RATES BRANCH SOFTWARE - PREPARATION OF DATA

Introduction

The success of working of this system is highly dependent on the accuracy of data that is input. The individual Railways have to maintain and update the data on real time basis to ensure correct output of distances. Personnel from many Railway have visited CRIS/Chennai and had input the data of individual Railways in co-ordination with CRIS team. The different data to be input, their significance and the method using which data is to be culled out from standard documents and input is explained below.

Data requirements for the system

Every Railway has to input the following data.

1. Stations

2. Routes

3. Route distances

4. Sidings (Independent/ Non-Independent)

5. Inflated distances wherever applicable

6. Interchange points with other Railways

7. Rationalisation scheme applicable

1. Stations

The correct details of stations in a Railway is critical for the core functioning of the system. The following details about stations are to be input.

1. Station alpha code

2. Station numeric code

3. Station name

4. Station status (Station, Junction, Cabin, Yard, Interchange point)

5. Gauge (Standard, Metre, Narrow)

6. Siding (Y/N)

7. Halt (Y/N)

8. Traffic dealt (Coaching, Goods, Both)

9. Transshipment point (Y/N)

The following points may be borne in mind while feeding stations.

1. List of stations are maintained in a separate database in the system. Provision is given in the main menu to look at the station list Division wise and Railway wise. Provision is also made to do the following.

   1. To add new stations.

   2. To delete existing station.

   3. To modify details of a station (except Alpha code)

   4. To change Division / Zone of a station.

2. While you can view details of stations in other zones, you can modify the details of stations of your zone only.

3. Please ensure correct Spelling of station name.

4. Alpha code should be unique. It was found that number of stations do not have an alpha code or having same code as some other station. Wherever such problem arises, temporary codes have been given with Railway code followed by serial number as 01,02 etc. (Eg. For Taramani â?? II in SR, code has been given as SR01). Railways have to ensure that correct codes as per IRCA should be input to avoid errors since the system will be working based on station alpha code.

2. Routes

The possible routes which trains can take over a Division has to be identified and input. There is a difference between the routes as per the system and sections in LDT. Normally in LDT, the Railway is divided into number of sections and distances are given. Such sections are normally start and end at junctions/terminals/Interchange points.

However, in the system, routes have to be given in such a way that

• a route starts and ends at a junction/terminal/interchange point, and
• there is no junction or interchange point in the middle.

In other words, a route will not have any diversion points in the middle. Therefore, a section in LDT may be split into number of routes to ensure that within a route, there is no diversion.

Virtual Junctions

A station may not be a junction physically, but will be treated as a junction for the purpose of the software. These are called virtual junctions. Such virtual junctions will include-

1. Divisional / zonal interchange points

2. Cabins

3. Normal stations in a section after which a diversion takes place. For example WST in MAS Division after which three lines take off towards KOK, BBQ and VPY from a cabin.
   
   

Tips to identify the routes in your zone

1. Study the system map carefully.

2. Study the system division wise and write down the routes in geographical order starting from an interchange point.

3. When you reach a junction, form a new route from that junction to the next junction.

4. Continue this till you have covered a Division. You have to make Division interchange points also as virtual junctions even if they are not actual junctions.

5. While doing the above, you may come across a bye pass line which avoids a junction ahead.

6. Such bye pass lines may either have been notified for charging or may be used only for operational purpose and not for charging.

7. If such bye pass lines have been notified then you have to stop the route there and form another route from the take off point to the next junction and also another route for the bye pass line from where it takes off and upto the point where it joins the main line.

8. If the bye pass line is not notified, then you should ignore that line. For example, in MAS Division in SR, a bye pass line exists from Melpakkam to Tiruttani avoiding Arokkonam junction. Even though express trains also use this path, this line is not notified and distance is calculated only via arakkonam. Therefore this bye pass line should not be given.

9. You have to ensure that all possible connectivity is given in the routes. You have to study the train operations pattern, various paths, check and ensure that the routes you have formed will serve all the requirements.

Zero Kilometre routes

A zero kilometer route should be given in the following cases.

1. When there is no physical connection, but tickets are issued via these stations. For example, tickets are issued via Chennai Central and Chennai park for passenger traffic towards south and vice versa. But there is no direct line between MAS and MPK. So a route from MAS to MPK has to be given with distance as zero.

2. When there are two alpha codes for a station. For example, for Bareilly, code is BE in NR and BRY in NER. For Indore, INDB for BG and INDM for MG. In such cases, a route has to be formed as BE to BRY and INDB to INDM with distance as zero.

3. When there is line going above and another line below where passengers can change trains between a station at high-level track and station in low-level track. In such cases, to provide connectivity, a zero distance route has to be given.

4. When a separate code exists for a goods shed in a station. For example, at TPJ, the goods shed alpha code is TPGY. But distance for charge is only TPJ. Here a route from TPJ to TPGY with zero distance has to be given to provide connectivity to TPGY.

3. Route distances

Once the routes are identified, the routes have to be fed in the system. The following details have to be given.

1. Route From

2. Route To

3. Gauge (S/M/N)

4. Up and Down distance equal (Y/N) (If distance is different, separate route should be formed for UP and DN directions)

5. Inflation (Y/N) (If there is any inflation prescribed for this section, type Y)

6. Active (Y/N) (If the section is closed temporarily, type N)

7. Individual stations in Geographical order, with the following details for each station.

   1. Station alpha code (Station name will be displayed automatically. If not displayed, then that station is not available in the station database. You have to use add new station option and add the station first to the database. Then you have to give the station code in the route).

   2. Engineering distance (From the starting station of the route)

   3. Coaching and Goods distance (if different from engineering distance)

   4. Station status (J,S,I,C,Y)

   5. Type of traffic (G,C,B)

8. You have to add stations one by one in geographical order, with the cumulative distance from the route starting station.

9. Always remember and ensure that a station can be available in only one route except in case of junctions and virtual junctions.

10. After reaching the route ending station, save the route.

Maintenance of route distances

• In the main menu, click on routes option.

• The list of routes pertaining to the zone and division selected will be displayed. If you single click on a route, the details of the route will be displayed for you to do any modification.

• You can at any point of time, add new routes, delete existing routes, modify the routes, split the routes at a station in the middle, change the division of the route etc.

4. Sidings (Independent/Non-independent sidings)

• Sidings charged on through distance basis upto the buffer end of the siding are called independent sidings.

• Sidings charged upto serving station and siding charges from serving station to siding are called non-independent sidings.

Non-Independent sidings

Separate option is given in the main menu for input of non-independent sidings. You have to feed the following details.

1. Siding alpha code

2. Siding name

3. Serving station alpha code

4. Remarks, if any




Independent sidings

Such sidings are notified with serving station and the distance from serving station to the sidings. Sometimes, distance is notified from more than one direction. (Eg. BKSC). For such sidings, the following has to be done.




1. Add the siding in siding database using the station option in the main menu.

2. Identify the route in which the serving station lies.

3. Split the route at that station, duly marking the station as junction.

4. Add a new route from the serving station to the siding.

5. If distance has been notified from more than one direction, then identify the station from which each distance is notified. Then split the routes in which such stations lie and form new route from those stations to the siding with the respective notified distances.



5. Inflated distance



• While forming the routes, you would have already set the flag for inflation as Y.

• When you set the flag as Y, then the system will ask you to feed the inflation percentage for different types of traffic.

• This detail has to be fed for each pair of stations in the entire route.



6. Interchange points



• A separate option is given under station option to add interchange points.

• Only interchange points with other Railways have to be entered.

• Divisional interchange points need not be entered.

• You can also add/delete/modify the interchange points.



7. Rationalisation scheme

• The routes rationalized under this scheme have been notified by Ministry of Railways.

• You can view a Rationalised Route notified in the following way.

• a) A specfic route identified by a Starting station and a Ending station over specific via points are specified as prohibited.

• b) The substitute route with same starting and ending stations but with different via points are specified as Rationalised route.

• c) The condition when the Rationalsied route is to be applied is also specified in the notification. Some of the conditions can be commodity or specific area of origin and/or area of destination etc.. Some exceptions may also be specified. This is a view of the simple rationalisation route while some are more complicated.

• The rationalised routes notified in your Railway has to be specified in the ways laid out as a), b) and c) and entered. Whatever you enter as c) will be presented to the operator for taking a decision if he has to ask the software to apply the Rationalised Route keeping in mind the purpose for which he is calculating the distance.

• Please send the details of rationalization in your Railway with your comments and suggestions to us through email.

• Inflated distances where applicable for goods or passenger traffic are already added to the coaching/goods distances.

• Inflation for specific traffic (say military goods etc.) will be catered for using another screen.