sound like the whistling of a steam loco adjacent to a Bullet Train, but the world over diesel trainsets ( DEMUs) are being built , though not in as many numbers as the electrical ones.

From around the world

Intercity 125 on British Rail : prototype InterCity 125 set the then world record for diesel traction at 230.5 kph in June 1973 . Intercity 125 (HST) was introduced from 1975 to 1980, and some continue in service even a�er four decades, waiting to be replaced by electro-diesel (dual traction mode) and electric trainsets.

�ese were the mainstay success stories of high-speed trains (HST) in Britain. �e success of the HST has had a signi�cant international impact. �e HST was used in Australia as the base for developing the XPT, DEMUs with power cars at both ends ( hence are not technically categorised under distributed power trainsets) and have the limitation of push-pull trains with locos at both ends . Nevertheless, these trainsets proved that diesel-powered trains could run above 200 kph and helped countries like Australia in not switching over to electric traction .

Design and development

Riding on the success of the Train18 project and experi-ence in manufacturing DEMUs and DHMUs, ICF has the capacity and experience . Whereas Train18 took ‘18’ months to develop, a diesel-hydraulic trainset may need around 24 months. �e knowledge base and bonhomie of developing Train18 will help in executing the project even faster.

Now on to semi-high speed diesel trainsets


O P I N I O NI R D E V E L O P M E N T

Dilip TamsDy. Chief Mechanical EngineerICF Chennai

Train 18

�e horizon looks promising for this new develop-ment project, with some spin-o�s: IR can proliferate trainsets faster , not being imped-

edby any OHE limitations IR can breach the 160 kph speed limit and run

trains faster in selected corridors – like at 180 to 200 kph in New Delhi–Chandigarh, Vijayawada- Visakhapatnam, and for faster connectivity to the North Eastern states. Introduction of high-speed corridors can take years, and a nearer objective could be to upgrade existing speeds.

Export potential for such diesel train sets is signi�cant. High-speed links require enormous investments for the track, OHE, signalling, and rolling stock. However, a 200 kph diesel operated corridor can drastically reduce the cost. Countries desirous of semi high-speed trains and lacking potential for HSRs can be expected to patronise and provide a good customer base.

Dilip Tams was a key member of the design team for the Train 18 trainset.

O P I N I O NI R

K BalakesariEx-Member StaffIR Board

Prudence is dead, long live populism


�e recent announcement regarding a new Vishakhapatnam based IR zone, the South Coast Railway, is unique in some ways. Instead of the traditional operational requirement of a �g leaf, we are informed that this is to develop an under-developed region of Andhra Pradesh and to ful�ll a ‘long-standing demand of the people.’ In this process one of the oldest operational divisions, Waltair, will be virtually dismembered. One reason touted at the time of formation of the six new zones in 2002 was that some of the larger zones had their headquarters at one geographical end of the zone causing inconvenience to the public. Vishakhapatnam is at the Northeastern corner of Andhra. Signi�cantly, the Chief Minister was nowhere in the picture. �e fact that the announcement was made a few days before the expected noti�cations of the Lok Sabha elections was not accidental. Populism combined with politics can be a potent weapon in the election season. Sadly, amidst all this political grandstanding and one-upmanship, one of the few institutions in the country that transcends state boundaries and serves as a proud symbol of national integration is being further balkanised and injected with the slow poison of regionalism and parochialism.It is a paradox that even as railway operations require seamless movement across the country and developments in IT and communications technology have rendered distances irrelevant, arti�cial barriers are being progressively inserted in the network by the formation of additional zones. �e new zone will entail a capital expenditure of say `1500 Cr for se�ing up the HQ and related facilities, while the recurring expenditure may be relatively modest .The elephant in the room�at is not the case with a much-publicized announcement by the Railway Minister about ‘job creation,’ which has serious �nancial implications. It was announced that while action has already been initiated for �lling 1.2 lakh vacancies, it is proposed to �ll the ‘balance’ 1.3 lakh vacancies reckoning the IR sanctioned strength at 15.06 lakhs. �e announcement was astonishing, bordering on the reckless. Key data will put the issue in perspective : sta� costs form

about 55 % of the working expenses including pensions , approximating about 60 % of IR’s gross earnings, the average annual cost of an IR employee today is nearly `6 lakhs (`2.5 lakhs at the entry level ). IR has no control over the ten-yearly wage bill Pay Commission induced hikes of more than 30%.

IR will be entering a transition period in operational pa�erns with the expected commissioning of the dedicated freight corridors. However, the additional freight revenues generated through these corridors must be shared with DFCCIL. IR’s annual plans have been increasingly funded in recent years through extra-budgetary resources (57% during 2018-19); the debt repayment obligations will increase progressively, and IR needs to generate internal resources. �is is not possible unless there is a tight control of sta� costs. Unbridled increase in sta�ng is undoubtedly not the way to go.One professed objective of a merged IR Budget was to prevent populism and political grandstanding that skew IR’s development plans. �e announcements regarding yet another railway zone and en masse �lling up of vacancies have belied those expectations. Failures for prudence can set IR �rmly on a fast track to �nancial hara-kiri.

Keeping a tight leash on the employee strength has been a deliberate IR policy: sta� on the roll which was in excess of 15 lakhs in 2001 has been steadily brought down to about 13 lakhs over the last 18 years. It is also an established procedure to give up posts (‘surrender’ in government parlance) that are vacant for long periods. It is therefore not clear how a ‘sanctioned strength’ of 15.06 lakhs has been reckoned. IR has been operating with this reduced sta� strength even as the volume of tra�c handled multiplied several fold. �ere is a wrong notion that sta� strength must increase with an increase in tra�c handled. While there are areas directly involved in train operation and associated services that may require additional personnel, the scope for reduction exists in other sectors due to improved reliability of equipment, change in maintenance practices, obsolescence and harnessing the developments in the �elds of IT and communications. �e scope for review is endless and continuing.

Since 2008 China has put into operation over 25,000 km of dedicated high-speed railway (HSR) lines, far more than the total HSR lines operating in the rest of the world. �e World Bank , beginning in 2006, has provided �nancing for some 2600 km of these lines. China was the �rst country with a GDP per capita below US$7000 to invest in developing an HSR network. CRC currently operates over 2600 pairs of China Rail Highspeed (CRH) trains each day.

�e high-speed services represent a radical change in the provision of passenger services. For the �rst time, passengers on most HSR routes can now ‘turn up and go,’ except at peak periods. Over 10 years, the CRH service has carried over 7 billion passengers, second only to the 11 billion carried by the Japanese Shinkansen over the past 50 years. CRH currently carries 56 % of the 8.3 m passengers using the China nonurban rail network each day. �e current level of demand is at 1.7 b passengers per year.

During the past decade, China has accumulated consider-able experience in planning, constructing, and operating high-speed lines.

A far-reaching vision�is development of HSR with a key role played by the Medium- and Long-Term Railway Plan (MLTRP), was �rst approved in 2004 with revisions in 2008 and 2016, that looks up to 15 years ahead and is complemented by a series of Five-Year Plans, as a part of the general planning cycle. �ese plans are rarely changed, once approved. �e initial MLTRP planned for an HSR network of 12,000 km by 2020. �e 2016 revision is now aiming for a network of 30,000 km by 2020, 38,000 km by 2025, and 45,000 km by 2030.

�e lines have been constructed from the start through special-purpose asset construction and management companies. �ese companies are normally joint ventures between the central and provincial governments. �is structure secures the active participation of local government in planning and �nancing the projects. Cooperation among rail manufacturers, universities, research institutions, laboratories, and engineering centers enable capacity development, rapid technological advancement and localization of technology.

Most HSR lines have at least an hourly service between 7:00 a.m. and midnight. �is level of service requires an average load of 4 to 6 million passengers per year throughout its route to be operated e�ciently. On most lines, CRC operates a mixture of express and stopping services. Few services stop at all intermediate stations. �e choice of service frequency is matched to the volume of passengers using the station. Line speed is determined by balancing the line’s role in the network, market demand and engineering conditions with investment cost.

In contrast, many lines in China with tra�c density of 10 to 15 m passengers per year, especially 250 kph lines with average pkm revenue of $0.041, can barely cover train operations and maintenance and will be unable to contribute toward their debt service costs for many years. �ese results should not be interpreted as demonstrating that a 350 kph line is inherently more �nancially viable than a comparable 250 kph line. �e main reason for the disparity in �nancial viability is the pricing policy that has been adopted in China. �is issue has been recognized, and greater pricing �exibility is now being allowed.

�e �nancial rate of return for the network at end-2015 is estimated at 6 %, a return on par with the cost of �nancing of CRC.

Takeaways for IndiaPotential lessons and replicable practices include:

A well-analyzed Long-Term Plan, supported by the government, with minimal changes, once approved

Standardization of designs

Competitive supply industry

Partnering with local government

A safety system that identi�es and manages risk

Service with high punctuality, frequency, and speed


Value of good connectivity with conventional rail and urban transport;

High-volume, medium-distance markets

�e pace of these mega projects depends at the core on project management structure with clear responsibilities and decision-making authority, managers who stay for the duration of the project, and signi�cant

incentive compensation for managers.

CRH is based on di�erentiated pricing that is a�ordable and competitive with other modes and �nds the “sweet spot” that maximizes revenue while not substantially discouraging ridership and o�ering a range of services (high speed and conventional) at di�erent price points to meet di�erent passenger needs.

The content on Chinese HSR is

adapted from an original work by Martha Lawrence, Richard Bullock and Ziming Lu of the World Bank. Views and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of RAIL BUSINESS and are not endorsed by The World Bank. Guidance by J Sondhi , Consultant who was with IR Service of Mechanical Engineers in 1959-1976 is acknowledged.

China’s High-Speed Rail Development

Tra�c on conventional rail services has continued to grow despite diversion to high-speed services, but at a very slow pace (0.5 % per year). By o�ering a new service quality at a very di�erent price point, China has broadened the range of intercity options, enabling a be�er matching of supply and demand. �is has freed up considerable capacity on conventional trains, on which tickets were formerly very di�cult to secure, for lower-income groups who are more price sensitive.

Since 2008 China has put into operation over 25,000 km of dedicated high-speed railway (HSR) lines, far more than the total HSR lines operating in the rest of the world. �e World Bank , beginning in 2006, has provided �nancing for some 2600 km of these lines. China was the �rst country with a GDP per capita below US$7000 to invest in developing an HSR network. CRC currently operates over 2600 pairs of China Rail Highspeed (CRH) trains each day.

�e high-speed services represent a radical change in the provision of passenger services. For the �rst time, passengers on most HSR routes can now ‘turn up and go,’ except at peak periods. Over 10 years, the CRH service has carried over 7 billion passengers, second only to the 11 billion carried by the Japanese Shinkansen over the past 50 years. CRH currently carries 56 % of the 8.3 m passengers using the China nonurban rail network each day. �e current level of demand is at 1.7 b passengers per year.

During the past decade, China has accumulated consider-able experience in planning, constructing, and operating high-speed lines.

A far-reaching vision�is development of HSR with a key role played by the Medium- and Long-Term Railway Plan (MLTRP), was �rst approved in 2004 with revisions in 2008 and 2016, that looks up to 15 years ahead and is complemented by a series of Five-Year Plans, as a part of the general planning cycle. �ese plans are rarely changed, once approved. �e initial MLTRP planned for an HSR network of 12,000 km by 2020. �e 2016 revision is now aiming for a network of 30,000 km by 2020, 38,000 km by 2025, and 45,000 km by 2030.

�e lines have been constructed from the start through special-purpose asset construction and management companies. �ese companies are normally joint ventures between the central and provincial governments. �is structure secures the active participation of local government in planning and �nancing the projects. Cooperation among rail manufacturers, universities, research institutions, laboratories, and engineering centers enable capacity development, rapid technological advancement and localization of technology.

Most HSR lines have at least an hourly service between 7:00 a.m. and midnight. �is level of service requires an average load of 4 to 6 million passengers per year throughout its route to be operated e�ciently. On most lines, CRC operates a mixture of express and stopping services. Few services stop at all intermediate stations. �e choice of service frequency is matched to the volume of passengers using the station. Line speed is determined by balancing the line’s role in the network, market demand and engineering conditions with investment cost.

In contrast, many lines in China with tra�c density of 10 to 15 m passengers per year, especially 250 kph lines with average pkm revenue of $0.041, can barely cover train operations and maintenance and will be unable to contribute toward their debt service costs for many years. �ese results should not be interpreted as demonstrating that a 350 kph line is inherently more �nancially viable than a comparable 250 kph line. �e main reason for the disparity in �nancial viability is the pricing policy that has been adopted in China. �is issue has been recognized, and greater pricing �exibility is now being allowed.

�e �nancial rate of return for the network at end-2015 is estimated at 6 %, a return on par with the cost of �nancing of CRC.

Takeaways for IndiaPotential lessons and replicable practices include:

A well-analyzed Long-Term Plan, supported by the government, with minimal changes, once approved

Standardization of designs

Competitive supply industry

Partnering with local government

A safety system that identi�es and manages risk

Service with high punctuality, frequency, and speed

Value of good connectivity with conventional rail and urban transport;

High-volume, medium-distance markets

�e pace of these mega projects depends at the core on project management structure with clear responsibilities and decision-making authority, managers who stay for the duration of the project, and signi�cant

incentive compensation for managers.

CRH is based on di�erentiated pricing that is a�ordable and competitive with other modes and �nds the “sweet spot” that maximizes revenue while not substantially discouraging ridership and o�ering a range of services (high speed and conventional) at di�erent price points to meet di�erent passenger needs.

The content on Chinese HSR is

adapted from an original work by Martha Lawrence, Richard Bullock and Ziming Lu of the World Bank. Views and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of RAIL BUSINESS and are not endorsed by The World Bank. Guidance by J Sondhi , Consultant who was with IR Service of Mechanical Engineers in 1959-1976 is acknowledged.

Construction managementEverything has a standard; everything has a process;everything has a responsible person.

In 2007, the Chinese MOR introduced standardised management of construction projects. By introduc-ing standard procedures, this approach has saved construction costs and time and has avoided rework and wasted resources. It has also promoted continuous improvement of construc-tion standards and helped improve the level of safety.

The model has four key features:

Normative: From the top-level design to the basic implementa-tion, there are speci�ed standards and norms. At the construction site, procurement, personnel allocation, site layout, and produc-tion safety are all cov¬ered by regulations, thereby establishing a standardized site and a standard-ized team.

Systematic: A comprehensive, collaborative relationship must be established between the various subsystems to guarantee perfor-mance and ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Versatile: �e framework can be applied across all regions, natural environments, and contractors.

Flexible: Within this overall framework, individual contractors can nev¬ertheless formulate their own rules and regulations for their subprojects. CRC (and previously MOR) prepared the Measures for

the Administration of Railway Contracts, which provide the framework within which an individual JV can create project contract management structures, re�ecting the speci�c characteris-tics of each project.

�e JV hires the design institutes, contractors, and engineering supervi-sors to carry out the work. As the project manager, the JV is responsible for securing the capital; managing the contracts; coordinating between designers, contractors, and engineer-ing supervisors; inspecting the construction work; controlling and giving instructions on the work progress, quality, and safety; and reporting to CRC. �e JV’s project managers have clear responsibilities and authority to carry them out. �ey typically stay for the full duration of the project, ensuring a clear chain of responsibility for the implementation of the project.

�e design institute is the surveyor and engineering designer of the project and is responsible for survey-ing, preliminary design, and detailed design. In most cases, there is only one design institute doing all the survey and design from the feasibility to the construction phase.

Jiazi groups

Contractors build the project accord-ing to the detailed design made by the

design institute. At the operational level, the “Jiazi Group” model to organize the workers was developed to ensure the quality of construction work. Under this model, quali�ed professional managers and engineers from the general contractors will form Jiazi subgroups to manage individual construction tasks. �e Jiazi Group directly instructs and manages individual workers to carry out the construction work, ensure operational and technical standards are met, and ensure that work progress follows the work plan. Individual workers sign individual work contracts with the general contractor. In comparison, under the traditional subcontracting model, workers are managed by subcontractors, who may be technical-ly less capable and responsible. �us the Jiazi Group model be�er ensures the quality of construction work .

An engineering supervisor is hired to supervise the day-to-day work of the contractors to ensure construction quality and safety; the engineering supervisor reports to the JV.

Organising for a super pace

�e responsibility and risk of HSR projects are shared at three levels : the construction company is the bidding and contracting party and takes the pro�tability and reputation risks on each project. �e construction company’s project manager controls the quality, cost, and timeliness of the


construction, and takes the managerial risk. �e construction workers carry out the. construction work and take operational risks.

Contract management is subject to centralized management and graded responsibilities. �e joint venture (JV) is the main body for contract management and is responsible for establishing a contract management system and appointing contract management personnel including full-time legal advisers when neces-sary. A contract management team shall be set up, chaired by the general manager with vice managers for each department.

�e JV is responsible for negotiating and dra�ing the relevant technical clauses of the contract, which are also reviewed by the contract management steering group.

�e contract manager of the JV conducts an annual inspection, report-ing to the Construction Bureau of the Regional Administration and the Enterprise Management Law O�ce. �e JV also organizes both regular and ad hoc inspections.

Finally, the JV establishes contract management records and regularly conducts statistical analysis. A�er the contract has been completed, the contractor submits a work report to the JV, and all contract documents are archived.

Compensating the leaders

�e characteristics of the construction company’s production methods and engineering projects determine the details of the project manager’s incen-tives. �e project manager’s �nancial

compensation typically consists of a basic salary and a performance-based bonus, supplemented with non-�nan-cial incentives and rewards. �e basic salary is normally determined by the scale of the project, classi�ed by the construction cost of the project (excluding subcontracts), with adjust-ing factors considering the project location and construction di�culty. �is salary is supplemented by a performance-based bonus, re�ecting performance and risks. Taking one rail construction company as an example, the performance-based bonus is established as a function of the basic salary, ranging from 0 to 150 % of the basic salary. In many cases, a portion of the pro�ts from the project is given to the project management team.

In 2007, the Chinese MOR introduced standardised management of construction projects. By introduc-ing standard procedures, this approach has saved construction costs and time and has avoided rework and wasted resources. It has also promoted continuous improvement of construc-tion standards and helped improve the level of safety.

The model has four key features:

Normative: From the top-level design to the basic implementa-tion, there are speci�ed standards and norms. At the construction site, procurement, personnel allocation, site layout, and produc-tion safety are all cov¬ered by regulations, thereby establishing a standardized site and a standard-ized team.

Systematic: A comprehensive, collaborative relationship must be established between the various subsystems to guarantee perfor-mance and ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Versatile: �e framework can be applied across all regions, natural environments, and contractors.

Flexible: Within this overall framework, individual contractors can nev¬ertheless formulate their own rules and regulations for their subprojects. CRC (and previously MOR) prepared the Measures for

the Administration of Railway Contracts, which provide the framework within which an individual JV can create project contract management structures, re�ecting the speci�c characteris-tics of each project.

�e JV hires the design institutes, contractors, and engineering supervi-sors to carry out the work. As the project manager, the JV is responsible for securing the capital; managing the contracts; coordinating between designers, contractors, and engineer-ing supervisors; inspecting the construction work; controlling and giving instructions on the work progress, quality, and safety; and reporting to CRC. �e JV’s project managers have clear responsibilities and authority to carry them out. �ey typically stay for the full duration of the project, ensuring a clear chain of responsibility for the implementation of the project.

�e design institute is the surveyor and engineering designer of the project and is responsible for survey-ing, preliminary design, and detailed design. In most cases, there is only one design institute doing all the survey and design from the feasibility to the construction phase.

Jiazi groups

Contractors build the project accord-ing to the detailed design made by the

design institute. At the operational level, the “Jiazi Group” model to organize the workers was developed to ensure the quality of construction work. Under this model, quali�ed professional managers and engineers from the general contractors will form Jiazi subgroups to manage individual construction tasks. �e Jiazi Group directly instructs and manages individual workers to carry out the construction work, ensure operational and technical standards are met, and ensure that work progress follows the work plan. Individual workers sign individual work contracts with the general contractor. In comparison, under the traditional subcontracting model, workers are managed by subcontractors, who may be technical-ly less capable and responsible. �us the Jiazi Group model be�er ensures the quality of construction work .

An engineering supervisor is hired to supervise the day-to-day work of the contractors to ensure construction quality and safety; the engineering supervisor reports to the JV.

Organising for a super pace

�e responsibility and risk of HSR projects are shared at three levels : the construction company is the bidding and contracting party and takes the pro�tability and reputation risks on each project. �e construction company’s project manager controls the quality, cost, and timeliness of the

Rail industry structure Before 2013 almost all public railways were operated and regulated by the Ministry of Railways (MOR). O�en termed ‘the last fortress of China’s planned economy,’ the MOR had wide-ranging powers that were impor-tant in the introduction and localization of key HSR technology and in rapid infrastructure construction.

However, this model combining sector administration with commercial activities became increasingly incompat-ible with the establishment of the modern enterprise system in China and the proposed reforms of the Chinese railway system. Consequently, in 2013 MOR was split into the National Railway Administration (N�) and the China Railway Corporation (CRC) .

�e N� is the bureau within the Ministry of Transport (MOT) responsi-ble for the management and administra-tion of the rail sector including:

Laws and regulations governing the sector

Formulation and implementation of railway technical standards

Management of railway safety, including the licensing of partici-

pants and investigation of railway accidents

Regulation of rail transport and construction

Supervision of service quality and public service obligations under-taken by railway enterprises

Monitoring and analysis of railway operations and the rail industry.

CRC is a 100 percent state-owned enterprise with its shares held by the Ministry of Finance responsible for the management and safety of almost all the 1,27,000 km public network, including

�e uni�ed dispatching and control of railway transport

Operation and management of passenger and freight transport services

Public-bene�t transport

�e railway construction invest-ment plan and national railway construction and �nancing arrangements in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Preparatory work for and subse-quent management of construc-tion projects.

CRC includes several subsidiary companies, of which the most impor-tant are the 18 Regional Administra-tions (�s) that maintain the rail network and provide train services. Nevertheless, operational and overall construction management of the rail network remains highly centralized, which has been a key factor in achiev-ing such a rapid development of HSR.

�e railway sector also includes a complete industrial chain of engineer-ing construction and equipment manufacturing entities, many of which are state-owned enterprises, under the supervision of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administra-tion Commission (SASAC). Design institutes and university rail programs are important players in sector development.

HSR Subsector structure

�e HSR infrastructure has been built using primarily a joint venture (JV) model. �e JV shareholders are typically the central and provincial

construction, and takes the managerial risk. �e construction workers carry out the. construction work and take operational risks.

Contract management is subject to centralized management and graded responsibilities. �e joint venture (JV) is the main body for contract management and is responsible for establishing a contract management system and appointing contract management personnel including full-time legal advisers when neces-sary. A contract management team shall be set up, chaired by the general manager with vice managers for each department.

�e JV is responsible for negotiating and dra�ing the relevant technical clauses of the contract, which are also reviewed by the contract management steering group.

�e contract manager of the JV conducts an annual inspection, report-ing to the Construction Bureau of the Regional Administration and the Enterprise Management Law O�ce. �e JV also organizes both regular and ad hoc inspections.

Finally, the JV establishes contract management records and regularly conducts statistical analysis. A�er the contract has been completed, the contractor submits a work report to the JV, and all contract documents are archived.

Compensating the leaders

�e characteristics of the construction company’s production methods and engineering projects determine the details of the project manager’s incen-tives. �e project manager’s �nancial

compensation typically consists of a basic salary and a performance-based bonus, supplemented with non-�nan-cial incentives and rewards. �e basic salary is normally determined by the scale of the project, classi�ed by the construction cost of the project (excluding subcontracts), with adjust-ing factors considering the project location and construction di�culty. �is salary is supplemented by a performance-based bonus, re�ecting performance and risks. Taking one rail construction company as an example, the performance-based bonus is established as a function of the basic salary, ranging from 0 to 150 % of the basic salary. In many cases, a portion of the pro�ts from the project is given to the project management team.


governments. Some projects also involve third parties such as other nonrailway state-owned enterprises or private companies. �e central government is represented by CRC, whereas many provinces have established railway investment companies to hold their ownership interests. �e overall �nancial structure is typically 50 percent equity and 50 percent debt. Each JV partner contributes equity, with the provincial

government o�en making its contri-bution in the form of land. �e JV raises the rest of the �nancing from loans and other debt.

Although the HSR infrastructure is the property of the JV, most JVs usually do not manage the rail servic-es. Instead, the JV contracts with the local � completely or partially for

Operational management, includ-

ing train operation and train control

Infrastructure and equipment management

Rolling stock management

Safety management

Revenue management

Management of railway land use, including patrolling and mainte-nance of boundaries.

Before 2013 almost all public railways were operated and regulated by the Ministry of Railways (MOR). O�en termed ‘the last fortress of China’s planned economy,’ the MOR had wide-ranging powers that were impor-tant in the introduction and localization of key HSR technology and in rapid infrastructure construction.

However, this model combining sector administration with commercial activities became increasingly incompat-ible with the establishment of the modern enterprise system in China and the proposed reforms of the Chinese railway system. Consequently, in 2013 MOR was split into the National Railway Administration (N�) and the China Railway Corporation (CRC) .

�e N� is the bureau within the Ministry of Transport (MOT) responsi-ble for the management and administra-tion of the rail sector including:

Laws and regulations governing the sector

Formulation and implementation of railway technical standards

Management of railway safety, including the licensing of partici-

pants and investigation of railway accidents

Regulation of rail transport and construction

Supervision of service quality and public service obligations under-taken by railway enterprises

Monitoring and analysis of railway operations and the rail industry.

CRC is a 100 percent state-owned enterprise with its shares held by the Ministry of Finance responsible for the management and safety of almost all the 1,27,000 km public network, including

�e uni�ed dispatching and control of railway transport

Operation and management of passenger and freight transport services

Public-bene�t transport

�e railway construction invest-ment plan and national railway construction and �nancing arrangements in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Preparatory work for and subse-quent management of construc-tion projects.

CRC includes several subsidiary companies, of which the most impor-tant are the 18 Regional Administra-tions (�s) that maintain the rail network and provide train services. Nevertheless, operational and overall construction management of the rail network remains highly centralized, which has been a key factor in achiev-ing such a rapid development of HSR.

�e railway sector also includes a complete industrial chain of engineer-ing construction and equipment manufacturing entities, many of which are state-owned enterprises, under the supervision of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administra-tion Commission (SASAC). Design institutes and university rail programs are important players in sector development.

HSR Subsector structure

�e HSR infrastructure has been built using primarily a joint venture (JV) model. �e JV shareholders are typically the central and provincial

Mixed transportation train to Europe

governments. Some projects also involve third parties such as other nonrailway state-owned enterprises or private companies. �e central government is represented by CRC, whereas many provinces have established railway investment companies to hold their ownership interests. �e overall �nancial structure is typically 50 percent equity and 50 percent debt. Each JV partner contributes equity, with the provincial

government o�en making its contri-bution in the form of land. �e JV raises the rest of the �nancing from loans and other debt.

Although the HSR infrastructure is the property of the JV, most JVs usually do not manage the rail servic-es. Instead, the JV contracts with the local � completely or partially for

Operational management, includ-

ing train operation and train control

Infrastructure and equipment management

Rolling stock management

Safety management

Revenue management

Management of railway land use, including patrolling and mainte-nance of boundaries.

A research and development cultureChina has developed a broad ‘ecosystem’ of universities and research organizations that work with suppliers to deliver improved products. For example, to develop the Fuxing 350 kph trainset, in 2008 the Ministry of Science and Technology and the former Ministry of Railways jointly signed a Cooperation

Agreement of China High-Speed Train Independent Innovation Joint Action Plan. �is plan brings together six large-scale central enterprises, 25 key universities, 11 �rst-class scienti�c research institutes, 51 national laboratories and engineering centers, and a scienti�c

and technological team composed of 68 academicians, 500 professors and over 10 thousand engineers and technicians. �is collaboration allowed China to introduce, digest, absorb, and re-inno-vate foreign advanced electric multiple unit technology in a short period of time to create a successful product.

July 4, 2019 : Volvo XC60 cars at Ghent in Belgium. �is mixed transportation train ferried 190 Chinese-made Volvo XC60 cars, completing a 10,000 km journey from Xi'an in 18 days. �is land route for China Railway Express (Chang'an), injects a new momentum to rail transport. Chang'an will also bring back Swedish Volvo cars to China and the V-Series cars, produced at Sweden and Ghent, in the same mixed mode of transport. �is train moved from Xi'an, via Alashankou, through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and other countries, before arriving in Malaszewicze, Poland, to complete the container-to-RORO switch, and then through Germany into Belgium, and �nally to Ghent.



Enhanced rail share for fly ash transportCurrently, most of the �y ash movement in India is account-ed for by road transport, and the rail share is substantially low with the railways’ modal share 1.7% in 2011–12, declin-ing to 1.4% in 2017–18. In absolute terms the by-rail tonnage had increased from 1.5 million tonnes in 2011–12 to 1.8 in 2017–18. Fly ash rail rake movements have increased from 507 trips in 2011–12 to 856 trips in 2016–17 while net tonne-km (NTKm) has also increased from 866 million to 1403 in this period. �e average lead by rail (between 550 and 600 km) has stayed almost constant over the past few years.

IR relies predominantly on BCN wagons for �y ash move-ment, with around 67% of the by-rail bulk transported in 2016-17 in the general purpose covered wagons, class BCN. For this, the �y ash is bagged and then loaded into wagons. Specialized �y ash wagons are used on only a few circuits such as Raichur and Ramagundam. Some cement manu-facturers have procured BCCW and BCFC wagons, which are used to transport �y ash from thermal power plants in Raichur and Ramagundam: 31% of the total �y ash was transported in these special purpose BCCW wagons, with the BCFC wagons contributing merely 1.4% during 2016-17. �ere is a need for be�er rail participation, and key enablers will be more special purpose wagons and terminal infrastructure

Focus on the cement industry

�e Energy Research Institute (TERI) has analysed the demand for the cement industry for �y ash and the feasibili-ty of improving rail transport. Fly ash can also be added as an admixture while mixing concrete. Fly ash �nds several applications in agriculture, cement manufacturing, brick industry, construction of road and rail embankments,

reclamation of low-lying areas, mine �llings, etc. �e pozzo-lanic property of �y ash/lime reactivity makes it suitable for use in the manufacturing of cement and concrete. In the cement industry, �y ash is usually blended with cement at the time of production for Portland pozzolana cement.

�e study reveals that IR should focus on �y ash movement to cement plants from the thermal power plants (TPP) as around 50 mt (2017-18) �y ash is used by cement plants. It is important to relate the pa�erns of �y ash production with the consumption centres and understand the logistical requirements for �y ash in bulk, to establish be�er rail share. TERI has analyzed several clusters of cement and TPPs where the movement of �y ash could be implemented in close circuit operation.

With a coal-based share of over 60% in electricity genera-tion, the �y ash generated by the TPPs in India is signi�-cantly high. Fly ash, a by-product of coal-based power generation, is a �ne hazardous powder. Besides disposal in ash ponds, its transportation has many challenges as the particles are lightweight that get airborne easily and pollute the environment. Safe transportation and disposal become critical.

An analysis of the origin-destination of �y ash movement indicates that majority of the originating trips is accounted by states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and West Bengal, whereas Assam and Karnataka serve as the major destina-tion zones for rail transport. �e investigation also indicated that around 97% of originating tonnage is contributed by just six stations, while 94% of the destined tra�c is account-ed for by 11 stations.

In an analysis by TERI, movement pa�erns in the Singrauli

Lack of adequate wagons – pneumatic hopper wire type wagons

Lower density than cement, but charged as same tari� class (120)

Concessions under wagon investment scheme not matched with the life of specialised wagons

Rail rake availability Lack of loading infrastructure for environmentally

sound operations

Unavailability of rake unloading facility Volatile rates o�ered by power plants Lack of long-term agreement regarding the supply

THE BO�LENECKS

Indian Railways

�ermal power plants

Cement manufacturers

region were studied, considering the locations of cement plants and TPPs as well as connectivity between these. Cement plants located in the Rewa-Sat-na region are major consumers available from the power plants in this region. If all the demand must be met through the �y ash available in the region, structured investments in circuit logistics are required. It would make economic sense to use railways as the preferred mode of transport. It was found out that had there been adequate infrastructure and rolling stock available, be�er use of available stock and outputs could be achieved. From the emissions point of view also, rail-based transportation involves saving of a signi�cant volume of carbon emissions on account of lesser heavy-duty vehicles/bulkers deployed.

Not short on guidelines

Clearly, all the �y ash generated is not disposed of, and it keeps ge�ing accumulated at the originating points, causing grave environmental distress. �e Central Electricity Authority, which has been monitoring the status of �y ash generation and its utilization since 1996, reports that �y ash genera-tion had increased from 69 mt in 1996–97 to 196 mt in 2017-18, its utilization during the same period has also been increasing – from 6.6 mt to 132 mt.

Two major government guidelines for �y ash utilization and transportation, issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, 2013 involve safe handling of �y ash in loading, unload-ing, utilization, and nuisance-free

transportation of all types (dry �y ash and bo�om ash). �e Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has issued several noti�ca-tions (the latest in Jan 2016) to enhance such utilization in various sectors. Somehow since these are just guidelines, adoption has been tardy in the business-as-usual scenario, especially while handling of �y ash is concerned. Interactions with the stakeholders indicate that specialised wagons or trucks are not deployed; compliance is optional and not imple-mented in several parts of the country. Although some initiatives are being undertaken to ensure environ-ment-friendly handling, the high cost of adoption of such measures become a challenge for wider acceptance.

The need of the hour

Clearly, there is a need to foster inter-agency collaboration between IR, TPPs, and cement manufacturers.

IR needs to take the lead in bringing all the stakeholders such as power plants and cement plants together to devise a strategic action plan. �e �rst objective would be to identify circuits based on logistics and cost viability for future �y ash movement. Some concerns for construction of loading/unloading infrastructure and rail lines, availability of rolling stock, etc. could be resolved through discussions.

Development of loading/unloading infrastructure at the TPP and cement plants is of utmost importance for

increasing long-term movement by rail. At present, only a few power plants have developed rake loading facilities: e.g., NTPC plants at Ramagundam and Rihand and Adani Power Plant in Tirora. �e creation of such infrastructure would encourage the bulk movement.

Another key area of improvement is the availability of specialised wagons, at present restricted to a few circuits. Promoting the use of high-capacity wagons will help in transporting �y ash in an e�cient and environment-friendly way and also reduce the loading and unloading times.

Steps a r e a l s o

needed for be�er investor returns in this low margin business. �e concession period under IR’s wagon investment scheme should match the life span of the wagons and IR should provide 15% concession on freight for 20 years. Since the lifespan of a wagon is 35 years, increasing the concession period to cover the lifespan would further incentivize users to procure their own wagons and shi� bulk movement towards railways.(Adopted �om a presentation by Sharif Qamar, Associate Fellow, TERI on research on increasing �eight rail share in India.)

WA G O N SI R D E V E L O P M E N T

Sharif QamarAssociate FellowCentre for Sustainable MobilityTERINew Delhi

Currently, most of the �y ash movement in India is account-ed for by road transport, and the rail share is substantially low with the railways’ modal share 1.7% in 2011–12, declin-ing to 1.4% in 2017–18. In absolute terms the by-rail tonnage had increased from 1.5 million tonnes in 2011–12 to 1.8 in 2017–18. Fly ash rail rake movements have increased from 507 trips in 2011–12 to 856 trips in 2016–17 while net tonne-km (NTKm) has also increased from 866 million to 1403 in this period. �e average lead by rail (between 550 and 600 km) has stayed almost constant over the past few years.
















Parameter/wagon class BTAP BCCW BCFC-A BCFC-E BCFC-D

Tare weight t 27.3 23.0 22.0 22.1 23.5

Max payload t 60 67.3 67.3 69.5 68.1

�roughput per rake t 2984 3904 3904 4031 3405

Wagons per IR rake 51 58 58 58 50

Discharge system Air assisted side @2kg / mm2 Air assisted bo�om gravity @ 0.2kg / mm2

Volumetric capacity m3 64 67 75 79 101

Item Cost per unit (`) Comments Total (`)Laying railway line 6 Cr per km Additional siding 6 CrMaterial cost for pneumatic 4800 per m 400 mm diameter 2.4 Cr system + laying cost pipe for 200 m + support structure OR / AND Fly ash pit + bucket elevator 2.4 Cr 3000 t silo 1.8 Cr 1x1500 silos needed 1.8 Cr (additional)Opportunity cost 2.4 Cr For shu�ing down 2.4 Cr plant for 5 days (approx. ` 600/ton)Total approx. cost 15 CrTime frame 9-12 months

Developing rail infrastructure – indicative investment costs, unloading pointCement plant infrastructure






Steps a r e a l s o



Available wagon types for �y ash transport

Currently, most of the �y ash movement in India is account-ed for by road transport, and the rail share is substantially low with the railways’ modal share 1.7% in 2011–12, declin-ing to 1.4% in 2017–18. In absolute terms the by-rail tonnage had increased from 1.5 million tonnes in 2011–12 to 1.8 in 2017–18. Fly ash rail rake movements have increased from 507 trips in 2011–12 to 856 trips in 2016–17 while net tonne-km (NTKm) has also increased from 866 million to 1403 in this period. �e average lead by rail (between 550 and 600 km) has stayed almost constant over the past few years.





















Steps a r e a l s o


Item Cost per unit (`) Comments Approx.cost (`)

Laying railway line 6 Cr per km Approx. 1 km 6 Cr additional lengthMaterial cost for 4800 per m 400mm diameter 2.4 Cr pneumatic system 1000 m pipe for + laying cost + support structurePositioner To move wagons before / a�er �lling 12 Cr 3,000 ton silo 1.8 Cr 2x1500 t silos needed 3.6 Cr Compressors 30 lacs 1.2 Cr Total Approx . Cost 25 Cr Time frame 9 – 12 months

Ambitious plans for the African SGRPassenger trains at 160 kph, 2 km long freight trains at 120 kph, track structure that may upgrade later to 35 t axle load, 1900 m max horizontal curves, grade separation and fencing in urban areas. In fact, the under planning and construction African Standard Gauge Railways (SGRs) seem to have nothing than the best , except guaranteed tra�c. Funding for the �rst lines may be by unsustainable Chinese debt , but expansions as planned to these cost-full speci�ca-tions appears unlikely.

Parameter Speci�ed design

Design speed kph 200 Max speed (Passenger) kph 160 Max speed (Freight) kph 120 Maximum axle load t 35 Rail 60 kg/m UIC for 25 t Sleepers type, length, spacing PSC ≈ 280 kg, 2.60 m, 1,667 /kmBallast thickness , 300 mm , 400 mm 2.50 m3/m minshoulder width, volumeTrack Continuously welded rails with �ash-bu� in workshop and �ermit (on site)Main line and siding turnouts 1:24 60 UIC , 1:9 60 UICMax vertical grade 1.6%Max track cant value , de�ciency 120 , 75 (mm)


Loading point investment (indicative)


Re-designed steel coil wagon to Improve share

Indian steel Industry is growing at about 7% CAGR, with crude steel production targeted to increase from the current 135 mt per annum to 300 mt by FY 2031. Hot and cold rolled ( CR) steel coils constitute about 30% of �nished steel products and IR has been making constant e�orts to develop new design high capacity wagon designs to increase their rail modal share for �nished steel, particularly coils. As reported earlier, the BFNSM wagon recently developed by IR/RDSO is 30% shorter than the earlier BFNS wagon, carrying 4% additional payload and the enhanced throughput at 4000 t per BFNSM rake is 41% higher than that on the conventional BFNS rake. �e steel industry has received the design well, and two BFNSM Rakes have been inducted in service during FY’19 , with another seven rakes likely during FY’20.Buoyed by the success of BFNSM design, RDSO has , at the request of Steel Industry, taken up joint develop-ment of another enhanced throughput design for steel

coil transportation, with Jindal Rail Infrastructure, a Jindal Group Company, leading the e�ort. Jindal Rail is an established new wagons manufacturer to IR and to private Sector ( under various IR schemes for private sector wagon leasing/ownership like CTO, LWIS, SFTO, AFTO, and GPWIS).

A March 2019 MoU between RDSO and Jindal Rail under IR’s Private Wagon Design Approval Policy 2009 will see through this development and investment. �e new wagon design incorporates the Eye to Platform loading orientation feature as per international practices – a �rst ever as the existing BFNS and the BFNSM wagons feature Eye to Track loading orientation. �e new coil wagon is designed for 25 t axle load operation and can carry up to 10 coils ranging from 750 mm to 2000 mm diameter. Other key features include superior securing and locking arrangement for coils. �e joint development e�ort includes a variant ��ed with a lightweight PVC fabric cover for transportation of CR coils.

Distinguishing features :

Large variety of coil loading possible, coil sizes below 800 mm, coil width above 1950 mm

Simpli�ed locking arrangement

Improved liners arrangement on coil loading grooves.

10 coils can be loaded against 05 in existing BFNSM wagon.

Loading/unloading under overhead traction wires and using fork li�ers is possible

The Jindal Rail Infrastructure team

From le�: Pawan Kumar Agrawal, Vice President and Unit Head, is a mechanical engineering graduate with over 30 years experience in Wagon Industry. Agrawal is mainly responsible for the Company’s sharp focus on quality and delivery

Arun Kumar Khosla, Business Head has been with the Jindal Group for over 10 years. He worked earlier for over 25 years with IR in the Mechanical Engineering service

Surendra Kumar Khare, Senior General Manager, Application Engineering and Business Development has over 35 years experience in design & product development with HAL, RDSO, RITES and L&T. He has been closely associated with design, development and modi�cations of BLC, BLL, BFAT and BCBFG wagons.

Parameter/ wagon class BFNS 22.9 t standard TISCO version Jindal Versa designLength over headstocks mm 13716 10034 10054... over couplers mm 14645 10963 10963Max width mm 3045 2945 2945Wagons per rake 43 58 58Max axle load t 22.9 25 * 25 *Tare weight t 26.7 22.0 24.8Max payload t 64.9 69.6 * 75.2 *Max throughput per rake t 2790 4036* 4371

** at 22.9 t axle load; * IR has not yet permi�ed operation at 25 t axle load yet even as the wagon quali�es for 25 t.

R A I L SI R

IR wagons available for steel coils

JSW has stated that it plans to induct 15 to 20 rakes of the proposed wagon design in the next four years

IR rail specifications need an urgent overdoAccidents due to rail fractures occur frequently on IR, despite the periodical in-service testing by portable ultrasonic �aw detectors. To top it, IR network targets mixed tra�c of 25t axle load wagons at 100 kph and medium high-speed passenger trains at 160 kph, which will cause rail stresses severer than now. �e poser: make rails a reliable asset. In his assessment presented to the IPWE(I) International Seminar 2019, S Gopalakrishnan has relied on his experience in framing rail speci�cation for high-speed railway projects for Malaysian National Railway and pre-shipment inspection of rails manufactured in China and Germany to UIC and EN Speci�cations. �is report is based on his presentation without being a verbatim extract.

The IR scene

�e IR Track Standards Commi�ee is empowered to investigate into the requirements of the track structure to carry 25 t axle load at 100km/h, and its reports include supporting design calculations.

�e IPWE presentation examines two unexplored possibilities:

IR to encourage rail manufacturers to produce rails of higher ultimate tensile strength, pushing up the yield strength and endurance limit.

�e present methodology of calculating rail stresses be rendered more accurate so that the design procedure does not camou�age failure potential.

A simple procedure, akin to that adopted in the design of a statically loaded structure, is not appropriate for rail. Rail fractures are a�ributable to fatigue of the steel due to reversal of bending stresses and the rail-wheel contact shear stresses. When the wheel load passes over the rail, di�erent parts of the rail-metal undergo such reversals. �e present IR methodology is to calculate the stresses due to various forces acting on the rail and to compare the total of such stresses against the yield strength. It would be logical to adopt the more recent analysis based on fatigue principles, in line with advance practices. In the latest method, stresses are evaluated using Smith Diagram from fatigue point of

view which requires input data: maximum and minimum stresses su�ered by rail, UTS, yield strength and endurance limit that decides fatigue withstanding capability.

�e rail stress pale�e consists of

Bending stress due to �exing of rail in vertical mode, caused by wheel loads

Bending stress due to lateral �exing caused by wheel �ange force

Torsional stresses due to the eccentricity of vertical load with respect to rail-center

Torsional stresses due to the incidence of �ange force

Contact shear stresses at rail-top due to wheel load acting over a small area

Residual stress entrapped in rail due to rolling and straightening process

�ermal stresses due to restricted expansion/contrac-tion of long welded rails

A rail design check extends over two phases: calculation of stresses and their critical analysis for fatigue crack prone-ness or plastic deformation of the metal. �e international analytical practices are:

Fatigue criterion is applied for the combined e�ect of bending stresses, thermal stresses, and residual stress.

Yield stress criterion is applied for the combined e�ect of bending stresses due to wheel load acting centrally on railhead, stresses caused by lateral bending due to �ange force acting on the rail and stresses consequent to torsion of the rail due to eccentric loading of wheel load and �ange forces.

Criteria of fatigue and yield (plastic deformation) are applied for contact shear stress induced at rail top due to impact wheel load caused by wheel �ats and/or rail surface defects, a factor hitherto not considered on IR.

Two solutions to withstand heavier axle load are: increasing the cross-sectional area of rail to reduce the bending stresses or increasing the strength of rail steel, addressing bending and contact shear stresses. Contact shear stress is the phenomenon of contact between wheel-tread and rail-ta-ble, and its magnitude does not depend on rail-size. �e la�er solution is inevitable in the case of heavy axle loads, even if bending stresses for fatigue may be within permissi-ble limits.


As an initial step, IRS-T-12 may �x YS as 60% of UTS and endurance limit at 44%. �ese can be further increased upward as adopted on the advanced railways a�er gaining experience.

Without waiting for the revision of IRS-T-12, improvements to the present method of calculating rail stresses, in line with international practices, are recommended: Adopting Eisenmann Formula for

Dynamic Ampli�cation Factor, instead of the curves in RDSO’s Reports C100 and C92. �is formula considers the condition of the track, and it embodies the principle of probability in a realistic way. Many researchers have validated this formula.

Adopting a single value of ‘Dynamic Track Modulus’ instead of Initial and Elastic Moduli, determined by IR many years back through static loading tests.

Adding 0.2Q to the static wheel load Q, to cater for quasi-static on-loading on the outer rail of a curve.

Adopting Flange force Y on the rail as 0.15Q, instead of half of Prud’homme Limit H for Lateral �rust on a track that was evolved for a di�erent purpose. �e lateral thrust H will leave a residual distortion in alignment and will be unrealistically severe, not re�ect-ing actual �eld condition.

Stresses consequent to lateral bending and twisting of rail due to �ange force Y and eccentricity of vertical load 1.2Q need not be considered for evaluating the fatigue e�ect. However, these will be considered for plastic deforma-tion when combined with bending stress.

Application of Smith Diagram to assess the permissibility of �uctu-ating stresses from fatigue consid-

eration, instead of comparing the total stress to yield strength. �is gives con�dence regarding the factor of safety since this kind of approach in the design of fatigue-prone components is internationally accepted.

Ignoring 10% of stresses for the leading wheel, a�ributed to heaving of the track.

Not considering 10% of bending stresses ‘due to unforeseen eventu-alities’, since the new method is fatigue criterion based, ensuring ample factor of safety.

Presently, static wheel load +1t is substituted in place of Q in the formula “Maximum contact shear stress = 4.13 x √(Q/r. But it would be correct to substitute the instan-taneous impact / shock load of wheel, which may be 2 to 4 times static wheel load. By this correc-tion, it would be possible to �nd out the maximum impact / shock load that can be permi�ed depending on the UTS of rail, irrespective of weight of rail. �e severity of wheel-�at or rail-scab will have to be controlled accord-ingly. �is will also decide the safe alarm limit for the installed Wheel Impact Load Detectors.

Pressure caused by the vehicle-loading at various depths below the sleeper-so�t should be determined by Boussinesq and Odemark �eories.

�ese suggested improvements have been explained in ‘Fatigue Criterion based Stress Analysis for rail, a Must for High-speed and Heavy Freight Tra�c’ by Gopalakrishnan (co-au-thors, MS Ekbote, Ex Addl. Member IR Board and Rajesh Shekhawat, Senior Professor, IRICEN, Pune) in the Feb 2019 IPWE Seminar at Hyderabad (available on request at [email protected]). Annexure I of the presentation provides a compre-

hensive specimen of rail stress calcula-tion and fatigue-based analysis for concrete sleeper track laid with 60kg-110 UTS rails, for 25t axle load (BOBSN25 wagon) at 100 kph. It also provides a method evolved by Ekbote by applying a user-friendly so�ware on Windows platform for computing rail stresses and formation stresses.

�e rail stress analysis reveals that the 60kg-110 UTS rail is adequate for running 25t axle load at 100 kph, provided the maximum limit for alarm in WILD is lowered to 30t from the present 35t limit. 60kg-110 UTS rail satis�es the bending stress require-ment for fatigue. If, however, the existing alarm limit of 35t for WILD is to be adhered to, it is necessary to use 60kg-120 UTS rail like R350HT/R350LHT complying with EN13674-1.

Rail stress analysis has also been carried out also for high-speed passen-ger trains with the conclusion that 52kg-110 UTS rail is the minimum requirement for running LHB coaches at 160 to 250 kph, from consideration of bending stress and contact shear stresses. 90 UTS rail is not suitable, even if 60kg rail is used.

R A I L SI R

S. Gopalakrishnan

Ex-Additional Member, IR Board

Ex-Technical Adviser Track, Gamuda Engineering, Malaysia

IRS-T-12, the IR speci�cation for rails, provides for two grades of rails with ultimate tensile strengths of 90 and 110 kg/mm2 (referred to as 90 UTS and 110 UTS rails). �e rail plant at SAIL Bhilai has so far produced only 90 UTS rails, though production of 110 UTS rails is said to be on the anvil. In contrast, other advanced railways have been using rails of UTS as high as 120 kg/mm2; the latest addition being rail grade with a UTS of 130 kg/mm2. EN and AREMA (USA) speci�cations have been expanded to cover rails of high-strength grades. In addition, reputed rail manufacturers such as Nippon Steel, Voistalpine, Corus, �yssen Krupp, Panzhihua, etc. also produce patented rail grades of high UTS to meet varying customer needs.

�us, a prime step needed is the upward revision of yield strength and endurance limit in IRS-T-12 so that the rail manufacturers innovate microalloying techniques to comply with the revised values. �e ratio of yield strength to UTS adopted on IR is only 52% in the case of 90 UTS rails, whereas on advanced railways this propor-tion is in the 60-70% range.

Accidents due to rail fractures occur frequently on IR, despite the periodical in-service testing by portable ultrasonic �aw detectors. To top it, IR network targets mixed tra�c of 25t axle load wagons at 100 kph and medium high-speed passenger trains at 160 kph, which will cause rail stresses severer than now. �e poser: make rails a reliable asset. In his assessment presented to the IPWE(I) International Seminar 2019, S Gopalakrishnan has relied on his experience in framing rail speci�cation for high-speed railway projects for Malaysian National Railway and pre-shipment inspection of rails manufactured in China and Germany to UIC and EN Speci�cations. �is report is based on his presentation without being a verbatim extract.

The IR scene

�e IR Track Standards Commi�ee is empowered to investigate into the requirements of the track structure to carry 25 t axle load at 100km/h, and its reports include supporting design calculations.

�e IPWE presentation examines two unexplored possibilities:

IR to encourage rail manufacturers to produce rails of higher ultimate tensile strength, pushing up the yield strength and endurance limit.

�e present methodology of calculating rail stresses be rendered more accurate so that the design procedure does not camou�age failure potential.

A simple procedure, akin to that adopted in the design of a statically loaded structure, is not appropriate for rail. Rail fractures are a�ributable to fatigue of the steel due to reversal of bending stresses and the rail-wheel contact shear stresses. When the wheel load passes over the rail, di�erent parts of the rail-metal undergo such reversals. �e present IR methodology is to calculate the stresses due to various forces acting on the rail and to compare the total of such stresses against the yield strength. It would be logical to adopt the more recent analysis based on fatigue principles, in line with advance practices. In the latest method, stresses are evaluated using Smith Diagram from fatigue point of

view which requires input data: maximum and minimum stresses su�ered by rail, UTS, yield strength and endurance limit that decides fatigue withstanding capability.

�e rail stress pale�e consists of

Bending stress due to �exing of rail in vertical mode, caused by wheel loads

Bending stress due to lateral �exing caused by wheel �ange force

Torsional stresses due to the eccentricity of vertical load with respect to rail-center

Torsional stresses due to the incidence of �ange force

Contact shear stresses at rail-top due to wheel load acting over a small area

Residual stress entrapped in rail due to rolling and straightening process

�ermal stresses due to restricted expansion/contrac-tion of long welded rails

A rail design check extends over two phases: calculation of stresses and their critical analysis for fatigue crack prone-ness or plastic deformation of the metal. �e international analytical practices are:

Fatigue criterion is applied for the combined e�ect of bending stresses, thermal stresses, and residual stress.

Yield stress criterion is applied for the combined e�ect of bending stresses due to wheel load acting centrally on railhead, stresses caused by lateral bending due to �ange force acting on the rail and stresses consequent to torsion of the rail due to eccentric loading of wheel load and �ange forces.

Criteria of fatigue and yield (plastic deformation) are applied for contact shear stress induced at rail top due to impact wheel load caused by wheel �ats and/or rail surface defects, a factor hitherto not considered on IR.

Two solutions to withstand heavier axle load are: increasing the cross-sectional area of rail to reduce the bending stresses or increasing the strength of rail steel, addressing bending and contact shear stresses. Contact shear stress is the phenomenon of contact between wheel-tread and rail-ta-ble, and its magnitude does not depend on rail-size. �e la�er solution is inevitable in the case of heavy axle loads, even if bending stresses for fatigue may be within permissi-ble limits.


As an initial step, IRS-T-12 may �x YS as 60% of UTS and endurance limit at 44%. �ese can be further increased upward as adopted on the advanced railways a�er gaining experience.

Without waiting for the revision of IRS-T-12, improvements to the present method of calculating rail stresses, in line with international practices, are recommended: Adopting Eisenmann Formula for

Dynamic Ampli�cation Factor, instead of the curves in RDSO’s Reports C100 and C92. �is formula considers the condition of the track, and it embodies the principle of probability in a realistic way. Many researchers have validated this formula.

Adopting a single value of ‘Dynamic Track Modulus’ instead of Initial and Elastic Moduli, determined by IR many years back through static loading tests.

Adding 0.2Q to the static wheel load Q, to cater for quasi-static on-loading on the outer rail of a curve.

Adopting Flange force Y on the rail as 0.15Q, instead of half of Prud’homme Limit H for Lateral �rust on a track that was evolved for a di�erent purpose. �e lateral thrust H will leave a residual distortion in alignment and will be unrealistically severe, not re�ect-ing actual �eld condition.

Stresses consequent to lateral bending and twisting of rail due to �ange force Y and eccentricity of vertical load 1.2Q need not be considered for evaluating the fatigue e�ect. However, these will be considered for plastic deforma-tion when combined with bending stress.

Application of Smith Diagram to assess the permissibility of �uctu-ating stresses from fatigue consid-

eration, instead of comparing the total stress to yield strength. �is gives con�dence regarding the factor of safety since this kind of approach in the design of fatigue-prone components is internationally accepted.

Ignoring 10% of stresses for the leading wheel, a�ributed to heaving of the track.

Not considering 10% of bending stresses ‘due to unforeseen eventu-alities’, since the new method is fatigue criterion based, ensuring ample factor of safety.

Presently, static wheel load +1t is substituted in place of Q in the formula “Maximum contact shear stress = 4.13 x √(Q/r. But it would be correct to substitute the instan-taneous impact / shock load of wheel, which may be 2 to 4 times static wheel load. By this correc-tion, it would be possible to �nd out the maximum impact / shock load that can be permi�ed depending on the UTS of rail, irrespective of weight of rail. �e severity of wheel-�at or rail-scab will have to be controlled accord-ingly. �is will also decide the safe alarm limit for the installed Wheel Impact Load Detectors.

Pressure caused by the vehicle-loading at various depths below the sleeper-so�t should be determined by Boussinesq and Odemark �eories.

�ese suggested improvements have been explained in ‘Fatigue Criterion based Stress Analysis for rail, a Must for High-speed and Heavy Freight Tra�c’ by Gopalakrishnan (co-au-thors, MS Ekbote, Ex Addl. Member IR Board and Rajesh Shekhawat, Senior Professor, IRICEN, Pune) in the Feb 2019 IPWE Seminar at Hyderabad (available on request at [email protected]). Annexure I of the presentation provides a compre-

hensive specimen of rail stress calcula-tion and fatigue-based analysis for concrete sleeper track laid with 60kg-110 UTS rails, for 25t axle load (BOBSN25 wagon) at 100 kph. It also provides a method evolved by Ekbote by applying a user-friendly so�ware on Windows platform for computing rail stresses and formation stresses.

�e rail stress analysis reveals that the 60kg-110 UTS rail is adequate for running 25t axle load at 100 kph, provided the maximum limit for alarm in WILD is lowered to 30t from the present 35t limit. 60kg-110 UTS rail satis�es the bending stress require-ment for fatigue. If, however, the existing alarm limit of 35t for WILD is to be adhered to, it is necessary to use 60kg-120 UTS rail like R350HT/R350LHT complying with EN13674-1.

Rail stress analysis has also been carried out also for high-speed passen-ger trains with the conclusion that 52kg-110 UTS rail is the minimum requirement for running LHB coaches at 160 to 250 kph, from consideration of bending stress and contact shear stresses. 90 UTS rail is not suitable, even if 60kg rail is used.

Rail speci�cation Type Yield strength (MPa) Tensile strength (MPa) Elongation (%)

DHH Eutectoid 830 1290 14

HE370 Hyper eutectoid 865 1353 12

HE400 910 1385 12

HE-X 951 1438 11

Speciality rail steels by Nippon Steel, Japan

R A I L SI R

A prologue IR may have accepted that the IR Speci�cation T-12-2009 will be revised, dropping head-hardened rail option, and opting for fully heat treated rails like HT & LHT EN grades. It is reliably understood that IR may be including 120 UTS rail instead of 110UTS prescribing a higher limit for YS/UTS minimum Yield Strength. �e presentation points out that the methodology of rail stress calculation solemnised in IR’s 2006 circular is due to be amend-ed, because of its obsolescence , the international practice and since wrong method will lead to wrong conclusions, as has happened now.To that extent, this presentation paper has served its purpose.

Train 18

assumptions and calculations which are subject to questions and giving any comments with speci�c values is a process that is time-consuming and beyond purview.’

�e issue of residual stress seems to be vexing, and subject to a biased option, as these depend greatly on the manu-facturing processes, the chemical composition, and metallurgy at the �nish , with one expert suggesting that ‘this can be taken equal to 100 Mpa.’ For the UIC 60 kg/m rail, a limit of 125 to 190 MPa has been indicated.

Manufacturing processes followed by Indian rail manufacturer SAIL Bhilai (and now JSPL) are based on

established German technologies and should produce rails of equivalent properties. �e data used by German and other European railways assumes a +- 222 Mpa cyclical loading strength ( fatigue) and a 55% yield value at 495 Mpa ( one expert permits 580 MPa), whereas IR limits that to 468 Mpa , based on local assessment and perhaps some measurements.

�e report unambiguously leads to a permissive conclusion , leaving at rest the post-construction IR doubts on le�ing the much-touted DFCs work at 25 t axle loads. It seems that IR has walked deliberately into this area , with unknown objectives, ‘ taking only the

maximum residual stress but not taking the other assumptions and parameters of European methods in stress calculations, leading to worst possible combination and is not an economic /scienti�c approach to the problem.’

Gold plating

Designers can o�en ‘gold plate’ a speci�cation ,oblivious to the resultant non-value cost additions , that make the spec look be�er but unrealistic for the missing returns for the plating . �e much heralded DFC projects will be hard out to deliver the promised e�ciency increases if these doubts persist.

IR’s 25 t axle load conundrum gets interesting

�e track structure for the dedicated freight corridors was initially based on a RDSO report that de�ned the consist of a 60 kg/m rail at 90 kg/mm2 ultimate tensile strength for operation at a max speed of 100 kph. Construction standards for the formation and the bridges are compliant for a later ( as yet unde�ned) upgrade to 32.5 t axle load. Even as construction progress now indicates partial commissioning in a few months , suitability of what is being commissioned for a 25 t axle load has been cast into ambiguity as a subsequent RDSO report ( Feb 2018) indicated that the rail stresses at 25t/100 kph would exceed permissible rail-stress limits, and hence operations should be limited to the IR conventional 22.9 t loading. Late last year, the IR Board took waiting-for-solution stand to ask the MD/DFCCIL to decide , which in turn engaged a well-known French rail consulting group to assess and report.

Observations from the assessment

‘RDSO report has taken the permissible values in conclusion selectively. It has taken the max value of residual stresses of 245 Mpa according to EN 13674-1 without justi�cation, but corresponding calculations and coe�cients as per rules of European speci�cations have not been followed.

�e report has taken the permissible yield stress of 900 UTS at 468 Mpa, less than the 495 used by Deutsche Bahn or 580 Mpa as per Esveld ( a well-recognized track expert).

It uses speci�c track modulus that has arose from �eld measurements. �is value changes over time. �e

report does not investigate the possibility of improve-ments in the superstructure to be built, in order that rail stresses could be reduced due to axle load increase.’

The underlying technicals

Important rail material properties that need consideration include the rail section , leading to a per unit length weight like the speci�ed 60 kg/m. �e cross-section directs the sectional modulus and the moment of inertia, both determinants for max stress. �e ultimate stress level at which a sample may break is designated as 90 or 110 UTS . �e corresponding yield stress is taken at about 52% UTS at 468 Mpa, that can go up to 560 Mpa for the stronger 1080 Chromium added rail grade (not yet used on IR). �e corresponding endurance limit at 90 UTS is 333 Mpa.

�ese strength properties are considered adequate to resist various stresses that arise due to internal residual stresses, those by temperature variations, dynamic loading induced by rolling stock, service wear and cant de�ciency/excess on curves. Experts de�ne the failure criteria for determining the appropriate rail section : yield under various stresses, fatigue due to cycling stress and contact stress fatigue at the wheel contact surface.

The residual stress imbroglio

A key point of the RDSO re-assessment that has led to the possibility of limitations on the freight corridors is an assessment of the residual stresses that are le� in the rail during the manufacturing processes. IRS-T-12 Speci�ca-tion had de�ned this limit at 190 Mpa that has been revised based on SAIL Research Organisation’s testing to 250 Mpa, which nearly coincides with the value prescribed by EN-13674-1. In a worst case loading scenario, these are considered to leave the 90 UTS IR rail unsuitable for the 25 t operations.

�e French experts have in a way contested various RDSO assumptions in arriving at this restrictive scenario, listing lower yield strength value and the higher residual stress, concluding that ‘ RDSO report is based on a number of

Speed kph 50 75 100

Assessed dynamic augment % 43 53.5% 72%

Wheel load bending stress kg/mm2 10.5 11.2 12.5

Residual stress kg/mm2 24.5 (disputed by the French Expert)

�ermal stresses kg/mm2 11.3

Unforeseen conditions stress kg/mm2 1.05 1.17 1.25

Total stress kg/mm2 47.4 48.2 49.6

Yield strength 46.8 kg/mm2 (adopted by RDSO)


R A I L SI R

RDSO assessment of likely rail tensile stresses

In one of the presentations made at the IPWE 2019, the French consulting expert concluded that ‘ 60kg UIC is capable of withstanding tra�c load of 32-42t with sleeper spacing of 630 mm with an additional load of 20 %...it can be observed that for speed of 100 kph and bad ground( C= 2 N/mm3) rail 60 kg UIC 90 UTS can be used up to an axle load of 32 t.’

O P I N I O NI R D E V E L O P M E N T

A leading �nancial daily has recently reported that a study by the University of Illinois has concluded that the rails manufactured by SAIL are not suitable for the 25 t axle load freight operations at 100 kph. �e study contends that these rails are not suitable for 160 kph passengers operations, casting doubts even for the 22.9 t axle load operations beyond 60 kph.�e Illinois investigation, commissioned by IR to check the internal (RDSO’s) conclusion recommending the use of 1,080 Mpa rails, has recorded that ‘IR’s 880 Mpa rail is of lower strength than

even the standard grade used in the US’ and recommends the use of higher strength rails and has recommended considering the use of 1080 Mpa rail. �e existing IR track structure of 60 kg rail section with 880 Mpa tensile strength is not considered adequate for 25t axle load operations. Given the current estimates of rail stresses, the use of 1,080 Mpa rail provides be�er coverage against a combination of rail stresses and the potential for rail failures .SAIL has its R&D Team centered in RDCIS Ranchi, which can develop

new grades. �e report mentions an unnamed IR o�cial , ‘If IR sends a request for a higher grade, SAIL will be able to upgrade, but that cannot happen overnight.’ It is of concern that no such upgrade project has so far been considered by IR or SAIL. SAIL and IR are also engaged in dispute for inadequate supply. With IR requiring about 14-17 lakh t every year for replacement and to build new tracks, supply from SAIL has fallen short at 9.85 lakh t in the last FY.

Absent developmental project for rail steel

assumptions and calculations which are subject to questions and giving any comments with speci�c values is a process that is time-consuming and beyond purview.’

�e issue of residual stress seems to be vexing, and subject to a biased option, as these depend greatly on the manu-facturing processes, the chemical composition, and metallurgy at the �nish , with one expert suggesting that ‘this can be taken equal to 100 Mpa.’ For the UIC 60 kg/m rail, a limit of 125 to 190 MPa has been indicated.

Manufacturing processes followed by Indian rail manufacturer SAIL Bhilai (and now JSPL) are based on

established German technologies and should produce rails of equivalent properties. �e data used by German and other European railways assumes a +- 222 Mpa cyclical loading strength ( fatigue) and a 55% yield value at 495 Mpa ( one expert permits 580 MPa), whereas IR limits that to 468 Mpa , based on local assessment and perhaps some measurements.

�e report unambiguously leads to a permissive conclusion , leaving at rest the post-construction IR doubts on le�ing the much-touted DFCs work at 25 t axle loads. It seems that IR has walked deliberately into this area , with unknown objectives, ‘ taking only the

maximum residual stress but not taking the other assumptions and parameters of European methods in stress calculations, leading to worst possible combination and is not an economic /scienti�c approach to the problem.’

Gold plating

Designers can o�en ‘gold plate’ a speci�cation ,oblivious to the resultant non-value cost additions , that make the spec look be�er but unrealistic for the missing returns for the plating . �e much heralded DFC projects will be hard out to deliver the promised e�ciency increases if these doubts persist.

The British wisdom on the gauge . Well , almost!�e Brits had built the densest rail network, till the Beeching report in the 1950s reversed the trend. �e mushroom growth in the early years in the 1900s was full of engineering developments that set the pa�ern for the world for almost a hundred years .And many of the lines were built with unusual gauges. �e issue was addressed before it could do lasting damage . Well, almost.�ere was much resistance to a 7 � gauge pioneered by Brunel . ‘In 1846 Peel’s government passed the Gauge Act, another early example of the state's intervention in workings of the

economy. In the future, all railways had to be constructed with a ‘standard gauge,’ 4 feet 8 ½ inches . One important exception was made for the Great Western, which was permi�ed to continue to lay its lines with Brunel’s seven-foot train the previous century because locks, bridges, and aqueducts had not been built to standard widths , hindering the transshipment of freight through-out the country’. Brunel, whose contribution to rail engineering is immense, dismissed the standard gauge 1435 mm as inadequate to cope with the greater

speeds, safety and smoother travel he planned for the London to Bristol service. �e �rst train to steam out of Paddington , London used also originally built for a 5 � 6 in. service in New Orleans , USA. Test speed of 145 kph has been reported on Brunel’s gauge ; a test competition in 1845 saw the 7 �. gauge Ixion achieve 96 kph. GWR laid a third rail throughout its system, with the ultimate transition to the 1435 mm in 1892.Rail history was made and then reversed.

�e track structure for the dedicated freight corridors was initially based on a RDSO report that de�ned the consist of a 60 kg/m rail at 90 kg/mm2 ultimate tensile strength for operation at a max speed of 100 kph. Construction standards for the formation and the bridges are compliant for a later ( as yet unde�ned) upgrade to 32.5 t axle load. Even as construction progress now indicates partial commissioning in a few months , suitability of what is being commissioned for a 25 t axle load has been cast into ambiguity as a subsequent RDSO report ( Feb 2018) indicated that the rail stresses at 25t/100 kph would exceed permissible rail-stress limits, and hence operations should be limited to the IR conventional 22.9 t loading. Late last year, the IR Board took waiting-for-solution stand to ask the MD/DFCCIL to decide , which in turn engaged a well-known French rail consulting group to assess and report.

Observations from the assessment

‘RDSO report has taken the permissible values in conclusion selectively. It has taken the max value of residual stresses of 245 Mpa according to EN 13674-1 without justi�cation, but corresponding calculations and coe�cients as per rules of European speci�cations have not been followed.

�e report has taken the permissible yield stress of 900 UTS at 468 Mpa, less than the 495 used by Deutsche Bahn or 580 Mpa as per Esveld ( a well-recognized track expert).

It uses speci�c track modulus that has arose from �eld measurements. �is value changes over time. �e

report does not investigate the possibility of improve-ments in the superstructure to be built, in order that rail stresses could be reduced due to axle load increase.’

The underlying technicals

Important rail material properties that need consideration include the rail section , leading to a per unit length weight like the speci�ed 60 kg/m. �e cross-section directs the sectional modulus and the moment of inertia, both determinants for max stress. �e ultimate stress level at which a sample may break is designated as 90 or 110 UTS . �e corresponding yield stress is taken at about 52% UTS at 468 Mpa, that can go up to 560 Mpa for the stronger 1080 Chromium added rail grade (not yet used on IR). �e corresponding endurance limit at 90 UTS is 333 Mpa.

�ese strength properties are considered adequate to resist various stresses that arise due to internal residual stresses, those by temperature variations, dynamic loading induced by rolling stock, service wear and cant de�ciency/excess on curves. Experts de�ne the failure criteria for determining the appropriate rail section : yield under various stresses, fatigue due to cycling stress and contact stress fatigue at the wheel contact surface.

The residual stress imbroglio

A key point of the RDSO re-assessment that has led to the possibility of limitations on the freight corridors is an assessment of the residual stresses that are le� in the rail during the manufacturing processes. IRS-T-12 Speci�ca-tion had de�ned this limit at 190 Mpa that has been revised based on SAIL Research Organisation’s testing to 250 Mpa, which nearly coincides with the value prescribed by EN-13674-1. In a worst case loading scenario, these are considered to leave the 90 UTS IR rail unsuitable for the 25 t operations.

�e French experts have in a way contested various RDSO assumptions in arriving at this restrictive scenario, listing lower yield strength value and the higher residual stress, concluding that ‘ RDSO report is based on a number of



Wheel noise absorbers make a silent entry

Indian metro networks are now alive to the need for noise control , even if these are the �rst steps.Noise absorption through wheel based dampers has been employed on Metros in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kochi on coaches supplied by Alstom Transport and Hyun-dai Rotem. A similar application is under discussion for Mumbai Metro (contracts awarded to BEML Limited & Alstom Transport) and application of similar noise damp-ing rings is a possibility. Noise control is increasingly a part of the required service ambience, and rails can be no exception . Noise ‘engineer-ing’ is now, to use a Maslow phrase, emerging as a higher order of safety and service needs . Research and develop-ment in multiple aspects has resulted in trains being less noise-polluting , providing a be�er ambience for passengers and lesser incursions into the lives of those living by the trackside.Rail-related noise can emanate from the wheel-rail interface and the track, aerodynamic noise from the rolling stock and the onboard rotating and static equipment. Several types of noise occur during rail operation including rolling, squeal-ing, braking and aerodynamic. Modern instrumentation and vibration analysis tools permit segregating the compos-ite noise spectrum into its frequencies and types , pinpoint-ing the origins. Multiple solutions are already in use, like elastic under-sleeper isolation pads used mainly in Metro locations, cowls used on high speed trains to reduce panto-graph sourced noise, control on structural noise from rolling stock by separation of the bogies and the coach

bodies, avoiding ‘dents and �ssures’ in coach exteriors and controlling window contours and inter-coach separation vortex by a full cover and many others.Typical IR AC train travels, with closed windows, subjects passengers to a noise level of about 70 dB; a Delhi Metro train with closed doors may be about 40 dB, going up in braking and acceleration to 70 dB. Long distance travel can be more comfortable if the noise levels can be controlled to a soothing 40 dB. Indian Metros like Lucknow are reported to have started addressing the issue of isolating the track noise from the surroundings with the use of under-sleeper elastic ‘ma�ings’ or pads . Isolating the wheel borne noise may be the next step ; multiple solutions already exist, and adoption of some features in the Mumbai Metro may be on the cards.In addition to the base level noise, rail travel on tight curves is a cause of concern, and Metro /suburban operators in developed countries already have rail grinding sequences in place for mitigating the noise coupling to track surround-ings. Technical solutions are commercially available from multiple sources, like BONAT�NS INDIA, a global supplier and a localised wheel supplier in Aurangabad . Marcel Ujfaluši, Head - Business Development and Market-ing in GHH-BONAT�NS Group, points out that one of their solutions marketed under the BONASILENCE® brand is able to reduce squealing noise in curves ( where the wheel is the dominant noise source) by up to 30 dB in the frequency band where squealing noise is signi�cant, also helping in reducing the rolling noise of wheels by 10 dB. �e standard method now speci�ed under European interchange standards involves measuring the dB level at 7.5 m from the track center, 1.2 m above the rail level.‘�e issue of noise is particularly signi�cant if railway transport is run in densely populated areas or at very high speeds. �at is why the problem of noise during the opera-tion of rail vehicles must be addressed especially in Europe, where the most developed rail network and urban public transport systems are located, and close a�ention is being paid to the problems of noise. However, the same problem relates to urban and suburban transport in all other major world cities’… Marcel Ujfaluši .Apropos noise reduction solution, the wheel is no more a bygone conventional type ; through persistently evolving innovative solutions it no longer remains untouched,

Noise source in high-speed train transport

unabsorbed, and uncontrolled.Damping variants

Marcel Ujfaluši indicated that in the last twenty years they have already installed more than 1,00,000 wheels with four types or their combinations of noise dampers. �ese can be mounted on steel monoblocs or rubber sprung resilient wheels. Successful Metro applications exist all around the world, and new designs are always on, like BONASILENCE®M, a recent one in Berlin.

�e BONAT�NS ring damping system, BONASILENCE®R, consists of semi-cylindrical grooves on the rim and inserting circular rings into these grooves. Noise damping is achieved by external friction of the rings against the surface of the semi-cylindrical grooves during wheel vibrations: the rim vibration causes relative motion between damping rings and wheel

what causes friction and consequently noise damping. Two damping rings on the rim brings down rolling noise damping up to 6 dB - a weighted sound pressure level in 1/3 octave bands for a wheel only. During wheel riding on the rail in a longitudinal direction, the wheel also moves up and down. �e vertical wheel motion generates rolling noise. Rolling noise is possible to calculate as a function of wheel and rail roughness (irregulari-ties) . Applications include in �TP Paris, Kochi Metro (using BON-AT�NS INDIA) and Ahmedabad Metro. Plate dampers, BONASILENCE®P, consist of one or two layers of metal (usually stainless steel) and one or two layers of damping material (usually rubber). �e life span of the damper is not limited by the wheel life span. Dis-assembly and application on the new or spare wheel are possible with an easy replacement under a vehicle without the necessity for the disman-tling of whole wheelsets. �e life expectancy of the damper should be at least 15 years. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 5 dB and more. Typical applications: Metro in Boston, Prague, and Petersburg.Squeal noise is generated by wheels in curves, mostly during negotiation of

curves with a small radius, in a stick-slip phenomenon. �e phenom-enon is continuously repeated, and the wheel performs the sinusoidal move-ment (as noise). �e movement mostly depends on the di�erence between static and dynamic friction coe�cient. But the values are not possible to calculate – only to measure. Similarly, squeal noise is possible to measure only, and not found out by calculation.Combination of the frictional ring and the plate damper, BONASI-LENCE®PR, results in increasing of damping e�ciency. Here also the life span of the damper is not limited by the wheel life span; disassembly, and application on a new or spare wheel is possible. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 10 dB. Typical application: Pendolino trains in Finland and the Czech Republic.For divided plate (or leaf) damper versions, BONASILENCE®D, the composition is like the plate damper. Leaf dampers are primarily designed to reduce squealing noise. �is solution in di�erent modi�cations may also be used for the reduction of rolling noise. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 7 dB. Typical application: resilient wheels in Metro Oslo.

N O I S ET E C H N O L O G Y

110100

90807060

Rolling noise: 30 log V Aerodynamic noise: >60 log V break line

LAoq

,tp

100 200 300 400 500

Indian metro networks are now alive to the need for noise control , even if these are the �rst steps.Noise absorption through wheel based dampers has been employed on Metros in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kochi on coaches supplied by Alstom Transport and Hyun-dai Rotem. A similar application is under discussion for Mumbai Metro (contracts awarded to BEML Limited & Alstom Transport) and application of similar noise damp-ing rings is a possibility. Noise control is increasingly a part of the required service ambience, and rails can be no exception . Noise ‘engineer-ing’ is now, to use a Maslow phrase, emerging as a higher order of safety and service needs . Research and develop-ment in multiple aspects has resulted in trains being less noise-polluting , providing a be�er ambience for passengers and lesser incursions into the lives of those living by the trackside.Rail-related noise can emanate from the wheel-rail interface and the track, aerodynamic noise from the rolling stock and the onboard rotating and static equipment. Several types of noise occur during rail operation including rolling, squeal-ing, braking and aerodynamic. Modern instrumentation and vibration analysis tools permit segregating the compos-ite noise spectrum into its frequencies and types , pinpoint-ing the origins. Multiple solutions are already in use, like elastic under-sleeper isolation pads used mainly in Metro locations, cowls used on high speed trains to reduce panto-graph sourced noise, control on structural noise from rolling stock by separation of the bogies and the coach

bodies, avoiding ‘dents and �ssures’ in coach exteriors and controlling window contours and inter-coach separation vortex by a full cover and many others.Typical IR AC train travels, with closed windows, subjects passengers to a noise level of about 70 dB; a Delhi Metro train with closed doors may be about 40 dB, going up in braking and acceleration to 70 dB. Long distance travel can be more comfortable if the noise levels can be controlled to a soothing 40 dB. Indian Metros like Lucknow are reported to have started addressing the issue of isolating the track noise from the surroundings with the use of under-sleeper elastic ‘ma�ings’ or pads . Isolating the wheel borne noise may be the next step ; multiple solutions already exist, and adoption of some features in the Mumbai Metro may be on the cards.In addition to the base level noise, rail travel on tight curves is a cause of concern, and Metro /suburban operators in developed countries already have rail grinding sequences in place for mitigating the noise coupling to track surround-ings. Technical solutions are commercially available from multiple sources, like BONAT�NS INDIA, a global supplier and a localised wheel supplier in Aurangabad . Marcel Ujfaluši, Head - Business Development and Market-ing in GHH-BONAT�NS Group, points out that one of their solutions marketed under the BONASILENCE® brand is able to reduce squealing noise in curves ( where the wheel is the dominant noise source) by up to 30 dB in the frequency band where squealing noise is signi�cant, also helping in reducing the rolling noise of wheels by 10 dB. �e standard method now speci�ed under European interchange standards involves measuring the dB level at 7.5 m from the track center, 1.2 m above the rail level.‘�e issue of noise is particularly signi�cant if railway transport is run in densely populated areas or at very high speeds. �at is why the problem of noise during the opera-tion of rail vehicles must be addressed especially in Europe, where the most developed rail network and urban public transport systems are located, and close a�ention is being paid to the problems of noise. However, the same problem relates to urban and suburban transport in all other major world cities’… Marcel Ujfaluši .Apropos noise reduction solution, the wheel is no more a bygone conventional type ; through persistently evolving innovative solutions it no longer remains untouched,


unabsorbed, and uncontrolled.Damping variants

Marcel Ujfaluši indicated that in the last twenty years they have already installed more than 1,00,000 wheels with four types or their combinations of noise dampers. �ese can be mounted on steel monoblocs or rubber sprung resilient wheels. Successful Metro applications exist all around the world, and new designs are always on, like BONASILENCE®M, a recent one in Berlin.

�e BONAT�NS ring damping system, BONASILENCE®R, consists of semi-cylindrical grooves on the rim and inserting circular rings into these grooves. Noise damping is achieved by external friction of the rings against the surface of the semi-cylindrical grooves during wheel vibrations: the rim vibration causes relative motion between damping rings and wheel

what causes friction and consequently noise damping. Two damping rings on the rim brings down rolling noise damping up to 6 dB - a weighted sound pressure level in 1/3 octave bands for a wheel only. During wheel riding on the rail in a longitudinal direction, the wheel also moves up and down. �e vertical wheel motion generates rolling noise. Rolling noise is possible to calculate as a function of wheel and rail roughness (irregulari-ties) . Applications include in �TP Paris, Kochi Metro (using BON-AT�NS INDIA) and Ahmedabad Metro. Plate dampers, BONASILENCE®P, consist of one or two layers of metal (usually stainless steel) and one or two layers of damping material (usually rubber). �e life span of the damper is not limited by the wheel life span. Dis-assembly and application on the new or spare wheel are possible with an easy replacement under a vehicle without the necessity for the disman-tling of whole wheelsets. �e life expectancy of the damper should be at least 15 years. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 5 dB and more. Typical applications: Metro in Boston, Prague, and Petersburg.Squeal noise is generated by wheels in curves, mostly during negotiation of

curves with a small radius, in a stick-slip phenomenon. �e phenom-enon is continuously repeated, and the wheel performs the sinusoidal move-ment (as noise). �e movement mostly depends on the di�erence between static and dynamic friction coe�cient. But the values are not possible to calculate – only to measure. Similarly, squeal noise is possible to measure only, and not found out by calculation.Combination of the frictional ring and the plate damper, BONASI-LENCE®PR, results in increasing of damping e�ciency. Here also the life span of the damper is not limited by the wheel life span; disassembly, and application on a new or spare wheel is possible. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 10 dB. Typical application: Pendolino trains in Finland and the Czech Republic.For divided plate (or leaf) damper versions, BONASILENCE®D, the composition is like the plate damper. Leaf dampers are primarily designed to reduce squealing noise. �is solution in di�erent modi�cations may also be used for the reduction of rolling noise. �e expected reduction of the wheel rolling noise = 7 dB. Typical application: resilient wheels in Metro Oslo.

Train travelers now expect onboard high-performance Internet access, looking for smooth sur�ng during a train journey , even using the compart-ment as a mobile workstation. Railway operators must o�er an appropriate data infrastructure to meet these requirements and that needs new cabling systems. HARTING now o�ers developed solutions using the preLink® system and EtherRail® cables, and data networks in trains can be implemented reliably and in a future-proof manner. With Ethernet via only one pair of wires, rail operators can reduce the operating costs and optimize production with the tool-less PushPull system. A senior Harting executive indicated that a central component of the preLink® system is the termination block, which allows the cable connection to be performed quickly, simply and reliably. �e small size of the preLink® contact block makes it possible to prefabricate data cables separately from the train car and then install them with a minimum hole diameter of just 12 mm , su�cient to insert and route the cables. Both RJ45 and M12 D- and X-coded connectors (socket or pin) are available for data transmission of up to 10 Gbit/s. �e system simultaneously simpli�es assembly, making it both faster and more reliable.�e goal of Ethernet via SPE cable and small connectors, according to IEC 63171-3, is to achieve weight savings while o�ering identical perfor-mance. Under IEEE 802.3bp (1000 BASE-T1), cable lengths up to 40 m can transmit 1 Gbit/s , while the cable length is about one-third less than conventional 8-wire Ethernet cable :a standard Ethernet cable with four wire pairs for 1/10 Gbit/s Ethernet weighs about 45 kg /km, and in contrast a Single Pair cable with the same bandwidth weighs only 30 kg/km. Since several kms of cable are installed in the cars, this o�ers a considerable savings potential in terms of vehicle weight.

Elements for seamless connectivity

N O I S ET E C H N O L O G Y

�e variants used are ring (friction-al) dampers, plate dampers, divided plate dampers, and multi-segment damper. �e damper is composed of a support body (usually steel) and damping component (rubber and composition of rubber and steel). �ese designs are expected to last around 15 years , with the metal component like stainless steel outlasting the wheel.

Jean-Michel

EvanghelouHead TelecomUIC

François DavenneDeputy DirectorGeneralUICParis

Rail communications-moving on to the modernGSM-R, the current international model for mobile train communications, may continue beyond 2030 when technical and maintenance support for the system could gradually be discontinued. A transition would be in step with the rapidly advancing technologies of Generation 2 (pursued in GSM-R) to the currently addressed LTE and G5. GSM, the Global System for Mobile communications, launched in the 1990s, is now the default model for railway-linked communications. �e railway adaptation, GSM-R, was built to provide the required data �ow for train control security and for the more open (i.e., with lower safety levels) voice-communication needs for various rail applications. �e transition to G5 technology is now being ushered into the railway sphere through a timely Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), and a European expert group coordinated by the International Union of Railways (UIC) has been working on providing the common resources and standardisations needed for this transition.�e �rst dedicated FRMCS technical conference in May provided the needed integration platform.The UIC lead

�e responsibility for the ‘future proo�ng’ of rail communications lies mainly with the UIC experts in a dedicated organisation assigned to François Davenne, UIC Director General, and Jean-Michel Evanghelou, UIC Director of Telecom, Signalling and Digital Applications, along with nominated experts from various railway networks and telecom specialists. Davenne stressed that digitisation has been a key to be�er services and value additions, and even more so as the customer preference for rail services will depend on matching the best available services and information �ow. He listed the successes so far: ‘GSM-R has been a success not only in Europe, where more than 100,000 km of railway tracks are operational, but worldwide, and this number will be more than doubled in the coming years thanks to the ongoing installations.’ UIC expects feasibility pilots providing proof of the FRMCS concept to be completed by 2024 and the �rst migration project in 2025. �at should be well in time for the targeted implementation of the FRMCS system by 2030.UIC organised the �rst Global FRMCS Conference in Paris in May 2019. Around 250 participants and 50 speakers from several countries, including representatives from Asian railways, and from diverse areas such as telecom and signalling domains, regulation authorities and standardisation bodies, railway infrastructure managers and railway undertakings but also industry leaders and manufacturers, a�ended this international conference whose principal aim was to facilitate an open, relevant and comprehensive exchange of information between the numerous actors of the rail sector.�e conference was a sound opportunity to �nd out more

about the current status of FRMCS speci�cations and standardisation, to understand the global timeline of its introduction and to consider the operational impacts of the anticipated migration scenarios. Various specialists also provided a global vision of the rail evolutions that would bene�t from this new system as a common support to train modernisation.All the relevant aspects linked to FRMCS were presented and discussed: �e state of the art of GSM-R and its current evolution

to packet mode (GPRS) �e drivers for FRMCS, detailing several applications

and services taking advantage of this future technology �e key players of FRMCS, including industry and

regulation representatives �e precise explanation of the speci�cation and

standardisation processes A focus on industrial companies commi�ed to FRMCS

evolution �e elements of FRMCS migration with the

consideration of co-existence with GSM-R for a period. All the participants le� with the simple message that

FRMCS was clearly on its way and would greatly help the evolution of railway services in the very near future.

Morse code to digitisation

From trackside overheard telephony to mobile communications, railway technologies have o�en trailed behind those available commercially; GSM in railways is following this trend. Mobile telephony applications are about two decades old, and the �rst GSM-R-based rail application may be traced back to the 1990s. �e IR scene lagged even further behind, as the train crews were limited to contacts through line-side overhead wires that could be used only in the event of emergencies (station operators could communicate through simplex voice communications). Even simple gadgets such as portable radio sets started appearing on IR trains in the late 1990s.

Mirroring technologies

Radio communications are now built into train control procedures, providing the needed safety and voice connections. �e propagation of modern mobile-based communications was pioneered and facilitated by the UIC whose leadership goes back to 1997 when it selected the


GSM standard as the baseline for the �rst Digital Railway Radio Communication System. UIC protocol EIRENE formulated the needs of railways in dedicated speci�cations, including both functional and system aspects. �ese speci�cations were reinforced as GSM-R within the ETSI/3GPP international standards.Continuing UIC involvement

�e �rst IR operational implementation of GSM-R targeting the new technology was launched in 1999, and the �rst countrywide GSM-R operation started in 2004. European Union Directives o�cially adopted GSM-R as the basis for mobile communications between a train and track for voice (train radio) and control-command and signalling data (ETCS), with the aim of forming the core of the European Rail Tra�c Management System, the now well-known ERTMS. �e system core has been built to provide high safety, certi�ed to the level SIL4. �e ERTMS objectives were to create a full homogeneity in the diversely designed European railway networks, to optimise global investments for train operations and to guarantee interoperability between national networks and commercial vehicles everywhere. Davenne also pointed out that railway communication needs are constantly evolving, and that the evolution of telecom standards remains dependent on the telecom industry evolution cycles, with an end of support for GSM-R likely to come by 2030 onwards.�e commercial prospects led UIC early in 2012 to launch the �rst studies for a successor to GSM-R when it speci�cally delivered the new User Requirements Speci�cations. �is initial step was well received by the industry and led to the structuring of the FRMCS initiative with governance and several UIC working groups: A Steering Commi�ee that leads

global strategy and planning �e Functional Working Group

(FWG) �e Architecture and Technology

Group Working Group (ATWG), �e UIC Group for Frequency

Aspects (UGFA) for the expected needs for spectrum analysis

�e 3GPP Task Force in charge of submi�ing normative elements to 3GPP.

Key activities requiring attention:

Maintenance and evolution of User Requirements Speci�cations; current version URS 4.0.0

�e production of numerous essential Functional and System Principle use cases, necessary for standardisation activities

�e delivery of an FRMCS Functional Requirements Speci�cation (FRS) and a System Requirements Speci�cation (SRS) that will replace the current EIRENE FRS and SRS

�e de�nition of migration strategies from GSM-R to FRMCS with their associated impacts in terms of tra�c analysis and frequency spectrum requirements, based on the System Reference Document ETSI TR 103 333 V1.1.1 (2017-02).

Consideration of the extension of usage of FRMCS to other domains such as Urban Rail, with the ‘ambition to create synergies with other infrastructure stakeholders.’

Jean-Michel Evanghelou added that ‘FRMCS is not only the successor of GSM-R but even more a global telecom system that will cover the new needs of railway evolution, such as automated trains, the evolution of signalling systems with less physical equipment, smart maintenance, real-time applications based on connected objects, virtual trains, train control, and monitoring systems … the list is extensive’. In that sense, FRMCS is really viewed as the ‘enabler for railway digitisation’ and should represent a quantum leap towards train modernisation.�e migration from GSM-R to FRMCS would retain the core mobile tower network and build higher data

speeds over this layer. Some additions would also be anticipated in the mobile telephony system equipped on trains and stationary locations. Multi-vendor development into the new system will be ensured by suitable hand-holding protocols standardised by 3GPP.Davenne added that FRMCS should lead to a worldwide standard, in sync with European regulations but well adapted to any other world network. �e May 2019 conference accordingly targeted the association of non-European members and was ‘a �rst concrete application of the UIC strategy to build a Global Rail Tra�c Management System.’The IR GSM-R challenge

IR started sanctioning GSM R works in 1999 , making sporadic progress in the Eastern and North Frontier zones. �e initial sections covered were Howrah-Dhanbad and Guwahati - New Jalpaiguri, with later extensions on these segments over Dhanbad- Mughalsarai, ex-New Delhi to Jhansi-Bina, New Delhi- Ludhiana, Ghaziabad- Mughalsarai, leaving even some of the tra�c-saturated routes ( A routes) without GSM cover.A snapshot would show the cover on the Delhi-Kolkata , -Nagpur , - Jammu and the NFR mainline , totaling just about 2500 km of IR’s near 65,000 route km network with patchwork sanctions that do not cover dense tra�c. �e A route has a patchwork that is less than encouraging. From the details available , it seems that IR is undecided on extensions with the last substantial sanction in 2013 for 290 km on Itarsi-Nagpur.

For IR, there is clearly a need to associ-ate with the technology development and to be able to assess how well their GSM-R investments should be ‘future-proofed,’ with integrated migration possibilities for later FMRCS versions. Otherwise, IR may be looking at inbuilt obsolescence in a core rail infrastructure element. �e Indian e�ort may be led by �ILTEL, the IR PSU handling rail communica-tions infrastructure build up.

C O M M U N I C AT I O N ST E C H N O L O G Y

In India, even though the pace of GSM-R provision has not been impressive since the �rst IR installation on the North Frontier Railway in the 1990s, it is the default standard for the future. GSM-R occupies a 1.6 MHz-wide range of the P-GSM band (900 MHz-GSM). �e dedicated freight corridors that are nearly ready for commissioning are being built with GSM communica-tions– and so is the Mumbai high-speed link.

GSM-R, the current international model for mobile train communications, may continue beyond 2030 when technical and maintenance support for the system could gradually be discontinued. A transition would be in step with the rapidly advancing technologies of Generation 2 (pursued in GSM-R) to the currently addressed LTE and G5. GSM, the Global System for Mobile communications, launched in the 1990s, is now the default model for railway-linked communications. �e railway adaptation, GSM-R, was built to provide the required data �ow for train control security and for the more open (i.e., with lower safety levels) voice-communication needs for various rail applications. �e transition to G5 technology is now being ushered into the railway sphere through a timely Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), and a European expert group coordinated by the International Union of Railways (UIC) has been working on providing the common resources and standardisations needed for this transition.�e �rst dedicated FRMCS technical conference in May provided the needed integration platform.The UIC lead

�e responsibility for the ‘future proo�ng’ of rail communications lies mainly with the UIC experts in a dedicated organisation assigned to François Davenne, UIC Director General, and Jean-Michel Evanghelou, UIC Director of Telecom, Signalling and Digital Applications, along with nominated experts from various railway networks and telecom specialists. Davenne stressed that digitisation has been a key to be�er services and value additions, and even more so as the customer preference for rail services will depend on matching the best available services and information �ow. He listed the successes so far: ‘GSM-R has been a success not only in Europe, where more than 100,000 km of railway tracks are operational, but worldwide, and this number will be more than doubled in the coming years thanks to the ongoing installations.’ UIC expects feasibility pilots providing proof of the FRMCS concept to be completed by 2024 and the �rst migration project in 2025. �at should be well in time for the targeted implementation of the FRMCS system by 2030.UIC organised the �rst Global FRMCS Conference in Paris in May 2019. Around 250 participants and 50 speakers from several countries, including representatives from Asian railways, and from diverse areas such as telecom and signalling domains, regulation authorities and standardisation bodies, railway infrastructure managers and railway undertakings but also industry leaders and manufacturers, a�ended this international conference whose principal aim was to facilitate an open, relevant and comprehensive exchange of information between the numerous actors of the rail sector.�e conference was a sound opportunity to �nd out more

about the current status of FRMCS speci�cations and standardisation, to understand the global timeline of its introduction and to consider the operational impacts of the anticipated migration scenarios. Various specialists also provided a global vision of the rail evolutions that would bene�t from this new system as a common support to train modernisation.All the relevant aspects linked to FRMCS were presented and discussed: �e state of the art of GSM-R and its current evolution

to packet mode (GPRS) �e drivers for FRMCS, detailing several applications

and services taking advantage of this future technology �e key players of FRMCS, including industry and

regulation representatives �e precise explanation of the speci�cation and

standardisation processes A focus on industrial companies commi�ed to FRMCS

evolution �e elements of FRMCS migration with the

consideration of co-existence with GSM-R for a period. All the participants le� with the simple message that

FRMCS was clearly on its way and would greatly help the evolution of railway services in the very near future.

Morse code to digitisation

From trackside overheard telephony to mobile communications, railway technologies have o�en trailed behind those available commercially; GSM in railways is following this trend. Mobile telephony applications are about two decades old, and the �rst GSM-R-based rail application may be traced back to the 1990s. �e IR scene lagged even further behind, as the train crews were limited to contacts through line-side overhead wires that could be used only in the event of emergencies (station operators could communicate through simplex voice communications). Even simple gadgets such as portable radio sets started appearing on IR trains in the late 1990s.

Mirroring technologies

Radio communications are now built into train control procedures, providing the needed safety and voice connections. �e propagation of modern mobile-based communications was pioneered and facilitated by the UIC whose leadership goes back to 1997 when it selected the

GSM standard as the baseline for the �rst Digital Railway Radio Communication System. UIC protocol EIRENE formulated the needs of railways in dedicated speci�cations, including both functional and system aspects. �ese speci�cations were reinforced as GSM-R within the ETSI/3GPP international standards.Continuing UIC involvement

�e �rst IR operational implementation of GSM-R targeting the new technology was launched in 1999, and the �rst countrywide GSM-R operation started in 2004. European Union Directives o�cially adopted GSM-R as the basis for mobile communications between a train and track for voice (train radio) and control-command and signalling data (ETCS), with the aim of forming the core of the European Rail Tra�c Management System, the now well-known ERTMS. �e system core has been built to provide high safety, certi�ed to the level SIL4. �e ERTMS objectives were to create a full homogeneity in the diversely designed European railway networks, to optimise global investments for train operations and to guarantee interoperability between national networks and commercial vehicles everywhere. Davenne also pointed out that railway communication needs are constantly evolving, and that the evolution of telecom standards remains dependent on the telecom industry evolution cycles, with an end of support for GSM-R likely to come by 2030 onwards.�e commercial prospects led UIC early in 2012 to launch the �rst studies for a successor to GSM-R when it speci�cally delivered the new User Requirements Speci�cations. �is initial step was well received by the industry and led to the structuring of the FRMCS initiative with governance and several UIC working groups: A Steering Commi�ee that leads

global strategy and planning �e Functional Working Group

(FWG) �e Architecture and Technology

Group Working Group (ATWG), �e UIC Group for Frequency

Aspects (UGFA) for the expected needs for spectrum analysis

�e 3GPP Task Force in charge of submi�ing normative elements to 3GPP.

Key activities requiring attention:

Maintenance and evolution of User Requirements Speci�cations; current version URS 4.0.0

�e production of numerous essential Functional and System Principle use cases, necessary for standardisation activities

�e delivery of an FRMCS Functional Requirements Speci�cation (FRS) and a System Requirements Speci�cation (SRS) that will replace the current EIRENE FRS and SRS

�e de�nition of migration strategies from GSM-R to FRMCS with their associated impacts in terms of tra�c analysis and frequency spectrum requirements, based on the System Reference Document ETSI TR 103 333 V1.1.1 (2017-02).

Consideration of the extension of usage of FRMCS to other domains such as Urban Rail, with the ‘ambition to create synergies with other infrastructure stakeholders.’

Jean-Michel Evanghelou added that ‘FRMCS is not only the successor of GSM-R but even more a global telecom system that will cover the new needs of railway evolution, such as automated trains, the evolution of signalling systems with less physical equipment, smart maintenance, real-time applications based on connected objects, virtual trains, train control, and monitoring systems … the list is extensive’. In that sense, FRMCS is really viewed as the ‘enabler for railway digitisation’ and should represent a quantum leap towards train modernisation.�e migration from GSM-R to FRMCS would retain the core mobile tower network and build higher data

speeds over this layer. Some additions would also be anticipated in the mobile telephony system equipped on trains and stationary locations. Multi-vendor development into the new system will be ensured by suitable hand-holding protocols standardised by 3GPP.Davenne added that FRMCS should lead to a worldwide standard, in sync with European regulations but well adapted to any other world network. �e May 2019 conference accordingly targeted the association of non-European members and was ‘a �rst concrete application of the UIC strategy to build a Global Rail Tra�c Management System.’The IR GSM-R challenge

IR started sanctioning GSM R works in 1999 , making sporadic progress in the Eastern and North Frontier zones. �e initial sections covered were Howrah-Dhanbad and Guwahati - New Jalpaiguri, with later extensions on these segments over Dhanbad- Mughalsarai, ex-New Delhi to Jhansi-Bina, New Delhi- Ludhiana, Ghaziabad- Mughalsarai, leaving even some of the tra�c-saturated routes ( A routes) without GSM cover.A snapshot would show the cover on the Delhi-Kolkata , -Nagpur , - Jammu and the NFR mainline , totaling just about 2500 km of IR’s near 65,000 route km network with patchwork sanctions that do not cover dense tra�c. �e A route has a patchwork that is less than encouraging. From the details available , it seems that IR is undecided on extensions with the last substantial sanction in 2013 for 290 km on Itarsi-Nagpur.

For IR, there is clearly a need to associ-ate with the technology development and to be able to assess how well their GSM-R investments should be ‘future-proofed,’ with integrated migration possibilities for later FMRCS versions. Otherwise, IR may be looking at inbuilt obsolescence in a core rail infrastructure element. �e Indian e�ort may be led by �ILTEL, the IR PSU handling rail communica-tions infrastructure build up.


C O M M U N I C AT I O N ST E C H N O L O G Y


Digital help for a stressed train driver

Picture yourself as the driver in the cabin of a mainline train. You need to start and stop the train, keep to your timetable, move at the right speed, make sure that no signals are overlooked, consider any unusual speed restrictions, and constantly watch the hour and know your location. Additionally, you need to continuously observe and report abnormal events and situations in the train and outside on the tracks.At the same time, you are responsible for the safety of hundreds of passengers and sta� as well as the security of freight aboard. You need to assure punctuality for the operational e�ciency of other trains on the same line and to permit your passengers to be on time at their destination; for transfers, for example.Finally, you want to limit energy and material use, both for the environment and for e�cient resource use by the rail operator. All in all, these duties represent a huge responsibility, especially when you know that you are in the driver’s seat of a massive chain of metal, a locomotive and cars weighing hundreds of tons, moving at speeds up to 300 kph, and whose safe braking distance can require more than 3.5 km.It is a stressful job that digital technologies are transforming: a driver must make many decisions simultaneously and calculate some of them from a variety of data from di�erent sources. So, there is a real need to turn the data stream quickly into information that is immediately applicable to the journey at hand. …Kai Taylor, �ales Marketing & Communications Director, Main Line Rail Signalling.Help for the stressed driver

Taylor adds: that is where a Driver Advisory Systems (DAS) comes in . With DAS connectivity, information

sources can leverage AI algorithms, so the system prompts the optimal speed for an on-time arrival for the programmed journey. ‘DAS provides a smooth ride, minimising energy consumption, and avoiding unnecessary braking and engine use that cause wear and tear on the equipment. �e train driver becomes an even greater expert with less stress, more comfort, and so with greater e�ciency’.In the train cabin, an ergonomic DAS screen enables the driver to monitor the timetabled journey to determine the necessary speed, with possible adjustments as required either to save energy at a lower speed if the train is running early or increasing speed if limits permit should the train risk arriving late. On-time arrival is not only important for travellers and freight; it avoids timetable con�icts with other trains.An on-board device is loaded with timetable data and compared to the actual train position through GPS signals that are processed very frequently, giving high positional accuracy.‘DAS is a basic building block for the automated future of mainline trains,’ Taylor adds as he elaborates that it can be connected to �ales’ A�MIS rail tra�c management system that automatically sets routes, supervises the infrastructure, and visualises the status of the railway network in real time. It calculates forecasts based on actual data and optimises resources , assuring free and e�cient �ow of railway tra�c.�ales’ position in the C-DAS (Connected Driver Advisory System) future recently got a boost when last year it acquired Cubris, the market-leader in DAS with over a decade of experience. Cubris’ GreenSpeed™ allows real-time and fully-secured exchange of information between the rail system and the train driver to optimise driving and reduce CO2 emissions. It has been in operation since 2012 over the Danish Railways �eet, improving punctuality and reducing traction energy consumption and has been adopted since in several additional markets.Cubris is especially exciting as it o�ers a key technology for future autonomous trains and is another building block in �ales’ complete o�er for the digital transformation of the railways.

Kai Taylor

DirectorThales Marketing & Communications

L O C O M O T I V E ST E C H N O L O G Y


Not about the destination, but about the journeyTravelling , rarely undertaken for its own sake , is a ‘second-ary good’ with negative utility and savings in travel time or in planning can be considered a positive utility. Saving in travel time is a critical component while analysing the feasibility of capital-intensive Metro projects. �e time spent on the system and savings in travel time can always be quanti�ed in monetary values: if the travel time from origin O to destination D via road is “R” and via metro or public transport is P, the di�erence R-P can be converted into a monetary value of the amount the traveller can earn in that time. One of the best examples of high capital cost projects executed based on savings in travel time is the British High Speed 2 (HS2). �e project was executed on the basis of savings in travel time despite train and �ight services between the O-D pair : �ights between London to Edinburg take around 85 min but add all the pre-�ight procedures such as the minimum 45 min reporting before gate closure, check-in time plus security check; HS2 takes 218 minutes. Source: HS2 Ltd. and DfT, UK.

Predictable travel time

As travel time becomes crucial, its reliability is another factor which Metro systems try to maximise. �e Railway Transport and Strategy centre of the Imperial College, London manages eight programmes of international transport benchmarking in the rail, Metro, light-rail, bus, and air transport sectors, comparing Metro systems perfor-mance on various parameters. During his stay there, the author researched the factors that cause variability in the travel time. Travel time is not always the actual time spent. �e time bu�er or margin that a traveller should plan was the key question that motivated this research. Minimising the uncertainty associated with every trip is a key challenge. A reliable service would enable planning journeys with less bu�er and inconsistencies and help transit agencies to precisely understand the optimum space requirement at stations.The research method

�e research used Big Data captured through the London Oyster card, used across almost all the transport modes, including London Underground and Overground, Nation-al Rail, etc. London depends on more than 31 million journeys each day; while the Underground serves 270 stations on 402 km track , the overground serves 112 stations over a 123.6 km network. Each Oyster card can provide 85 di�erent data points and journey details .160,361 individual journeys over two days between 74 O-D pairs were analysed using a regression model with

factors like journey time, interchange, peak/o�-peak hours, conventional and ATO routes . Excessive travel time outside the 95th percentile was associated with incidents, which could be validated through service disruption data.�e output of the data analysis , the “variability index”(VI), the dependent variable, was the di�erence between the individual and the 50th percentile travel time. �e VI , a positive or negative integer, depends on the minimum and maximum time taken to complete the journey. It was concluded that passengers spending a longer time in the train would be a�ected by the variable dwell times and related incidents. A surprise Automatic Train Operation ATO helps reduce the individ-ual travel time, but the combined regression model suggest-ed that services with ATO had increased travel time by 0.327 minutes over the 50th percentile.�is raises a serious issue on the credibility of using expen-sive ATO in a larger network of rail services. All planning presumptions need to be veri�ed. Discussion with operations sta� was revealing, and a possible reason could be that in the research period, only three services were operating under ATO, which always had to interact with manually operated services. �is interaction of the ATO with the manual may have a�ected the opera-tional e�ciency. Also, the newly upgraded ATO systems needed refurbishment and took a long time to stabilize. It is also important to consider the disruptive impacts during migration to systems like the ATO. Interchanges are expected to add extra minutes to the average travel time. Surprisingly the journeys between O-D pair that needed an interchange reduced the travel time by 0.579 minutes below the 50th percentile. It was analysed that between some O-D pairs, the direct journey that had more stops than on another route with an interchange took more time. �is was justi�ed by observing the ‘plan a journey so�ware’ used. Such results will play a signi�cant role for the public transport operators to analyse the performance of the system and optimise operational requirements. Urban travel quality needs to work more on travel time reliability, where be�erment will certainly a�ract be�er clientele.It reveals a wide and o�en frustrating variability in morning subway commutes. A similar compilation for New York throws up similar needs for e�cient commuting. Variability on travel time has to be a factor for planning and operations. For a commute between two very busy New York Stations , about one in 20 trips can take 17 minutes or more, e�ectively adding 7 minutes to the commute. �at is, to get to work on time, a typical trip doesn’t actually ma�er very much. What ma�ers more is the commute time when the subway is at its slowest, and how o�en those kinds of trips happen.�at is the challenge for the future .

Prakash KumarInterface and Coordination Expert, RITES (project management consultantcy Metro Mauritius)

Train 18

M E T R OP L A N N I N G

Journy times London to

Birmingham

East Midlands Hub

Nottingham Midland

Derby Midland

0:490:51

1:21

1:08 1:441:11 1:31

BARSYL imprint in multiple rail projects

Rail is being reborn In Tanzania and much of Africa. BARSYL, the Hyderabad based rail consulting and engineering company has been successful in bagging three major rail assignments in Tanzania and elsewhere. Tanza-nia’s Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) will be a major new link in Africa and is considered among top priorities. �e project aims to develop new railway lines in parallel alignment to existing MG Railway line under Phase I: Dar es Salaam to Morogoro (202 km) and Phase II: Morogoro to Mwanza (1,017 km).

BARSYL as a member of KO�IL JV (an international SPV) has been awarded a contract for Design Review and Project Management Consultancy services to review and update the scope of design and build contractor and then support the client �HCO in negotiations with successful bidder; review and approve the design and build contractor designs, supervise and manage the construction of the new SGR up to successful completion of the defect liability period .

BARSYL in association with Khatib & Alami Consulting Engineers, Lebanon, have also been appointed consultants for 24 months to provide a team of 15 experts to assist �HCO for the implementation of Tanzania Intermodal and Rail Development Project (TIRP).

A government line of credit from the World Bank Group for key development project has four principal components: improvement of rail infrastructure; rolling stock, develop-ment of 2 terminals and Dar es Salaam Port Platform & institutional strengthening and capacity building.

BARSYL, in association with KPMG, has been appointed as transaction advisors for the implementation of Mtwara to Amerlia (Manda) Bay Projects under PPP. �e services will be carried out over 12 months in three phases covering Review of Feasibility Study, Preliminary Design, etc., assistance during competitive PPP bidding and solicitation process and �nancial closure.

BARSYL is making multiple inroads in major rail projects within and outside India. It has now been contracted to assist Sri Lanka to modernise its rail network in Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR). In a JV with Dohwa

Engineering (Korea) and Oriental Consultants Global (Japan), it has been awarded the consultancy for the CMR feasibility study and detailed design .�e ADB funded project will also support procurement of modern commut-er trains and modernization of rolling stock maintenance facilities and upgrade stations… Manoranjan Pershad

�e scope of this consultancy Services covers four priority sections of Maradana to Padukka (Kelani Valley Line), Colombo to Rambukkana (Main Line), Colombo to Kaluthara South (Coastal Line) and Ragama to Negambo (Pu�lam Line).

BARSYL will also aid the Indian connectivity network project of Kulaura-Shabazpur rehabilitation in Bangladesh. �e 52 km rehabilitation and conversion project should facilitate safe and faster movement trains and establish regional connectivity with India. �is project is funded under an Indian Line of Credit. BARSYL was appointed as consultants for detail design & tendering services (complet-ed in early 2018) and later construction supervision servic-es. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart jointly laid the foundation stone for the commencement of construction in Sep 2018 which is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Etihad UAE Rail Project

BARSYL has provided tender assistance services for Etihad Rail Design & Build Package to one of the leading railway contractors worldwide for design review and value engineering. �e project is Stage 2 (blue) extension of the Stage 1 railway network to the border with Saudi Arabia as well as to Khalifah Port, Jebel Ali Port and Fujairah.

BARSYL has been involved in deriving project cost estimates for civil, architectural and MEP services for the proposed extension of an existing workshop and a new loco workshop in SERT�G Libreville, Gabon.

Expertise in Metro projects

A decade a�er it was announced, the 42 km Phase I of the Chennai Metro was completed in Feb 2019 with the opening of the 10 km stretch to Washermanpet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister E K

Pershad joined Balaji as Head Operations in March 2009, was the Chief Operating O�cer in 2011-2014, nominated as Director on the Board in 2013. He started his 36-year career with the machine tool PSU HMT. Pershad brings valuable Industry-related functional skills in areas such as Sales and Marketing, Strategy Planning, Finance and Budgeting, and Pro�t Centre Operations.

Manoranjan Pershad DirectorCorporate Affairs


B A R S Y LI N D U S T R Y

Palaniswami launched the stretch. �e construction of phase I project built at a cost of ` 14,600 Cr has been on for seven years now. BARSYL, along with Consortium Partners Egis Rail, France (Lead Member), Aecom, Hong Kong and Yachio Engineering Consultants, Japan, are the General Consultants for this project. BARSYL

was responsible for providing inputs across all the disciplines for design.

Rail link for Bengaluru airport

BARSYL has successfully completed a Feasibility Study for railway connec-tivity to Bengaluru airport from any convenient location on the existing railway network in Bangalore city. Its

report proposes a partially elevated line starting from Yeshwantpur and running parallel to the existing railway line to proposed BIAL station between Dodjala and Devanahalli Station. �e total length of Alignment is worked out to be 28kms. �e estimated cost for the 28 km line has been estimated at ` 1053 Cr.

Rail is being reborn In Tanzania and much of Africa. BARSYL, the Hyderabad based rail consulting and engineering company has been successful in bagging three major rail assignments in Tanzania and elsewhere. Tanza-nia’s Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) will be a major new link in Africa and is considered among top priorities. �e project aims to develop new railway lines in parallel alignment to existing MG Railway line under Phase I: Dar es Salaam to Morogoro (202 km) and Phase II: Morogoro to Mwanza (1,017 km).

BARSYL as a member of KO�IL JV (an international SPV) has been awarded a contract for Design Review and Project Management Consultancy services to review and update the scope of design and build contractor and then support the client �HCO in negotiations with successful bidder; review and approve the design and build contractor designs, supervise and manage the construction of the new SGR up to successful completion of the defect liability period .

BARSYL in association with Khatib & Alami Consulting Engineers, Lebanon, have also been appointed consultants for 24 months to provide a team of 15 experts to assist �HCO for the implementation of Tanzania Intermodal and Rail Development Project (TIRP).

A government line of credit from the World Bank Group for key development project has four principal components: improvement of rail infrastructure; rolling stock, develop-ment of 2 terminals and Dar es Salaam Port Platform & institutional strengthening and capacity building.

BARSYL, in association with KPMG, has been appointed as transaction advisors for the implementation of Mtwara to Amerlia (Manda) Bay Projects under PPP. �e services will be carried out over 12 months in three phases covering Review of Feasibility Study, Preliminary Design, etc., assistance during competitive PPP bidding and solicitation process and �nancial closure.

BARSYL is making multiple inroads in major rail projects within and outside India. It has now been contracted to assist Sri Lanka to modernise its rail network in Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR). In a JV with Dohwa

Engineering (Korea) and Oriental Consultants Global (Japan), it has been awarded the consultancy for the CMR feasibility study and detailed design .�e ADB funded project will also support procurement of modern commut-er trains and modernization of rolling stock maintenance facilities and upgrade stations… Manoranjan Pershad

�e scope of this consultancy Services covers four priority sections of Maradana to Padukka (Kelani Valley Line), Colombo to Rambukkana (Main Line), Colombo to Kaluthara South (Coastal Line) and Ragama to Negambo (Pu�lam Line).

BARSYL will also aid the Indian connectivity network project of Kulaura-Shabazpur rehabilitation in Bangladesh. �e 52 km rehabilitation and conversion project should facilitate safe and faster movement trains and establish regional connectivity with India. �is project is funded under an Indian Line of Credit. BARSYL was appointed as consultants for detail design & tendering services (complet-ed in early 2018) and later construction supervision servic-es. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart jointly laid the foundation stone for the commencement of construction in Sep 2018 which is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Etihad UAE Rail Project

BARSYL has provided tender assistance services for Etihad Rail Design & Build Package to one of the leading railway contractors worldwide for design review and value engineering. �e project is Stage 2 (blue) extension of the Stage 1 railway network to the border with Saudi Arabia as well as to Khalifah Port, Jebel Ali Port and Fujairah.

BARSYL has been involved in deriving project cost estimates for civil, architectural and MEP services for the proposed extension of an existing workshop and a new loco workshop in SERT�G Libreville, Gabon.

Expertise in Metro projects

A decade a�er it was announced, the 42 km Phase I of the Chennai Metro was completed in Feb 2019 with the opening of the 10 km stretch to Washermanpet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister E K


B A R S Y LI N D U S T R Y

Palaniswami launched the stretch. �e construction of phase I project built at a cost of ` 14,600 Cr has been on for seven years now. BARSYL, along with Consortium Partners Egis Rail, France (Lead Member), Aecom, Hong Kong and Yachio Engineering Consultants, Japan, are the General Consultants for this project. BARSYL

was responsible for providing inputs across all the disciplines for design.

Rail link for Bengaluru airport

BARSYL has successfully completed a Feasibility Study for railway connec-tivity to Bengaluru airport from any convenient location on the existing railway network in Bangalore city. Its

report proposes a partially elevated line starting from Yeshwantpur and running parallel to the existing railway line to proposed BIAL station between Dodjala and Devanahalli Station. �e total length of Alignment is worked out to be 28kms. �e estimated cost for the 28 km line has been estimated at ` 1053 Cr.

“Indian labour built this African railway, …and perhaps this country. And now the Chinese have replicated the line.It is not uncommon for a country to create a railway, but it is uncommon for a railway to create a country.”… British colonial adminis-trator, 1903.�e country was Kenya.

About 32,000 workers were brought from India in the early 1900s to build the rather misnamed 1060 km Uganda ( a British protectorate then) Railway that linked Mombasa port. �e construction was not easy as the local tribes resisted it and ‘the wildlife was predatory. Lions dined on railway workers, pulling men from their tents at night.’ Maybe 2500 men died from the back-breaking labor and hostile conditions. It was a rare herculean feat of engineering that bound di�erent tribes even if the human and �nancial toll was enormous.

Construction of the meter gauge line began from Mombasa in 1896 and �nished in 1901 on the Eastern shore of Lake Victoria. One report adds that 2,00,000 individual 9-meter rail- lengths , 1.2 million sleepers, 2,00,000 �sh-plates, 4,00,000 �sh-bolts and 4.8 million steel keys plus steel girders for viaducts and causeways had to be imported from India.

‘ An agent was appointed in Karachi, and a branch o�ce was located in Lahore, the main recruiting centre. Workers were sourced from the Punjab and sent to Karachi . 35,729 coolies and artisans were recruited

along with 1082 subordinate o�cers. Each coolie signed a contract for three years at twelve rupees per month with free rations and return passage. �ey received half-pay when in hospital and free medical a�endance. Recruitment continued between December 1895 and March 1901 and the �rst coolies began to return to India a�er their contracts ended. 2493 workers died during the construction of the railway . 6724 decided to remain a�er the line's completion, creating the community of Indians in East Africa….extracted from Wikipedia.

�e Lunatic Express

What it will cost no words can express,

What is its object no brain can suppose,

Where it will start from no one can guess,

Where it is going to nobody knows,

What is the use of it, none can conjecture,

What it will carry, there is none can de�ne,

It is clearly naught but a lunatic line.

For a start, the railway had li�le hope of the line ever being pro�table ( it cost almost £650 million) . �e section trains , sometimes known as the Lunatic Express , retired in 2018. �e railway handled just 4% of the Mombasa port tra�c .

Another railway line almost parallel to those tracks laid by Indian sweat and life was commissioned in May 2017 under Chinese �nance and practical

control. �e di�erence : the new line is in standard gauge , a part of the Chinese backed e�orts at funding infrastructure in that part of Africa. In 2014, Kenya agreed to the state-owned China Road and Bridge Company to build, �nance and, initially, operate a Standard Gauge Railway between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa. Like the 1900 project, it is a huge gamble. �e new line has resulted in huge debt to China, it will take Kenya years to climb out of. But now China is unwilling to fund further sections of the SGR, leaving a question mark over utility and pro�tability of the SGR.

�e Chinese railway company currently operates the line and Chinese migrants �lled the top jobs.

How trains on the new standard-gauge tracks will connect with the old railway line remains unclear

What is clear however, is that no one wants to see a return to the madness of the Lunatic Express.

Indian footprint on the ‘Lunatic Express’


Sri Lanka Network additionChina, under its trans-continental reach, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has funded and built the �rst new rail line in post-independent ( 1948) Sri Lanka. �e line is said to be the �rst railway built a�er the country’s independence in 1948. �is phase one extension is the �rst railway project contracted by a Chinese company in Sri Lanka under the BRI.

�e 26.75 km , 120 kph max speed extension connecting Matara and Belia�a in Southern Sri Lanka was �nanced by the Export-Import Bank of China. Major construction was carried out by China Railway Group 5 (CR5) with consultancy by the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.

I R a p p o i n t m e n t s

Vijay Kumar, an o�cer of the 1982 IR Accounts service batch, has taken over as Member Finance . As we get to press, Rajesh Tiwari, ex-GM, NER has taken over as Member Traction and Purnendu S Mishra ( ex-GM, SER)as Member Tra�c. Fresh incumbents should soon take over the recently created IR Board positions of Member ( Materials ) and Member (Signalling) as N Kashi Nath , Member Signal and VP Pathak, as well as SN Agarwal , Member Sta� are due to retire end of this ( July) month.Pradeep Kumar, Director General, Nair ( IR sta� college) is likely to join the Board in the coming month. G Mallya has taken over as General Manager on the SC Railway, Secunderabad. Currently, a few positions of zonal GMs are also vacant ( in sync with IR ‘traditions’).

Vijay Kumar Rajesh Tiwari Purnendu S Mishra G Mallya.

EPHY-MESS sensors feed Train 18 controls�e use of EPHY-MESS sensors in the �rst Indian multiple-unit train needed only 18 months to roll out from the start of the project. It is the �rst Indian train with individual-ly driven cars (EMU electric multiple units) and a power car instead of a locomotive. �e train was designed and built entirely in India as part of the Make in India initiative and in a way upgrades the Shatabadi Trains. �e T�IN 18, with an aerodynamically designed driver’s platform at the head and end of the train, is fully digitalised. With speeds certi�ed up to 160 kph, the train uses braking energy and shortens travel times by 15% thanks to faster acceleration and be�er braking values. EPHY-MESS sensors contribute to safety as supplies from Wiesbaden-Delkenheim, Germany monitor the electromotive travel drives. A senior representative added that contacts were established with the Indian manufacturers and their suppliers during two delegation trips and the course was set for a successful completion of the project in cooperation and close coordination with the Indian representative.

�e Pt100 with 4-wire circuit and shielded hose line is protected by a corrugated plastic hose and measures temperatures from -40°C to +200°C. �e sensor meets protection class IP66 and complying with the required railway standards DIN EN 61373 Cat 3 for the vibration resistance of vehicle equipment on the wheelset as well as the �re protection standards DIN EN 45545-2 and DIN EN 50305, DIN EN 60947- 5-2 for low-voltage switchgear and the DIN EN 50121-4-2 for electro-magnetic compatibility.

Gerhard Herdt

Across the world, on unfinished rail 1875 saw the dare of the century as Phileas Fogg wagered £20,000 to travel across the world in 80 days. And his circumnavigate included rail journeys, in Europe, across the North American and Indian vast lands. �e train journeys, which included travel across the Indian peninsula, was based on misinformation about the rail links in India. �e journey across North America similarly was borne by the incomplete rail links across the USA, that was also beset with multiple gauges and lack of interoperability across the vast US network.

Vernes records this about Great Indian Peninsular Railway ( GIP): ‘Leaving Bombay, it passes through Salce�e, crossing to the continent opposite Tannah, goes over the chain of the Western Ghauts, runs thence North-East as far as Burhampoor, skirts the nearly independent territory of Bundelcund, ascends to Allahabad, turns thence Eastwardly, meeting the Ganges at Benares, then departs from the river a li�le, and, descending South-Eastward by Burdivan and the French town of Chandernagor, has its terminus at Calcu�a.’ He also records: ‘a great railway, with branch lines joining the main line at many points across the route, traverses the peninsula from Bombay to Calcu�a in three days … the distance between Bombay and Calcu�a, as the bird �ies, is only one thousand to eleven hundred miles; but the de�ections of the road increase the distance by more than a third.’

As Fogg takes the train from Bombay, he learns that his information on the through rail route to Calcu�a, based on a Daily Telegraph article, was wrong as a 50-mile stretch from Kholby to Allahabad had not yet been completed. Fogg purchases an elephant, hires a guide and trundles ahead. �e three days schedule would require the 2000 km in 3 days, a remarkable rail record for those times. Verne’s record of the route, replete with anglicized names for rail stations, may also be historically wandering across the available route, as he detours around, including to Pounah and some unlikely places.

‘An hour a�er leaving Bombay the train had passed the via ducts and the island of Salce�e and had got into the open country. At Callyan they reached the junction of the branch line which descends towards South-Eastern India by Khandallah and Pounah, with their basalt bases, and their summits crowned with thick and verdant forests.’ It is recorded that ‘ some years ago, you would have met with delay at this point… because the railway stopped at the base of these mountains, which the passengers were obliged to cross in palanquins or on ponies to Khandallah, on the other side’.

‘During the night the train le� the mountains behind, and passed Nassik, and the next day proceeded over the well cultivated country of the Khandeish, with its straggling villages, above which rose the minarets of the pagodas. �is fertile territory is watered by numerous small rivers and

limpid streams, mostly tributaries of the Godavery.’

‘�e train stopped, at eight o’clock, in the midst of a glade some ��een miles beyond Rotahl, where there were several bungalows and workmen's cabins. �e conductor, passing along the carriages, shouted, ‘Passengers will get out here!’ �e 50 miles rail breach therea�er was covered on an elephant as the travelers hastened to catch the train at the next railway station. At Calcu�a, they boarded a steamer (the Rangoon) going to Hong Kong.

Fogg comes across a procession with a young Indian woman set for sati. And that points to a happy-ending later with the widowed and rescued lady partnering Fogg as he completes the wager run successfully.

In San Francisco, they board a transcontinental train to New York, encountering a number of obstacles along the way: a massive herd of bison crossing the tracks, a failing suspension bridge, and the train being a�acked by Sioux warriors. A�er uncoupling the locomotive from the carriages, Passepartout is kidnapped by the Indians, but Fogg rescues him a�er American soldiers volunteer to help. Around this time , the �rst trains on this route may have been operational, but would not have been too convenient, what with disrupted ownerships and multiple gauges .

(Arvind Khare, Ex Additional Member, IR Board counts Perry Mason, Sherlock Homes and PG Woodhouse among his teenage favourites.)

London to Bindsi, Italy By train across Europe

Bombay to Calcu�a, India By train across India

San Francisco to New York City, By train across North America

Liverpool to London By train from the sea coast in England


Arvind KhareEx Additional MemberIR Board

FA N TA S YR A I LWAY S

With love, on rails to SiberiaFor us in India, the story of rail network expansion across the garangutan Russian landscape is at best known as a minor character in the railway magnum opus. Just a bit role , not meriting a�ention . But the fact is that the Trans-Siberian network commissioned in early 1900 with an estimated 300 km per year progress, sustained over a decade that saw the completion of the 5000 km links , reaching all the way from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Vladivostok neighbouring Japan, is unparalleled in rail history. �e story is one of a late start and unplanned work but an end that outshines similar trans-continental rail projects in the USA or the Indian peninsula.

�e stories linked with the Trans-Siberian project are captured brilliantly in a coherent whole by Christian Wolmar in his ‘ To the Edge of the World.’ �e narrative is built while harnessing all the facts , with a full landscape of political and social conditions that prevailed as the project happened across this large swathe of seeming wilderness. Wolmar presents the details that should be essential enjoyment for any rail bu� or project manager wondering how such large projects were delivered with speeds now unimaginable , in times when communications and industries were hard to come by. �e plethora of connected anecdotes alone is great reading, and we can do no be�er than recount some.

�e construction and continued e�cient operation of the Trans-Siberian( TS) could rank amongst the greatest achievements of mankind. Wolmar writes about his more than 7-day travel on the line ‘…this is not some meandering ritual railway with occasional thundering train, but rather one of the world’s greatest arteries, a piece of architecture that transformed not only the region in which it was built but also the entire nation that built it…‘…the story of the Trans -Siberian is both a tale of remarkable engineering simulated by imperial ambition and also a key part of Russia and indeed, wider European and Asian history’.

For us Siberia is far removed from us by geography and a lack of contact, the Trans-Siberian indeed is not a single railway, and the one route referred to is the one completed in 1916 , lying in Russian territory entirely. Before this route, the Moscow to Paci�c route used parts of the East Chinese Railway. ‘�e TS rests on top of history and has resulted in an economic change of the steppes and wars that changed history quite a bit.’

Road travel, pre-rail days

�e vastness of the Russian landscape could not have been traversed by horse-drawn carriages or the rivers. A story goes that in the 18th century, the Empress invited a few young ladies from the Far East accompanied by an imperial o�cer to visit her in the capital St Petersburg. Halfway near Lake Baikal, the ladies were already carrying children fathered on the away and a replacement of the escort did

not work either as ‘ by the time the young mothers reached the capital, their �rstborns had half-brothers and sisters.’

�e �rst Russian Railways were mooted in the 1820s through a horse-drawn railway for silver ore mine is reported to have existed in 1809 in Central Russia. �is pioneering e�ort used cast iron convex rails matching the groves in the wagon wheels. �e Tsar’s reluctance was overcome with a proposal for a short line serving his resort 30 km away from that opened in 1837, a�racting 72,500 passengers in the �rst year. Extension of the line to Warsaw, maybe mainly for military purposes, was later sanctioned, with the Moscow extension following soon a�er.

A feature of the Russian rail construction was the liberal use of Tsar’s serfs all along the line in conditions even worse than what was prevalent elsewhere in the world in those times. Wolmar records that 50,000 serfs may have been deployed at its peak.

Impacting history

�e TS also is credited for having contributed to the 1917 October Revolution. Historians a�ribute the 1917 cataclysm to the impoverished Tsarist regime, partly as a result of the enormous resource allocation to the railway construction. �e Moscow line was a success even if it took nine years to complete and cost twice as much as initially planned. Topping at about 2000 passengers per day and generous freight movement too soon a�er it opened in 1850, the response was encouraging enough for the state to li� the need for prior police permission to travel. �e trains averaged about 50 kph, a good record for those years, particularly considering the dismal road conditions. �e o�erings seemed to have varied for the 14 ruble low-cost journeys which were ‘ real bargains third-class passengers could travel in freight trains , seated in boxcars with benches…for a journey that took up to 48 hours as the max speed was 16 kph. �e opulent end of the o�ering in 1865 was thus : ‘travellers are received in brilliantly lighted


saloons…when the hour of retiring arrives, the valet de chamber conducts the gentlemen passengers while smart femmes de Chambre point out to the lady tarvellers their bedrooms and boudoirs’. Wolmar recounts that the railway was , ‘ on its completion, the premier railway of Europe, far be�er than its contemporaries, precisely because of the interest taken by the Tsar.’ �e network expansion was however slow in coming.

A delayed acceptance

�e TS was at least four decades in coming as ‘ there was no early period of railway mania as occurred in so many other countries, and Russia just had a 1000 km network in 1853. �is scene did not change too much even as Tsar Alexander assumed power in 1855. �e one major change was the creation of the Russian Railway company where the government guaranteed 5% return on fresh investment. Warsaw and Helsinki were linked by 1862. �e biggest expansions took place post an 1866 expansion plan , with the network trebling to 4800 km by 1877 and then ‘ doubling again up to 1897.’ �e expansion was not without its shortcomings as ‘ most of the following lines were constructed on the cheap, with sharper curves, insu�cient ballast, and steep gradients. Bridges were built with inferior material and occasionally collapsed, and rail frequently broke... stations were o�en located far from the towns they served’. �e amount of freight doubled between 1865 and 1880, and then again in the following decade.

A visionary called Sergei Witte

�e ambitious Trans Siberian link did not get a push despite this growth and awaited the championship of Sergei Wi�e, the Finance Minister in the decade following . �e Tsar appointed Wi�e as a Minister in 1892 with control of the railways and the authority to impose reform tari�s. ‘Russian railroads gradually became perhaps the most economically operated railroads of the world.’ Wi�e had started out as a ticket clerk working his way up for twenty years in management, primarily as Director of Railway A�airs within the Finance

Ministry from 1889 to 1891 where he oversaw an ambitious program of railway construction. Wi�e set about making the railway service a monopoly of the state and his reforms included the right to assign employees based on their performance, rather than political or familial connections.

Appointed Minister of Finance in 1892 ( resigning 11 years later), he accelerated the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1896, Wi�e concluded a treaty where Russia was to undertake the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway which signi�cantly shortened the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway to its Eastern terminus at Vladivostok.�e sorry state on the railways is

captured by Wi�e as he commented that one of his predecessors ‘ was very honest but remarkably unintelli-gent….His inspection was con�ned to an examination of the toilet rooms’.

Wi�e is also credited with implement-ing nationally applied freight tari� . His treatise Principles of Railway Freight Tari� was widely regarded as a seminal work that introduced a tari� rate that declined for long distance travel. Such taper tari�s are now standard , includ-ing on the IR. Wi�e had the vision to see that the TS was not just about Siberia but as an engine of growth for the whole economy, commenting that railway construction ‘served as the �ywheel of the entire economy.’ His successful models for the Russian economy that peaked at 8% growth in the 1890s, far higher than the European countries, permi�ed his drive on the Trans-Siberian. Without Wi�e, the TS might not have proceeded much beyond the drawing board.

The bridges

‘ �e steel bridges over the large rivers were based on designs which Russian engineers had copied on journeys to the USA….the results, functional rather than elegant, bore a faithful resemblance to their American counterparts, not least because some were supplied in kit form…While the rest of the railway was designed to minimal standards with li�le a�ention being paid to the long term e�ect of skimping on materials, the bridges were made of far sterner stu�, and no risks were taken with them…On completion of the longer ones, four locos together with a heavily laden wagon each were sent halfway across the span and stationed there for two hours to assess the stresses and bends’.

Like the Indian puja

‘God, too, was called upon. Before opening to regular tra�c, the major bridges were always blessed in a grand ceremony overseen by the local priests. �e entrance of the bridge was adorned with a shrine celebrating popular saint at which the trains slowed down to give passengers the opportunity to throw a few small coins’.

The last mile

Wolmar is e�usive in praise of the Trans Siberian , and he should know , having researched and wri�en about railways across the world and spanning centuries: ‘ ...this was an excellent railway, because of the amazing engineering that went into building it. I realised that this was the lifeblood of its region and I knew that it had been the focus of numerous wars. However, I was unaware it is so much more than that and that its impact extends far beyond Siberia. �ere can be no other railway that has had such a profound in�uence on the history of not only the nation in which it was built but that of the world. It is less well understood that it was the railway line that did most to create today’s geopolitical system. It is a heavy burden for a humble iron road.’

R U S S I AR A I LWAY S

The gauges

�e �rst Russian line was on 6 feet gauge while the Warsaw extension used the European 1435 mm standard gauge. �e Moscow line se�led for a �ve-foot’ compromise that has become the Russian standard since. An accepted version of the events seems to be that a Russian technical team visiting the USA recommended the 5 �. option for that is what they saw in the USA. A US railway map for the 1860s shows the use of six track gauges, the 1435 mm standard, 4 �. 10 in., 5 �., 5 �. 4 in , 5 �. 6 in., and 6 �., with the 5 � gauge in predominant use in the South Eastern states. �e Canadian network used more of the 5 �. 6 in . ; the North American uni-gauge network emerged only in the 1880s. �e impact on the Russian network has survived, with the 1435 mm gauge �anking the Russian network in the Northwest as well as on the Chinese �anks.

For us in India, the story of rail network expansion across the garangutan Russian landscape is at best known as a minor character in the railway magnum opus. Just a bit role , not meriting a�ention . But the fact is that the Trans-Siberian network commissioned in early 1900 with an estimated 300 km per year progress, sustained over a decade that saw the completion of the 5000 km links , reaching all the way from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Vladivostok neighbouring Japan, is unparalleled in rail history. �e story is one of a late start and unplanned work but an end that outshines similar trans-continental rail projects in the USA or the Indian peninsula.

�e stories linked with the Trans-Siberian project are captured brilliantly in a coherent whole by Christian Wolmar in his ‘ To the Edge of the World.’ �e narrative is built while harnessing all the facts , with a full landscape of political and social conditions that prevailed as the project happened across this large swathe of seeming wilderness. Wolmar presents the details that should be essential enjoyment for any rail bu� or project manager wondering how such large projects were delivered with speeds now unimaginable , in times when communications and industries were hard to come by. �e plethora of connected anecdotes alone is great reading, and we can do no be�er than recount some.

�e construction and continued e�cient operation of the Trans-Siberian( TS) could rank amongst the greatest achievements of mankind. Wolmar writes about his more than 7-day travel on the line ‘…this is not some meandering ritual railway with occasional thundering train, but rather one of the world’s greatest arteries, a piece of architecture that transformed not only the region in which it was built but also the entire nation that built it…‘…the story of the Trans -Siberian is both a tale of remarkable engineering simulated by imperial ambition and also a key part of Russia and indeed, wider European and Asian history’.

For us Siberia is far removed from us by geography and a lack of contact, the Trans-Siberian indeed is not a single railway, and the one route referred to is the one completed in 1916 , lying in Russian territory entirely. Before this route, the Moscow to Paci�c route used parts of the East Chinese Railway. ‘�e TS rests on top of history and has resulted in an economic change of the steppes and wars that changed history quite a bit.’

Road travel, pre-rail days

�e vastness of the Russian landscape could not have been traversed by horse-drawn carriages or the rivers. A story goes that in the 18th century, the Empress invited a few young ladies from the Far East accompanied by an imperial o�cer to visit her in the capital St Petersburg. Halfway near Lake Baikal, the ladies were already carrying children fathered on the away and a replacement of the escort did

not work either as ‘ by the time the young mothers reached the capital, their �rstborns had half-brothers and sisters.’

�e �rst Russian Railways were mooted in the 1820s through a horse-drawn railway for silver ore mine is reported to have existed in 1809 in Central Russia. �is pioneering e�ort used cast iron convex rails matching the groves in the wagon wheels. �e Tsar’s reluctance was overcome with a proposal for a short line serving his resort 30 km away from that opened in 1837, a�racting 72,500 passengers in the �rst year. Extension of the line to Warsaw, maybe mainly for military purposes, was later sanctioned, with the Moscow extension following soon a�er.

A feature of the Russian rail construction was the liberal use of Tsar’s serfs all along the line in conditions even worse than what was prevalent elsewhere in the world in those times. Wolmar records that 50,000 serfs may have been deployed at its peak.

Impacting history

�e TS also is credited for having contributed to the 1917 October Revolution. Historians a�ribute the 1917 cataclysm to the impoverished Tsarist regime, partly as a result of the enormous resource allocation to the railway construction. �e Moscow line was a success even if it took nine years to complete and cost twice as much as initially planned. Topping at about 2000 passengers per day and generous freight movement too soon a�er it opened in 1850, the response was encouraging enough for the state to li� the need for prior police permission to travel. �e trains averaged about 50 kph, a good record for those years, particularly considering the dismal road conditions. �e o�erings seemed to have varied for the 14 ruble low-cost journeys which were ‘ real bargains third-class passengers could travel in freight trains , seated in boxcars with benches…for a journey that took up to 48 hours as the max speed was 16 kph. �e opulent end of the o�ering in 1865 was thus : ‘travellers are received in brilliantly lighted

saloons…when the hour of retiring arrives, the valet de chamber conducts the gentlemen passengers while smart femmes de Chambre point out to the lady tarvellers their bedrooms and boudoirs’. Wolmar recounts that the railway was , ‘ on its completion, the premier railway of Europe, far be�er than its contemporaries, precisely because of the interest taken by the Tsar.’ �e network expansion was however slow in coming.

A delayed acceptance

�e TS was at least four decades in coming as ‘ there was no early period of railway mania as occurred in so many other countries, and Russia just had a 1000 km network in 1853. �is scene did not change too much even as Tsar Alexander assumed power in 1855. �e one major change was the creation of the Russian Railway company where the government guaranteed 5% return on fresh investment. Warsaw and Helsinki were linked by 1862. �e biggest expansions took place post an 1866 expansion plan , with the network trebling to 4800 km by 1877 and then ‘ doubling again up to 1897.’ �e expansion was not without its shortcomings as ‘ most of the following lines were constructed on the cheap, with sharper curves, insu�cient ballast, and steep gradients. Bridges were built with inferior material and occasionally collapsed, and rail frequently broke... stations were o�en located far from the towns they served’. �e amount of freight doubled between 1865 and 1880, and then again in the following decade.

A visionary called Sergei Witte

�e ambitious Trans Siberian link did not get a push despite this growth and awaited the championship of Sergei Wi�e, the Finance Minister in the decade following . �e Tsar appointed Wi�e as a Minister in 1892 with control of the railways and the authority to impose reform tari�s. ‘Russian railroads gradually became perhaps the most economically operated railroads of the world.’ Wi�e had started out as a ticket clerk working his way up for twenty years in management, primarily as Director of Railway A�airs within the Finance

Ministry from 1889 to 1891 where he oversaw an ambitious program of railway construction. Wi�e set about making the railway service a monopoly of the state and his reforms included the right to assign employees based on their performance, rather than political or familial connections.

Appointed Minister of Finance in 1892 ( resigning 11 years later), he accelerated the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1896, Wi�e concluded a treaty where Russia was to undertake the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway which signi�cantly shortened the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway to its Eastern terminus at Vladivostok.�e sorry state on the railways is

captured by Wi�e as he commented that one of his predecessors ‘ was very honest but remarkably unintelli-gent….His inspection was con�ned to an examination of the toilet rooms’.

Wi�e is also credited with implement-ing nationally applied freight tari� . His treatise Principles of Railway Freight Tari� was widely regarded as a seminal work that introduced a tari� rate that declined for long distance travel. Such taper tari�s are now standard , includ-ing on the IR. Wi�e had the vision to see that the TS was not just about Siberia but as an engine of growth for the whole economy, commenting that railway construction ‘served as the �ywheel of the entire economy.’ His successful models for the Russian economy that peaked at 8% growth in the 1890s, far higher than the European countries, permi�ed his drive on the Trans-Siberian. Without Wi�e, the TS might not have proceeded much beyond the drawing board.

The bridges

‘ �e steel bridges over the large rivers were based on designs which Russian engineers had copied on journeys to the USA….the results, functional rather than elegant, bore a faithful resemblance to their American counterparts, not least because some were supplied in kit form…While the rest of the railway was designed to minimal standards with li�le a�ention being paid to the long term e�ect of skimping on materials, the bridges were made of far sterner stu�, and no risks were taken with them…On completion of the longer ones, four locos together with a heavily laden wagon each were sent halfway across the span and stationed there for two hours to assess the stresses and bends’.

Like the Indian puja

‘God, too, was called upon. Before opening to regular tra�c, the major bridges were always blessed in a grand ceremony overseen by the local priests. �e entrance of the bridge was adorned with a shrine celebrating popular saint at which the trains slowed down to give passengers the opportunity to throw a few small coins’.

The last mile

Wolmar is e�usive in praise of the Trans Siberian , and he should know , having researched and wri�en about railways across the world and spanning centuries: ‘ ...this was an excellent railway, because of the amazing engineering that went into building it. I realised that this was the lifeblood of its region and I knew that it had been the focus of numerous wars. However, I was unaware it is so much more than that and that its impact extends far beyond Siberia. �ere can be no other railway that has had such a profound in�uence on the history of not only the nation in which it was built but that of the world. It is less well understood that it was the railway line that did most to create today’s geopolitical system. It is a heavy burden for a humble iron road.’



Wolmar adds : ‘ �ere are few Finance Ministers who like Wi�e, can claim to have built one of the wonders of the world.’ He took over as the TS was just starting construction and ‘ there was still a lack of momentum within the government circles behind the project. Indeed Wi�e found a situation where neither money nor resources had been allocated to the scheme, and there was no clear mechanism to see the project through’.


The Trans Siberian train journey�e Trans Siberian train journey , always listed amongst the most adventurous train journeys across the world , is not amongst the romantic ones like the Orient Express. Purists will tell you , with some justi�cation , that to travel the Trans-Siberian Railway properly, one must complete the full journey from Moscow to Vladivostok or vice versa. �e 4000 km leg from Irkutsk to Russia’s Eastern seaboard is a three-day journey through thick taiga forests, across wide plains, and along picturesque river valleys…

‘�e train has a weird e�ect on some people!, We passed

through some fascinating cities including Chita, founded by the Cossacks in the 17th century, and once an important location on the Chinese trade route….From Khabarovsk, the train headed due south, hugging the Chinese border to its destination, Vladivostok. Until some decades ago, foreigners were barred from this famous port as it was home to Russia’s Paci�c �eet. �e train terminated instead at Nahodka, a dull port 220 km north of Vladivostok.’ ( Adapted �om Tom Savio: �e World’s Great Railway journeys).

Not so far ago, on a Soviet train All Soviet trains start exactly on time ( if they are not mysteriously cancelled altogether)...�e third class-wooden berths without compartments are used mainly in local service and rarely sold to foreigners.

�e best train service in the USSR is the Red Arrow Express (Moscow – Leningrad); the longest route is that of the Trans-Siberian Railway , with a mystique all its own.During the time it takes from Moscow to Irkutsk, for example, you will �nd yourself plunged into a

di�erent world. People wear pyjamas or dressing gowns, there are much tea drinking and talk, and you are likely to �nd someone speaking some Western language with whom to strike a friendship. �e dining cars are well equipped; the meals have generous portions, and snacks are available almost constantly. In every car, the conductor keeps the samovar on the go night and day and serves you refreshing lemon tea in tall glasses.

(from a 1977 publication ‘Railways of the World’)

The 5 feet railgauge, an American throw away heritage�e US railways owe their origin to the success of water transport on the Erie Canal , something that led to the inception of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Feb 1827, and the inter-modal link was complete in 1852.�e link to the new state of California had �ve options, but a choice was upset by the American Civil War, and in 1862 president Lincoln sanctioned as standard gauge link from Missouri to the Paci�c coast, ‘ A�er 1775 miles of track were laid, the last spike, a golden one was driven on May 10,1869…and the �rst transcontinental railroad link competed.’ Several rail routes to the Paci�c were completed in the 1880s, starting with one of the Santa Fe in 1881 and three more in 1883.

�e mushrooming of rail routes and local decisions took their toll, and the standard gauge was anything but standard. ‘ Early railroads were built to almost any track gauge, with the SG common in the North and the 5 �. gauge preferred in the South. While the 3 �. and 2 �. gauges were chosen for the economy, the 6 �. option in Erie was perhaps a whim. ‘ sometimes the reason for choosing a di�erent gauge was so cars could not be interchanged with the neighboring railroads.’ �e narrow gauge boom peaked in the years to 1890 before commercial factors changed the gauge to suit avoiding trans-loading.

But an o�shoot was the ‘export’ of the 5 �. gauge to Russia.


Rail Business July 2019 Final Artwork · TITANS ON THE TRACKS CLW | IR 9000hp Electric Loco GE | IR...

Documents

Transcript of Rail Business July 2019 Final Artwork · TITANS ON THE TRACKS CLW | IR 9000hp Electric Loco GE | IR...