Volume 7, Issue 33 – March 2016 ISSN No. 0976-254X

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` 100

FIRST WORDS

“Activity gets you busy...

This is a tale of two thoughts and two locations. The Railway Minister’s 2016 budget speech was commendable for its ‘wish lists’, showing sensitivity to what IR needs and deserves consideration for. I add cheers to many others, but our concern is more with what the budget documents do not bare, perhaps deliberately so. In not so distant past, the numbers claimed in one budget were publicly challenged in the next, and we never got to know which one was correct. Change of personnel, including the political, should not change operational data. IR claims are often perceived to be less than honest and that needs to be corrected. The documents plant more than a doubt at the veracity of the numbers quoted. Simply put, the numbers do not tally: like if the tariff is not raised, how does IR generate a higher revenue per ton-km freight? What are the sources for the large non-government funding listed? These answers may be hidden in the detail but the citizenry needs to know. A budget is after all a plan and not all expectations need come true. But a plan based on a near impossibility is a mirage that needs to be challenged. Last year’s estimate of a 90 mt freight increase is now shattered to around 10 mt; the 2016 plans are laid on a 50 mt increase, which senior operations managers suspect this estimate to be equally imaginative. We would propose a correction: the budget data should be verified for sanctity as a business plan by a small set of experienced managers / auditors, post presentation. Or maybe IR should add a statement of estimates that went ‘horribly’ wrong, that would be an ultimate test of management honesty. That should help IR regain the trust of the citizens for its claims. The second tale. Ever noticed a railway trackman travel to his remote work spot on a motor bike? Most IR trackmen have to cover miles on foot as part of their daily routine. I did see one while on a long distance train and that stirred thoughts from a Noida Film City visit a week earlier. The cycle caravans are now replaced by ‘mobike’ ones. The Film City roads are chaotic but the youthfulness of most people in the media floors and backups, and the efficiency in what they do, was reflective. And the thousands of motor bikes parked chaotically matched with the trackman’s choice. My usher in the media house told me that his ‘mobike’ to home at 1 a.m takes about 90 minutes. That is what the future of transport in India seems to be headed for. The railway options in ‘rurban’ sector need a push, unless the Film City chaos is to be a norm for the Indian ‘rurban landscape’.

(Vijay Raina) Editor ... but productivity gets you free”.

...Ramkrishna Paramahansa Volume 7, Issue 33 – March 2016

CONTENTS

www.railbizindia.com West Central Railway Technology 16 Ramesh Chandra: 15 Faiveley Transport Steady growth and milestones 28 M Mathur & Atul Singh Consulting Editor 18 Habibganj: New track Construction Sumant Chak, AITD Real Estate Development 29 HARSCO Rail Editor 19 Bhopal and Jabalpur Divisions 31 P Tendulkar V. K. Raina IR Budget 2016-17 Highlights: IR Board Members Dual power locos

For Advertisements and Circulation 1 AK Mital, Chairman 32 Speeding up on turnouts Dr. Rajni Raina S Mookherjee, Financial Business Manager Commissioner Phone : +91 92306 39001 Potpourri 2 Hemant Kumar, Member Mechanical 26 Focus on I Mech E India Disclaimer : 34 Death of the Mail Train Views expressed by various authors are 3 Pradeep Kumar, Member Staff personal and do not necessarily reflect the 35 150 years of Kalka Mail views of their corporates. Opinions Industry focus: Make in India European Correspondent: 4 Arunendra Kumar Ms Geetha Munikoti, Berlin 20 CP Sharma 5 Alok Johri Daulat Ram Engineering

IT Support 8 Coal India Freight Traffic 22 Nishant Arya Dilip & Rajat 9 Budget Issues JBM: Ready for railways

Designed & Printed by 10 Parcel traffic PN Shukla 24 Harsh Dhingra Headliners Advertising Services Pvt. Ltd. Bombardier India 12 Freight tariffs SK Chaudhuri 87, Monohar Pukur Road 25 Anil Jangid Kolkata 700 029 14 Coach Interiors Leap Infraa e-mail: [email protected] Amir Ullah Khan

For subscriptions & a complementary copy, please e-mail at [email protected] Rail Business Cover Picture: IR Board Members with Suresh 2E Alipore Avenue, Kolkata 700 027, India P Prabhu, Minister and Manoj Sinha, Minister Phone : +91 94323 64001, +91 80170 62121, 033 40088827; of State for Railways before presentation of the e-mail : [email protected] Annual Budget 2016. Five issues published in a calendar year SPECIAL ’A Budget for transformation and a long term vision’

As we go into print, the numbers in the IR that cross functional directorates would be Budget 2016-17, presented about a month set up. It is of course not clear if the reference back, have faded from memory. The overall is to directorates that are semi permanent or take away was one of a willingness to foray to teams for specific tasks. Apparently this is into new directions, even if the backup details still thought in process and no clarity exists as were inadequate and sometimes did not add yet. It does seem that any major reorganiza- up. We present here expert opinions on what tion, as envisaged by the many expert commit- could lie ahead Editor tees like Debroy, is not yet on the anvil. ‘This budget is essentially about transforma- Bring it back tion. We have continued on the platform en- The need to bring back growth into the rail- visioned in the previous year and a continuous mode has received attention and IR should thrust will be required over coming years to be offering more competitive rates and pack- fulfil the outlined visions.’ A K Mital, Chair- ages in the coming fiscal. In some cases, rates man, IR Board. For Mital the proposals have may even come down. IR is deeply conscious to be viewed as steps leading to achievables of the need for such action to veer away from by 2020. Foremost should be resolving the total dependence on bulk commodities. A K Mital, Chairman, IR Board. 16/60 dilemma as just 16% of the routes carry The other growth area is increase in share of ‘This budget is essentially nearly 60% traffic. Decongestion requires big non-fare revenue, at present varying around money and faster efforts at execution and the 3 to 4% of total. Mital senses that this can about transformation. We plans presented target ` 95 000 Cr in opera- grow even up to 15% in a short span of 5 years. have continued on the tion ‘capacity decongest’. This comes from Models are in process and could include non- the overall investment cake of traditional segments like monetization of platform envisioned in the ` 1, 26,000 Cr. The projects chosen are with IRCTC services etc. previous year and a a clear vision, as these are bankable and should be bankable. For example, works on the high Mital concluded by highlighting Board’s com- continuous thrust will be density routes should lead to freight trains, mitment to the Missions announced, in par- required to fulfil the initially containers, starting to work to a time ticular the Mission Raftar(speed) for almost table say by 2020. That should bring higher doubling average train speeds in a 5-year span. outlined visions.’ margin traffic back to rail mode. The IR com- Speed increases will require multi-faceted modity spread needs attention, as the growth actions and are critical for regaining reasonable in last FY has been of concern. 40 commodi- growths in pax and freight businesses. The ties have been identified for attention and vision to reach 50 kph on freight trains is, some progress should begin in 2016. clearly, one of over kill. Again sub-targets for current FY have not been made public but On the issue of any structural changes in IR this is an overdue action. Low hanging fruit is set up, Mital was non-committal, indicating available; fruit picker gangs are needed. ‘This is a win-win complementarity’

‘Every vertical is protected Sanjoy Mookherjee sounded both relieved For Mookherjee, as for Mital (Board Chair- and concerned. The IR budget numbers clear- man) the need to look beyond the traditional and the change is going to ly taxed him over the preceding weeks as the way of tariffs based on commodity classifica- be critical to financial revenue targets slipped significantly. Of his tion need a turnover. Packages offered should health’ concerns in next FY, Mookherjee has a bou- consider the costs as well as competition and quet of actions on offer that should roll out active awareness of the market situations this summer. The first challenge is for should be mandated. The trend towards traffic modification of many entrenched practices, decline should be reversed by positive actions. relating to IR processes. On the expenditure For Mookherjee, a key element of this dynam- front, increased investment cake and the ic approach is to update the IR costing system Pay Commission related payout (plus the so that it becomes a tool for the managers. issue of Bonus payments in October) will cast IR’s long awaited Accounting Reforms (the their shadows. intention dates back to 2004) is now ready

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 1 SPECIAL

for pilot stage implementation on the North established debt financing through the IR Western Railway, Jaipur. Essentially this will Financial Corporation, which amounts from be accrual based costing, aided by asset regis- the Tax Free bonds issue. IR finances have ters and special software (IPass) that will be been helped also by greater allotment from installed in all zones by July. By the 2017 fiscal, the Road safety fund (` 10, 700 Cr earlier NWR should be able to provide activity based 2600 Cr)and the Diesel cess (` 2600 Cr in- cost reports and link the budget with resourc- crease). Other streams for EBR funding could es. For the PUs, a trial application will start in be through the JV projects with state govern- the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. ments and wagon purchase by Coal India, Bot Most locations, manual systems still predom- these streams could be activated this FY and inate and replacement by real time software should release resources for the investment led data systems will push up process efficiecy. projects. The state JV s present good options The enhanced network investment is based as the local governments become partners. on healthy projections of extra budget resourc- The budget balancing act has been assisted es, essentially for the private sector. A large by cost control. In addition to the savings in number of capacity projects have bene iden- energy bills, -15% on electric and -11% on tified for EBR resourcing though thus far only Sanjoy Mookherjee diesel oil, savings have been effected by control Financial Commissioner, IR Board LIC, the state insurance company, has chipped in with about ` 8000 Cr, out of a promised on general inventories (about 5%). Diesel fuel ` 1 lakh Cr and more. This money will be inventories are to be controlled by handing funnelled in to well identified, high return over operations of the IR fueling points to oil projects (around 50). Essentially this is a long companies who will regulate inventory at their term debt from LIC, around 8% with a 5-year costs and will be able to integrate the supply moratorium and interest payments in 6 to 11- chain effectively. This process has started on year band. This funding will augment the well- many zones and should see completion in FY. Environmental issues will demand greater attention Hemant Kumar, Member Mechanical is now mentation, should be the next step. Emissions working towards filling in the details and en- from diesel locos need attention and a special suring early start to recently announced new measurement coach is already functional. Fit- products announced in passenger train serv- ment of Auxiliary Power Units, that reduce ices. The proposals for long distance AC III fuel consumption when the loco is idling, will Tier services (HUMSAFAR) is easily done be increased. Two multi-genset locos, built but the start of long distance double deck by the Patiala unit DMW, are working satis- service (UDAY) and above 130 kph high-end factory in Itarsi yard. IR has decided service (TEJAS) will require key decisions. that the next version of these locos will use For the double deck service, a key commercial 2 X 800 hp combination (2X 1200 hp on the decision is whether to opt for sleeper offering in-service prototypes). Tenders for these locos or something like the reclining couchettes. may be issued later in 2016. Pricing and design decisions are required in next few months. The unreserved general Kumar has already pushed wider application coach service (ANTODAYA) will in all prob- of zero-discharge bio-toilets and upto 30,000 ability be vestibule service. will be fitted in 2016 FY. The current applica- For Kumar environmental concerns will be tion has been prone to service issues, like Hemant Kumar choking, often due to passengers dumping in Member Mechanical, IR Board of ever increasing coverage and IR Board has already set up a special Environment Directo- rubbish. Design improvements, including a rate that will flag actions required in different trial with a vacuum bio-toilet on the Dibrugarh areas. Long term actions, with phased imple- Rajdhani train, are in hand.

Passenger 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 The numbers game traffic revised approx. projected Suburban 4505 4407 4451 The sale volume, steady in 2014-16 and a projected 12.4 % increase in rupee terms and 12.1 % in passenger-km (2016 FY) Total 8224 8101 8182 rides on no tariff increase. Increase in volumes can at best be limited and the higher revenue expected is unlikely. Passenger km b 1147 1134 1137 Fare Box ` Cr 42189 45376 51021

02 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 SPECIAL Training and development as keystones

It is encouraging when IR Board Members on-line selection examination, the third of list similar themes as their first choice while which for non-technical staff is now on. The commenting on the budget proposals. That RRB process is mammoth: the near 93 lakh goes against the general perception that the applications received for about 18200 vacan- Board works in vertical partitions and not as cies in non-technical categories, scheduled team with a common vision. Pradeep Kumar, over the next 3 months. Member Staff starts with the emphasis on capacity enhancement and the various forays IR staff working on the tracks are prone to for seeing key projects reach a finality. mishaps, often caused by trains, one per day A better control is sought to be exercised on on the average. Warning on approaching trains ordinary working expenses (OWR) with a is now feasible due to wireless HVF technol- sizeable reduction of around ` 8000 Cr. This ogies and Kumar had piloted the first trial on is based largely on the savings in the electric the South Central zone, way back in 2011. energy bill, where agreements for about 2000 Provision of the necessary equipment under MW have already been contracted. the Rakshak theme should start this year. Staff safety is getting a long awaited boost. The proposal for a rail themed university is now under process. IR would like to increase Staff costs Pradeep Kumar the skilled pool of engineers and managers, Member Staff IR staff costs have grown from around a facility that has been missing. The University ` 37 000 Cr in 2010 to 57 000 Cr in 2015 FY Training and skill should provide trained manpower for railway (around 40% of revenue). Current pension construction and manufacturing sectors, outgo is ` 33,220 Cr and will see above 20% improvement are getting a besides fulfilling IR’s varied needs and can increase with the likely implementation of the special look-in later take various zonal training institutes also. Pay Commission report. This cries for long The negative perception of a slow and less term attention as evidenced by the fact of no than clean recruitment process through the mention in the budget plans. IR can barely Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB) has been afford to avoid a restriction in numbers and partly corrected by introduction of a common the reluctance to flag the issue is clear. Next show: IR University

IR had in 2015 announced a plan for four regional rail univer- The easy first step sities. The objectives were hazy, varying from under-grad IR has now decided that National Academy of Indian Railways studies to research and some clarity was sought through (NAIR) a centralised training institute (CTI) in Vadodara,will an IR delegation that visited China.Interactions with other be a Central University. Media reports indicate that IR is governments were held to develop the concept but realism scouting for a new location in Gujarat and that the University now seems to have taken over with the idea of under-graduate could also handle business courses leading to MBAs.The teaching given up as such basic institutes have outlived their existing CTIs would be affiliated as constituent Schools of usefulness even in China and the accent is more on specialised Studies. At present these CTIs impart introductory and on- training and research.Graduates were expected to compete job training in various disciplines to IR recruits (Group A for IR jobs as well as related industries and operators. In the recruits and others). Multiple informal announcements have absence of any change in recruitment norms, it is still not clear only diffused the vision. how such induction can be managed though private industry will gain from such a skilled pool. IR had also announced that these universities would cover all domains and confer degrees and diplomas as per University Such exclusive universities exist for Ministry of Defence. IR Grants Commission norms. This university is expected to plans have to be different from China, suiting Indian laws and undertake teaching and research in collaboration with IIMs regulations. The plan was based on wrong presumptions like and IITs. ‘China has these, why not us’. It now seems accepted that under-grads would benefit more from a good grounding in IR can set up this Central University only after enabling par- engineering disciplines than a sepcialised course in rail- liamentary legislation, a process that seems far away right now. ways.One contrarian viewpoint is against the setting up a EdCIL, a public sector undertaking, will provide technical and dedicated railway university as it will put additional financial consultancy services for a detailed project report. This will burden and management time and divert scarce resources include an overall blueprint, course curricula, infrastructure from IR’s core operations. etc. besides financial viability.

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 03 Opinion SPECIAL Good balancing act, better resourcing required

Better resourcing The rise in working expenses seems to have been under- played, as like the impact of the Pay Commission recom- mendations; while the budget numbers indicate ` 12, 000 Cr, the actuals may be more like ` 32, 000 Cr. The stated private sector and institutional funding is also beyond reasonable expectations. The increased realization form diesel cess will be added on by the reported announcement of a decrease in the excise duty on most rail products (chapter 86/87, Central Excise Tariff). Apparently the government has accepted the need for adding to IR kitty, by various means. This is a good step ahead and needs to be built on.

Change with caution and care Restructuring of the Board and IR has been mentioned Arunendra Kumar, Ex Chairman, IR Board often and will never be an easy effort. Kumar feels that restructuring has many aspects and layers and the over- ‘The IR 2016 -17 budget is, overall, a good balancing act simplification that it just involves merging some manage- that lays out interesting plans for the future even. Putting ment cadres can only upset a working system and will not together a viable budget plan for a business as large and produce any net change. Such a step invoked without varied as Indian Railways will always be a difficult task. adequate thought and plan can cause havoc with manage- More so when the revenue and investment streams are ment. Kumar does believe that changes are required and constrained by factors outside IR control. Of particular would suggest a changed set up for new management interest are the efforts at meeting higher passenger expec- recruits in various services, without upsetting the existing tations through low cost actions like better information structure. It does appear that at present the Board has no through ICT channels, including the social media.’ plans on the table and various recommendations of expert Arunendra Kumar has seen it at the closest quarters, as committees are in cold storage. Chairman IR Board in 2013 and 2014. He lists the many Any effort at restructuring should be based on a longer low cost actions that are likely to generate interest in passengers, like e-catering and increased reservation quota term commitment from top management. At present for senior citizens. In his view, the Minister and the Board tenures for the top two levels are at the most two years. have come up with a good set of actions, laying out new For any restructuring plans to evolve and be enforced, a visions for the mid-term up to 2020. Kumar also feels that longer term for top managers is a necessity. Short tenures while the plans are full of what ought to be done, where as at present will ensure resistance and chaos at the top. these fail to enthuse is the lack of back-up numbers. Investment, including from the non-government sector Speeding them up in the many promised schemes, is not visible and that will The Minister has announced new initiatives and passenger pose immediate problems in kick starting the promised train products. Some of these are in fact continuation of deliveries. earlier efforts but may have been re-packaged for political mileage. The refurbished interiors as on the Mahamana Express, need assessment for long term usage and need to be used in larger numbers. Kumar, who was also Mem- General Budget 2016-17: relief to rail ber mechanical earlier, feels that the overnight double decker services may not be popular and a deep thought industries is required for the product’s success. Kumar had tried to up the max speeds on a typical intercity train to 160 but Basic excise duty on all goods under class 8607 (parts of railway or did not succeed. He hopes that the new set of trains, tramway locomotives or rolling stock) and 8608 (railway or tramway exceeding the current 130 kph norm, will materialize track fixtures and fitting, etc.) has been reduced to 6%. soon. This is a good step forward. Kumar does feel that the proposal for high speed trains, even though not yet announced, will come through, sooner than later.

04 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Opinion SPECIAL IR needs to get away from established traps

Alok Johri’s stint as IR Board Member let him focus on streamlining and simplifying procedures. He invoked higher transparency in working, particularly in public purchases through a push to reverse auction, momentum to e-Procurement and e-Auction. Johri stresses that he endeavoured to update technologies in rolling stock, particularly loco- motives, even while encouraging healthy competition. Johri had earlier worked as General Manager, North Central Railway and Chief Administrative Officer, Rae Bareli Rail Coach Factory. Johri recounts that he pushed Phase I production within one year of taking over the ‘deemed dead’ Raebareli project, taking it from concept and design of the factory and township to initial production. On the NCR, he led the turn around to be adjudged best performing zone after years at the bottom of rankings. Early in his IR career he was involved in servicing the supply of locos to the Vietnam National Railway, when it was saddled (post war) with archaic equipment and antediluvian facilities.

Impressions from the other side of the fence change; one Johri was extremely circumspect of a system that has seems to change glasses, granting a view with new dimen- embedded ‘pockets of authority without responsibility’, sions. After his 38-year long career in railways that ended in the chain of events making up the process of financial with a position on the IR Board, Alok Johri, Ex Member, scrutiny of a project. He also strongly advocates radical IR Board, reflected on some key issues facing IR so that reduction in the numerous levels of such scrutiny, where the way ahead is better than the current depressed mood there is possibly not much value addition with rising levels. permits. We are sure that these words will raise a few hackles and decibels. Project priority Johri’s attitude is unlike that of many others, who stand Projects need a push with an unmoving ‘all is well; there is no need to fix One key way should be to monitor and post-audit each anything’. Consider this: he bares that in his view many project for its stated objectives. Completed projects should unremunerative projects, sanctioned over the past many be dissected for comparing results with projected benefits, years, clog the IR project space and should be buried post to determine future policy on such projects. Investments haste. Many of these projects are babies of political con- in projects based on unproven assumptions and emotions venience, that have sucked management time and funds (say, electrification in sections other than the golden from direly needed capacity building ones. While many quadrilateral, where measurable gains would not justify want this action but shirk the last push, Johri had proposed the expense or automatic signalling) would require a this while in harness, but without the desired results. His general caution as these may not be remunerative. view is that priority in projects should be on additional An essential managerial and investment option would be running tracks on overburdened lines like the GQ, pro- to target that at least a third of sanctioned projects be curement/production of rolling stock for increasing line completed each year, if need be by breaking projects into capacity and carrying capacity and for improving safety tangible phases each of which would independently give (particularly elimination of unmanned level crossings and real returns on completion. signal interlocking where still balance) and reliability. Project execution Project evaluation IR needs to look at project execution methods and reset That brings out the need for project management, from to more current structures, e.g. project management initial processing to field execution. consultants (PMCs) should be appointed for “Make in India” projects like new loco factories at Marhowra and ‘Project evaluation or financial scrutiny of projects has Madhepura (since awarded to GE/ Alstom). Financial been a major cause of concern. Many good projects have delegation to the lower most rung of the execution chain suffered delays, mutilation of scope or not coming in can be achieved by further ‘letting go’ of tender acceptance existence at all. It may today be worthwhile considering powers for works (in line with purchases, where Johri had expert advice from professionals, like those in financial personally successfully piloted delegation to GMs) to institutions, for evaluating projects over a certain value.’ GMs, empowering GMs with works sanctioning powers

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 05 Opinion SPECIAL

to at least cover construction of sub- on manufacture of LHB design coach- acquisition. Also, debt repayments ways and small ROBs (say works up es and CNG-enabled multiple units. must be regular to avoid a debt trap. to ` 10 Cr.) and revision of powers Diesel Loco works:higher horse pow- for re-appropriation of funds within The Central government needs to er locos, with hotel load on passenger same plan-head (capital project type) push in higher capex on IR. Relief versions, Auxiliary power units and or revenue demand. could be provided by taxation meas- Distributed Power locomotives ures like exemption from interstate The tech bouquet Rail Coach factory, Rae Bareilly: com- levies on HSD, rationalisation of serv- Johri’s technology bouquet that needs puterised production planning / ERP ice tax for services, liberalisation of quick off take would be based around and commissioning of the automated excise and customs duties for IR’s encouragement to long term strategic shell manufacturing line. internal requirements like rolling partnerships with academia (e.g. stock manufacture, revision in the IITs) and industry for expediting Diesel Rehab, Patiala (DMW): peri- formula for Fuel Adjustment Compo- projects like development of Vacuum odic overhaul and component manu- nent for fully passing on to user the toilets for coaches or Bio diesel en- facture for EMD locos. hike in fuel (and also energy) costs gines for locomotives or TCAS – and exempting IR from the very heavy Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Greater accent on coach design for passenger comfort and convenience taxation on HSD (various levies total system. For the all important revenue more than 100%). earners – the freight wagons, he is needed and use of better materials would like to see the key development needs to be expedited during refur- IR would need better operations dis- projects for new design bogies (with bishing at CRWS Bhopal and during cipline so as to apportion capacity Amstead) and the independent IR overhaul, apart from such use in new and attention to higher value genera- development of a bogie design (ARAI stock . tion. Caution must be exercised on bogies) taking shape. Apart from RD- The on-going success of initial fitment introduction of new trains without SO, the production units and work- should lead to expediting retro fit- ensuring that capacity has been suit- shops have the onus of heralding in ment of Bio toilets in all coaches apart ably enhanced. Additional stoppages and implementing new technologies. from 100% fitment in new coaches. on long distance trains militate against the objective of such trains and are The production units and mainte- In fact, these could be used for sta- tionary applications also as success- the biggest killers of punctuality. nance/manufacturing workshops, Freight trains must maintain the dis- with exceptional traditions, facilities fully installed by Johri at Gwalior three years ago. cipline of being run on charted paths, and skills are among the most valuable as arbitrary pushing of freight trains IR assets. Funding is the key hits passenger train punctuality and They need to be provided adequate The resource crunch needs address. eats into line capacity. Timely replen- funds for the required outturn, peri- As the thought process veers to gen- ishment of spare pool of coaches is odic modernization and up gradation eral support for the rail sector, a de- inescapable as it has an important of skills. The General Managers pressive mood swing occurs with IR bearing on punctuality and safe- (CEOs) should be delegated full ability to finance its capital expansion. ty/reliability. powers for sale of rolling stock to non- Johri would like the government to The ‘vigilance phobia’ IR organisations, after meeting rail- choke unremunerative projects, leav- way requirements, as deposit works ing a fully financed option, national It is now accepted that decision mak- or for sale, with separately earmarked or strategic interest away from IR rev- ing is often being curbed by appre- purchase grants outside the IR re- enues. Even the operating losses in hensions on account of probity quirements. Structurally more ena- such lines should be made up from checks and charge by the Vigilance bled and nimble set up, that caters to general revenues. arms of the government. Rationalisa- tion of Vigilance procedures to focus market needs and can develop prod- Johri has apprehensions about the ucts, would be needed. Johri had only on malafides and to exclude un- PPP route of funding owing to the intentional non adherence to compli- accordingly proposed positioning of current models, where there have four chief administrative officers in cated procedures is a must. A large hardly been any successful projects number of officers today are not tak- North (Lucknow), East (Patna), except for clearly incentivised projects South (Bangalore) and West (Mum- ing decisions owing to this ‘fear of like Pipavav. He would prefer the JVs Vigilance’. This was also brought out bai or Ahmedabad), for expediting with state governments with terms as Mechanical department works in the Kelkar Committee recommen- he drafted for the Kolar Rail Coach dations. The contracting procedures projects. The thought has not yet Factory. found full material form. can be revamped by full implementa- A large chunk of IR rolling stock is tion of reverse auction for high value Johri feels that identified projects in funded by market borrowings (e.g. items, long term strategic partner- the PUs should get a bigger push. In- IRFC, bonds etc.). Johri contends ships with industry, normal high value terestingly he would include these in that this should only be utilised for purchase contracts with contract his MUST DO list: funding procurement of Rolling Stock periods extending to 3 to 5 years and Integral Coach Factory, Chennai: 3 and not for infrastructure as these radical simplification of current phase traction EMUs (already under moving assets provide the fastest procedures particularly to reduce manufacture for Mumbai), step up returns, with returns immediately on levels of authorities.

06 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016

SPECIAL Coal India brings relief to IR freight growth

A valued company but also Critical logistics a company with values. Coal India is seriously concerned with Evacuation logistics India is predominantly coal dependent for its energy challenge. Coal India would not like to be saddled with requirements. Coal meets over 50% of the country's pri- a product that is inherently self-combustible piling up at mary commercial energy needs, with 76% of coal based- its pitheads., but instead coal is rushed to consumer des- electricity generation. Abundance, availability and afford- tination. Coal India and IR are synergizing their efforts ability makes coal the preferred choice of fuel. With to set up evacuation infrastructure and easing the bottle- profusion of reserves the pivotal role of coal in meeting necks of coal dispatches by speeding up laying of three India's energy demands will continue in foreseeable future. crucial railway links in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Odisha. When completed, these would help in large volume Coal India Limited,the state owned coal mining company, coal evacuation. Special Purpose Vehicles with respective is at the vanguard of production, producing around 81% State Governments and IR have been entered into. These of coal output. During FY 2014-15 Coal India produced three major railway connections will provide a substantial 494 mt of coal,with a never-before growth in touching increase in evacuation and simulate production as well. 9.1% (up to Dec) in current fiscal. Coal India is fulfilling the role of energizing the nation in a responsible and Coal India is in constant dialogue with IR for ramping up responsive manner. the off-take which witnessed positive growth in 2014-15. Incidentally, coal is the most staple segment of the freight The average loading was 207.4 rakes/day (lastFY 188.4 loading of Indian Railways as it amounts to almost 50% rakes/day). In the current fiscal also there has been re- of IR's freight basket. Coal India is the biggest contributor markable improvement in loading with rail mode dispatch of IR in its freight business. by 10.1% (till December, year on year). The immediate challenge before Coal India is to rise its Plans are afoot to install Rapid Loading Systems for speed- production levels to almost a billion tonnes by2020. This ier loading of wagons. is a huge challenge entailing a consistent production Wagon investment growth of 9.8%.Meeting a target of this magnitude requires In December 2015, Coal India inked an MoU with IR for multi-tasking, multi-polar activities. While picking up the procurement of 2000 x 100 t gross weight wagons. These gauntlet of high production targets, the company is clear 33 rakes will funnel future evacuation plans. IR will Pro- that it has to be a synergic effort from all concerned cure these wagons under CIL financing, helping CIL agencies – regulators, state governments and IR. achieve higher levels of rail transportation. These wagons, The strategies in ramping up production include:first, used for coal supply in dedicated circuits will lead to technology up-gradation in opencast mines with high additional loading of around 10 t per wagon compared capacity equipment. Operator independent truck dispatch to conventional wagons, around 600 t payload increase and vehicle tracking (using GPS/GPRS)systems,coal per rake. IR will be strengthening the tracks where these handling plants and silos for faster loading are corner- special wagons are pressed into service. The wagons are stones of these needs. Coal India also intends to give expected to go on tracks during 2016 and the routes are thrust to increase production from underground mines being identified. through introduction of continuous miners, long wall technology with powered support in select mines, man With the coal production poised to get into a high growth riding system and tele-monitoring techniques. in future,rail evacuation would increase and total coal moved from CIL source would also increase. This is where The company feels there are four challenges in meeting Coal India will be looking forward to increased rakes from challenging targets. One is getting land. Secondly, regu- IR and is confident of getting them. latory access to the land because merely acquiring a resource is not good enough unless there is access to that Coal India is also seriously addressing the quality issue resource (with regulatory permission to operate the mine). and is focusing on 2-Qs, that is, quantity with quality. The Third, settlement of tenders and other works right in time company believes that if brand Coal India has to capture bound manner so that it can be synchronized with getting nation’s imagination, customers should become its brand legal access to the resources. Finally, evacuation logistics. ambassadors and is pursuing customer friendly initiaives. The ‘one third rule’ ruled transport In the decades of yore, when steam ruled the rails and the used the same proportion in the railway and steel industries, seas, the one third self-help rule applied. And it covered the leaving a third of the mining output for all else. The steel guys railways, coal mining and steel industries. did similarly following 1/3rd rule. One third of railway freight traffic was of coal, of which 1/3 The math does not seem to add. Who cares if the one third was consumed by steam locomotives, a third by the steel self-help rule tale sounds interesting? After all, railways, coal industry and the rest by everybody else. The coal industry and steel have always marched together.

08 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 SPECIAL The IT edge for passengers

IR’s Passenger Reservation System PRS, run- tem (UTS), that replaces the old card ticket ning at 3323 locations, now has enhanced counters, is functioning at 5840 locations over capacity and new features with per minute 11895 counters. Typical: 60.3 crore passen- ticket booking capacity increased to 12900 gers during Dec 2015 (` 651 Cr). tickets from 2000 earlier. All earlier users (2.27 crores) have migrated. Automatic Ticket Vending Machines ATVM: More than 50% of reserved tickets are now 3594 card based (2369 Smart Card based booked from the IRCTC web site. Typical commissioned) and 2000 currency-coin -card booking: Dec 2015, total 5.44 crore passengers based machines have been approved (` 3190 Cr), online booking 3.25 Cr passen- @ ` 293Cr, with initial installation of 450 gers (`1969 Cr). Locations include Versatile ATVMs (333 in function). non-railhead centers and remote areas. IR has tied up with Department of Post for operation Features in introductory phases: Bar coding of India Post PRS centers, commissioned at on unreserved tickets, SMS alert for train 330 post offices. arrival/departure through SMS gateway for Rajdhani & Duronto trains, mobile applica- FY PRS facility UTS facility tions for ticket booking and enquiry, enquiry 2010-11 2335 4739 applications on Windows and Android Plat- forms that provide train running status and 2011-12 2829 5256 time table information and booking of 2012-13 3019 5619 reserved tickets through SMS. Hindi portal 2013-14 3146 5785 functional since July 2015. 2014-15 3201 5836 Paperless unreserved ticketing on mobile, now in operation at limited locations. Long wait time at general booking counters is receiving attention, with a target of a 5- Go India Project (Integration of ATVM Card minute maximum. Unreserved Ticketing Sys- with POS application) started at 11 stations. Good emphasis on Go Green aspects

The Railway Budget retains its continued waste, reduction of energy consumption in emphasis on renewed investments and is a non-traction area by 10% to 15% by commis- welcome step in the right direction. The in- sioning energy audits hold out some promise. vestment announcement of ` 1.21 lakh crore This should help bring down the GHG emis- comes at a time when expenditures for rail- sions as enumerated in India’s INDCs ways haven’t seen any recent recessions. This Budget provides for not only expansion This will add a renewed vigour to the ongoing of suburban railways in Mumbai and Metro efforts, the need for which was highlighted in Rail Kolkata but also about developing rail the National Transport Development Policy based urban transport in other major cities. Committee (NTPDC) Report 2001 “ . ca- This should go a long way in reducing emis- pacity creation is the single biggest challenge sions and decongesting current modes of confronting IR in the next few years. It is of transport. The investment framework in part- the utmost importance that a vision similar nership with State Governments is expected to that of NHDP is laid down for the railways to bring some relief. now so that we may expect a transformed network by 2032.” The fresh commitment towards research and development with the establishment of Stra- “There is a clear need for raising the share of tegic Technology & Holistic Advancement Railways in total transport investment.” (SRESTHA) is again a somewhat bold move NTDPC Report 2014. & expected long term fruits far outweigh the Steps such as addition of 17,000 bio-toilets immediate concerns. with the aim of zero direct discharge of human From The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 09 SPECIAL Entrenched ‘smalls’ thinking makes IR lose a ‘Pricey Business Stream’

PN Shukla is at present Director in Gati Corp and Advisor to Kakinada Port and Hindalco. In his varied assignments on IR, he worked as Executive Director in Transport movement, Tourism & Catering and Freight Marketing. In the latter position he is known to have taken number of steps which later on were basis of new customer oriented initiatives. The concept of mini- rakes, Merry go Round for short distance traffic and warehousing development at 20 freight terminals are a few. Joining IR in 1976, he was appointed Director, Operations & Business Development of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation in 2007. IR’s Parcel & express cargo services were last revamped earlier under his stewardship.

(We acknowledge data inputs from PN Shukla, ex Additional Member, IR Board).

A common generic term used often in IR is ‘smalls’ and The bulk traffic is in train loads and parcel traffic cannot that honorophic seems to apply also to the stature that be in such large volumes. Smaller lots carried as single parcel traffic gains in IR operations managers. Relegated coach (VP) loads offer a better proposition. IR seems to to also-ran and necessary collateral, the parcel traffic on have priced and strategized itself out of this growing IR services is treated as ‘other coaching’ business. It is business line. The consequence has been diversion to not surprising that business volume on parcel traffic has road, even across the country, contributing in part to high stagnated from around 6350 t in 2010 to 6517 t last year; national logistics costs, estimated at 13% while interna- revenues have fluctuated, barely keeping pace with tariff tional benchmarks do not exceed 8%. revision enforced. The Indian freight market was estimat- Built in ‘de-marketing’ ed (2014-15) at ` 4 00 000 Cr, with a 26% share of bulk traffic. The express cargo segment touched around 2% Experts identify main issues that strangle growth: (` 2000 Cr). l IR parcel business is still mired in package booking, “The problem is of a misplaced management perception with the team looking after accepting the package not that the ‘smalls’ business has limited potential, and needs connected with the space on offer. Low service levels disproportionate attention. This business line is not are the consequence. pushed, even though the tariff is practically four times the l Rent seeking by front line staff is rampant and perhaps IR bulk commodity average.’ uncontrolled, a big entry barrier for new customers.

Different logistics perception l Demand and supply mismatch on most routes with For private freight operators in non-IR sectors, the term unused capacity and overbooking even at the same small would be demeaning, as their appropriate name is location. express cargo. Most of it is non-bulk packaged goods, a Rigidity of rates offered, with no delegation to maximize stream that went out of fashion on IR in 1980s as it worked l returns even at the zonal level. With an all-India fixed its way out of serious bottle necks in transporting bulk tariff and minimum floor price stipulations, marketing commodities, particularly coal and food gains. IR strate- at the zonal level is missing. gically decided, perhaps rightly for those difficult years, to prioritise bulk traffic in unit trains that ran through the l Lack of door to door service, with no effort to offer ‘smalls’ service stations. IR used to marshal parcels, with additional logistic services, like in PL3 or 4. an array of ‘repacking sheds’ and now only point-to- point service, if connected by direct train service, is mostly IR efforts at running parcel special trains have been on offered. Parcel traffic is now seen as part of the loss making their pallete for long. The first private train commenced operations from Kalamboli to Shalimar (Kolkata) in 2001, ‘coaching’ traffic. but the second one followed after 5 years when only seven Often parcels are carried in part compartments of express services started out of the 25 tendered by IR. Recent trains (SLRs), with full coach (VP) added on popular design and service variations have limited these to one routes. IR has frequently tried to increase the SLR/VP service between Delhi and Guwahati. A prime reason traffic stream but the numbers do not show any significant offered is that IR tags the parcel tariff at weight basis successes. In fact, some industry experts fear drop in real increasing rates out of sync with the market conditions. terms, as road services offer better service levels, often The 55% increase in tariff in an 18-month period (2013- door to door and sometimes at a lesser cost. 15) forced many operators to withdraw from the segment.

10 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 SPECIAL

A little pie IR has an in-built limitation: it offers just transport from A to B and refuses to offer any related logistics services, remaining a commodity carrier (about 95% of its current volume). Service level commitments that are needed for the ‘smalls’ traffic are not visible in IR handling. Smalls traffic requires more intensive interaction with large set of clients, a process that is abhorred by IR mangers: retail is a sin, whole-sale freight is the only light! Market size for the parcel traffic is estimated at ` 1.5 lakh Cr, with IR Mixing parcel traffic and long distance passenger trains has caused mutual interference and pie limited to about 1.5%, and declin- lowered service levels on both. ing consistently. IR offers restricted this needs to be changed to a defined white goods, auto parts, plastics etc., service on popular sectors but has raise in say every 4 th year. IR needs perishable agro produce, reefer traffic huge unused capacity on the less pa- to take this step so as to be proactive needing temperature control. Close tronized ones. With diesel fuel rates in regaining this traffic. A business as inventory control requires time tabled getting more stable, current shift to usual effort will not reverse this trend movements, not on offer from IR. IR road is reported. of business loss. manufactured 10 reefer vans in 2005 but these are reported lying unused. Design for market For round trip VP traffic, many users IR carries these smalls in SLRs as re- have recently withdrawn from the Not on priority tail booking, by leasing out space in business due to higher than road tar- Clearly even as bulk cargo streams SLRs, on indent parcel vans (VPs) iffs, this segment needs to be ad- are under threat of decreasing growth, and parcel specials. IR owns about dressed by development of a high vol- IR needs to look at the organistaion 6000 SLRs but is able to load only ume, low tare, increased outer profile and could have some earmarked about 750 per day. 60 VPs are loaded van, in close consultation with key efforts at least in the Metro cities for per day, out of a fleet of 2000 VPs. users. This traffic has the most poten- business development. This effort Development of new parcel vans has tial for growth. Bulking of up to 5 vans could combine new businesses like not been successful: a main reason in nominated trains on the golden reefers, roll on roll off, agro products seems to be lack of defined parame- quadrilateral routes could generate and new transportation business ters between the designers and the up to 120 van loading per day. cases. Introduction of time saving e-auctions for parcel spaces is another ‘marketer’ (if IR has one!). As the For train load operation, IR has in- means of faster decision making as parcel traffic is tagged with pax trains creased the train load from 15 to 20 the bidders are often pre-qualified. mostly, the design concepts are also vans, without estimating that use of averse to growth of this ‘smalls’ seg- such trains requires ultimate custom- Not surprisingly, this segment does ment. A passenger coach weighs ers who can offer so much traffic reg- not even get a peek in IR Budget pro- 35 - 50 t and offers a carrying capacity ularly. This single step has perhaps posals 2016. of 23 t. The parcel cargo is more vol- resulted in a move away from rail. ume sensitive and the tariff charged The terminals is for about 23 t payload. High capex and opex are results. Parcel vans do It is reported that ‘seven terminals not need heavy tare, as these push up where trains operated for three years Gati, a key logistic company, pioneered express cargo haulage charges. A longer wagon, lim- withdrew due to the 20 van condi- distribution services in 1989. Topping an annual ited to 30 t weight, with high volume tion’. Train operation of 460 t per turnover above ` 1500 Cr, Gati now offers integrated say 200 m3 may offer competitive train requires heavy back-end invest- distribution and customized supply chain solutions service. IR does not offer any custom- ment, with a contract period limited across diverse industry verticals. The network in- ized VPs for parcel services. to three years (this is now sought to cludes more than 3100 business partners and 5000 be increased to five years). vehicle fleet. Gati has a strong market presence in Weaned customers Tariffs: most parcels are carried at R the Asia Pacific and SAARC regions. Some issues flagged include poor rates (about 90% traffic), i.e. + 50% qualification with non-serious bidders Gati set new service standards in the industry, like over the base P rate. Leasing space cornering the contracts and then not being one of the first to print its delivery date on the and booking of parcel trains is by ten- performing, long drawn tendering docket and offer money back guarantee and accept dering against a floor price, but vari- processes, thefts en route and a 3-year payment after producing proof of delivery. ‘We chose ous limitations often result in lack of limitation resulting in lack of business to focus on the customer’s needs right from day one, contracts. stability from committed companies. with time bound, point to point delivery& premium The tariffs ae being changed all too Parcel traffic has good potential for priced cargo management service as key value prop- frequently and without notice and high value goods like electronics, osition.’

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 11 SPECIAL Freight by rail, marginalised by choice

IR business is characterized by a chronic lack of appetite for the second highest area of detention. Freight operation for greater market share. IR’s monopoly is like a mammoth involved firstly, supply of ‘empties’ to the goods sheds - like vegetarian entity which expends little of its strength and sidings as per the indent date, moderated by the in acquiring its food in a large forest. Gradually, the max- hierarchy of priorities; drawing out the loaded wagons imum area of the forest goes under the control of the and piloting them to the nominated marshalling yard for carnivorous. direction and section-wise sorting; ordering a train on collection of adequate wagons, mechanical examination Shrinking traffic share etc. The train was run out to another yard for further Mode Total output in Modal sorting of wagons, shunting to the goods shed or unloading billion tkm share % siding. Thereafter, the empty wagons were collected at a yard and supplied to goods sheds or sidings to meet Rail 508 36 pending demands as per priority and in order of registra- Road 706 50 tion; very often, a train consisting of empty wagons was run out to such areas as had pending demands of higher All modes 1409 100 priority. Railways were the principal mode of transport in 1947 The PT Schedule (1970s-1980s) was classified under five with an 89% share of the pie. Ever since the company priorities: Priority- ‘A’ military requirements; priority B, railways were taken over by the British Indian Govern- C, D was for food grain, fertilizer, relief materials, seeds, ment, private entrepreneurship has not ventured to tread salt, sugar, coal, iron ore, raw materials for steel plants, into rail transport business and offer competition. This refractories, cement, fertilizer and other industries; fin- lack of competition in rail transportation and the success ished products from steel plants and building and con- of the railways in meeting the early challenges have made struction material etc. In 1974, priority E contained spe- IR complacent and non-enterprising. The management cifically two items and not the omnibus ‘other traffic’. is happy with the incremental growth of 5-6% in physical Block rake indents achieved over-riding preference though performance. A complacent attitude and present strategy very few block rakes were available. would take the railways’ share to 20-25% by 2020 and Two factors constrained the supply side: increase in rail reduce the status of rail mode to ‘also ran’ by 2030. The transport capacity not matching growth and deliberate forecast of 50% market share made by expert committees reduction of the scope of operation by the railway man- is dependent on key changes, some listed here. agement as part of its strategy. Consequently, the traffic From its 89% share, the scenario changed with the advent share nearly fell to 60% in the following three decades. of the planned economy when more attention was paid Neglected ‘other traffic’ to the road network. Especially Second Plan onwards, the On account of shortage of wagons, IR could partially serve Planning Commission earmarked the core sector of the the priority B to D segment. From decade to decade the economy i.e. heavy industries, agriculture and infrastruc- commodities shifted their position within this band; ture as priority areas for railways. The railways’ perform- gradually traffic in many commodities lost their position ance was being monitored at the highest level for supply and were relegated to Priority E as ‘other traffic’. The of wagons to the sponsored and programmed traffic. chance of getting the supply of empty wagons against an Being part of the Central Government, IR focused all indent under Priority- E was as uncertain as getting a attention to what the stated priorities were. lottery. S K Chaudhuri Indian Railways Act 1890 (sub-section (A) under Section The increasing demand of power and steel, cement, ferti- Ex Additional General 27) was used to order a Preferential Traffic (PT) Schedule lizer and food grain sectors in the seventies, prompted Manager, SE Railway that empowered the IR to discriminate among customers IR to introduce higher capacity eight-wheeler wagons of Visiting Professor at open, closed and flat types, introducing the dependable IISWBM, Kolkata in allotment of wagons on the basis of the scheduled priorities. This proviso was presumably provided for center-buffer couplers. These wagons could not be military, relief and railway material traffic to circumvent attached to older screw coupling fitted wagons, some of IR’s role of a common carrier. In this proviso IR found a the new wagons were provided with an intermediate convenient tool to accord preferential treatment to the arrangement (transition coupler). The yards were emerging core sector in allotment for full-wagon traffic. required to marshal the wagons not only on the basis of direction, section and destination, but also further on the You neglect us, we go elsewhere! criterion of coupler type. Not designed to tackle this Till the seventies, cargo loading was on full-load or on additional workload, yard operation turned messy with ‘smalls’ (less-than-wagonload) basis. A four-wheeler wag- wagons suffering heavy detention in the yards. on, about 22- 24 t payload, was the unit for full-load indent The need for increasing the throughput for the core sector when the unit for movement was a train of 70 - 75 wagons. spurred the improvement in the design of wagons for Wagons spent more time in originating, intermediate and bulk goods, track and signalling and loco tractive capacity. destination yards than in transit. Piecemeal loading and unloading of wagons manually at the terminals accounted 1980 was a watershed year in the evolution of a new

12 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 SPECIAL operating strategy. In the first half of other traffic was relegated to prioriyE. this decade, the entire eight-wheeler The bulk syndrome stock was segregated type-wise and rakes of similar wagons formed. It Things were becoming more and became necessary to run unit trains more difficult for smaller customers to achieve reduced wagon turn- every year. In the nineties the IR round, the block rakes became the Board designed the new siding policy unit for loading and movement, mar- and the engine-on-load (EOL) shalling yards became redundant and scheme. Large customers were prod- were closed one after the other as also ded to convert their sidings into EOL were goods sheds dealing with piece- mould for fast terminal operations, meal traffic. while the train engine remained either attached to the rake or stand-by to Operation became simpler, rational perform the return trip directly. The and efficient but ensured loss of old siding holders mostly agreed to clientele. extend the length of their sidings into To encourage the users to offer larger full - rake sidings with reception and ties, and govt.-sponsored traffic were consignment, the commercial rules dispatch facilities to secure the benefit treated as Priority- C. Indents of all were changed requiring a minimum of freight calculation on through- dis- other commodities were to be regis- 1400 t (raised to 1600 t in 1993) to tance basis. But few could adopt the tered under Priority-D. The number secure a lower rate. Separate priority EOL scheme, in view of heavy capital of other customers reduced so signif- was maintained for rake indents. In expenditure involved. New projects icantly that the entire residual indent- 1998, the standard rake-size was no- were, however, forced to swallow the ers could be clubbed under the Prior- tified for grant of trainload rate and bitter pill. Undoubtedly, this scheme ity class D, eliminating E altogether. very soon this became the normal rate was introduced to improve the freight Apart from these changes, general and wagonload rate became a deriva- operation by reducing wagon deten- instructions were issued to give pref- tive. Gradually the customers, who tion and turn-round; but the cost to erence not only in favour of block had the capability of offering traffic the customer was not considered. rake indents but also to offers, under of 2400- 3800 t as a single consign- Technology has enabled IR to im- Wagon Investment Scheme, Premi- ment, remained in the fray for wagons. prove the Tare – Payload ratio, in- um Registration Scheme, Engine-on- load Scheme, and offers of rakes from Meanwhile, assisted sidings and rail- creasing capacity for bulk transporta- tion. Correspondingly, the minimum- private sidings etc. This format is con- way terminals were rationalised or tinuing till date. modified for rake allotment and load- required size of a consignment has ing. The private sidings which could further increased the stress on the Under the garb of the PT Schedule, not hold a full rake, were persuaded customers. The Rake Management railways worked out a cozy corner to increase the handling capacity. The System module (under Freight Oper- where the din and bustle of the private siding owners who could not ations Information System) to cap- market place did not reach. They were place indent for full rakes were treated ture information only of rakes and comfortable with the lofty ideals of harshly by railway officials in allot- not of wagons has removed the flexi- nation-building. With this regime of ment of wagons and left in the lurch. bility of serving customers with ability priorities, IR lost their grip over the From 1990, the PT Schedule was is- to offer 1500 t, less than half rake. growing transport market outside the sued under section 71 of the Railways In the last decade, IR decided to in- core sector, letting an opportunity to Act, 1989, and only sponsored or pro- corporate some changes in the PT the road transport to capture the mar- grammed traffic were included in pri- Schedule: While all Govt. Sponsored ket and flourish. If the PT Schedule orities up to C and food grain on trade traffic and emergency relief materials is withdrawn today, the market will account, raw material and finished were under Priority- B, all offers for not bounce back to railways, on the products of private and small indus- industries, programmed on monthly contrary, the public sector will feel tries etc. were priority class D. All or quarterly basis by railway authori- free from the IR hegemony. The numbers game

After a mere 12 mt increase in freight tonnage in 2015-16 Freight traffic 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 revised approx. projected (first target + 90 mt), expectation of a 50 mt increase in coming FY is unlikely. The projected earning, @ 1.3 % increase in per Originating (mt) 1095 1107 1157 ton-km and 5.4 % in absolute, do not match with the absence Net t-km (b) 681 667 694 of any tariff revision. Our guess: IR may tweak tariffs during the year. Revenue (`Cr) 1,05,700 1,11,800 1,17,900

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 13 SPECIAL 500 coaches to get a Bhopal upgrade

The design options used on the first rake have been developed in association with a vendor, even as a design department, critical for such a project, does not exist. The experience of the workshop engineers has been iterated with the vendor, and this process is expected to be carried further in the coming rakes. PK Jaiswal, who looks after electric equipment on the coaches, listed the successive changes made. For example, individual distribution boards with modified circuitry will reduce any chance of on - board fires, not unusual on IR. The use of LED lights has decreased load, helpful since the IR designs still use coach-bogie mounted alternators as the energy source. Materials have been upgraded like the poly-amide cable conduits. Vineet Garg, who developed the designs for furnishing changes, pointed out that the coaches use pre- Feb 29, 2016: Laxmi Raman, Chief Workshop Manager leads his team in Coach Repair moulded screw-less thermoplastic moulding, snap fitted Workshop, Bhopal. A fresh stream of refurbished coaches is expected to start later this year. on aluminum extrusions. More than 10 types of panels A specially furnished rake of refurbished coaches has (3 for roof ceiling, 3 for partitions and 4 + for sides) are received attention, mainly due to the Prime Minister required. It is expected that some rationalization of this having inaugurated the Varanasi origin Mahamana scheme can be done to reduce the variety of panels re- Express. These coaches are expected to form a new design quired. Dual density seat / berth cushions will provide template for IR’s improved coaches. This rake was fur- better passenger comfort. A pre-fab toilet module should nished at the Bhopal coach rehab workshop. IR has now address the many complaints IR faces. sanctioned similar furnishing for 500 coaches, estimated Rajesh Agarwal, Chief Mechanical Engineer, WCR has at ` 125 Cr. not yet scheduled retro-fitment of any features on the These new SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Re- regular out-turn but expects that to happen in coming freshing Travel) coaches would cater to emerging needs years. Typically, a second sleeper coach upgrade costs of our customers and also ensure lower unit cost of oper- ` 25 lakhs, about 13 lakhs more than a standard attention. ations due to higher carrying capacity. The development does have a delayed history as the first Minister Suresh Prabhu. contracts for handling 4 rakes were placed for 198 coaches Laxmi Raman, Chief workshop Manager since 2011, ex- on two Vadodara based vendors, one of whom has not pects to start the second rake furnishing in coming months. been able to start the work yet. No bold moves Dear Editor

Minister Suresh Prabhu was expected to make been announced, replicating some existing some bold moves and chart a new business services. strategy. His IR budget detailed a vision for 2020. He started off with not announcing any There was no mention of how IR will over- increase in passenger fares, that freight rates come the losses it makes every year and where would be changed later if required. And bold money would come from for investment in claims of a 95% pax train punctuality by 2020, new tracks and safety equipment. There also on-demand anytime reservation,passenger does not seem any urgency on safety meas- trains at an average speed of 80 kph and goods ures.The budget documents do not chart how trains at 50 kph average (current around 26), IR would earn `1.84 lakh Cr next FY while seeming more like a wish list. All this sounds traffic is steadily falling as passengers prefer great, the problem is that these will be air and road travel. With falling traffic and no delivered by 2020, without any part increment increase in tariff, it is anyone’s guess on how in next FY. Amir Ullah Khan, IR aims at increasing revenues by 10%. Development Economist, The here and now promises sound familiar Director Research, Aequitas and unoriginal. The Humsafar train with An incremental effort and not the brave AC III compartments looks like a renamed new paradigm shift that we were expecting. Gharib Rath; a Tejas express at 130 kph, but No wonder all rail related stocks fell during this is what the Shatabdi does already. There the day even as the Sensex dropped by over is a long distance, unreserved train that has 100 points.

14 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 SPECIAL

• +30 % in total gross budgetary support, with a 330 % increase in Diesel Cess. The numbers game • Reduction for depreciation provision that stands lower than previous two years Capital funding 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 • Market borrowing (IRFC government approved (` Cr) revised approx. projected bonds, some tax free), budgeted at ` 20 000, with Budgetary support last FY IRFC kitty, pegged at `17655 Cr in for works 24092 25846 28232 (+ 9.2 %) the Feb 2015 budget, likely at `11 850 Cr only. Safety diesel cess 1496 2507 10780 • Institutional finance: nil in 2014, ` 9584 Cr in Depreciation reserve 7286 7300 7160 current FY and projected 20 985 in FY 2016; may largely be debt raised form LIC. Internal resources 16057 16792 16675 • PPP funding: nil in 2014, listed at ` 27, 269 Cr Finance Co. in current fiscal (not verifiable) and `18340 Cr market borrowing 11044 11847 20 000 in 2016 FY. Institutional finance 0 9584 20 985 • These estimates look optimistic. Outcomes from PPP projects 0 27 269 18340 the State Government MoUs not listed.

“...a forward looking one. The announcements made around modernizing the railway infrastructure, improving safety and efficiency of the network, enabling greater private participation, improving overall passenger comfort, among others bode well for all the stakeholders. Thales is perfectly in line with the Make in India initiative and ready to support the upcoming modernisation plan .”

Antoine Caput Country Director & VP, Thales India

Dear Editor

Thanks for the extended coverage provided to our company in 1998 was provided to CLW in 2003 for about ` 31 lakhs, in your Jan 2016 issue. We would like to supplement your with almost 75% local value. Right from day one of our report. acquiring the Hosur factory and starting manufacture in India, Faiveley Transport (FT)India is manufacturing equipment our target and our strength has been faster localisation - but for Delhi, Chennai, Cochin and Lucknow Metros as well as with no compromise in quality-and we have done it with most for its recurring business with IR, keeping imports to a bare of our high volume products over the years. minimum.

We believe in producing in India. We localised all our complex A few pictures for FT products under development for the equipment way back in 1998. Our Indian products include 200 kph coach project may be of interest too. E70 Triplate Mounted Brake Controls, 2A320D main Gurdev Singh, Country Director - India, reports to FT HQ, compressor and the Vigilance Control System ESV11 etc. We France on a special mandate to lead the company's business have always shared the cost benefits of the localisation with development. In his 25 years’ association with the Group, IR, e.g. a fully imported E70 system costing about ` 50 lakhs Singh has steered its business growth.

200 kph train trial with steel disk brake & EP assist

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 15 WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY SPECIAL REPORT Enhancing performance benchmarks...

Ramesh Chandra, General Manager, West Central Railway since Dec 2013 joined IR Stores Service in 1978 after graduation in Civil Engineering from IIT, Roorkee. He has had rich and varied working experience, including over several executive and managerial positions like Director (Inventory Manage- ment) and Executive Director in Railway Board, Divisional Railway Manag- er(DRM), Moradabad and Controller of Stores in Central and North Western zones. Chandra has made noteworthy system improvement contributions in making IR procurement transparent and speedy. As DRM, Chandra implemented various innovative passenger amenities related systems and adopted IT tools to improve office efficiency in working and make it more transparent.

The Jabalpur head-quartered West Central Railway, one Congested arteries of the seven new zones created under IR re-organisaion Sitting at the central junctions of North South and East in April 2003, has now set high benchmarks of operational West traffic, the routes are full of trains, with sectional performance. Its 2995 track routes cover some of the traffic densities stretched to above 160 % of the comfort busiest sections on IR network, with sections like zones. The 152 daily and 440 other expresses (56 Rajdhani Gangapur-Nagda and Bina-Itarsi-Katni touching 40 to type trains) demand intensive attention, particularly on 60 gross million tons per year. punctual running. The current 85 % on-time runs are The zone will be fully electrified in the next 4 years, as the sought to be upped by capacity additions in key routes, remaining routes have been covered under this year’s annual most of which should be commissioned in next 3 years. budget sanctions. A similar thrust is on for station signalling, The North South route is one of high stress and a where the last remaining mechanical interlocking station significant step has been of increasing maximum speeds will be converted into electric/electronic interlocking within on the Budni-Berkheda ghat section (19 km). Speed of the next two years. Ramesh Chandra, General Manager. express trains has now been increased from 55 to 65 kph The new confidence and thrust have resulted in the zone on down road (raised earlier for goods trains). On the up gaining IR’s Overall Gobind Ballab and safety shields for road, goods train speed has been increased from 30 to two successive years. Sit downs with department heads 50 kph and for express trains from 55 to 65 kph. Running provided a clear indication of a cohesive team, each priding time of express trains on this section will in effect reduce itself in the overall achievements of the zone, sometimes to about half. highlighting group goals first and departmental achievements Freight traffic later. That is the spirit that Ramesh Chandra has clearly Operating Indices are showing a steady betterment trend brought in. The passion is burning bright and effusive. and intense monitoring on high density routes has resulted The zone outperformed others when it eliminated all in significant gains in average speeds unmanned level crossings in August 2015, with 118 Ajay Jain, Chief Operations Manager. crossings eliminated in a special campaign, leaving 731 WCR loads about 40.5 mt per year. One key worry is the manned locations. 80 under-bridges/subways commis- low prospect of freight traffic growth in next FY, an IR sioned this year (target of 73) have permitted the no-LC trend. With stagnated rail usage on short lead cement milestone. traffic, Jain feels that specific packages need to be

Rajesh Agarwal SP Trivedi AK Jain Chief Mechanical Engineer Additional General Manager Chief Operations Manager

16 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY SPECIAL REPORT

S Yadav SN Singh Kartick Chauhan BK Gupta Chief Public Relations Officer Chief Electrical Engineer Financial Advisor & CAO Chief Safety Officer

offered for interesting the sector, that missioned in January. It is learnt that (Katni-Singrauli section, JBP forms about 55% of the freight port- a terminal set up by Hindon Kribhco division)and Ruthiyai-Sarangpur folio in railway as the preferred mode. almost a year back has not been a (Ruthyai-Maksi section, BPL commercial success and is still waiting division). For growth, the market should be left for its first train. fully to the executive. Station data capture Safety concerns A list of the many de-bottlenecking ‘One area of past neglect could be efforts include the speed relaxations WCR faced a disaster in 2015 mon- the limited use of data loggers that on the Budhni-Barkheda ghat, con- soons due to sinking of approaches have been installed as part of the version of the basic signalling on the of a bridge due to flash floods between electric/electronic signalling 260 km Katni-Singrauli section to to- Khirkiya- Bhiringi stations. This sad equipment. These capture all the ken-less panel equipped ones, contin- day had come after the zone won the events in the signalling and related ued running of long-haul empty trains IR Safety Shield three times in a row track domain, like operation of a (87 in Feb 2016) and patch track ad- 2013 t0 2015. point or signal, data that is useful ditions. Close circuit trains between The Commissioner of Railway Safety in investigations and operational mine and power plant (Jaypee) sid- has attributed this to ‘sudden washout control. The outputs have been ings: Long haul trains, comprising 90 of the approaches of a road bridge on made user friendly so that opera- BOBRN wagons, for loading coal has account of heavy rain fall in the tional managers and others can use been started. This is first of its kind upstream catchment area’. The flash this info regularly as part of their initiative where in other than the flood eroded nearly 270 m of track operations oversight. Of course, standard 59 wagon consist is being leading to 2 express trains derailing their use in an incident investiga- operated in close loading circuit, uti- in a short time span. This location tion like a signal passed at lizing single driving unit locomotive was not under RAT, the aptly danger permits immediate and hi and single crew set. This led to extra named acronym, that lists Rail gh confidence conclusions, some- revenue loading of 45 wagons per day Affecting Tanks that need monsoon thing that was not possible in the along with saving of one crew set, one monitoring. Apparently this was past. It is one thing to install a fa- driving loco unit and without con- disaster waiting to happen, unknown cility and another to see that it be- suming any extra path. Additional trip and uncared for. comes a part of the daily tools; per day could be squeezed in. equipment already installed has in Higher reliability, as shown by an all effect been put into common use’ Loading during January 2016 at round decreasing trend of service fail- ...SP Trivedi, Additional General 3.94 mt was 2.7% higher (last FY, ures, has also been recorded. Manager. month on month) and for April 2015 BK Gupta, Chief Safety Officer listed - Jan 2016 period, 5.13% higher. Saving on energy bill some of the unique interventions that In keeping with the IR effort, WCR WCR has gone against the trend of help WCR beat the IR trend on safety has entered into second power pur- reduced freight traffic in this FY, a issues: chase agreement of 150 MW with problem afflicting some other IR SMS alerts in cases of over- Ratnagiri Gas and Power in Dec 2015 zones. Jain however feels that the fore- l speeding, monitored at stations on to feed 24 more Traction Sub Stations cast for 2016 cannot be too good and real time basis through data logger in Madhya Pradesh, coming quick on WCR may not contribute significant- MIS and alerts through SMS (by the heels of a 100 MW agreement in ly to the 50 mt increase expected for S&T department). November. Competitive rate of `4.70 IR. The operational improvements per unit (previous ` 6.30) will result effected will permit the zone to clear l Weekly management monitoring in total annual saving of about any offered traffic and wagon availa- of safety related works ` 188 Cr. For the first time on IR, bility is expected to be prompt Neal’s ball token block instruments 3 traction sub-stations of Kota divi- throughout the year. have been replaced with Tokenless sion, Bharatpur (8MW), Hindaun Jain indicated that a Private Freight Instruments with block proving axle City (8MW) and Ramganj Mandi Terminal, served by Powarkheda counters in four block sections. Now, (10 MW), have been provided by (Bhopal) and developed by Kesar tokenless working is complete in ‘Green Energy’ from windmills at Multimodal Logistic, has been com- KTE-Beohari and Joba-Bharsendi J

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 17 WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY SPECIAL REPORT

NORTH GMT Details aisalmer. AS ON 30.09.2015 MATHURA Jn. GMT Colour For SN Singh, Chief Electrical Engineer, these steps are

BHARATPUR Jn. >60 harbingers of greater green awareness in future years. >40 - <60 Efforts at non-traction energy have led to green buildings BAYANA Jn. >20 - <40 >20 for the Headquarter and recognition with a merit award GANGAPUR CITY for energy conservation. GWALIOR Jn.

SAWAI MADHOPUR Jn. Electric traction is clearly billed to take over increasingly.

JHANSI IR budget has now provisioned for electrification of the BUNDI SHIVPURI Vijaypur-Maksi (188 km) and Guna-Gwalior (225 km, KOTA Jn. BARAN MANIKPUR Jn.

THAMBAVATI CHHTARPUR KHAJURAHO JV mode) sections and full route electrification can be KHARAKPUR CHITTAURGARH GUNA Jn. TIKAMGARH LALITPUR RAMGANJ MANDI expected in say five years. The 594 locos homed on the JHALAWAR CITY REWA RUTHIYAI Jn. SATNA Jn. MAIHAR zone have provided improved service reliability. The zone BINA Jn. MALKHERI SINGRAULI(SGRL) KATNI Jn. BIYAVRA RAJGARH is now installing a new driver training simulator. A new RAJGARH BARETH BEOHARI SAUGOR DAMOH workshop for repairing electric loco bogies (with motors), GULABGANJ NEW KATNI Jn. SIHORA RD. NAGDA Jn. SHAJAPUR SANCHI now coming up at Mishrod, will add to capabilities. MAKSI Jn. BHOPAL Jn. JABALPUR Interestingly the Minister’s announcement that all oper- HOSHANGABAD NARSINGHPUR ITARSI Jn. PIPARIYA ational halts on express trains would be converted into

HARDA commercial stops (where passengers can also ticket) BIR could be traced to a suggestion from the WCR. 29 such KHANDWA Jn. Habibganj : real estate development for real movements. The development will be spread across approx. 17,000 m2 area with investment of around `100 Cr. The station footfalls at present are not hefty but that is expected to change as the capital city is developing Southward. This has been a long pending action on IR, stretching back to 2010 when Habibganj was identified for re-development. IR has listed similar developments in Anand Vihar and Bijwasan in NCR, Surat, Chandigarh, and Pune. Offers may be called this year for Chandigarh and AnandVihar. The master plans were submitted in 2014 to IRSDC, followed by a pre-qualification tender in Feb’15. Of the Artistic impression of the proposed Habibganj station facade three companies (GMR, Ahluwalia Construction and Bansal Builders) short listed in Oct 2015, only one finan- Habibganj, a growing passenger hub next to Bhopal, the cial bid was received in Feb 2016, reportedly with less state Capital is hardly known. This is set to change in than anticipated down payment. IR may want to proceed coming years as IR plans for real estate development may with the project so as to kink out execution issues and be first implemented here. Ramesh Chandra expects the develop a template for this long delayed plan for many IR Station Development Co. (IRSDC, a JV between IR more locations. On the WCR, Jabalpur, Kota and Sawai PSU IRCON and its Land Development Authority) to Madhopur have also been identified for private sector decide on a long term contract for development at the linked re-development. Multi-functional complexes at passenger station and on adjoining IR owned land. If the Jabalpur, Rewa, Sanchi and Bharatpur are expected but plans succeed, the Habibganj Model may be much talked physical progress has not been significant. about and mirrored in various key locations on IR.

The plan involves a well drafted makeover of the passenger Scope of work: station development, re-development areas, a new façade that mirrors the existing architecture, and real estate development (including air rights). escalators etc., plus commercial development in an ad- The developer shall develop the station in three years joining area where the developer is free to sell/lease. The and transfer it to IRSDC upon completion, operate IR land will be leased for a 45-year term. The project and maintain the station at its cost & expense for assessment, carried out by a well-known international five years under an O&M agreement and appropriate consulting firm, was fairly detailed and considered various the revenues generated there from. options for passenger access like subways,over bridges etc. The station area will in effect be at three levels, with segregation of passenger streams and resulting ease of

18 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY SPECIAL REPORT Alok Kumar: addressing track congestion on Bhopal Division

Freight loading on the Bhopal division is de-congestion steps have included conversion skewed towards food grains and any large of two additional tracks at Itarsi for passenger growth is not visible. An inland container trains. depot near Bhopal and a new multimodal park near Itarsi present future prospects, ready for Passenger interactions need constant care and exploitation. recent innovations have included provision The main North-South sector, Bina to Itarsi, of voice recorders at a reservation center and is congested and patch third line additions to digitised face-to-face enquiry counters in Ha- Bina-Bhopal segment have been regular, the bibganj. A ` 29 lakh centralized water treat- 16 km addition in Dec 2015 taking the third ment plant now ensures high quality potable line patch to 88 km (total 143 km). Multiple water supply across the Bhopal station.

Alok Kumar Divisional Railway Manager, Bhopal Sudheer Kumar: pushing local efforts on Jabalpur Division

The theme is simple: ‘ache kaam for achche have to post actual station area images on a din(good deeds for good times)’ and the re- popular group site thrice during the day and sults are satisfying. once after dusk, permitting close supervision. The news is recent and pleasing for Sudheer A weekly group effort is in place and of course, Kumar, DRM Jabalpur. His ambitious pro- the clean-my-coach request, that can be made posals for development of a fresh coaching via SMS, keeps everybody connected, alert complex at Howbagh and Madan Ma- and sensitive. hal(MML), along with remodelling of the Kumar has also generated co-operation with Jabalpur (JBP) yard have been sanctioned in a local NGO, the Sant Nirankari Charitable FY 2016 budget. The project involves three Foundation. new full rake maintenance pits (‘washing lines’), 2 stabling tracks and sick lines. The A better passenger experience has many facets entire facility will be connected to MML and and information need is the first thing. In JBP yards, with addition of a new loop line, a addition to ensuring positive responses, high level platform at Madan Mahal, extension Jabalpur has innovated by providing video Sudheer Kumar of an under-bridge and various related works. enquiry counters at outlying stations, which Divisional Railway Manager, Jabalpur Passenger facilities are also to be added at cannot be served individually. MML. Kumar can foresee that this will lift passenger experience in JBP area in coming Empowerment for growth years. The freight traffic scenario is better than pre- vious year, showing incremental, but not size- Travelling across some key stations on the able, growth. For Kumar, the contribution railway, one cannot but notice that the areas that a rail division can make to getting in fresh look dressed and neat, a clear break form the clients for the freight sector is stymied by lack past.Kumar quickly lays out the overall scheme of authority to engage in any business discus- for ensuring that the passenger areas stay clean. sions.The inability to assess and offer a viable This has happened over recent years as specific business package or assured services reduces attention, including contracting, has become potential customer interactions to operational the norm.Interesting actions have indeed details only. ‘Good freight growth requires a emerged: Jabalpur has operational cleaning fresh look at how the DRMs can engage in contracts at 12 stations and local incharges such business development’. Heritage station Sawai Madhopur station has been developed as a heritage station in collaboration with WWF India- Nature, with impressive wall paintings and murals created by local painters of Ranthambore School of Arts. This will add to the experience provided to visitors to the nearby Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, increase awareness towards natural world and spread message of wildlife and forest conservation.

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 19 Make in India Daulat Ram Engineering: Indian brand with international ambitions

the Daulat Ram Engineering (DRE) factory floors in Obedullaganj (30 km from Bhopal). Daulat Ram is now a very Indian brand well recognized across the railway loco sector in India. Sharma and DRE have literally flown the Indian flag in INNOTRANS, the world’s best rail exhibition with displays of traction ma- chines like the 2600 V/1380 A rated Traction Alternator for DLW/EMD locos and other machines. Daulat Ram has been very visible in various Indian events like IREE New Delhi and INNORAIL, Lucknow. Along with an- other upcoming Indian brand in the traction machine/ electronics space, the road ahead looks promising for Indian rail industry. From media to manufacturing The road ahead from the modest effort at import substi- tution of manufacturing the dynamic braking resistor grid for DLW Varanasi has been steady, may be not always smooth. DRE now has a working portfolio of key rail CP Sharma, MD, Daulat Ram Engineering Services has taken his company from a component manufacturing to a product engineering and manufacturing company. products, engineered for reliability and competitive costs, that range from the man-size traction alternators to the The first surprise came soon on entering the efficient very flat looking coach air conditioners (HVAC). As looking office of CP Sharma: what was that Sears and Sharma traces his journey from a marketing executive in Zemansky book on college physics doing in the bookshelf the media company Ogilvy, one aspect runs as a constant of an entrepreneur / manager of growing stature? Books thread: an inability to accept that nothing better can be by Drucker or Ram Charan and the like would not have done. Chasing important clients like Soaltee Uberoi in attracted our notice but this was like going back 50 years, his first media job was satisfying but rail reckoned. At that to equations and concepts long forgotten. But that is what time, the family ran manufacturing business, vending set the tone for a long conversation, a ‘walk the talk’ across small parts to IR, BHEL etc. and Sharma ventured into vending products, an uncomfortable venture for the fam- ily. That is where we think his Sears and Zemansky con- Key Loco Product Range nection must have triggered a long term passion of trying Traction Motors the seemingly un-doable. Little successes tasted good but increased the thirst, leading to setting up Daulat Ram AC: 6 Pole, 3 Phase, squirrel Cage induction motor for 6000 hp Services in 2003. WAG9 Electric loco. The tipping point DC: Series wound, 4 pole, 280 kW rating for Diesel Locos (and 2 We try to trace the tipping point for the company. Perhaps other types) it came as the IR loco manufacturing works at Varanasi Traction Alternators and Chittaranjan increased their production: outsourcing and increased Indian vendor base were the basis of this AC 2083 kW rating for DLW Locos increase. DRE took on the challenge, opting to develop 1350 kW rating for DEMU application. many key assemblies for the DLW/ EMD diesel locos. 2600 V/1380 A for DLW / EMD Locos (with companion alternator As we walked the talk, the inverted squirrel cage motor & rectifiers) driven engine cooling machines came into view. DRE now has four other manufacturing facilities that Various auxiliary electric drives for Locos. handle a range of traction machines, from the mammoth Cooling Solutions looking DLW alternator to smaller units for electric and diesel locos. • Roof mounted HVAC units for Coach (RCF – LHB and conventional) and loco cabs. Sharma startles us by a terse ‘mere copying does not work’ adding that such development needs working through • Cooling fans and drives for radiation, dynamic brake and the engineering and cost details, working the way through transformers. the IR maze of product approval processes. We quiz, ‘but Braking and other resistors are not these processes needed?’ It is the perceived dis- crimination against Indian industry and brands that he

20 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Make in India

points out, adding that if Make in He certainly is viewing that too. A culture to set the pace India is to be meaningful, IR has to A mock-up in the open provides ‘Development needs manpower skills. hand hold for strategic products and another surprise as DRE is not known That is a base for my efforts. DRE provide Indian brands the develop- to have any commercial interest in does not employ any contract work- ment space that any upcoming devel- this line. We were wrong as Sharma ers. Our basic culture is that each em- opment needs. For him, shows us around pre-offer develop- ployee must feel belonged; mutual a big lead was the attitudes and zeal ment effort that has been a standard loyalty is a must, where DRE must shown by a General Manager in for the company. Sharma adds, ‘we continually train its force for higher DLW, who overcame institutional will make an offer to IR only if and skills. Even the company gardener bias against Indian when we have a competitive version, must feel a part of the effort’. industry, in letting DRE develop that is a cut above the current As Sharma pushes a product cart away some key products. IR level’. This development is being from the way, we get a glimpse of DRE is now active for elevators and engineered in-house, using a variety what makes a successful Indian entre- escalators and has visions for the re- of materials on offer. The privilege preneur and an attached brand. newable energy market too. We ask of taking a few shots was a privilege We need many more of these for the about the power electronics market. for us. rails in India. New Book

IR managers and engineers are generally preparatory actions, construction equipment, averse to authoring books, leaving this large project monitoring tools, field execution, sys- organization with little institutional memory tem utilities like supply and transport lines and training material. Each such effort is a and machine installation. The large coverage rarity that points to the need for plugging this of the quality assurance methods and stand- need. Harsimran Singh’s ‘Engineer’s Hand- ards should be of particular interest. book for Implementation of Industrial The book includes a large swathe of explana- Projects’ is a good addition that should be tory sketches and photographs from the loca- useful for many project managers and execu- tions the author was involved in. The presen- tives charged with assessing progress. The Harsimran Singh tation could have been more reader friendly Deputy General Manager book is clearly based on the author’s direct South Eastern Railway but that takes away nothing from an appreci- experience of executing three new factory sites ation of the young manager’s efforts. IR does around Kolkata. The author, from the IR Serv- need a large body of such reference books. ice of Engineers, provides a good overview of One does wish that the Skill India efforts ad- the planning, pre-construction and finishing dressed the absence of such sector specific needs for such locations and the presentation books, without which on-job skill develop- is enhanced by summaries of various applica- ment is well-nigh impossible. ble standards and controls required. The cov- erage stretches across surveys, design aspects, (Published by Front Page, Kolkata 700012)

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 21 Make in India JBM: Big in auto and now, plans for railways

Nishant Arya, Executive Director of $1.35bn JBM Group since 2008 has tugged the group to heights in terms of business and industry recognitions. He has been instrumental in planning technical collaborations, buyouts and joint ventures with foreign companies. He has played a pivotal role in identifying new business opportunities in areas like Engineering & Design Services, Renewable Energy, etc., counting alliances with prestigious companies like Arcelor Mittal, Dassault Systemes, JFE Steel Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Magnetto and Ogihara. Educated in Bradford University, U.K and London School of Economics and armed with decades of experience of Group Chairman SK Arya, he is now actively looking at diversifi- cation, international business and new projects. Arya is an Executive Council Member of CII and ACMA – Young Business Leaders Forum, Chairman of CII Faridabad Chapter and Co-chairman of ACMA's STDC (Sustainable Technology Development Committee), India. Arya was recently recognised as the “Family Entrepreneur of the Year 2015” by Entrepreneur India. ‘We are continuously expanding the businesses by actively looking at diversification, International business and new projects, that has spanned key technical collaborations and joint venture (including buyouts) with foreign companies.’

We met with Nishant Arya, Director, JBM India during to be engaged in the entire value chain, from design pre- an engrossing CII sponsored CEO level discussion on concept to ultimate customer satisfaction’ issues in rail operations and industry.A longer chat seemed Arya lists the positives under the Make in India theme: inevitable and in this we report on what young leaders conscious efforts at easing the business processes and like him think of railways and the future. We hope that would suggest two additional prongs:providing a level this profile reflects the zeal of many more industry leaders. playing field for Indian industries and the positive demand The JBM group is a home grown enterprise, now with a and supply situation. He senses an easier regime of bank turnover exceeding ` 8000 Cr,with leadership positions lending for sectors identified under various platforms. in automobile components, buses, environment, though Arya sees rays of hope, posing confidence in current the railway sector is a small part at present. The initial initiatives. ‘The positive potential for the rail industry is step in 1983 was to manufacture domestic gas cylinders, backed by the Minister’s efforts at easing the financial developing into a Maruti Suzuki ancillary in 1986. Current chain and he is providing necessary impetus. Another auto-parts and sub-assemblies cover chassis and suspen- positive is the Prime Minister’s known support for the sion parts, cross members, fabricated parts and shaped rail sector, both conventional and high speed.This should blanks, wheels, tools and many more from the core lead to increase of the capital support that IR needs’. product lines.The group’s recent forays into new products and designs provides a good omen for the rail successes The recently accelerated decision for setting up new loco too. The group is now active in engineering services factories has overcome many conceptual hurdles and a (2011), renewable energy(2013) and technical education. similar push for many of the pending rail investment JBM Group has an infrastructure of 35 manufacturing schemes should bring in fresh interest in railway based plants, 4 engineering & design centres across 18 locations operations and manufacture. Young industry leaders like globally.The Group has earned recognition for active Arya are looking forward to decisions on the similar EMU contribution in the auto segment, being among the top new design and manufacture project as well as the infusion three auto component manufacturers, supplying nearly of train sets. Of particular interest is the IR effort in pushing one million components and assemblies every day. financial decisions down the management chain and Arya hopes that similar actions for projects sanction and tech- The rail sector interest is rather recent, starting in 2006, nology infusion will accelerate the process. New product and based from a fabrication unit in NCR. Current com- infusion should pick up pace. ponents portfolio includes LHB type coach doors, loco A growing product chain long hoods, precision machining of high speed bogies etc. The potential excites JBM and Arya is working towards Young managers like Arya are known to be increasing engaging industry experts in developing new rail based their stake in the value chain, supplementing the pure verticals for the next five years. manufacturing part. Like other successful groups, JBM has added (in2012) the Italian auto design house TESCO ‘A key part of our strategy rests on involving sector experts, GO to its family. The impressive clientele of Piaggio, right in the start of the investment conception. We want McLaren, Mercedes Benz,Ford, Chrysler and many more

22 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Make in India

Existing rail products, spread over years

is the lineage for its near 300 engineer- um batteries, offers city bus operation as Make in India & Smart City Devel- ing staff,TESCO JBM,is spread over depending on demographic and geo- opment to contribute towards sus- continents providing the group with graphic conditions. ECOLIFE has a tainable development of the nation.’ a design back up for all segments (ex- corrosion resistant monocoque struc- cept the power train) for its buses. ture, cantilever seats that provide ex- In keeping with its eco-concerns, JBM The engineering skills for this compa- tra leg room for passengers and is also active in solar generation for ny are spread over an average experi- increased storage space, also incorpo- the mid-and large sector with nearly ence of 15 + years. The India team is rating other utility features such as ` 1600 Cr investments ranged over now operational, but location wise passenger information system, vehicle about 300 MW. specialization will continue, with the health monitoring system, etc. Turin group being assisted by Indian A will-do right culture ECOLIFE will be the second indige- armfocusing on public transport like That all JBM employees were dressed nous mass public transport product buses and the UK team pushing the in a uniform showed a sense of the from JBM, following CITYLIFE ul- limits for sportscars. The design teams right work and business culture.Arya are strategized with three core needs: tra-low-floor luxurious CNG intra- city bus, unveiled in February 2014 espouses that the underlying work design for cost, manufacturability and culture theme can be simply put as aesthetics. at the Auto Expo. The concept has included great deal of thought to the ABCD, for Augmenting skills, Build- The bus range battery technology. A distinguishing ing trust, Creating wealth and JBM is now active in bus design and feature is the on-spot quick recharge Delivery of values to the customer. manufacture,providing a single point through a pantograph. The design And the financial figures speak as Arya resource. A recent addition is an order should permit near 200 km run on a lists the outcome of the Group’s for 375 low floor buses for single charge, where the charge time 5 year vision in 2010, that has out- NCR/NOIDA, that caps the fact that can be limited to just 3 minutes, eas- paced the industry growth by quite a this group pioneered India manufac- ing the investment required for intro- large gap.The culture-scape is impres- ture of such vehicles. Arya is excited duction of such services. Arya hopes sive: Integrity and ethics, without be- by the initial response to its showcas- that the spot infrastructure will be ing overseen; ownership and commit- ing the JBM-Solaris electric bus con- provided as part of single source offer. ment, responsibility for the outcomes, cept in Auto Expo, New Delhi 2016. ‘As a group, we are committed to cre- respect and teamwork for greater Developed in partnership with Polish ating and offering innovative green team goals; customer trust and Solaris Bus &Coach,ECOLIFE, a ze- solutions. We are consistently partic- delight, being sensitive and being safe ro emission vehicle powered by lithi- ipating in government initiatives such and green, protect and contribute. Events

LTA-UITP Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE) 19 - 21 October 2016 | Singapore

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 23 Make in India

Make in India for the World

Harsh Dhingra, Chief Country Representative, India Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation (BT) is not only manufacturing rail products and solutions for the Indian market but also for exports. Bombardier truly combines “Make in India for India” and “Make in India for the World” India has been central to BT’s overall growth strategy and investment of around ` 230 billion in railway vehicle manu- facturing at Savli, Gujarat is a testimony to the fact that India has become one of the most important markets for BT. Continuous efforts are made to provide both the latest and proven technology for IR and mass transit operators. BT is focused on projects which it considers strategic and with long term prospects for operations in India. BT has increased its staff strength from around 850 employees in 2014 to more than 1300 employees in 2015 with a target to reach around 2200 in 2016. Over 5000 indirect jobs across supplier network have been generated across Indian loca- tions. The Savli site is currently engaged in delivering Metro cars to Delhi Metro, exports of commuter cars to Australia, bogie components to Australia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Maneja, Vadodara has been engaged in delivering propulsion solu- tions for Mumbai suburban rail and to IR for more than a decade. Maneja received orders worth around E 48m from IR in 2015. BT has delivered 614 MOVIA coaches to Delhi Metro with an additional order for 162. Signalling solutions from Bom- bardier have included over 120 track kms for Lines 5,6 & 7. Being the largest supplier to Delhi Metro, with orders worth $1 billion till date for cars and signalling solutions. From leading MOVIA Metros, commuter trains to ZEFIRO high speed trains, MITRAC propulsion and CITYFLO signalling systems, as well as maintenance services, there is a great scope for incorporating BT rail solutions. In 2015, BT opened an Information Services global hub and new Rail Control Solutions Centre in Gurgaon, generating around 300 direct jobs. BT is closely pursuing various Metro projects in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Vijayawada, Vizag and Bengaluru. Manufacturing sites are evaluating exporting rolling stock, propulsion solutions and engineering services to neighbouring Asian countries, Europe, Middle East and South America. Bombardier is keenly monitoring opportu- nities to supply EMUs, commuter trains, intercity trains, semi high speed trains and high speed trains to modernize the rail network.

24 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Make in India Indian consultancies for project planning

The 2006 National Urban Transport Policy focused on railway sector in these over 5 years, including those for incentives to encourage state government proposals to planning, detailed designs, procurement advisory, project develop urban transport systems. Benchmarking by Im- management, O&M planning etc. In addition, LEAP has perial College, London has considered Indian urban assisted clients in formulations of specifications and eval- transport market to be expanding rapidly. 38 cities are uation of technical proposals for selection for various currently planning Metro rail projects that are in different contractors and consultants. LIPL clients are from public stages of execution. Firms from across the world are as well as private sectors, including several multinationals. interested in these projects and are either established or Anil Jangid, Founder Director has an extensive experience trying to garner full time presence in the Indian project of 23 years, including 14 years with IR Service of Engi- consultancy market. neers. Jangid adds, ‘I realised the gap in high end technical Such urban transport projects need high level of technical, advisory services needed by the governments and took financial and managerial expertise which most government the challenge to form a specialised consultancy that could Anil Jangid agencies lack. Private sector and foreign companies play provide world class technical and project management MD, Leap Infraasys a significant role in successfully implementing these advisory related to electrical, systems etc. to clients from Ex IR Service of projects. IR, urban transport (Metro railways, monorail etc.) and Electrical Engineers others. Now experts from IR and private sector have Leap Infraasys (LIPL), formed in 2010 by an IR expert, has joined hands to deliver the projects on time and with a vision of providing competitive and high end technical accuracy.’ advisory and a mission to establish in-house and local exper- tise. Leap wishes to create a world-class design, engineering Several senior professionals in LIPL panel are available and management capability through continuous develop- when required. The experience on the wide LIPL team ment of human and knowledge resources. Leap has focused ranges right up to 40 + years, spanning but not limited to on project preparation, system design & studies, railway rail track, power & traction, signalling & telecom, depots, electrification system, power distribution system and track- rolling stock, HVAC, procurement, E&M, quality and work system design, rolling stock advisory, train control and safety. telecommunication system advisory, maintenance depot planning, detailed design etc. Jangid added that Indian start-ups like LIPL are now competently offering wide expert services for easing the High on delivery railway project progress. This is a good addition to the LIPL has delivered 25+ projects, particularly in the Metro rail sector competence.

Rolling stock advisory: IR’s Kancharapara EMU project; Kolkata Metro rake rehabilitation*, procurement: MEGA, Kochi Metro and Nagpur Metro Power & Traction: Bangalore Metro, Mumbai Monorail, Chennai and Nagpur Metro, RVNL’s Pune- Guntakal electrification, Eastern DFC 2x25kV design, ALSTOM, Sri City factory traction supply augmentation Signalling system: System procurement for MEGA and Kochi Metro CBTCs, Kochi Metro signalling system design and implementation Telecom system: Kochi Metro telecom system procurement, Chennai monorail *, Eastern DFC telecom project advisory* and Western DFC telecom detailed design * Track & alignment: Bangalore, Hyderabad and Navi Mumbai Metro projects * Depots: Detailed design of two depots for Ahmedabad Metro, MEGA’s M&P detailed specifications and procurement advisory and Chennai Monorail * E&M system: Mumbai and Chennai*Monorail and Mumbai Metro line 3 (underground) AFC: Kochi Metro: procurement and AFC project management Power Supply: Kochi Metro: procurement documentations Others: Delhi Airport Metro post operation technical audit. * to bidder, part roles in many projects listed.

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 25 HRD IMechE Stepping up partnerships and synergies

l Organise activities to engage engineers (members and non-members) and to support their professional development

l Development of membership base. The branch meets its members’ more specific needs through a number of industry-focussed units, in general reflecting the structure of the UK base. Ravi S. Kochak, Additional Mem- ber (PU), IR Board has been elect- Rail related activities ed as Chairman, Institution of Me- The Railway Division (RD), UK is one of the Institution’s chanical Engineers, India Branch. most active hubs; a typical year’s events in London Kochak has been a Fellow of the include:

Institution for 15 years. l Revenue-earning technical seminars, typically 6p.a.

l Free technical lectures (usually 7 p.a.)

l An annual week-long technical visit outside the UK (recent destinations: The Netherlands, Italy and Canada)

l An annual luncheon, a key industry event attended by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (I Mech E) has around 1,300 people a vision to improve engineering by inspiring the next A biennial international railway research conference generation, developing professional engineers and pro- l viding an international focus for innovation and technol- l A triennial railway accident investigation conference ogy transfer. This well-known UK based institution with Technical training courses branches and centres throughout much of the world, l I Mech E currently has 1,12,000 members in 140 countries Training the young experts and is one of the fastest-growing professional engineering The HQ-based activity is enhanced by seven RD Centres institutions. With seven industry-focussed divisions in- spread across the UK, providing up to 60 lectures and cluding automotive, aerospace and railway, plus 11 special other activities each year. The Centres also organise the interest groups, focus is directly upon specific engineering initial rounds of a Young Engineers’ Presentation compe- capabilities, like as at present on control, thermo-fluids tition, with the final in London. A very effective Young and tribology. Member’s committee organises a range of events tailored for new professional engineers in the rail industry, also ‘Railways in India are long-established. As requirements connects with other groups including the UK’s cross- and expectations of a modern railway become more disciplinary Young Rail Professionals. demanding it is essential that railway engineers are able to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date, via an The Railway Challenge, in which teams of university appropriate range of technical and professional resources.’ students or apprentices and graduates working in industry test their business knowledge, design ability and technical IMechE’s digital vision is to transform itself into a truly skills in a live test environment, is a recent initiative aimed digital engineering brand, developing engineers and the at young engineers. They are required to design and profession through the power of its network. Increasingly manufacture a miniature (10¼” gauge) locomotive in web-based material and webinars will become available accordance with set rules and a technical specification. to a world-wide audience, in addition to the access to its The teams compete to test their locomotive designs extensive technical library services, much of which is against a number of technical challenges at the end of already available on line. each academic year. The judges are senior industry leaders The India Branch and the students and graduates gain enormously from Launched in 2008 in response to the large body of pro- experiencing the challenges of a real engineering problem fessionally registered engineers and the dedication of the carried out under scrutiny and time pressures. local engineering community to continue developing RD and its associated centres can increasingly provide an their status, the India branch aims to: unrivalled package of informative and developmental provide professional, experienced, local points of contact resources for the professional railway engineers across l the globe. Raise awareness of the engineering profession and its l The Railway Unit (India) organizes seminars and confer- role in society ences, focusing upon driving membership growth and l Raise its general public profile providing professional support for the India railway

26 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 HRD IMechE engineering community. Recent ex- ‘Growth and transformation of pas- amples of railway specific activities senger railways with an Indian per- Special lectures are seminars on bogie dynamics and spective’; other technical lectures are strength analysis of rail vehicle struc- planned in Delhi, Lucknow and Jamalpur (IRIMEE) April 25 tures. Another event was a High Jamalpur. Lucknow (RDSO) April 27 Speed Rail seminar in Delhi, Oct’13, New Delhi (NRM) April 29 a high profile event with over 500 In addition, a key objective of the visit attendees organised by the Railways’ is to work out how the RD and the Speakers: Railways Unit might better collabo- Unit in collaboration with the Indian Chris Kinchin-Smith Institution of Rolling Stock Engineers. rate for the mutual benefit of railway Project Director, UK rail industry’s Long Term Passenger engineers. This is particularly timely Rolling Stock Strategy Collaboration with IR’s intentions to continue to Simon Iwnicki Synergies exist between the IMechE’s Professor of Railway Engineering and Director of the Institute make progress with expanding the of Railway Research, University of Huddersfield rail-related activities in the UK and capacity and capability of its infra- Entry Free India, but the RD and the Railways’ structure and services. In addition, an Unit have no direct connection within MoU signed between UK and Indian the Institution’s organisational struc- Prime Ministers makes specific men- ing engineers in India and the UK ture. Current RD Chairperson, Chris tion of technical co-operation in the together to share experiences, knowl- Kinchin-Smith and his predecessor rail sector. Prof. Simon Iwnicki will be visiting edge and practices and to promote India in April when Kinchin-Smith This IMechE initiative can help to railway engineering to the next tech- will present a keynote lecture on the pave the way for co-operation, bring- nology generation. Long term purchase contracting

In a decision of significant impact, IR has now authorized its linked to applicable indices, is permitted. Choices of the zones and production units to enter into supply contracts for purchase items to be covered, quantities and distribution up to three-year delivery (Long term contracting, LTC). between various approved vendors has been left to the tender Normally IR has restricted its purchase to annual cycles and committees. Firm contract for the first year plus rate contract- reluctant to order for longer periods. ing for the following two years is also permissible. New vendor IR authorization, issued in Jan 2016, is intended for ‘high development will be handled through separate tenders and value items of regular usage when there is no threat of obso- not as part of the LTC. lescence’. Purchase units can now issue contracts for supply of up to 80 % of the 3 year assessed quantity, with a delivery The process will apply to all IR functions even though, sur- schedule that can scale down from full quantity in the first prisingly, the illustrative list that can be so contracted does year, but limited to 80 % over three years. Price variation, not mention track, signalling and similar items.

Event

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 27 Track Construction Mechanised new track construction on DFC

carrying sleepers down to a laying mechanism which places the sleepers on the rolled and prepared ballast bed at a precise and pre-determined spacing.

l Gantries: A single operator self-propelled gantry keeps supplying the sleepers to the conveyor systems. The sleeper flat wagons are equipped with auxiliary rails which form a continuous running rail for the gantry to move on flat bedded wagons loaded with sleepers. Pivoting extensions between the wagons allow the gantry to operate on curves. After being dropped by the gantry, the sleepers move via the conveyor system on to the prepared ballast bed.

l Rail laying/threading unit: 260 m long rail is unloaded through a rail puller and laid along the prepared ballast bed. The NTC threads the rails on the sleepers through The new track construction train consist, now being deployed on the Eastern Freight Corridor, guides located at the rear end of the unit, driving them will speed up new projects and establish higher quality norms. (all pictures in this report are from the work sites) inwards. Final placing of the rail on the new sleepers is controlled by an operator who guides the rail pre- Construction of a double line corridor for 100 kph freight cisely on to the sleeper seat. is underway and about 70% alignment on Bhaupur-Khurja l Wagons: The formation includes wagons carrying rails (BK) section of the Eastern freight corridor (EDFC) is sleepers and fittings commensurate with the laying parallel to existing IR tracks and detours have been planned requirement for the day. On BK section, NTC machine at major stations. The formation is designed for a max formation moves with 22 BLC wagons with specially axle load of 32.5 t though track structure will initially be designed superstructure, carrying 12 X 260 m long rail for 25 t axle load. New technologies like mechanized track panels (1.56 km) and matching 2590 of 60 kg PSC laying with New Construction (NTC) machine, canted sleepers that is taken into section using a powered turnouts for 55 kph on loop line, rubberized surface at utility vehicle. level crossings to enable quick removal and placement for mechanized maintenance, friction buffer stops etc. are Base Depot being introduced for the first time. Mechanized track All the track components are stocked and transported from laying is being carried out with Harsco Rail’s NTC. a base depot, essentially a sub-yard with connection to nearest IR yard. one base depot for a length of 100- 120 Why mechanising km (three Base depots in 351 km) is designed. With increase in speeds and axle loads, the track structure 87 m long Rails are welded into 260 m rail panels at rail (60 kg rails and PSC sleepers) has become heavier. Length manufacturer’s facility and moved in rakes carrying 60 of rail panels has increased from 10 rail panel (130 m) to strings of 260 m rail panels (936 t, 7.8 km). 20 rail panel (260m) due to long welded rails and avoid- Essential features of a base depot: ance of field welds. The arduous task of laying these heavy track components led to advent of semi-mechanized l Three reception and dispatch lines. Yard designed to Manjul Mathur means like PQRS, which brought some respite. In the provide two exits for constructing two lines. An RCC Group General recent times efficient high performance machines like platform embedded with cross rails having capacity to Manager NTC have been developed bringing substantial ease and stack up to 15,000 t of 260 m long rails. Dedicated Freight efficiency in track construction. Process features include 21 x 2 t capacity synchronized overhead gantries for Corridor Corporation l integrated logistic arrangements for handling, movement unloading Rail panels and loading them on NTC for- and laying of heavy track components like 260 m long mation. rails and PSC sleepers. The NTC provides continuous action assembly-line kind of laying with high speed and l While a Goliath crane with sleeper lifting Grab capable accuracy, with output reaching 1.5 km a day. Such ma- to handle 60 sleepers at a time is being installed, pres- chines accelerate construction, help in careful handling ently the sleepers are loaded using Hydra cranes. Sleep- and placement of rails and sleepers, achieving high initial ers in NTC formation are loaded in three layers, each quality in track laying. having 40 sleepers. The machine consists l Earmarked area sufficient to hold about 70% of total Atul Khare requirement and for stacking of sleepers in layers, each Chief Project Truss frame: supported at one end by a specially mod- l not more than 25 sleepers. Manager, Tundla ified flat wagon running on the newly laid track and, at the other end, by a crawler running on the ballast l Workshop with essential machinery, repair and main- bed. The truss frame contains a conveyor system for tenance facilities.

28 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Track Construction

l A welding line and Mobile Flash butt welding unit for free rails into 260 m panels plus a weld testing laboratory. l Construction yard has to be in ac- tion round the clock to achieve a production of 1.5 km of skeleton track per day. l Covered stores. l Ballast stacking and loading ar- rangements Typical Activities l Unloading 13m/260 m rail panels from incoming rail rakes, with syn- l Preparation of ballast bed: The are then pulled up to the front end chronized overhead gantries and of the machine. The ends are then stacking them at nominated stack- ballast is spread to required width clamped using friction based web ing area. on finished formation, in two lay- ers each 100 mm thick. Each layer clamps having eye on one end l Welding of 13 m rails into 260 m is rolled and compacted using 8 t which is tied to pulling Dozer (325 long rail panels. roller. This provides initial uniform HP). Rail panel supported over rollers at every 6-10 m, is then l Loading 12 (6 pairs) of 260 m long ballast cushion of 200 mm. rail panels on NTC formation us- Transferring alignment on ballast gradually lowered on the ballast l bed. The subsequent rail panels ing same overhead gantry cranes bed: Using a Total Station, the are drawn by connecting their (usually 120- 150 minutes). centre line of alignment for guiding webs with the preceding one using the movement of NTC machine l Moving the formation to sleeper web based special friction rail is precisely marked on the pre- stacking area and loading 2590 clamps. The rail panels are unload- sleepers in layers, separated by pared ballast bed using lime pow- ed on both side at a lateral separa- wooden battens, using Hydra der. Machine is moved on the cen- tion of about 1700 mm leaving cranes. Each BLC wagon has three tre line marked on compacted bal- space for working of the NTC. layers of sleepers each layer, each last bed with a hand held remote Laying sleepers and threading rails: about 40 sleepers (10-12 hours’ control that steers the front end l NTC machine can be self- time). this loading time is expected crawler. propelled at speed of 15 kph while to reduce to 6-8 hours with the l Pulling out rail panels and spread- laying the track. The machine has commissioning of Goliath crane. ing on compacted bed: Ends of an on-board computerized Jupiter l Loaded material train is pushed first two rail panels loaded in ma- Control system (JCS) which into the section to be laid at a re- terial train are pulled and threaded brings precision and speed in lay- stricted speed of up to 30 kph, with into the roller lines on NTC ma- ing. The sleepers are picked up by two powered UTVs, piloted using chine with the rail puller arrange- moving gantries in the rear and walkie-talkie sets field activities ment on the machine and these brought up to conveyor belt.

Harsco Rail USA has formally exited in Feb- a strategic path to build capabilities locally. ruary 2016 a JV partnership with an Indian As part of Harsco Rail’s global strategy, India company and will operate as Harsco Track continues to be a key growth initiative. Machines and Services (HTMS). Harsco Rail started its India operations in 1988 through We will have one principal aim: provide de- a joint venture for track maintenance require- pendable, world class equipment and service ments and now plans to build upon their to help economically construct and maintain strong over 100-year heritage in the North track structures. Our growth plans include America market and state-of-art operation increasing the installed base and introduce facilities in UK, Australia and North America. new products including tampers, dynamic HARSCO Rail expects to use this foundation stabilizers, rail grinders and track inspection to grow further in Europe, China and India. vehicles. Swapan Kumar Maity Looking over last three decades, Indian rail Our employees average 30 years with the com- Managing Director industry has gone through significant trans- pany and in many cases more with the indus- formation and played a pivotal role in the try. Harsco Rail aspires to be an employer of overall infrastructure development. Under- choice for our employees, encouraging career standing the growing market needs, we took growth within the company.

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 29

Locomotives Dual power design Dual power loco offers limited scope

IR’s Diesel Loco Works and RDSO are reported to be commuter trains that have a significant portion under working on developing a concept design for a dual mode catenary and the rest without catenary. Instead of trans- main line loco (diesel plus 25 kV electric modes). Such- ferring passengers from one train to another, they wanted Dual Power vehicles have been used in number of situa- to provide a one-seat ride. tions, including tramways in congested inner city areas in the developed economies. For main line trains, this Bombardier offered a solution in the form of ALP45-DP, concept is sparingly used as in North America (since a loco based on ALP46 Electric locos delivered to NJT 1930). in 2001. The current RDSO concept is a loco based on the WDP4 NJT and AMT operate trains in unit formation, i.e. loco Doutline (DLW built, EMD design, dual cab)., RDSO on one end and non-powered cab on the other, in push- published a Functional Requirement Specifications in pull mode. Changing a loco would require swapping HEP March 2016 that matches closely to the North American connectors, MU cables and so on, a tedious job. None of variant ALP45-DP. RDSO earlier published a draft in these trains will operate with any more than 12-coaches. May 2015. Changing between diesel and electric modes is simple IR’s standard electric loco WAP7 has possible space for and does not interrupt head-end power. To change from installation of additional equipment & is being manufac- diesel to electric, driver engages the Pantograph Up switch. tured at CLW with indigenized control software. To change from electric to diesel, driver engages the Fault Reset button. In either case, changeover takes approxi- Additional equipment to be installed & interfaced: mately 100 seconds, and there is automated voice ac- l Diesel Alternator set: 2X1500kW, 3kV, 3-phase. knowledgement. No electrical modifications were re- quired for NJT’s existing cab control or trailer coaches; l Rectifier Unit with Integrated Converter 3 Kv, 3-phase in effect, the ALP-45DP is a “plug and play” locomotive. /2800 VDC, 800A. ALP45-DP operates in dual mode at 25kV 60 Hz, (as well Two Fuel tanks, 1,500 liters each. l as 12.5 kV 60 Hz, 12kV 25 Hz) or 2 Caterpillar 3516B l Existing Traction Power Converter & Auxiliary Con- Diesel Engines, delivering 5,360 hp in electric mode and verter will be replaced by Integrated version. 4,200 hp in diesel mode. This loco is different from a previous specification. Major Interestingly ALP45-DP is a Bombardier product and so differences are: are WAP5, WAP7 electric locos in IR. l Two diesel power plants instead of one EMD 16-710. Now about DC Link voltage. Each company overseas has her own design and each company has different DC Link l DC Link voltage at 2.8 kV. voltage. Coincidence or not, WAG9 has DC systems on l Axle load of 21.5 tons (21t previously). 2,800 V DC. WAG9 and WAP7 are siblings, rather twins. And ALP45-DP is younger sibling born to same parents. l Concise description of electrical components. ALP45-DP weighs 130.65 tons but has B0-B0 configura- l Specific on speed and hp under electric and under tion. With C0-C0 configuration, it means 21.77 tons that Prakash Tendulkar diesel traction. can be reduced by having smaller diesel fuel tanks. ( California,USA) Keen railway International examples A real need? technologist & enthusiast. New York's Penn Central station does not allow diesel The question that I have is whether IR really need Dual fumes so commuter railroads, including Amtrak uses dual Power locos to operate intercity express trains that operate power locos. Normally these locos would operate under on routes no longer than 250 km and mandatory restric- diesel power but would cover the last short distance using tion that diesel locos are not allowed at any terminus? third rail power. So the electrical power was supplementary The load expected by IR is 1,225 t or 20 coaches ALP45- rather than primary. DP is a custom built loco to meet specific needs on EMD FL9, GE P32AC-DM and EMD DM30AC are N. American railroads and part of cost is paid by public. some examples that operated last few miles using 750 V No other railroad has ordered it so far. DC third rail system. Design limitations also exist:IR does not have any depart- New Jersey NJT & Montreal (AMT) needed locos with ment, research lab or production unit that can design a more or less the same power under electric wires and main line loco from scratch. Their proven skills are limited without electric wires. Both railroads operate intercity to take a design from overseas, make changes to it.

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 31 Track Turnouts Getting the slow turnout to shed its laziness

may also witness an increase. A determined effort is need- ed now. A review and permission for the TO speed potential has the possibility of increasing average speeds by 5 to 15 kph (Switch) Stock Rails Crossing Running Rails Point Check Rails Blades Crossing Gap on typical pax trains. The turnout (TO) is a weak link in the railway track. With speed up to 130 kph (at present) Wing Rails and beyond (in future) and increased axle loads, IR has to go for better engineered and sturdier turnouts, as also Running Rails reduce recurring maintenance cost. Raising TO speeds Toe Heel can bring about huge saving in running time. Old IR track used wooden or steel sleepers at the turnouts, rails were of lesser cross section, ballast was inadequate, assembly of turnouts and maintenance was essentially manual. TO speeds were restricted to 10-15 kph but the standard now is of concrete sleepers, 52 to 60 kg/m rails, manganese

Typical turnout sketch, indicating parts steel crossings and modern tamping machines working on full ballast beds. These TOs are capable (theoretically) There is a “cry” for high speed. The average speeds that of achieving 50 kph, but IR has so far permitted only 30 an IR passenger gets ranges from a mere 35 kph on stop- kph. ping trains to a max of 80 kph on Shatabdi like trains. A turnout consists of a pair of points (or switches) and a Even as efforts for increasing the max speeds (mostly at track crossing to enable railway vehicle to run without 110 kph) are hardly visible, a latent potential for increasing interruption from one track to another. average speeds has also been neglected. Considering improvements in track structures, signalling and mecha- TO is a curve nized maintenance, IR needs to look at the speeds per- and speeds are reduced over the maximum due to: mitted on track turnouts (TO) and increase these from the current 30 kph to say 50 kph. This seems feasible l Kink in the turnout route at the toe of switch rail (angle without substantial investments but with a management between the gauge planes of switch and stock rails). perseverance and attention to detail. Mitigation: minimize the angle. A turnout, feature of the track-structure for diverting a l Entry from straight to curve without transition; the rail vehicle between routes should ideally permit the max permissible speed has to be restricted so that maximum section speed. This ideal requirement cannot be fulfilled permissible cant deficiency is not exceeded. due to a sort of discontinuity in the track and the turnouts Entry into lead curve without super-elevation and this presents a bottleneck in increasing average speed. l Through running trains lose time when these have to l Entry from curve to straight without transition negotiate turnouts at stations, or accessing a stop like a platform. Compared to turnouts in more advanced net- l E-gap at the crossing: there is usually no restriction of works, those on IR are restrictive, partly due to lack of speed over the straight path, the speed being limited concern for average speeds. by the standard of signal interlocking. For speed be- yond 200 kph, movable nose crossing is adopted. The weak link Above 85,000 turnouts populate the IR network and Other limitations of conventional turnouts include that about 30,000 may be on concrete (PSC) sleepers. Such of twist in track due to tongue rails being 6 mm higher TOs are likely to go up continuously & speed over these than the stock rail, introducing twist. Curved switches, manufactured out of ordinary rails, are thinner and longer than the straight switches, are more flexible, tips are Estimated time loss for a typical train due to restrictive turnout speeds, susceptible to damage and show a tendency to excessive one location (in minutes) vibrations under traffic. Built-up crossings are non- Additional time loss monolithic in nature and relative movement of various Max speed Speed over Initial time loss for each for one loop components causes wear; this is corrected by use of mono- (kph) TO (kph) 100 m (say 700 m length) block manganese steel castings. 105 75 1.2 0.04 1.48 Viable solutions The permissible speed over the turnout is the minimum 50 1.8 0.06 2.22 of the three limitations due to non-transitioning and non- 30 2.95 0.12 3.79 canting of lead curve and to obtain desirable values of lateral forces and acceleration at entry, the most critical 15 4.8 0.24 6.48 consideration.

32 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Track Turnouts

Speed potential on various TO types(typical values) Type @kph 1 in 8 1/2 with straight switch 10 1 in 12 with conventional curved switch 40 1 in 12 to with improved / thick web switch 50 1 in 16 with curved switch 65 1 in 20 with curved switch 85 1 in 16 symmetrical split with curved switch 75 There is a “cry” for high speed. The (TO) is a weak link in the railway and speeds are reduced over the max- average speeds that an IR passenger track. With speed up to 130 kph (at imum due to: gets ranges from a mere 35 kph on present) and beyond (in future) and Kink in the turnout route at the stopping trains to a max of 80 kph on increased axle loads, IR has to go for l toe of switch rail (angle between Shatabdi like trains. Even as efforts better engineered and sturdier turn- the gauge planes of switch and for increasing the max speeds (mostly outs, as also reduce recurring mainte- stock rails). Mitigation: minimize at 110 kph) are hardly visible, a latent nance cost. Raising TO speeds can the angle. potential for increasing average bring about huge saving in running speeds has also been neglected. Con- time. Old IR track used wooden or l Entry from straight to curve with- sidering improvements in track struc- steel sleepers at the turnouts, rails out transition; the permissible tures, signalling and mechanized were of lesser cross section, ballast speed has to be restricted so that maintenance, IR needs to look at the was inadequate, assembly of turnouts maximum permissible cant defi- speeds permitted on track turnouts and maintenance was essentially man- ciency is not exceeded. (TO) and increase these from the ual. TO speeds were restricted to 10- Entry into lead curve without su- current 30 kph to say 50 kph. This 15 kph but the standard now is of l per-elevation seems feasible without substantial concrete sleepers, 52 to 60 kg/m rails, investments but with a management manganese steel crossings and mod- l Entry from curve to straight with- perseverance and attention to detail. ern tamping machines working on full out transition ballast beds. These TOs are capable A turnout, feature of the track- E-gap at the crossing: there is usu- (theoretically) of achieving 50 kph, l structure for diverting a rail vehicle ally no restriction of speed over but IR has so far permitted only 30 between routes should ideally permit the straight path, the speed being kph. the max section speed. This ideal re- limited by the standard of signal quirement cannot be fulfilled due to A turnout consists of a pair of points interlocking. For speed beyond a sort of discontinuity in the track and (or switches) and a track crossing to 200 kph, movable nose crossing is the turnouts and this presents a bot- enable railway vehicle to run without adopted. tleneck in increasing average speed. interruption from one track to anoth- Through running trains lose time er. Other limitations of conventional when these have to negotiate turnouts turnouts include that of twist in track TO is a curve at stations, or accessing a stop like a due to tongue rails being 6 mm higher platform. Compared to turnouts in Permissible speeds in kph for various types of turnouts calculated on more advanced networks, those on criteria non-transitioning of lead curve and non-provision of super- IR are restrictive, partly due to lack elevation on lead curve of concern for average speeds. Turnout Switch angle non- non-provision of The weak link transitioning super-elevation Above 85,000 turnouts populate the IR network and about 30,000 may be 1 in 8.5 (straight switch) 1° 34’ 27” 43.6 35.8 on concrete (PSC) sleepers. Such TOs are likely to go up continuously 1 in 8.5 (curved switch) 0° 47’ 27” 45 36 & speed over these may also witness 1 in 12 (straight switch) 1° 8’ 0” 68 50 an increase. A determined effort is needed now. 1 in 12 (curved switch) 0° 27’ 35” 69.4 51 A review and permission for the TO 1 in 16 0° 24’ 27” 95.4 68.8 speed potential has the possibility of increasing average speeds by 5 to 15 1 in 16 (sym. Split) 0° 12’ 13” 138 97 kph on typical pax trains. The turnout 1 in 20 0° 24’ 27” 122 86.4

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 33 Nostalgia Mail Trains The death of the mail train

red livery and had special sorting desks built in. Unsorted mail was loaded into these coaches and RMS staff sorted the mail on the move, dropping these off at scheduled stops. It was also possible to mail letters or parcels at the RMS coach (that would get a special RMS postmark). The use of such RMS coaches has decreased considerably, and today no sorting is done on the run. Mail is still carried on mail trains and other trains of course, although a separate RMS coach or mail coach may not be used and the mail may be part of the other parcel freight. Often an unreserved general coach is used for the carriage of mail, with (sometimes) a small sign saying 'RMS' hung from a window. Quarter-, half-, and three-quarter-size postal vans were commonly seen, with a portion of the coach used for mail and the rest for parcels. When steam was the king, and the queen, and everything else. The Frontier Mail, Bombay to Amritsar, was the flag bearer for railways in India. In 2004 postal vans made a comeback, with about 25 new In the days when rail was the king of transport in India, ones put in service. These are equipped with swivel chairs mail trains carried bags of post to be delivered at interme- and a table area for postal workers, various enclosures for diate stations and special contracts existed with the De- holding mail packets, and a packet-sealing area with a partment of Posts. In many cases post was the main or chimney for affixing seals on packages. only reason for running these ‘mail’ trains. Generally, the trains departed in the evening after the day's postal service On to the marquee trains the Punjab (Howrah-Amritsar) closed. On many well-known routes, mail trains preceded Mail ran on to Lahore before the 1947 partition. the express trains. The well-known mail trains built their Frontier Mail (superfast between Bombay Central and reputation for speed and punctuality as these were accord- Delhi only) used a cream-brown livery. ed a high priority in scheduling over all other trains. It was almost unthinkable in British days for a mail train to Kalka Mail (Howrah and Delhi, on to Kalka) carried a be delayed to let another train pass; there are anecdotal cream-brown livery. Run by the East Indian Railway stories of mail trains accorded priority even over troop Company, the train (numbered 1 Up / 2 Dn) began and material trains during the world wars. operation between Calcutta and Delhi in 1866 as the "East Indian Railway Mail" with its run extended to Kalka Today mail trains don't necessarily carry mail (some still in 1891. The train was the principal mode of travel for do), many are really quite slow, but most retain the names British civil servants as they moved to their summer capital from those years. Bangalore mail, Howrah mail, Boat mail in Shimla from Calcutta. The government machinery (carried mails to Danushkodi on transfer by boats to Sri travelled at the start of the summer, returning by the Kalka Lanka) were so named. Conversely, some trains that don't Mail at the end of summer. Both Howrah &Kalka, had carry the 'mail' designation carried post (Bikaner, Dehra- internal carriageways running along the platform so that dun Express etc.). Today Mail and express trains are the Viceroy and other high-ranking officers could drive considered together as one class to distinguish them from right up to their rail coaches. The carriageway at Howrah the slower stopping passenger trains The designation (between Platforms 8 and 9) is still used but the carriage- 'M/E' still survives in IR lingo. It is no longer possible to way at Kalka has been converted into a platform. Satyajit mail a letter at the RMS coach on the train, although RMS Ray, the Indian film director and writer who featured the post-boxes may be found at stations. train in a short story ‘The Mystery of the Kalka Mail’ Up to the '50s the fastest broad gauge mail was the Cal- (Baksho Rahasya) when the three main characters travel cutta Mail and the fastest meter gauge was the Boat Mail from Calcutta to Kalka on the train. (‘Shades of Murder to Dhanuskodi. Today, the fastest mail is probably the on the Orient Express’). erstwhile Frontier Mail (now the Golden Temple Mail). Bombay - Howrah Mail (via Nagpur, on SER route) used New mail trains have not been introduced in recent dec- a red-black livery - red on top and bottom, black across ades, the Tinsukia Mail introduced in 1972 was perhaps windows surrounded by two yellow bands. Later on, this the last one. was changed to green-white. Those red coaches The Golden Temple Mail between Mumbai Central and These trains carried a separate coach, the RMS (Railway Amritsar ran as the Frontier Mail between 1928 and 1996, Mail Service). The name "mail train " doesn’t have much ferrying passengers arriving by Steamer from Europe of relevance now. directly from Ballard Pier in Bombay to Peshawar on These coaches stood out with their bright orange or fire- India's North-West Frontier. The train derived its name

34 Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 Nostalgia Mail Trains

In the days when rail was the king of mails to Danushkodi on transfer by name "mail train " doesn’t have much transport in India, mail trains carried boats to Sri Lanka) were so named. of relevance now. bags of post to be delivered at inter- Conversely, some trains that don't These coaches stood out with their mediate stations and special contracts carry the 'mail' designation carried bright orange or fire-red livery and post (Bikaner, Dehradun Express existed with the Department of Posts. had special sorting desks built in. Un- etc.). Today Mail and express trains In many cases post was the main or sorted mail was loaded into these are considered together as one class only reason for running these ‘mail’ coaches and RMS staff sorted the mail to distinguish them from the slower trains. Generally, the trains departed on the move, dropping these off at stopping passenger trains The desig- in the evening after the day's postal scheduled stops. It was also possible nation 'M/E' still survives in IR lingo. service closed. On many well-known to mail letters or parcels at the RMS It is no longer possible to mail a letter routes, mail trains preceded the ex- coach (that would get a special RMS at the RMS coach on the train, al- press trains. The well-known mail postmark). The use of such RMS trains built their reputation for speed though RMS post-boxes may be found at stations. coaches has decreased considerably, and punctuality as these were accord- and today no sorting is done on the ed a high priority in scheduling over Up to the '50s the fastest broad gauge run. Mail is still carried on mail trains all other trains. It was almost unthink- mail was the Calcutta Mail and the and other trains of course, although able in British days for a mail train to fastest meter gauge was the Boat Mail a separate RMS coach or mail coach be delayed to let another train pass; to Dhanuskodi. Today, the fastest may not be used and the mail may be there are anecdotal stories of mail mail is probably the erstwhile Frontier part of the other parcel freight. Often trains accorded priority even over Mail (now the Golden Temple Mail). an unreserved general coach is used troop and material trains during the New mail trains have not been intro- for the carriage of mail, with (some- world wars. duced in recent decades, the Tinsukia times) a small sign saying 'RMS' hung Mail introduced in 1972 was perhaps Today mail trains don't necessarily from a window. the last one. carry mail (some still do), many are Quarter-, half-, and three-quarter-size really quite slow, but most retain the Those red coaches postal vans were commonly seen, names from those years. Bangalore These trains carried a separate coach, with a portion of the coach used for mail, Howrah mail, Boat mail (carried the RMS (Railway Mail Service). The mail and the rest for parcels.

150 years of Kalka Mail

some value added service. Perhaps refurbished coaches of the type introduced in Varanasi-New Delhi train inaugurated by our PM,would have been befitting. It seems the ceremony was never planned with confidence of IR core management in Railway Board and was hurriedly planned by ER for publicity reasons. The train over the years has lost its prestige and importance. Today it does not receive priority in running and often dealt at par with a slow moving passenger train. Even the coaches are not relatively new. The service and punctuality of the train has deteriorated. The importance shown to the train on Eastern Railway is not same as that shown over East Central and North Central and North- ern Railways who perhaps have their own priorities. It is indeed a good gesture by Eastern Railway to publicize and celebrate modestly the 150 years of running of Kalka Mail. Even the train starting from Howrah on its 150th year of As seen from media reports the train was decorated with running was late in Delhi by 2.5 hrs and at Kalka by almost flowers and balloons both inside and outside the coaches and 3.5 hrs. The down train ex Kalka on 1st January was late by a cake was cut by high officials. over 5 hrs in Howrah. IR could not ensure even punctual running of the train on a historic day. Besides such décor and photo ops for media, ER did not really give anything special to passengers. A more befitting tribute While 150 years were celebrated by railways with photo shots to this prestigious train would have been to introduce LHB and media reports, a traveller was dealt with like any other rakes, rake by rake as was done for Poorva express and add day and had no memorable experience to remember. (... PK Chatterjee)

Rail Business [Focus-India] March 2016 35