Rail Network Uses IBM Tech to Manage Train Schedules and Cut Energy Cost

With more than 4,500 employees and 14,000 passengers daily, Konkan Railways

manages a large network of passenger and freight trains. The primary goal of the

railway system is to improve service for its passengers, replace redundant

manual procedures with efficient technology solutions to ultimately bring

greater operating efficiency. The rail operator selected IBM Informix Dynamic

Server, when they developed their 'Railway Application Package' (RAP) system to

help manage, analyze and maintain train running information, schedules and

reduce the passenger delays. Real-time data is fed into the management system

that uses smart analytics to respond to information in real time.

The railway solution helps minimal staff manage all aspects of Konkan's

business, from real-time management of train-running, collecting ticket revenue,

managing finances and human resources, to automatically controlling station

platforms lighting with train-movements.  IBM software provides

cost-effective performance, requiring only two database administrators managing

66 database server instances.  IBM software also helps in managing the

platform lights for all passenger-carrying trains at each station and

ventilation in few long tunnels. These long tunnels are each greater than 2

kilometers long. Konkan Railway developed information-flow systems & analytics

to manage

timely air-circulation and platform lights, in an effort to be

energy-efficient. Not only does this help the Railway operate more efficiently,

but has also resulted in significant energy savings.