Efficient technologies in railway transport

Efficient technologies in railway transport
Igor Shapkin

Vadim Shmal

Pavel Minakov

Igor Shapkin Doctor of Technical Sciences, ProfessorRUSSIAN UNIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT (MIIT)Pavel Minakov Ph. D. Associate ProfessorRUSSIAN UNIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT (MIIT)Vadim Shmal Ph. D. Associate ProfessorRUSSIAN UNIVERSITY OF TRANSPORT (MIIT)

Efficient technologies in railway transport

Igor Shapkin

Pavel Minakov

Vadim Shmal

© Igor Shapkin, 2022

© Pavel Minakov, 2022

© Vadim Shmal, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0059-3948-7

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

INTRODUCTION

The state and prospects of development of the transportation process management system in railway transport in the conditions of reform are considered. The analysis of the world processes of economic development is given, effective ways of transition to landfill technologies for managing the transportation process, modern systems for organizing car traffic and train schedules, systems for operational planning of train and freight work and integration technologies, improving the quality of dispatching control on railways are presented. Modern approaches to the organization and technology of local work in the context of the development of the vertical management system are presented. The advantages of the state approach to the system of train safety in railway transport are shown. The experience of effective management of locomotives in the conditions of the Traction Resource Management Center, as well as the introduction of intelligent transport systems in railway transport and the economic efficiency of technology and transportation management on railways is presented.

Railway transport in Russia occupies a leading place in the development of the country’s economy, providing full, timely and high-quality satisfaction of passenger and freight traffic. Railways link together territories, cities and regions into a single state – Russia.

The reforms carried out in railway transport are aimed at the long-term development of the industry, the introduction of new innovative technologies based on intelligent processes using the latest telecommunication systems, GLONASS, optimization management methods that can significantly improve the quality of transportation, train safety, competitiveness, innovation and efficiency of railway transport.

The most important strategic task is to implement the implementation of the strategy of the Railway Transport Development Program until 2030. The basis of its execution is to improve the quality of operational activities and optimize transportation management. In the development strategy of the Russian Railways Holding, the basic values are: customer orientation, professionalism, innovation and efficiency, implemented through full satisfaction of customer needs based on the provision of quality services that meet international standards.

By implementing the business as an organization of freight transportation, JSC “Russian Railways” ensures the formation of a new line of transport products and an increase in the level of customer service.

An important management tool is the creation of a Central Traffic Management Directorate, whose main tasks are the continuous improvement of transportation management technology, the most productive use of car fleets and locomotives, optimization of infrastructure loading, taking into account the performance of maintenance and repair work. The creation of the structure should be continuously replenished with new technologies of the transportation process, be adequate to the requirements of the market economy at all levels of management.

The solution of the above problems primarily depends on the level of transport science, the effectiveness of which depends on the development of its connection with practice. This is especially important for such a key industry as rail transport. Many scientific ideas, technical developments, complex calculations, technological solutions of transportation management processes, which allows them to be applied more reasonably in the practice of railway operations, to obtain a significant economic effect.

The implementation of the goals in the field of development and implementation of effective technologies and modern methods of solving operational problems in railway transport are set out in this book.

CHAPTER I. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT FOR THE PERIOD UP TO 2030

1.1 Results of structural reform in railway transport

The Government of the Russian Federation has approved a Program of structural reform in railway transport, which predetermined the large-scale transformations of JSC “Russian Railways”.

The market changes of the nineties determined the need for a radical revision of the model of the entire railway industry, and the deterioration of assets – wagons, locomotives, infrastructure – required urgent action.

The program provided for a number of steps aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the railways as the basis of the unified transport system of the country, improving the safety, quality and accessibility of services provided and reducing the cost of transportation.

Railway workers have no way to stop the entire system or any part of it for a long-term reconstruction, demolish the old facilities and build new ones in their place. It is no secret that, unlike other industries, railway reform is carried out, in fact, on a living technological organism, and the classic principle of “do no harm” is not just words here.

That is why, along with large-scale changes and the formation of a new industry environment, the continuity of the best technologies, managerial experience and responsibility, labor and cultural traditions that have been formed throughout the history of the development of railways in Russia has been ensured over the past years.

Today, the effects of transformations on Russian railways are obvious.

But this stage of the reform proved at the same time that in any transformation one cannot rely only on market mechanisms. The spontaneous formation of the operator business without dialogue with railwaymen, legislators and regulators led to a rapidly formed surplus of freight cars, failures in the transportation process, additional loads on infrastructure, an increase in empty mileage, and then to the collapse of the economic efficiency of the operators themselves. But this could have been avoided by legitimizing the rights and responsibilities of market participants in their interaction with the carrier and the owner of the infrastructure.

Huge efforts and resources were directed by JSC “Russian Railways” to optimize the “model of a carrier without wagons” that has no analogues in the world, to return the efficiency of the transportation process to acceptable parameters.

A completely new transportation management system was gradually formed on the network, adapted to the targeting of private empty wagons, to the multiplicity of operators, to the fragmentation of their logistics schemes. At the same time, a constructive dialogue with operators, cargo owners and regional leaders is being built at various sites. Today there is an understanding that such a dialogue provides an increase in efficiency for all participants in the process. Thanks to the support of the State, the transport legislation has been improved. All this made it possible to increase the level of car traffic routing to its maximum value – more than 50%, optimize the operation of marshalling yards, increase the speed and reliability of delivery, and the weight of a freight train.

Taking into account the difficulties with which the stage of liberalization of the market for the provision of railcars took place, JSC “Russian Railways” is extremely balanced about reforming the locomotive complex.

Locomotive industry is probably one of the most technically complex and capital-intensive in the industry, more than 30% of all resources are concentrated here. Today it is a system of independent structures united by the logic of contractual relations. Traction Directorate, Traction Rolling Stock Repair Directorate, design bureau, service companies, locomotive repair and locomotive-building plants provide verified management of the entire process of the locomotive life cycle.

Thanks to the transformations carried out, it became possible to assess the real impact of each division on reliability, traffic safety, and economic performance of traction when optimizing locomotive management mechanisms by eliminating intermediate links.

A qualitative breakthrough in the work of the traction complex came when, with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation, domestic locomotive construction was actually restored, and the volume of purchases of new locomotives increased from several dozen to eight hundred units per year.

Today, the entire necessary line of modern and efficient locomotives has been created – electric locomotives “Ermak”, “Granit”, “Donchak”, mainline locomotives, shunting locomotives, locomotives running on gas fuel are being tested.

New solutions have been developed to change the structure of repair cycles, the list and frequency of work. A model of an optimized four-link locomotive repair system has been tested, including maintenance, current, depot and factory repairs. Already at the pilot project stage, this makes it possible to reduce operating costs by up to 23%, and use the saved funds to improve the quality and reliability of locomotives.

A significant renewal of the locomotive fleet and the appearance of cars with improved characteristics predetermined the development of new, previously inaccessible technologies related to the organization of heavy traffic.

In addition, special attention should be paid to the integration of heavy traffic with the technologies of the access roads of large enterprises. Systematic work is needed to prepare loading and unloading sites, weighing facilities, car dumpers, greenhouses. And it is carried out in close cooperation with the local executive authorities, owners of non-public roads, shippers and consignees.

The preservation of a unified railway production infrastructure and centralized dispatching control has become a basic principle in the Structural Reform Program.

Production verticals were created, which covered the entire range of issues of maintenance and repair of the track, energy, signaling and communications. Currently, the tasks of infrastructure management, ensuring its technical readiness for the transportation of goods and passengers are successfully solved by the company.

These steps made it possible to radically revise approaches to infrastructure repair technology. Today, its key principles are high quality planning of repair “windows” and the choice of priority sites for their implementation.

To improve the production discipline, the Automated system for analyzing the planning and execution of windows has been significantly improved with the inclusion of blocking functions in it in case of technology violation at the stages of preparation for “windows”. And the next stage should be the transition to a three-year planning period for the overhaul and reconstruction of railway lines.

Consistent work on reforming the industry has made it possible to form a long-term state policy in the field of infrastructure investment.

Despite the slowdown in economic growth in the country, the forecasts of Russia’s long-term socio-economic development are quite positive, which means that the cargo base will increase.

One of the key areas of the company’s work is the development of infrastructure for passengers. The experience of interaction of JSC “Russian Railways” with the leadership of Moscow and the Moscow region has shown that the development of railway transport infrastructure for suburban and urban passenger transportation is possible only if there is an interest of the subject of the Russian Federation. Currently, JSC “Russian Railways” is successfully developing the Moscow transport hub.

During the period of industry reform, a special role belongs to the transportation process management system. It is this complex that bears the main responsibility for the implementation of the key task of meeting the growing demand for services provided by rail transport. Today, it can be argued that the company has been able to adapt to new conditions, becoming more flexible in providing technological processes when interacting with our partners.

First of all, the approach to the formation of the main document of the organization of transportation activities – the train schedule has changed.