Indian Railways Research Articles

Bias in the Algorithm: Issues Raised Due to Use of Facial Recognition in India

From helping you and me unlock our smartphones with a mere glance to enabling the police to identify criminals via CCTV footage, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered face recognition technology (FRT) is rapidly advancing by the day. According to reports, the Indian Railways will install FRT-based video surveillance systems in 983 railway stations across the country to ramp up security. However, the accuracy and reliability of FRT depend on the quality of the input images, the algorithms used and the size and quality of the reference database. Due to the scope for major imbalances in these elements, these algorithms have been found to be biased—largely against minority communities and women, thereby exacerbating already prevalent forms of societal discrimination. Scrutinising key research studies that collectively expose racial and gender bias prevalent in widely adopted FRT tools in the United States as well as India, this article analyses how bias and inaccuracy of these tools have led to poor outcomes and raised concerns when deployed by law enforcement agencies in India. Furthermore, this article traces the historical context of these biases and proposes debiasing measures that go beyond balancing datasets.

Accident Prevention of BOXN Wagon Train

The safety and efficiency of railway freight transportation are critical to the functioning of many national economies, and India is no exception. BOXN wagons, widely used in the Indian railway system for transporting heavy goods such as coal, minerals, and other bulk materials, are essential for supporting industries across the country. However, due to their size, weight, and the volume of cargo they carry, these wagons are prone to accidents if not properly managed. Accidents involving BOXN trains can result in severe consequences, including loss of life, damage to property, and environmental degradation. One of the biggest and most significant industries in the world is the Indian goods railway sector. It is essential for the transportation of materials and goods across the nation. Indian Railways seeks to shorten commute times by boosting the average freight train speed efficiently from 22 mph to 50 mph. The adoption of new technologies is anticipated to have positive effects on the Indian goods railway sector as well. Smart Innovations, for instance, smart goods cars and digital signaling can contribute to reducing train accidents and help to increase railroad productivity using smart mobility.

Performance Analysis of Indian Railway Zones using MCDM Approaches

The study aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Indian Railways (IR), a public sector infrastructural organization, through a performance analysis using various Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods. Analyzing the Indian Railway’s open data, the study optimizes and ranks the zones of IR, offering insights for targeted investments to boost future performance. This research holds value by furnishing managerial perspectives, formulating strategies, and elevating the performance of different zones within Indian Railways. Through the identification of improvement areas, the analysis empowers decision-making, facilitating overall enhanced performance. MCDM, Indian Railways, Supply and demand, Data analysis.

A Security Framework for Railway Platform Development

The different modes of transport are air, water, and land transport, in which land transport includes rail transport, road transport and off-road transport. Most commonly using transport system are Roadways, Railways and Airways. In these frequently we use the railways, because it is cheaper and it is more convenient than other transport systems. The third largest railway network in the world is Indian railway network. But the accident’s occurs in the railways is higher. Mostly the accidents in the railway station occur between the railway platform and to the train, because of the platform gap. The platform gap is the gap exists between the train and to the platform. To avoid these accidents that the Indian government come with an indicative to increase the height of the platform. But it is not easy job to increase the height. At the time of working we cannot access the platforms. By applying my project it is easy to avoid the accidents as well as we can use the platform too. A human fall down in the gap exist between the platform and to the train can be totally avoided by introducing Mechanical platform edge extensions known as platform gap fillers which is used to bridge the gap between platform and to the train. This is more useful in the case of safeguard the human life and also it is cheaper than the cost which is involved for increase the height of the platform. In this regard the safety barrier setup present at the bottom of the platform will be automatically uplifted with the help of sensor, so the platform gap is closed with the safety barrier. And then it will retract again into the bottom at the platform after leaving the station. By this project the platform gap accidents can be avoided.

A Lexical Study on the Acquired Meanings of Selected English Words Used by Indian Railways

This study aims to investigate how the English Language used by the Indian Railways is different from other registers of English, and most importantly what is the effect of this register of English upon the common people. In other words, the present study aims at viewing the variety of language used by the Indian Railway as an independent register. For the purpose of investigation, a stylistic analysis is carried out. The data for the current study are collected from the platform, directives at railway premises and inside the railway-coaches. Platform announcements have been collected from various railway stations across the country. Some amount of data has been collected from the directives inside the railway coaches.

The Epidemic Diseases Act (1897): A study of international and domestic pressures on British epidemic policy formation in India.

The Epidemic Diseases Act (EDA) was enacted in February 1897 by the Government of India to prevent and control the spread of the plague. Since then, the Act has become a key legal tool for the control of epidemics/pandemics in India. We attempted to understand the international and domestic pressures that led to the adoption of the EDA in three ways. First, we analyse the legislative structure (Bombay Municipal Act of 1888, Indian Railways Act of 1890, and Act I of 1870) that dealt with infectious or contagious diseases in colonial India before the EDA came into force. Second, we focus on the linkages between international and domestic pressures that necessitated the adoption of the EDA. Third, we analyse the discussions of the Council of the Governor General of India on the bill titled 'A Bill to Provide for the better prevention of the spread of Dangerous Epidemic Diseases', which later became the Epidemic Diseases Act No. III of 1897. We situate the EDA in an international context of International Sanitary Conferences, quarantine, trade concerns, and pilgrimage to Mecca in order to understand the pressures that impacted British epidemic policy formation in colonial India.

Calibration and validation of a national transport computable general equilibrium model for economic impact assessment

Infrastructure investments are being undertaken to improve efficiency, economic activity, and growth. Therefore, policy makers are increasingly looking for modelling tools that can evaluate the impact of transport infrastructure on the economy, firms and households from the lens of economic activity and equity. We have developed a large scale national CGE model for India that is calibrated to economic data as well as validated to data observed from the Indian Railways. The novelty of this work lies in three main areas (1) The CGE model incorporates multi-modal transport with road and rail (2) It is the largest model developed so far with 33 regions, 29 industries, 312,530 kms of highways and 126,366 km of Railways (3) Validation of the CGE model. The CGE model was able to predict the tonnage freighted on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor to within 3.9 % accuracy. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Network (DFC) contributes a 2.94 % increase in the revenue for the railways as well as a 0.08 % increase in GDP. This implies that DFC can directly contribute INR 160 billion to the 2019 GDP. The CGE model distributed the benefits of faster and cheaper alternatives to the entire economy. This was observed during the evaluation of the road projects that were found to improve GDP, household welfare and rail revenue for rail, as well as improved equity.

Evaluating the influence of ambient conditions in the cooking space of railway pantry car using selected thermal indices and physiological parameter.

Hot and humid indoor environment of the kitchen affects worker performance. The Indian Railway's pantry car culinary is one of them that cooks food for the on-board passengers, which could be bothered by the hot indoor climate. The current study aimed to identify the indoor working environment of the railway "pantry car" using heat stress indices such as "Universal Thermal Climate Index-UTCI," "Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature-WBGT," "Discomfort Index-DI," "Tropical Summer Index-TSI," "Heat Index-HI," and Heart Rate-HR with clothing insulation. METHODS: The study was performed in 2018 (August-summer season) to collect field survey data on 6 railway pantry cars. Measurements were carried out during peak cooking times such as morning "7 : 00 am", day "11 : 30 am", evening "4 : 00 pm," and night "6 : 30 pm". This study's descriptive and Pearson's correlation analysis was accomplished using SPSS version 2016 software. The analysis results revealed that the average values were for UTCI (37.77±5.26°C), WBGT (30.42±2.28°C), DI (30.05±2.70°C), TSI (33.21±2.90°C), HI (48.53±4.86°C), correspondingly. During analysis, the strongest correlation association was observed between "TSI and DI" (r = 0.985, p < 0.000) and WBGT and TSI (r = 0.958, p < 0.000). A "significant correlation" was found between UTCI and HI (r = 0.637, p < 0.05). While no signification correlation was found between "heat stress indices and physiological parameters (p > 0.05)". In this study, all the heat stress index limit values showed highly harsh working conditions inside the pantry car, which created unfavorable circumstances for the culinarians. Inappropriate "ventilation design" could be a reason for discomfort in the railway pantry car.

Evaluation of Indian Railway’s Supply Chain Parameters for Improved Sustainability Under Industry 4.0 Transformation: An Application of AHP and TOPSIS

Indian Railways (IR) is India’s major public transportation system and one of the world’s largest and busiest rail networks. The Indian government is in charge of owning and running it. This paper presents an alternative approach to measuring the overall operational performance of the Indian Railway supply chain. The operation of Indian railways from a supply chain perspective needs to be analyzed to improve customer service and inventory management.Industry 4.0 is used for the easy processing of individual transportation components efficiently and safely. The study is useful for the Indian Railways because it enables the classification of various issues related to government procurement. A supply chain model is proposed to assess service expectations and quality. Various issues (such as the integration system, financial behavior, and management perspective) related to supply chain management have been identified, and various factors affecting availability, railway service quality, and reliability have been analyzed for managing its supply chain. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS have been used to examine inventory-related difficulties and make recommendations for the public procurement environment. The result of the AHP method showed that Model 1 (Integration System) has the highest Max_C_weight of 0.5348, followed by Model 2 (Financial Behavior, 0.381695) and Model 3 (Management Perspective, 0.399443). The consistency ratio (CR) for all three models was also less than 0.1. Further, the TOPSIS method was used to validate the accuracy of AHP results and found that the model is significant. This result will help the decision-makers at Indian Railways design an assessment and relationship management model that will help them make procurement the driving force behind their supply chain.As per COP27, Industry 4.0 will help to achieve net zero emissions. The net carbon emissions will be reduced to zero, which will result in a clean environment.To improve sustainability within the framework of the Industry 4.0 transition, the research aimed to evaluate the Indian Railway’s supply chain metrics. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) are methodologies used in this assessment.

Evaluating the resource orchestration of evolving disruptive technologies within ecosystem-based business models: evidence from the Indian railways

Evaluating the resource orchestration of evolving disruptive technologies within ecosystem-based business models: evidence from the Indian railways

Anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among loco pilots of Indian Railways.

The job of loco pilots of Indian Railways is very demanding as they are responsible for operating locomotives and ensuring the safe and timely transportation of people and goods across the vast and diverse landscape of the country. So, they are prone to various mental health issues. To study anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among loco pilots of Indian Railways and to study their correlation with various work-related factors. This cross-sectional study included 53 loco pilots recruited by convenience sampling from three railway stations under the Kota Division of Indian Railways. Prior permission from the Institutional Ethical Committee was taken. After obtaining informed consent, loco pilots were evaluated on Hamilton scales for Anxiety and Depression and Perceived stress scale 10. The mean age of participants was 32.01 ± 6.15 years. They were working for an average of 61.01 ± 19.12 hours per week. The majority of them were assistant loco pilots and were operating goods trains. 26.41%, 20.76%, and 13.20% had mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively. Likewise, 30.19% and 5.66% had mild and moderate depression, respectively. Also, 33.97%, 50.94%, and 15.09% of loco pilots had low, moderate, and high perceived stress, respectively. Age, working hours, and years of work experience did not correlate significantly with anxiety and depression scores. A significant positive correlation of perceived stress score was found with average working hours per week (P = 0.012). The magnitude of psychiatric problems among loco pilots was found to be significant and hence needed to be addressed. Also, further exploration of factors contributing to these mental health issues is required.

Emotional bureaucrats: The paradox of Weberian bureaucracy and emotions in the Indian Railways

Emotional bureaucrats: The paradox of Weberian bureaucracy and emotions in the Indian Railways

Variation of the Groundwater Table within Indian Railway Embankments in Consideration of Climate Change

Variation of the Groundwater Table within Indian Railway Embankments in Consideration of Climate Change

Railway Service Dynamics: Factors Shaping Customer Satisfaction in Indian Railways

This paper explores how customer satisfaction and service quality are perceived in the context of Indian Railways, focusing on factors that significantly influence passenger experiences. Drawing from both extensive literature and empirical data collected through a structured questionnaire from 305 respondents in Vijayawada, the study identifies key elements such as punctuality, cleanliness, ticketing procedures, staff behavior, and overall service reliability. Analysis using ANOVA reveals varying impacts of these factors on customer satisfaction across different service dimensions. While punctuality and staff behavior emerged as significant influencers, amenities like seating comfort and digital services showed less impact. Managerial implications highlight the importance of customer-centric strategies, staff training, and infrastructure improvements to enhance service quality and passenger satisfaction. The study concludes with suggestions for future research, emphasizing the need for exploring additional variables and conducting longitudinal studies to track changes in customer perceptions over time. This research not only enriches understanding of service quality in Indian Railways but also offers insights applicable to global transportation systems.

Advanced Automation Detection of Cracks in Railway Tracks

Abstract: India’s transportation infrastructure relies heavily identification. The integration of IR sensors enables the early detection of cracks on the track surface, allowing for the timely identification of potential structural weaknesses, on the Indian Railways, which serves as a major means of long-distance travel for millions. Nevertheless, the discoveryof cracks on railway tracks still poses serious problems that can compromise safety if not addressed. This paper thereforedescribes a path-breaking effort towards a strong crack detection mechanism in railways. Our unique way involves integrating infrared (IR) sensors for crack detection and ultrasound sensors for object detection to entirely change track monitoring thereby enhancing railway safety and maintenance efficiency. The system presented is able to detect any possible hazards within targeted area thus leading to prevention-based action through proactive maintenance; italso reduces cases of accidents as early detections helps in minimizing their chances of occurrence by making use of real-time data from these sensors. Our method demonstratesits effectiveness through experiments, showing that it can detect both cracks and blocking objects on the train tracks, hence contributing towards better rail safety systems while offering a promising direction for pre- emptive maintenanceprograms and risk control strategies. Our study proposes an innovative remedy for the current issue of security inclusion along railway tracks. Withthis combination involving IRs as well as ultrasonic sensors, our device has fulltime surveillance applications so that they are able to intervene timely before accidents are caused by this malfunctioning parts of the locomotive engines.

Navigating career satisfaction and employee well-being: a study of indian railway employees in the south central railway division

Navigating career satisfaction and employee well-being: a study of indian railway employees in the south central railway division

Evaluating the inhibitors in the growth of high-speed railway in India: A multi-stakeholder perspective

The expansion of the high speed railway (HSR) network has made vital contributions in improving intercity travel around the globe. Despite being promoted by governments across the globe, multiplicity of barriers has prevented the penetration of HSR services in developing economies apart from China. Many studies have emphasized on the advantages of HSR services but have failed to highlight the challenges in developing an efficient HSR network. This study aims to identify and develop interrelationships between the major inhibitors in the growth of HSR in a developing economy such as India considering the perspective of multiple stakeholders. The stakeholders considered for the present study are academic researchers, Indian railway officials and ancillary companies involved in the construction of HSR. Thirteen major inhibitors are identified after consulting all the stakeholders and a blended methodology consisting of Fuzzy theory as well as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method (Fuzzy-DEMATEL) is used to develop the inter-relationships. All stakeholders highlighted some common inhibitors such as financial viability of the HSR project, financial health of Indian Railways and the existing infrastructure as the major challenges in growth of HSR in India. Furthermore, strategies have been identified to mitigate these inhibitors to help the policy makers. Strategies have been proposed and a relationship (inhibitor-strategy) matrix has been developed to understand the acceptability of these strategies. The major contribution of the present study is that no study has considered different stakeholder's perspectives in identifying the inhibitors. Furthermore, the policy makers can directly use the findings of this study for HSR growth in developing economies.

Predicting the Severity of Accidents at Highway Railway Level Crossings of the Eastern Zone of Indian Railways using Logistic Regression and Artificial Neural Network Models

Predicting the Severity of Accidents at Highway Railway Level Crossings of the Eastern Zone of Indian Railways using Logistic Regression and Artificial Neural Network Models

Rethinking Technology Transfer in a Colonial Milieu: Railways and Shifting Meanings of Travel in Late Colonial India

ABSTRACT The article reappraises nature of technology transfer in a colonial context by underlining how the colonised mediated and shaped what was ostensibly an imposition by the imperial administration. This wider point is illustrated by demonstrating the ways in which in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, different groups of Indians used newly introduced railways to reconceptualise meanings of travel by adding new categories of travel while significantly modifying the extant ones. Crucially deviating from both ‘technology as imperialism’ and ‘technology as subversion’ historiographical paradigms, this article argues for a more nuanced appraisal of technology transfer, especially emphasising the role of users in shaping the impact of technology. Examining a diverse range of sources, viz., railway records (Annual Railway Reports and railway passenger statistics), newspaper reports and travelogues and pamphlets written by Indian railway travellers, the article claims Indians not only mediated the impact of trains on travel in late colonial India; but they shaped the outcome of this technology transfer in ways that reveals agency and remarkable involvement with a new mode of transit. In short, the article demonstrates dynamic interaction between imperial policies and responses of the colonised through the lens of technology transfer.

Cost Analysis and Prediction of Railroad Level Crossing Accidents for Indian Railways

With the tremendous increase in the number of vehicles, the dense traffic created can lead to accidents and fatalities. In a traffic system, the costs for accidents are immeasurable. Numerous studies have been carried out to predict the cost of fatal accidents but have provided the actual values. Therefore, in this study, a monkey-based modular neural system (MbMNS) is developed to identify accident cost. The accident cases and cost data were collected and preprocessed to remove the noise, and the required features were extracted using the spider monkey function. Based on the extracted features, the accidents and the costs were identified. For rail engineering, this will support evaluating the number of railroad crossing accidents with different time intervals. The impact of every accident was also measured with different cost analysis constraints, including insurance, medical, and legal and administrative costs. Therefore, the present study contributes to the field by collecting and organizing the present railroad level crossing accident data from crossing inventory dashboards. Then, the introduction of a novel MbMNS for the cost analysis is the primary contribution of this study to further enrich the railroad level crossing protection system. The third contribution is the tuning of the prediction layer of a modular neural network to the desired level to achieve the highest predictive exactness score. Hence, the designed MbMNS was tested in the Python environment, and the results were validated with regard to recall, accuracy, F-measure, precision, and error values; a comparative analysis was also conducted to confirm the improvement. The novel MbMNS recorded high accuracy of 96.29% for accident and cost analysis, which is better than that reported for other traditional methods.