Train Technology: Cloud Computing

Preface

Railway signalling is a system that is used to properly control railway traffic, primarily to avoid trains from colliding. Trains are unusually vulnerable to collision because they are guided by fixed rails; also, trains cannot stop fast and generally operate at speeds that do not allow them to stop within sight of the driver. Most of the types of train control entail the transfer of movement authority from those who are in charge of each part of a rail network to the train crew. Not all solutions necessitate the use of physical signals, and some are limited to single-track railways.

Signalling is an essential component of the railway system. It is essential for train movement safety, as well as train control and management. Many signalling and train control systems have evolved over the years, resulting in a highly technical and complex industry. Signalling is becoming increasingly important in train operation and maintenance. Through proper signalling, a good, safe, and secure operation is envisaged. Moreover, goods or passengers now need to be transported through several countries without changing trains. Given the number of new demands, the development and implementation of signalling systems remain difficult. It may be noted that a number of problems yet remain to be optimally solved.

With fewer resources and limited budgets, it is important to have a robust maintenance management system in place to aid managers and engineers in getting the most out of their existing infrastructure assets. To analyse the status, maintenance, capital spending, and inspection of a linear asset, such as a railway, a large amount of data and information needs to be recorded and examined. Railway signalling systems enable rail operators for the control, supervision, and protection of railway traffic. These systems are crucial to the railway’s capacity and availability. Their dependability and upkeep can have an impact on both the infrastructure and the trains. In addition to it, safety is an important concern.

Railway operators and managers are extracting an increased amount of data from trackside and handheld readers, onboard locomotive devices, and integrated systems for a number of objectives to be accomplished. The challenge with the users is to analyse this data, evaluate it, and use & apply it to help achieve improved movement of goods and freight. The challenge for tech providers is to keep up with the needs of an increasingly varied customer base. 

Railroads, for example, are essential infrastructures and linear assets used to carry commodities and people. The upkeep and enhancement of these linear assets are vital to a country’s economy and security. Any improvement in linear asset maintenance management and the technology implemented for maintenance tasks can have a significant impact on the revenue, safety, and reliability of the linear asset. Customers and owners are putting growing pressure on railways to increase safety, capacity, and reliability while lowering expenses and tightening the budget. Signalling systems are crucial and play an important role in achieving these increased demands.

Introduction

Traditional railway signalling systems tend to be usually based on copper wires and cables, making the signalling equipment upkeep both costly and complicated. Railway signalling system maintenance in modern times has become one of the most essential development works in railway transport. Railway signalling equipment has been unable to attain the envisioned outcomes in modern cloud computing technologies due to its unique characteristics and complex working environment. The issues that must be considered include energy consumption, quality of service (Quality of Service), data security and privacy, and others, making cloud computing challenging to be adopted in railway signalling systems.

Maintenance of Railway Signalling through cloud computing

To ensure safe and dependable operations, modern railway networks, including high-speed trains and urban mass rapid systems, rely on cutting-edge signalling and communication technologies.

• Tracking Train Position: It is crucial to track the position of trains at all the times in order to effectively maintain a railway signalling system. This can be done by using cloud computing, helping to store and manage data. Using the technology, it can be verified that signals are properly flipped and trains are running on time by tracking their whereabouts. Further, if there are any issues with the system, it can be quickly identified and resolved. Cloud computing also allows consumers to view their train information from any location with an internet connection. Workers can now monitor train movement during inclement weather or when they are out in the field due to enhanced mobility, which has improved safety.
• Asset Management: Locomotives, passenger coaches, wagons, bridges, buildings, and signals are among the various assets used by the Indian Railways. The upkeep of these assets is vital for the safety and efficiency of railways. Historically, the Indian Railways used a range of asset management methods, including manual record-keeping and paper-based systems. However, due to the large number of assets and data that must be managed, these methods are no longer viable.

The Indian Railways has started using cloud computing for asset management to address this issue. All asset-related data is stored in a centralised repository using cloud computing. Authorised people can access this information from any location. Maintaining railway signalling systems is vital to keep trains running on schedule. Physical assets such as buildings, vehicles, and equipment are monitored and handled via asset management. Organisations can keep a track of their assets in real-time through the use of cloud-based asset management software, lowering the risk of lost or stolen goods.

• Automatic Signal Control: Cloud-based solutions can aid in the automatic management and monitoring of railway signalling systems. One can track the status of each signal using sensors and automatically change and modify settings as needed. It can assist in enhancing productivity and prevent problems before they occur. A sensor, for example, will notice an issue with a particular signal instantly. And on the cloud, changes will be made in real-time that affect only that signal. Trains can thus avoid those signals without being delayed or disrupted. The complete railway signalling system is thus kept fully operational.
• Predictive Analytics: Predictive analytics may assist in the smooth operation of railway signalling systems by offering insights into potential problems before they occur. Through the use of technology, one can spot difficulties early and take steps to avoid them before developing into concerning and major issues by monitoring data and trends. Further, predictive analytics can help in system optimisation by identifying areas requiring improvement. It will be able to make sound decisions about how to effectively deploy resources to accomplish the intended goal using this information.
• Speed Up Information Flow: The speed with which information can flow between different sectors of the organisation is one of the key benefits that cloud computing can bring and provide to the rail industry. To make choices and manage day-to-day operations, railway operators and suppliers rely on near-real-time data. Given the ever-increasing volumes of data generated by new equipment, trains, and trackside monitoring systems, the challenge for this sector has always been how to best deliver it. In addition, existing sources, including railroad signals, level crossings, and station automation systems, are also used. Historically, this has been managed by costly localised IT infrastructure expenditures, such as in railway control centres or customer service centres. With frequent on-site support requirements. Cloud solutions can assist in providing a cost-effective solution for managing access to this data over large geographic locations. Through centralised management functions and economies of scale, organisations can maintain their integrity and availability without jeopardising their integrity or availability.

Indian Rail Economy growing with Cloud Hosting

The Indian Railway network is the world’s third largest and one of the busiest, carrying approximately 13 million passengers daily. With around 1.3 million employees, Indian Railway is also one of the largest employers. The railways are undertaking a significant modernisation programme aimed at enhancing efficiency and passenger safety.

The Indian Railways is considering using technological advancements to improve its customer service. In recent years, there has been a strong emphasis on the adoption of advanced technology solutions, with a particular emphasis on cloud and big data analytics solutions. RailCloud, a strategic IT initiative initiated by India’s railway ministry, aims to provide solutions to the current issues. RailCloud is expected to cost over 53 million rupees to implement in order to provide a unified digital platform for Indian railways.

Cloud hosting has taken the digital world by storm, prompting the Indian railway government to recognise it as an ideal match for increasing income, improving passenger satisfaction, and ensuring safe operations. In addition to providing enormous data storage within a single server area and significantly faster on-demand resource deployment, Cloud hosting has given wings to digitized railway networks.

Conclusion

The use of cloud computing in the railway signalling sector is very simple. Cloud computing not only can help cut expenses, but it can also enhance efficiency and allow for real-time monitoring of systems. Signalling systems must be able to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for train travel. Cloud computing can assist in making this achievable.

The railway signalling system is one area that is benefiting from this upgrade and modernisation process. The signalling system guarantees that trains arrive on time and in good condition. Previously, it used to be a manual process prone to human error. However, by migrating to a cloud-based system, railways can improve performance by leveraging automation and real-time data. The advantages of employing cloud computing for railway signalling are numerous.

Signalling and communications for railways

The Railway signalling and communications systems generally include: 

• Systems and services for train control and signalling 
• Data and telecommunications solutions for railway communications 
• Cabinets and enclosures for communications, customer information systems (CIS), station information and security systems (SISS), and signals that have been certified by the Parts and Drawings System (PADS).
• Radio frequency systems 
• Railway network communications solutions 
• Onboard electronic devices and communication solutions 
• Fibre-optic systems and wireless communication in railways 
• Train collision avoidance and track personnel protection systems 
• 5G connection and future railway mobile communication system (FRMCS)/internet of things (IoT)/analytics solutions for automated railway operations

Automatic signalling systems, such as computer and relay-based interlocking solutions, automatic train protection and operation systems, rolling stock diagnostics, and speed control technologies, improve railway asset safety and efficiency. CBTC systems boost capacity and minimise headways by providing smooth operations in driver, driverless, or entirely unattended train operation modes. Automated systems combine human-machine interface and bidirectional radio communication capabilities for autonomous rolling stock monitoring and control, as well as high system availability for railways. 

Railway signalling systems monitor, supervise, and protect railway traffic. These systems have an importance to railway’s capacity and availability. Hence, their dependability and upkeep pose significant challenges. There are several signalling systems in the market today that seek to ensure network safety while achieving network capacity requirements. To keep the railway network running smoothly, the signalling systems must have tools that make data mining and analysis easier and faster. 

The different methods pointed out enable data mining and subsequent analysis without relying on the components that generate the data. Because of the complexity and constant evolution the signalling systems goes through, this can be considered to be an important factor. To collect data or information relevant to the assets of railway signalling systems, a data collection and distribution system based on the notion of cloud computing is proposed for integration purposes. A benefit from the standpoint of maintenance is the ability to acquire information or data relative to the health, variability, performance, or utilisation of an asset.