Frontiers of Blockchain for Railways

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to provide the reader with the application of blockchain technology in railway system. As the focus of this book is Big Data and Service Operations Management, it is pertinent to understand Big data-blockchain relationship first before we can delve into Railway service operations and application. We begin by linking Big Data and Blockchain, followed by studying blockchain applications in various sectors, in order to provide a solid foundational understanding of the same. Thereafter, we set the context of Indian Railways, moving on to a structured understanding of the railway service and blockchain applications. followed by creating a specific provenance framework followed by conclusion, limitation. Big data signifies a novel technology paradigm for data that are generated at high velocity and high volume, and with high variety. The significance of Blockchain technology has drastically enhanced with the advent of Big Data because blockchain technology can help in recording and storing data for long duration. These technologies are envisioned as a game changer capable of revolutionizing the business drastically. Blockchain which is essentially a ‘distributed ledger’ has found applications in the financial and supply chain space. The value derived through this technology is in terms of transparency, veracity, track ability, traceability and auditing. The possibility of transparent information that can be traced to the origin of materials and processes and operations which are shared on blockchain ledger can provide product provenance, chain of custody and authenticity. Transport is an important service and represents the essence of service operations management. Railways is an eco-system. It provides a service that is asset intensive which has its own challenges in terms of maintenance and infrastructure. At the same time there are service concerns in terms of human safety and comfort. This provides a complex eco-system to work with. Blockchain as a digital tool intervention providing transparency, provenance and auditability can enhance the performance of the system This study attempts to create a model to understand the contribution of blockchain in the Indian Railway system.KeywordsBlockchainRailwaysService OperationsProvenance