IT applications in
passenger business
B.V.L.Narayana
SPTM/RSCBRC
Why have IT applications
• It applications are useful in instances
– Transactions , repetitive, large in
number, avoid variations in behavior
and process
– Data capture at point of interchange,
large volume, repetitive and required for
process execution
– Storage of large volumes of primary
data, requiring manipulation and use for
business decision making
Advantages of IT
• Can be a minimal human interface system
with extensive standardization
– Avoids variation in process, mistakes,
inconsistencies, deviations
– Speed of execution
– Stability and reliability of capture of data and
process
– Relieves human mind occupation for higher
order decision making—contextual
– Allows greater control of decentralized activities
Time series
data
Individual in
population
cross
sectional
data
consumer
prefernces
data
ticket OD
flow data
occupation
data
Willingness
to travel
demographic
data
consumer
satisfaction
data
intention to
travel
Information
on travel
services
choice of
mode
socio-econo
mic factors
travel
modes
services
Ticketing
facilities
information
about add on
services
information on
facilities at site
of meeting
authority to
travel
exit
information
at ticketing
exit information
at destination
information about
facilties at
destinantion
site of meeting of passenger
and mode of travel
Journey
details
destnation
location
information of
location of
passenger seating
Primary documents
• Operations
– Station register
– Control charts
– Train consist
– CTR
– Loco cards
• Customer interface
– Requisition form
– ticket
IT applications in passenger
business
• Major areas covered
– Ticketing
• Reserved—PRS
– At site
– Distributed –E-ticketing
• Unreserved—UTS
• Coaching refunds
– Information dissemination
•
•
•
•
Charting
NTES
Information display at stations
Web enabled public information services
– Coaching operations information system
Ticketing applications
• PRS
– Started in 1985 as pilot project in Delhi
– Stand alone systems on Vax machines, IMPRESS
soft ware—fortran 77, CMC
– CONCERT -Country-Wide Network for Enhanced
Reservation and Ticketing introduced >1995—
CRIS
– Five metros on network from 1999
– Migration to Alpha VMS servers, >1500 locations
– Data warehousing and web based reports
• Is a anywhere to anywhere ticket issual
system with accountal
Unreserved ticketing system
• UTS
– Started as ARTS( Advanced railway
ticketing system) - stand alone -1993
– Bangalore , CMC , PC based (EPROM run)
– Extended to 500 locations over time
• CRIS developed UTS
– Pilot project in Delhi area 2002
– Centralized DBM driven transaction
processing system
– Covers suburban and non suburban
sectors
UTS coverage
Total
•
•
•
•
•
•
March 31 2008
1251
May 31 2008
1354
October 31 2008
2439
March 31 2009
3451
March 31 2010
6275
Network –three tier architecture
Addition
1085
1012
2824
– End point counters (station)—zonal server—
central server –integrated UTS/PRS network
structure
Integrated coaching
management system
• Punctuality module- linked to NTES
– 2004, punctuality data, case analysis, web based reports
– Being migrated to Intranet (FOIS) from PRS/NTES
• Coaching stock module
– Capture online events on coaching stock
– Web based, intranet (FOIS)
• Coaching maintenance module
– 2007 – utility module for CDO
• Time table module
– Maintain data on trains
– Help in web enabling of time table
– DSS for path estimation
Control charting application
• Started as pilot project
independently at multiple places– SR
1998
• Centralized software development by
CRIS 2001started
• Roll out started 2005
• Capture originating point of data for
all operations activities
National train enquiry
system
• Centralized information system covering
–
–
–
–
–
Arrival and departures including ETA
Platform berthing of passenger trains
Journey Planning
Facilities available at stations
Railway Rules .
• Conveyed through
– Display Boards, Interactive Voice Response
System, Public Address System, Face to Face
Enquiry, CCTV and internet
• Unix based RDBMS system, implemented
1998
Web based systems
• Web based information display through
web site www.indianrailway.gov.in
– Implemented in 2000
– all the common enquiries like Trains between a
given pair of stations, reservation availability,
PNR status, Fare, Train schedule and station
codes were made available
– >2million hits per day
– SMS BASED INFORMATION TRANSFER SYSTEM
INTRODUCED
E and I-ticketing
• Web based ticketing system
– Implemented through IRCTC
– Ticketing access through user specific accounts
and payment gateways
– Mediated through intermediate servers of
IRCTC
– Concept of sacrosanctity of ticket removed in
e-ticketing
– Empowers customer determined ticketing
activity
– Being extended as adjuncts to ATMs
Information dissemination
system
• All India telephonic enquiry system—
139
– Call centre based national enquiry
system
– Covers all information about passenger
services and facilities at stations
– Advancement on earlier IVRS based
local systems
ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED
• CRIS required
– to avoid duplication of efforts by individual Railways.
– to ensure standardization of resources
– to undertake design and development of major
applications
– to insulate the organisation from day to day working of
the Railways so that its objectives are not lost sight of.
– need for a combined effort of Railways and Computer
Specialists, considered best suited for the development
of the computer applications on Railways.
– need for development of expertise in highly specialized
fields
– need for greater flexibility to keep pace with the fast
changing technology.
Directorates involved
• C&IS DIRECTORATE
– Functions
• C&IS is a nodal Directorate for
implementation of all projects on Indian
Railways, which are charged to plan head
Computerization.
• Development of norms, standards,
maintenance manuals in the area of
computerization.
• Preparation of IT plan for Indian Railways.
• Coordinating training effort in IT areas
Extent of IT utilization
• Is a function of top management
– Vision of processes being done by
organisation
– Vision of utility of technology of IT
– Vision of what capabilities organisation
has
– Strategic vision for organisation
Uncovered areas
•
•
•
•
•
DSS systems based on data warehousing
Integration of accounting data
Capture of consumer preferences
Capture of customer satisfaction data
Need to get sectoral OD flows to
understand changing customer
preferences
• Need data on competitive modes and total
business dynamics
Factors affecting passenger
business
• Rail journey attributes
– Service quality
– Information access
– Station facilities
– On board facilities and environment
– Punctuality
– Crowding
factors affecting passenger
business
• External factors
– Economic
• Fare elasticities
• Effect of journey times, frequencies
• Need to change trains
• Economic growth
– Demographic
• Population growth
• aggregations
– Competitive
• Cross mode price elasticities
Thanks
any questions