Human transportation vision encompasses the idea and notion of safer, faster, smarter, more environmentally and user-friendly mobility systems. The development of ‘the rail digital transformation’ is one of the key components in developing the next generation of railway systems. Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, FRMCS (5G), and Automation and Robotics constitute the primary technologies and solutions considered digital transformation accelerators. Adopting these technologies will result in the transition to ‘Railway 4.0’ or ‘Digital Railway.’ Railway technology has made significant strides towards automation and digitalisation, from traditional signalling systems to remote condition monitoring systems. Organisations and businesses increasingly rely on digital technology to improve performance, safety, and reliability. Data is required to realise the goal of the digital revolution.
Railways worldwide acquire a lot of data, and a few have been looking for better ways to use it by ensuring that it is integrated and accessible to stakeholders in a productive way that provides value. Because data integration and knowledge mining are challenging, organisations have been looking for better ways to integrate data and extract more relevant and applicable information. Blockchain contributes to this goal by providing security and decentralisation—promises to deliver a new data integration enabler for many stakeholders in the railway and transportation industries. Block-chain, a Distributed Ledger Technology, has been regarded as a critical enabler for greater railway automation and higher digitalisation.
Smart Contract
Smart Contracts are block-chain applications that are used to transact data across chains. They are also known as ‘Decentralised Applications’ (DApps). They allow users to interact with blockchain users about the type of data being carried across the network. These programmes run independently based on predefined characteristics and instances. In the context of trains, various condition-monitoring sensors would be the blockchain blocks, whereas preventive executable maintenance software is the Smart Contract. Another example is track circuits, axle counters, trackside signals, and machines and trains (rolling stock) to be linked and connected as network blocks, with the Decentralised Application or Smart Contract serving and functioning as the control code and scheduling program.
Blockchain in Railways
The usage of IoT applications has been identified as one of the primary considerations in the future development of higher levels of automation in railway systems. This can be observed through the development and improvement of the next generation of control and monitoring systems. IoT applications rapidly expand across numerous industries worldwide, from the ocean to space. The IoT application shall consist of three layers: a presentation layer, a network layer and an application layer. Blockchain within these layers promises to provide a very high level of security, decentralisation, and automation services.
Interestingly, blockchains have been identified and employed as a decentralised cooperation system among smart things. Current IoT subsystems, on the other hand, are cloud-based computing infrastructure, which has certain limitations and shortcomings, such as the difficulty of enabling time-critical IoT applications, security and trust-related obstacles and challenges and expensive cloud-server maintenance costs. Although blockchain has helped overcome these challenges and difficulties, actual and feasible experiments and prototypes continue to be developed worldwide.
Potential areas for the application of Blockchains
- In a multi-tier IoT design, the blockchain can store access control data as data storage systems.
- Identity management, as well as the exchange of products and data
- System of evaluation and rating
- Manage IoT device firmware updates.
- Manufacturing upon demand
- Smart and Intelligent diagnostics, machine maintenance, and traceability
- Supply chain tracking and product certification
- Consumer-to-machine and machine-to-machine transactions
Tracking the identities of suppliers and registering assets and inventories
Blockchain for Railway Applications
Blockchain as a data-driven facilitator for remote condition monitoring: Remote condition monitoring is a common concept in the railway industry for determining and recognising the status of physical and operational conditions of various railway system assets (track, trains, switches, point machines, and so on) to be monitored through a network of sensors providing data on malfunctioning or the need for effective maintenance required for a specific asset. This has created the path for even greater automation in railway operations and maintenance. The utilisation and adoption of sensor data by several stakeholders in the railway sector and the actual cost/benefit analysis have opened a challenge for the organisation. Several enablers, such as enterprise software bus (EBS), ontologies, linked open data, and blockchain, must be adopted and implemented to improve stakeholder data utilisation. Blockchain provides numerous benefits to the railway industry, including improved IoT node security, data integration, and utilisation via a micropayment scheme. However, there are issues, such as illegal and illicit content distribution over the blockchain, which may include ‘innocent nodes’ because all transactions that occur on the blockchain are concurrently recorded in all blocks.
Though technology has not yet reached the maturity required for widespread adoption, the moment has come to construct prototypes and explore. Several organisations are working with blockchain technology for various rail sector applications. DB System, for example, is working on the digitalisation of the railway industry and has successfully mapped and structured a whole supply chain, resulting in the automation of internal accounting processes and the execution of contracts between machines and objects. Similarly, Russian Railways (RZD) successfully transported over 5,000 freight consignments across a nine-month period using an electronic trading and business platform powered by Blockchain technology. Thailand’s State Railway (SRT) invests in blockchain technology and IoT to manage signalling, passenger information systems, ticketing, and commodities delivery.
Challenges & Opportunities
Blockchain presents opportunities for IoT applications in railways, such as reduced cloud server maintenance costs, support for time-critical applications, resilience and security, trust, scalability, and decentralisation. Cost, scalability, anonymity, integrity, efficiency, privacy, regulation, awareness, smart-contract vulnerabilities, building trust, gaining full participation of all stakeholders, and data standardisation are some of the challenges encountered with blockchain usage in IoT applications, particularly in the railway industry. Building trust, gaining the full participation of all stakeholders, overcoming technological obstacles and challenges, and standardising data are the four preconditions for the rail and logistics industry to harness and successfully exploit the projected benefits of the blockchain.
Decentralising train control — Architecture and Technologies
Train control systems are conventionally centralised in two distinct manners: technically and cognitively or logically. Logically, the control system is operated by only one business and corporate entity, the ‘infrastructure operator.’ This is the only party that has the full access rights. It may or may not allow ‘ read-only’ access to train operators at its discretion. Technically, the control system is most centralised since economic considerations do not necessitate a multi-location/multinode setup.
In addition, a ‘hot standby’ or even ‘active-active’ set-up or configuration requires data to be replicated completely before it can be considered ‘written through,’ which can increase latency while also putting the burden on data lines between locations. The proposed design or architecture is based primarily on technical decentralisation on several nodes. The train’s block-chain identity is the entity or player that selects and orders paths (i.e., performs reservations of an infrastructure element for a given timeframe); it interacts with the infrastructure element’s block-chain identity via the Gatekeeper (ensuring consistency and a safe global state).
The Smart Contract is the entity that modifies should be’ part or portion of the global state. The situation is more complicated when it comes to logical decentralisation. Logical decentralisation implies that multiple parties own nodes. This immediately raises issues of authority, contracts, duty, and liability. Strong authority is the usual choice regarding safety and human life. A single authority implies a single (central) responsibility. In the aviation industry, the pilot and co-pilot can be examples where tight authority standards in a multi-party setting are utilised to prevent a deadlock because there is no arbitrator to act as an intermediate between the parties. Logical decentralisation is intrinsically more complex than logical centralisation since it must deal with failing/unreachable nodes, disagreeing minorities, party fragmentation, and unpredictable behaviour. Finally, the distributed ledger-based solution architecture is technically appropriate for both logically centralised and logically decentralised setups as the solution appears to use a private-consortia (non-public) Block-chain as the ‘engine’ to run algorithms and store data, and additional nodes and parties can be added.
It is critical to emphasise that reservations (and payments) are handled peer-to-peer between trains and infrastructure elements (such as switches); the infrastructure element’s IoT (Digital) Twin controls the element’s blockchain wallet. On the other hand, a blockchain is the event bus and the recording ledger, but it is not a first-level, self-aware, autonomously active entity with its own interests. At the same time, blockchain network participants protect the outcome of peer-to-peer transactions because these transactions (for example, admitting a train into a track segment) are safety-relevant and affect all peers, not just two.
Blockchain-based rail control system
Railway operations are governed by intricate laws and regulations, with advanced, powerful, complex, and centralised systems to manage trains, staff, and infrastructure components. These systems have an extensive background, but their high cost and complexity impact railways’ competitiveness and operational stability at a time when zero-emission vehicles, self-driving algorithms, ridesharing/car-sharing, and changing travel patterns increase the pressure to become more cost-effective. The adoption and uptake of cutting-edge technology like ETCS and ERTMS has progressed slowly and steadily.
The Block-chain-based Railway Control System (BRCS) is a method of automating traffic management and (re-)dispatching by relying on software-defined safety procedures, decentralised train control, interlocking, and train protection. AI and 5G (FRMCS) are examples of cutting-edge technology that can help with deployment. In the initial phase of implementation, BRCS intends to meet the needs of secondary lines by providing a streamlined ‘safety core’ for the bare necessities of train operations: train collision avoidance, interlocking control, signal control, interfacing automated train protection (ATP) such as PZB, and so on. Simultaneously, the BRCS strategy addresses operational efficiency by utilising traffic management characteristics. For the interlocking core, BRCS relies on a distributed and replicated software solution that can also run in a cloud environment, eliminating the requirement for expensive proprietary hardware. BRCS relies on established and high-performance Blockchain technology to effectively develop the BRCS implementation with tamper-proofness, resilience, high availability, and self-healing. BRCS will include both externally sourced and project-created layers. Inconsistencies in intricate, complex, layered components applications can be avoided with rigorous configuration management and acceptance testing (even for ‘standard’ externally supplied COTS dependencies). Updates are frequently designed to be incremental or differential to save time and space, at the risk and expense of needing to verify that such updates are applied in the correct order, atomically, and in a durable manner.
Using Blockchain for Safety Critical CCS Applications
The potential of blockchain in rail extends to several sectors, including CCS. Factors such as crew handling, weather disruptions, equipment performance, locomotive reliability, maintenance, delivery, and so on can be tracked using specialised devices and preserved as a permanent record, alerting every node (the railroad, shippers, and other stakeholders) about updates and changes in real-time. This is accomplished by preserving all information within the blockchain, which instantly communicates updates to all participating entities, making the transaction transparent and events traceable. Blockchain can lower the risk of fraud or misinformation at every stage by making operations less error-prone, quicker, and trackable. Blockchain technology trials are taking place all around the world. Russian Railways (RZD) successfully transported over 5000 goods consignments ordered on RZD’s own blockchain-powered platform in 2017. Similarly, Thailand’s State Railway is investing in blockchain to manage signalling, passenger information systems, and ticketing.
Next Generation Communications to Unlock Blockchain
5&6G is the most recent iteration of cellular technology, designed for applications that require real-time response. 5G is intended to significantly boost the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks and the amount of data that can be transmitted. Further, 5G supports network slicing. Network slicing allows the construction of many virtual networks within a single network. It has the potential to enable wireless network connections to support specific uses offered as a service, resulting in significant increases in network capacity and potential industry applications. Although fourth-generation LTE (4G) has already been integrated into many parts of train management systems (including advanced terrain analysis), it is now frequently referred to as a basis for the 5G network. Because of the millimetre wave spectrum, 5G signals may be carried via many cell stations, as compared to LTE, and the cell stations can be put on rooftops or light poles, eliminating the need for big, high-power cell towers.
Many blockchain projects, from system management to high-performance distributed computing nodes, are linked and associated with developing 5G networks. By incorporating blockchain into old and new systems, operations can become more secure, autonomous and profitable. The technical challenges to taking blockchains beyond the proof-of-concept stage are associated with key industrial participants’ participation with private organisations and government regulators. Although the system’s benefits can be realised in smaller projects and initiatives, it has a far greater impact when implemented on a wider scale – the greater the number of businesses and organisations in the rail sector that use blockchain, the clearer the structure and the better the functionality of the system.
Blockchain and Communication-based train control (CBTC) Signalling Systems
There are several information security threats and challenges in the existing Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system, particularly in train-ground communication, so CBTC system information security protection measures must be cyber-secured. Blockchain technology trains ground communication of the CBTC system to increase information security. CBTC system information security testing environment is set up using blockchain technology. The testing outcomes and conclusions show that the train-ground communication information security of the CBTC system based on blockchain overcomes the single-point failure of centralisation key management and has no effect on the system’s operation time. Moreover, the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), envisioned by ETSI and UIC and based on the principles of 5G of 3GPP and IMT-2020 of ITU, viz. virtualisation, slicing and layering, as well as securing, adds to communication security in addition to enhanced throughput, reduced latency, high connection density, and availability. The primary feature of FRMCS is the separation of the Application and Service Layers from the underlying Infrastructure (Transport) layer, which increases flexibility, efficiency, and ease of use. CBTC Wayside equipment, CBTC Train-Borne equipment, and CBTC Data Communications equipment are the primary subsystems. Also, all CBTC systems have ATP (Automatic Train Protection) and ATS (Automatic Train Supervision) technologies. ATO (Automatic Train Operation) and ATC (Automatic Train Control) systems may also be included in some CBTC systems.
Balises and Interlockings are CBTC Wayside equipment. Other CTBC auxiliary equipment includes ATS-ATP or ATO control centres. CBTC train-borne equipment is a computer aboard the train that manages the authority to move the train using and relying on the driver, train, and other communication modules. The radio communication system combines software and hardware equipment, including a data communication computer, an antenna, and a Wi-Fi control centre. It oversees radio communication between the train and the wayside. The CBTC system is based on two-way continuous digital communication between each controlled train and the railway’s control centres.
The line on a railway equipped with a moveable block system is typically divided into areas or zones. A computer controls each zone and has its own radio communication system. Each train sends its identification, location, direction, and speed to the regional computer, which does the necessary calculations for safe trains and delivers the results to the next train. The radio link between each train and the zone computer is constant and continuous, so the computer always knows where all the trains in its jurisdiction are at a particular set of times. These radio links broadcast and convey the train’s position in front of it to each train and give it a curve to stop before reaching or hitting the train in front. If the train fails to comply with the commands, the ATP or ATS system automatically slows down and stops the train. Using the information about the route status and type of route defined, the state of the elements on the route, and the train location information already determined from the train messages. The CBTC system transmits a movement authority message to each train, which includes the following vital information:
- Gradient profile
- Static speed profile
Blockchain in Indian Railways
The ubiquity of digital technology has been demonstrated to be a major changer in the present corporate landscape, ushering in a new era of global commercial operations. Blockchain technology is gaining popularity in different industries, particularly in India. As blockchain applications grow, industry professionals and experts devise and work on novel ways to tailor the technology to various use cases. As more organisations discover the potential benefits of blockchain technology in terms of security, efficiency, effectiveness, and cost savings, there has been a surge in interest in blockchain adoption and deployment.
A rising number of businesses and organisations in areas such as telecommunications, healthcare, retail, life sciences, travel, hospitality, and energy are investigating and looking into the possible applications of blockchain technology to improve their current and existing business models. Data management and security have become top priorities and goals for organisations looking to avoid risks and achieve cost reductions as digital records have grown exponentially. Thus, blockchain technology is an appealing alternative for businesses wishing to streamline their cost-effective operations while protecting sensitive information from cyber threats. Blockchain is based on digitally storing enormous amounts of data and information. This entails dividing the data and content into smaller chunks and spreading them across numerous platforms and users. One of the primary problems with data storage is security, which blockchain technology addresses using an encryption technique known as cryptography. Traditional data storage methods expose data to unauthorised access, revisions, modifications, erasure or edits. With blockchain technology, however, each piece of data is encrypted and can only be read and accessed by the user with the key to open and unlock it. This ensures the data is secure and protected from unauthorised changes and modifications.
For the first time, the Indian Railways has made the historic decision to integrate blockchain technology. This came after a highly informative and interesting session at the National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) in Vadodara, Gujarat. This exercise was conducted in collaboration with ChainCode Consulting and Polygon Labs. This ground-breaking workshop took place over three days, from the 15th to the 17th of February, 2023.
During the event, officials from Indian Railways’ zonal offices participated actively. They received information and guidance on the relevance of blockchain as well as new-age technologies that can help in the overall improvement of railway operations. Several use cases were presented, as well as the challenges that the officers and the railway ecosystem as a whole face and encounter. One of the issues identified was the need for a single certificate validation to certify the necessary skills and required abilities and knowledge of railway personnel. According to the experts, the issue of NFT-oriented credentials could effectively address that vital and important factor, with the help of which it shall be feasible to adequately manage, monitor, and validate the competencies of required and identified Railway officials.
In this case, ChainCode Consulting, in partnership with the Indian Railways, has supplied unique Phygital NFT Certificates duly minted on the Polygon Ecosystem for the benefit of all participants. The task had been accomplished through the use of NFTrace. The goal had been to familiarise the officials involved with how it works through hands-on experience. Information was also provided about the advantages of adopting smart contracts. ChainCode Consulting is, without a doubt, the leading provider of enterprise-level products and services for boosting enterprises’ ability to operate using decentralised, access-controlled, and secure paradigms. Conversely, Polygon is a blockchain development platform pioneer that provides Web3-compatible, upgradeable, safe, and sustainable blockchains.
Recent Developments
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is actively developing a secure signalling system for railways, which is a crucial step towards assuring greater safety and control of train operations. Using the power of blockchain technology, this new solution attempts to establish a tamper-proof infrastructure with superior safety features. This system will revolutionise how train operations are monitored and managed by supplementing the existing Data Logger, also known as the ‘Black Box,’ used in rolling stock.
- Enhancing Safety: Blockchain technology has earned widespread acclaim for its ability to record information that cannot be tampered with, hacked, manipulated or altered. The suggested method improves security, transparency, and efficiency by storing data in a distributed ledger and using cryptography to assure data integrity. The indigenously built tamper-proof signalling system at the Indian Institute of Technology will enable secure data transfer among stakeholders while automating operations with smart contracts and producing tamper-evident audit trails.
- Improved Control & Operations: The blockchain-enabled tamper-proof signalling system is expected to significantly influence train safety and control. It maintains accountability by securely recording all events in the train and control room, eliminating the risk of manipulation or bypassing. This transparency boosts and improves the system’s trust, confidence, and integrity. In addition, the system also provides real-time data on train movements and conditions, allowing for fast responses to possible threats or emergencies. Station masters, section controllers, signal engineers and other stakeholders will have access to real-time train movement information with the help of this technology, paving the way for more efficient and safe operations.
- Preventing Accidents: The development of the proposed system becomes all the more important in the context of the disastrous train tragedy that occurred on June 2, 2023, at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in the Kharagpur Division of the Southeastern Railway. The new blockchain-enabled tamper-proof signalling system seeks to avoid such mishaps by assuring data integrity and prohibiting unauthorised changes and alterations. With this system in place, occurrences like the one at Bahanaga Bazar can be avoided, improving passenger safety and lowering the likelihood of accidents.
- Efficiency and Automation: Besides enhanced security and safety benefits, the blockchain-enabled signalling system also aims to improve the efficiency and automation of train operations. The solution minimises manual involvement, streamlines operations, and eliminates human errors by automating procedures with smart contracts. This facilitates speedier decision-making, more effective resource allocation, and enhanced overall performance. In addition, the distributed nature of blockchain technology ensures that stakeholders have access to the most up-to-date information, allowing for seamless coordination and collaboration.
- Future Implications: Introducing and implementing a blockchain-enabled tamper-proof signalling system will have far-reaching consequences for the Indian Railways. The system shall not only improve safety and control, but it will also prepare the path for new creative technologies and digital transformation in the railway industry. The use of blockchain can be extended to other areas, such as supply chain management, ticketing systems, and maintenance records, helping to strengthen, boost and enhance overall efficiency and accountability.
Conclusion
Railways all over the world are embracing technology to improve their operations. Blockchain is a novel technology that can facilitate data integration, trust, and security challenges. It offers advantages such as lower cloud-server maintenance costs, support for time-sensitive applications, resilience and security, trust, scalability, and decentralisation. However, the technology must be improved to address scalability, security, anonymity, and cost.
Railways increasingly rely on digital technology to improve performance, safety, and reliability. Adaptation to new digital economy drivers is visible in the growth of Industry 4.0, led by AI/ML and blockchain, as well as an emphasis on digitalisation activities in railways. Rail businesses worldwide are using digital technologies to create a wide range of new services and applications, whether for delivering more information and leisure activities on board, improving asset monitoring, or automating operations. Many stakeholders see the changes by digitisation in railways as both an opportunity and a challenge. Indeed, it necessitates a shift in mentality and new business strategies. Rail digitalisation necessitates significant capital investment as well as a cyber security policy. Blockchain is a novel technology that can facilitate data integration, trust, and security challenges. It has numerous advantages and uses, including reduced cloud server maintenance costs, support for time-critical applications, resilience and security, trust, scalability, and decentralisation. However, the technology must be improved to address scalability, security, anonymity, and cost.
Blockchain technology has vast and fascinating possibilities, notably in the financial industry. During the demonetisation, financial institutions faced huge challenges in processing the enormous volume of transactions, as they relied primarily on a centralised expert to handle the responsibility. To address such issues, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has pushed and encouraged banks to adopt Blockchain technology, which has the potential to provide several benefits, such as cost and time savings, faster and speedier processing, and safe operations that are resistant to cyber-attacks. Besides financial institutions, Blockchain technology can be extremely beneficial to organisations involved in supply chain management. Blockchain can increase transparency and supervision by documenting transactions in a distributed ledger, eliminating errors and delays while tracking costs, employment, and releases at every stage of the supply chain. It is worth mentioning, however, that this strategy may have an influence on our ability to comprehend and monitor the environmental impacts of products. Additionally, by tracking goods back to their original source, the decentralised ledger may be used to validate its legitimacy and fair-trade status.
The blockchain technology use case in offline retail has numerous benefits, such as identifying the need of the smallest retailer based on the potential of past business numbers/ geography and customer profiling, consolidating the demand of these small retailers to streamline the bulk order of a regional distributor and placing the final order with the manufacturer/ Brand/ OEM. Thus, Blockchain technology has the potential to transform the way we conduct transactions and manage supply chains by providing a secure and transparent means of doing business and accomplishing tasks.
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