Reliability Modeling of Railway Signaling System by Markov Process

Abstract

Railway signaling system is the most important system for efficient and reliable operation of trains. The signaling systems are divided into subsystems, namely signal unit, track unit, and point-and-point machine. Further, the reliability, availability, and maintainability of signaling system and subsystems are required for safe operation. The study uses Markov process to gauge the reliability of the system and subsystem. Markov process is a mathematical technique that undergoes transitions from one state to another, between a finite or countable number of possible states. Then, a case study was developed in one of the busiest tracks in eastern India. The data obtained was used to analyze the reliability pattern of three signaling subsystems. Special attention in relation to maintenance and inspection activities and logistics support is required to improve the reliability and maintainability of signaling subsystems and system, so as to make the railway signaling system sustainable in long run. The Indian Railway (IR) on an average carries 22 million passengers a day. It is estimated that IR solid waste generated at major railway stations across the country is nearly 670 tons per day (TPD) (or 245,000 TPY). Thus, efficient and reliable signaling system is necessary to reduce the waste generation at the station as waste generation at the station is directly proportional to the time it is waiting in the station/line. Thus, efficient signaling will make the station/line cleaner.