Railways plans recast of freight wagon operations

NEW DELHI: Indian Railways is planning an overhaul of its freight wagon operations, turning to artificial intelligence-based defect detection, predictive maintenance and real-time sensors to improve reliability and safety and attract more business to rail, officials said.

"The plan focuses on improving wagon reliability, maintenance quality, freight speeds and customer service are being finalised," one of the officials said, adding that a field trial of an AI-based system to detect wagon defects across selected zones will begin shortly.

"This would analyse images to identify damaged, missing or hanging components on moving wagons," the official said.


A dedicated freight 'Madad' grievance portal, electronic brake-power certificates, refrigerated-container wagons and a universal wagon for steel products are also planned, the official said.

The portal will create a grievance channel for wagon users and loading or unloading parties. Complaints would flow into the maintenance system for timely action.

"This will ensure concerns of freight customers are addressed in real time," the official said. "The goal is to make railways a more lucrative commercial transport medium."

Besides addressing commercial concerns, the national transporter also expects to improve the reliability of its network through predictive maintenance. "The aim is to find emerging defects before components fail," a second official said, noting that sensor readings and inspection data help maintenance teams identify unusual heat, impact, loading or wear patterns.

Similar machine-vision systems have been used on the Dedicated Freight Corridor. They use line-scan and area-scan cameras to capture undercarriage defects while trains are moving. According to official estimates, the system generated 5,248 confirmed alerts from 115,654 wagons inspected. Officials are considering linking its data with Indian Railways' freight maintenance and operations platforms. The move aims to improve digital oversight of wagon maintenance.

"The 'Rake Lens' gives train examiners a single-screen view of repair dues, alerts and unusual observations. A map-based application also tracks rakes overdue for routine overhaul," the official said.