Performance of New Technology In Signalling over Indian ... · Performance of New Technology In Signalling over Indian Railways ... Installations March 2006 March 2007 March 2008

Performance of New Technology In

Signalling over Indian Railways

Ganesh K. Dwivedy

B.E. (Electronics Engg), AMIRSE, MIET, MIRSTE

Addl. Divisional Railway Manager, Indian Railways

New Technology in Signalling

Deployment TrendDeployment Trend

Performance ScenarioPerformance Scenario

What has Changed ?What has Changed ?

Status of few Systems & Major Issues Status of few Systems & Major Issues

Road Ahead !!Road Ahead !!

Why New Technology in Signalling Systems ?

Signalling System

Reliability

Availability Maintainability

Safety

Consistent Performance

Installations

Ma

rch

20

06

Ma

rch

20

07

Ma

rch

20

08

Ma

rch

20

09

Ma

rch

20

10

Ma

rch

20

11

Solid State Interlocking 100 159 229 338 401 453

Route Relay Interlocking 219 220 223 236 255 251

Panel Interlocking 2911 3262 3462 3676 3830 4000

Block Proving Axle

Counters (Block Sections)632 908 1421 1929 2452 3009

LED Lit Signals (Stations) 1308 1697 2695 3549 4472

Data Loggers (Stations) 2105 2650 3264 3816 4348

TPWS (Route Kms) 328 328 328

MTRC (Route Kms) 1686 1686 1045 1648 2050

Deployment Trend

Performance Scenario

� New Technology equipments - 55% signalling incidents

� 70 - 80% Block & Train detection system incidents

• Affecting the train operation: Punctuality

� Dislocation of services

� Passengers Discomfort

• Lowering the standards of Safety: Human element

in operation

Effects on Train Operation

Trains Loosing Punctuality over the Zones

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

NR ECR NCR ER NER SR WCR CR SER SECR NFR WR SCR SWR ECoR NWRNo

. o

f Tr

ain

s Lo

osi

ng

Pu

nct

ua

l R

un

nin

g

Zones of Indian Railways

2010

2011

What has Changed?

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Expenditure (in

100 millions of

INR)

688.53 817.7 1042.5 1179.2 1343 1380 1048 958.5

Signal

Incidents (in

00)

117 124 115 148 168 141 123 119

Train Km

(Million)776 799 825 856 892 933 981 1022

What has Changed?

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

No. of Accidents Attributed

to Human Factor268 197 206 169 165 151 138 116

268

197206

169 165151

138

116

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

No

. o

f A

ccid

en

ts

YEAR

No. of Accidents Attributed due to Human Factor

New Technology Based Signalling Equipments

• Attributes:

• Proven all over the World

• BUT, Performance, Reliability & Availability not up

to the mark

• All systems have similar reliability Issues

• Status of few of the systems is presented

Electronic Interlocking (EI)

� First Trial installation back in 1987 in Southern zone

� Large scale deployment started in 2002 with first installation at Chakulia

station on Howrah – Mumbai route in South Eastern zone

� Cross Acceptance Procedure followed

� first major failure at Chakulia due to Lightening within three months of

installation

� Similar failures are continuing even after 10 years of research on

lightening & surge protection by the leading vendor

Zone PopulationFailures Per System

Per MonthMTBF (Hrs) Specified MTBF (Hrs)

ECR 3 0.0135 18136 > 1x105

SCR 40 0.0031 5951* > 1x105

SER 52 0.0012 11457 > 1x105

Electronic Interlocking: Major Issues

� Competency in design, production, verification and

validation of application logic

� Damage occurred to the EIs from lightning and surges

� Non-availability of user-friendly diagnostic tools, flow

charts and event/ error logs

� Isolation of core EI equipments with outdoor

equipments

Digital Axle Counters (DAC)

� Analog Axle counters on the IR were introduced during the 1970s

� DACs were introduced in early 2000.

� DAC for block proving was introduced as part of the Corporate Safety

Plan (2003-2013)

� First technical specification for DAC was issued during 2003

� 2005-06 and onwards, Multi Section Digital Axle Counters (MSDAC) in

addition to SSDAC are increasingly used in the yards for train detection

purposes



ECR 366 0.001 1975 > 1x105

SCR 447 0.36/ 0.001 1631 > 1x105

SER 292 0.0013 1815 > 1x105

Digital Axle Counters (DAC)

BI, 26.9

TC, 15.8

Relay, 14.3

Cables, 9.1

Signal Lamps, 8.8

Miscellaneous, 6.5

Fuse Blown, 5.0

Lifting Barrier, 4.1

Maintainence Issues, 3.6

Power Equipments, 2.5EPM, 0.9 Interlocking, 0.3

� > 42% of signal incidents pertain to Block and Train Detection system

� Out of these 42% incidents, 80% of block and 69% of train detection

system incidents are due to the malfunctioning of DACs

Digital Axle Counters: Major Issues

� Software instability causing frequent hangs and no

response to the actions

� Component reliability enhancement

� Robust design of track devices

� Standard Wiring discipline to minimise the effect of EMI

and noise

� Lightening and surge protection

� Fault diagnostic flow charts and robust error logger

Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS)

� TPWS, similar to ETCS level 1 sanctioned for 52 Km of Chennai –

Gummidipundi section of Southern Railway (SR) and Delhi –

Mathura section of Northern Central Railway (NCR)

� TPWS in 50 Km section of SR commissioned on a trial in January

2008

� Many important issues coming in the way of its successful

functioning are yet to be resolved even after a lapse of more

than 4 years.

� Substantial modifications of the system during 2008 to 2011

� Efficiency ranging from 77% to 90% against the desired efficiency

of 99.9 %.

Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS)

� Few important impairments in the system

� Blanking off of Simplified Driver Machine Interface (SDMI)

� Complete system failure during run

� System failure during booting and sleep mode

� Application of brakes during run without apparent reason

� Balise Transmission Module error

� Frequent Train Interface Unit failure

� Out of 5608 trials, there were as many as 868 incidents.

� 566 pertain to on board system failures,

� 255 trackside system failures

� 47 miscellaneous such as data over flow and link error etc.

� 958 cases of isolation of on board TPWS with trackside

equipments.

� 1491 cases of isolation and defects found during night

examination of rakes also

LED Signals

� Introduced on IR during 1999 – 2000

� RDSO issued the draft specification in 1999 along with an approved list

of manufacturers

� Thrust during the execution of an overdue infrastructure replacement

works, financed by the Special Railway Safety Fund (SRSF) since 2002

� By 2007, more than 1300 stations i.e. around 22% stations were

provided with LED signals

� Great respite to the signalling maintenance management from

the pre-mature fusing of conventional lamps and frequent

replacement of signal lamps

� Large numbers of incidents started emerging due to non-picking up of

conventional ECRs used with LED signals causing failures

� Large scale failures of current regulators due to penetration of water

through improperly sealed colour light signal units

LED Signals: Performance & Issues

� Problems overshadowing the advantage provided by the new and

improved technology



ECR 5028 0.0002 60876 > 1x105

SCR 25939 0.0001 431318 > 1x105

SER 10794 0.0003 606730 > 1x105

� Major Issues:

• Non involvement of maintenance teams & interfaces

• Poor design & non-compatibility with environmental conditions

• Re-drafting of the specification to suit environmental conditions

Road Ahead

Sub optimal performance of these new

technology based signalling systems will add

problems to the Users, Maintainers and

Customers alike.

Therefore, a serious thought to improve the

Reliability and Availability of these systems is

required

Adopting Correct Approach of Induction

� Real benefit has not come to the Users and Maintainers of

the new technology

� Where Have We Slipped Up?

� Fundamental Difference between the two genres:

o Feel and See Through factors Vs Conceive, Measure and See

o Documentation of every stage of system Life Cycle for

understanding of the interfaces is must

o Technicians and Engineers with conventional engineering

backgrounds Vs altogether different approach, knowledge

and skill sets for the planning, implementation, operation

and maintainenece regime


� System Life Cycle approach in contrast to the overlapping

design, installation and testing regime of old technology

based systems

� Comprehensive system of testing, installation and

maintenance to be evolved and nurtured

� Set up a core group having the specialization in the above-

mentioned areas

� Comprehensive methodology for testing to demonstrate

the compliances has to be specified

� Training of People involved in the process


Design:

• Domain knowledge of Designers

Installation:

• Skill for handling of sensitive electronics components,

sub systems and software based systems


Testing & Commissioning:

• Application and interface logic validation in addition tocontinuity, wire counts, simulation and correspondencetests

• Understanding of alarms, errors and events log generatedby the systems

Maintainence:

• Directed Preventive & Corrective maintenance by

skilled and especially trained engineers forming a core

group

• Diagnosis and rectifications at the level of supervisors


Training:

• Complex with availability of few expert trainers

• Not only the system knowledge but special fault diagnostictechniques

• Understanding to decode the alarms, events and errors andcorrelate with the subsystems.

• Entire Novel Approach

• Training of the decision makers in assessment and validationtechniques

• Complex with availability of few expert trainers

• Not only the system knowledge but special fault diagnostictechniques

• Understanding to decode the Alarm, Event and Error logsand correlate with the systems, subsystems, cards andcomponents

• Keep these system-trained people in continuous touch withthe system

• The fear of attrition and conventional style of managementfor placement of trained staff must be given up

Training

• Clearly drafted Functional Requirements Specifications of

the system

• Parameters & methods to demonstrate the compliance of

EN50126, 50128, 50129 and 50121

• Comprehensive validation and cross acceptance documents

• System Safety case production and verification by

independent Assessor

• Documentation demonstrating the satisfactory performance

with lowest MTTR and highest MTBF, its verification by

independent assessor

Documentation

� Documentation provided by the manufacturers and

vendors:

� system schematic knowledge,

� sketchy installation and testing techniques,

� poor drafted & non-comprehensible fault diagnostics, flow

charts and manuals to decode and decipher the alarms,

events and errors

� even not understood by the staff of these vendors

� Not from the designer or manufacture perspective but

for the maintainenece technicians and engineers

Knowledge Sharing

Issues for IR Signalling

� Issues requiring attention to avoid the discredit to proven

technologies, improve the experience of customers and

working environment of maintenance management

� Mandate the process of making independent system and functional

requirement specification

� System Engineering and life cycle approach

� Documentation of EMI signatures of the existing systems

� Independent assessment and validation of the systems

� Robust Cross Acceptance process including Safety cases

� Change in working rules and procedures to supplement the system

Issues for IR Signalling

� Documented quality procedure to ensure the foolproof testing before

coming out of the manufacturing line

� Specifications providing for method of verification of compliances to

the provisions of standards like EN 50126, 50128, 50129 by the quality

check streams

� Training and skill building of people behind these systems

� Sanction of trial works on a limited scale

� large scale deployment only after documented and verified reliability

and availability figures after field trials

Conclusion

� An efficient and performing IR comparable to the

acceptable standards worldwide is the need of the hour to

provide fastest clean transport system for growing Indian

Economy. To achieve this goal, IR must

• put in place a robust new technology induction process

• ensure Competent, trained, skilled, motivated and confident pre-

acceptance quality check groups and in service maintenance

team

• involve all stakeholders and interfaces to achieve the designed

reliability and availability parameters of the new technology

based systems

• IRSE role

Thanks for your attention!

Documents

Performance of New Technology In Signalling over Indian ... · Performance of New Technology In Signalling over Indian Railways ... Installations March 2006 March 2007 March 2008