By Gunjan Vakharia
India is a country on the move. One of the key imperatives to ensure sustainable growth will be to raise the productivity and efficiency of its transport system. The challenge is to ensure a multi-modal, well-integrated transport system to match the pace of urbanisation, and efficiently transport people and goods with minimal environmental impact.
The Indian Railways today has 12,000+ locomotives, more than 76,000 coaches and over 2,93,000 wagons. While continuous efforts to upgrade and refurbish the rolling stock are under way, there is a simultaneous thrust on harnessing technology to bring in a new era of mobility.
Digital foray
Technology majors are leveraging their expertise and know-how in automation, digitalisation and intelligent electrification to meet the need for smart mobility solutions and service the entire mobility spectrum. With digitalisation, the country’s mobility players are enabling operators to make intelligent trains and infrastructure, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience, and guarantee availability. For key players in the mobility domain, even as the leadership role is transitioning from guaranteeing asset availability to operations optimisation, digitalisation is at the core of this transition.
Renewal of rolling stock
A portfolio of future-ready locomotives allows operators to operate economically while reducing environmental impact and conserving resources. The new-age rolling stock is distinguished by excellent driving characteristics, minimum wear, maximum convenience, and a flexible modular design, coupled with energy efficiency and reuse – from trams, light rail and metro trains, to commuter trains, locomotives and high-speed trains.
Upgrading infrastructure
As much as digitalisation and renewal of rolling stock is integral to efficient, comfortable and safe mobility, infrastructure remains the backbone of the railways. From rail signalling and electrification of segments, to commissioning of new mass transit projects, upgrading and enhancing infrastructure is equally important. Speed, reliability and convenience are the decisive factors for ensuring the desirability of modern mass transit railways, and thus their commercial success. The key to meeting these criteria is optimum line utilisation through railway automation. The new-age infrastructure solutions ensure safe, reliable and efficient rail operations while providing energy-efficient robust automation solutions for signalling and electrification systems.
Even as India’s railway network is poised to enter the future on a bright note, the need of the hour is not only to provide world-class rolling stock, infrastructure and digital services, but also provide expert maintenance, spare parts, assistance and operation services for both metro and mainline systems – to ensure that the railway system is efficient, sustainable and reliable.
The writer is head of mobility business, Siemens India